Why the World Loves Mellody Hobson

Meet the woman who inspired Sheryl Sandberg to write ‘Lean In’.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Apr 8, 2015
Length: 20 minutes (5,000 words)

Days of Rage

How Ron Fliegelman became the Weather Underground’s bomb guru.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Mar 29, 2015
Length: 32 minutes (8,000 words)

The True Story of Pretty Woman’s Original Dark Ending

Pretty Woman‘s original script was far darker than the romantic comedy millions of us have seen. Vanity Fair talks to the filmmakers about how the movie got its happy ending.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Mar 23, 2015
Length: 7 minutes (1,780 words)

The Suspects Wore Louboutins

Nancy Jo Sales on the real life “Bling Ring,” a group of fame-obsessed L.A. teens who burglarized celebrity homes in search of jewelry, designer clothing, and proximity to stardom. This article was the basis for Sofia Coppola’s 2013 movie The Bling Ring.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Mar 1, 2010
Length: 21 minutes (5,390 words)

The Fugitive Heir

A 2002 profile of real estate scion and alleged murderer Robert Durst. Durst has been the subject of a documentary miniseries airing on HBO called The Jinx.

Author: Ned Zeman
Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Feb 1, 2002
Length: 31 minutes (7,890 words)

The Prep School And The Predator

A viral story helps expose a predatory teacher’s abusive history at an elite all-girls private school in Los Angeles.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Feb 2, 2015
Length: 13 minutes (3,420 words)

The Henry Ford of Books

A profile of James Patterson, the world’s best-selling author, who has an army of co-writers and television deals in the works, but many detractors as well.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Dec 30, 2014
Length: 16 minutes (4,106 words)

War of Words

“What if all the publishers pulled all their books from that fucking idiot device? Then what would you read on your silly Kindle?” Keith Gessen on book publishers’ complicated history with Amazon.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Nov 6, 2014
Length: 31 minutes (7,795 words)

In a Bookstore in Paris

A profile of George Whitman, the eccentric deceased founder of cult bookstore Shakespeare and Company, and his daughter and successor, Sylvia.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Nov 1, 2014
Length: 27 minutes (6,841 words)

The Stradivarius Affair

Buzz Bissinger reports about the case of the stolen Lipinksi Stradivarius violin last winter, which was recovered by the Milwaukee Police Department and FBI after they tracked down its thief, a street criminal who had allegedly dreamed of stealing one in prison.

Source: Vanity Fair
Published: Oct 17, 2014
Length: 27 minutes (6,779 words)