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January 27, 2024
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No. 237
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In This Week’s Issue
BIBI’S GUN

Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife bursts into secret government meetings, abuses her staff, and is involved in choosing Israel’s senior military chiefs. Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv ask: Is she a controlling diva or a wily political animal?

BONES OF CONTENTION

Yale’s most powerful secret society, which counts George W. Bush and Stephen Schwarzman as onetime members, is becoming less rich and less white—to the frustration of some of its rich, white alumni, reports William D. Cohan …

LEGAL TENDER

Once idiosyncratic law firms such as Paul, Weiss have become soul-less, multi-national profit machines, writes Jeffrey Toobin, with partners cycling through firms faster than players through the George Steinbrenner–era Yankees …

BOTTOM OF THE NINTH

Without Sports Illustrated, there never would have been Friday Night Lights, says Buzz Bissinger, who looks back at the extraordinary legacy of the sinking magazine and its influence on his own career in journalism …

SLUMDOG BILLIONAIRE

Nicola Peltz Beckham, the daughter of a hedge-fund mogul who is married to David Beckham’s son Brooklyn, has made a movie about a stripper trying to escape poverty. Stuart Heritage surveys the online hordes accusing her of blue-collar cosplay …

The Children’s Hour

Kim Willsher chronicles the Succession-like drama that’s pitching the aging French movie star Alain Delon’s three children against each other …

THE READING RIOT ACT

A scandal involving a debut author who used pseudonyms to trash her competitors’ books on Goodreads has raised serious questions about the legitimacy of the Internet’s most popular, Amazon-owned book-review site …

BUT, WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

Uzbekistan is the place to visit! … a Stanley Kubrick odyssey … Is Apple’s new V.R. headset a technological marvel or an expensive toy? … Bernard-Henri Lévy’s inside scoop on lobbying Congress … the Jaipur Literature Festival is the granddaddy of the South Asian literary scene … public radio gets spoofed … Ash Carter remembers the late Edward Jay Epstein … Cast your vote in this week’s Attention-Whore Index Poll!

But First …
Issue No. 237

The View from Here Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, closest adviser, and fiercest defender, is seen as a mix of Lady Macbeth and Eva Perón, but without the charm or the cult following

By Yossi Melman and Dan Raviv
Read On
Barry Blitt’s Sketchbook
School for Scandal

Skeletons in the Closet The culture wars have come for Skull and Bones, Yale’s most prestigious—and mysterious—secret society

By William D. Cohan
Photo Illustration by Chop Choppish Shop
Read On
Adventures in Journalism

Sports Immolated The Pulitzer Prize–winning writer pours one out for Sports Illustrated’s slow demise and recalls how the original idea for his best-selling book Friday Night Lights first appeared in its pages

By Buzz Bissinger
Read On
Air Supply

The Masterly Minimalist

In the spirit of the New Year—and its proverbial blank slate—pare back your shopping cart with these subtle yet stunning objects of permanence, from go-with-anything wardrobe essentials to understated treasures for the home
Shop
Photo: Watford/Mirrorpix/Getty Images (Ono and Lennon)
Guest Edit

My Favorite Things Gagosian director Ashley Stewart Rödder shares her display-worthy essentials, from her favorite art book to the leather carry-on she takes to every international fair

By Ashley Stewart Rödder
Shop
Photo: Taylor Jewell (Stewart Rödder)
Law & Hoarders

Big Law Gets Bigger Paul, Weiss once embraced a variety of civic-minded causes. Today, the law firm seems more focused on its own bottom line

By Jeffrey Toobin
Photo Illustration By Chop Choppish Shop
Read On
Small Talk
“First of all, it was a discussion, not an argument. Secondly, I won.”
“First of all, it was a discussion, not an argument. Secondly, I won.”
Beauty and Wellness

Eye of the Beholder Are the rich sleeping better at night? Well, they’re certainly trying. Our beauty-and-wellness guru goes to extreme measures in search of the latest status symbol—a longer REM cycle

By Linda Wells
Read On
Tech and Gadgets

Brave New World Infra-red cameras, L.E.D. sensors, and millions of pixels … one editor takes Apple’s new $3,500 V.R. headset for a spin ahead of its release, next week

By Nathan King
Read On
Small Talk
“Good luck out there with the normies and un-bearded ladies!”
“Good luck out there with the normies and un-bearded ladies!”
T.G.I.S.

The Attention-Whore Index Donald Trump is paying out, Ron DeSantis is waving good-bye—can legendary aviator Prince Harry pass them by? Plus, the strangest news from across the world

Read On
Best
Read Among Friends The titans who presided over publishing’s golden age, a time before BookTok and Sally Rooney merch, are the subject of… Organize KRB Time spent in New York City rental apartments feels like dog years. On paper, I’ve lived in the same West Village apartment for almost six… Listen Ripple The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in the Gulf of Mexico, was the largest such leak in human history and, naturally, the top news story… Stay Sha Mexico Cancún might not conjure up images of health and clarity, but that could change thanks to the new destination spa from… Watch The Pianist “Unblinking” is one of the accolades often used to describe Roman Polanski’s 2002 movie about the Holocaust, The Pianist. The hero… SPARKLE Diane Kordas In the sickeningly sweet Valentine’s Day economy, a heart-stoppingly good gift can be elusive. Fortunately, jewelry designer… Read Among Friends The titans who presided over publishing’s golden age, a time before BookTok and Sally Rooney merch, are the subject of… Organize KRB Time spent in New York City rental apartments feels like dog years. On paper, I’ve lived in the same West Village apartment for almost six… Listen Ripple The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in the Gulf of Mexico, was the largest such leak in human history and, naturally, the top news story… Stay Sha Mexico Cancún might not conjure up images of health and clarity, but that could change thanks to the new destination spa from… Watch The Pianist “Unblinking” is one of the accolades often used to describe Roman Polanski’s 2002 movie about the Holocaust, The Pianist. The hero… SPARKLE Diane Kordas In the sickeningly sweet Valentine’s Day economy, a heart-stoppingly good gift can be elusive. Fortunately, jewelry designer…
Annals of Delusion

Harsh Realities A first look at Nicola Peltz-Beckham’s directorial debut, Lola—which leaves much to be desired

By Stuart Heritage
Read On
Family Feud

Lost Command Having made 90 films during his career, the French actor, director, and heartthrob Alain Delon is now confronting an unexpectedly tragic final act

By Kim Willsher
Read On
Inside Story

Capitol Flight Bernard-Henri Lévy lobbied Congress in person with his latest film about the plight of Ukraine, hoping to shake the indifference of the shining city upon the hill

By Bernard-Henri Lévy
Read On
A Passage to India

The Mahabharata of Literary Festivals Forget glitchy microphones and cheap white wine. The Jaipur Literature Festival is the biggest and best of its kind in the world

By Pico Iyer
Read On
Unbalancing the Books

Review Bombers The influential, Amazon-owned Web site Goodreads has been infiltrated by scammers and trolls extorting authors and destroying careers—largely targeting Black and L.G.B.T.Q.+ writers. So what now?

By David Smith
Read On
Small Talk
“Your honor, I don’t think I need to remind you that we’re all guilty of something.”
“Your honor, I don’t think I need to remind you that we’re all guilty of something.”
Comedic Relief

Faces for Radio In the Know, Peacock’s stop-motion send-up of the public-radio set, is modeled on the NPR boobs you know and love

By David Kamp
Read On
Rock ‘n’ Roll

Live from Laurel Canyon A new book of photographs by Henry Diltz chronicles the story of the band Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, America’s own Beatles

By Mark Rozzo
7
From left, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, and David Crosby, photographed by Henry Diltz in West Hollywood in 1969 for the cover of Crosby, Stills & Nash, their debut album (later nicknamed the “Couch Album”).
The singer Cass Elliot in Laurel Canyon, 1968. The neighborhood was the “ideal setting for musicians to co-mingle [and] cross-pollinate,” Diltz writes.
Top, getting ready for a CSN&Y concert in Minneapolis, 1970; above, Crosby, Stills, and Nash in Big Bear, California, 1969.
Nash with Joni Mitchell on the road to Big Bear, 1969. “Joni and I had a great love affair,” Nash once told Diltz.
Crosby in Minneapolis, 1970, top, and in Agoura Hills, California, 1966, above.
Stills plays his Gretsch White Falcon guitar at home in Surrey, 1970.
Top, CSN&Y perform at Balboa Stadium, in San Diego, 1969; above, an outtake from the “Couch Album” photo shoot, 1969.
Read On
Film and Television

Extra Credit Highly competitive, Da’Vine Joy Randolph transitioned seamlessly from Yale University drama student to opera singer, and now to Oscar nominee, for her masterful performance in The Holdovers

By Wendy Ide
Read On
Books
Nicolas Rapold On

Kubrick: An Odyssey

by Robert P. Kolker
and Nathan Abrams
Read On
Max Carter On

Hegel: The Philosopher of Freedom

by Klaus Vieweg,
translated by Sophia Kottman
and Paul A. Kottman
Read On
Highlight

Another Universe A new production of Nelken stays true to the late choreographer Pina Bausch’s innovative work of dance theater

By Genevieve Marks
Read On
Close-up

Dominique Morisseau The Tony-nominated playwright on how her father, a Haitian revolutionary, inspired her familial drama Sunset Baby

By Rhoda Feng
Read On
Listen

What Happens When a Nepo Baby Makes a Movie? This week, Stuart Heritage looks at Lola, a film by David Beckham’s daughter-in-law

Read On
Travel

Steppe by Steppe Rich with history, architecture, and dazzling new developments, Uzbekistan is courting travelers—and delivering on its promises

By Marcia DeSanctis
Read On
Great Lives

Edward Jay Epstein The investigative journalist made a career of questioning accepted narratives, from the Kennedy assassination to the Black Panthers to the diamond industry

By Ash Carter
Read On
Small Talk
The Seasoned Traveler

Evan Funke The chef behind Los Angeles’s Felix and Mother Wolf reveals his travel routine

Read On
Eric Hanson’s Sketchbook
A femme in full: the celebrated French writer Colette was born 151 years ago this week.
Is Edited By

Graydon Carter and Alessandra Stanley

Creative Director

Angela Panichi

Deputy Editors

Ashley Baker Ash Carter Chris Garrett Nathan King Julia Vitale

Chief Technology Officer

John Tornow

Editor at Large

George Pendle

Books Editor

Jim Kelly

Arts Intel Report Editor

Laura Jacobs

Senior Editors

Elena Clavarino Jensen Davis

Photo Director

Ann Schneider

Copy Editor

Adam Nadler

Research & Legal Editor

Matt Kapp

Production Editor

H. Scott Jolley

Associate Editors

Carolina de Armas Lucy Horowitz Clara Molot Paulina Prosnitz Jack Sullivan

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Paloma Huerre

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Emine Gözde Sevim

Designer

Zoé Gillette

International Editor

Isabelle Harvie-Watt

London Editor

Bridget Arsenault

Communications Director

Harrison Vail

Columnists

Cazzie David Lisa Henricksson Walter Isaacson
Pico Iyer Rachel Johnson John Lahr
Jonathan Margolis Linda Wells James Wolcott

Writers at Large

Lili Anolik Johanna Berkman Joseph Bullmore Vassi Chamberlain William D. Cohan Rich Cohen Michael Hainey Stuart Heritage George Kalogerakis Sam Kashner James Kirchick Alexander Lobrano Alexandra Marshall Daphne Merkin Sam Wasson

Contributing Artists

Monica Ahanonu Barry Blitt André Carrilho Pip Carter Paul Davis David Downton Andrea Ferolla Josh Gosfield Cathy Graham Eric Hanson Angelica Hicks Hilary Knight Danielle Kosann Michael Lindsay-Hogg Ross MacDonald Joe McKendry James McMullan Donald Robertson Charles Dare Scheips Grant Shaffer Ed Sorel Ralph Steadman

Contributing Photographers

Jonathan Becker Justin Bishop Alex Board James Emmerman Marcos Fecchino Daniel Paik Art Streiber Sharon Suh Justin Weiner

Architectural Consultant

Basil Walter

Head of Audience Development

Rachel LeSage

Audience Growth Manager

Merritt Johnson

Cartoon Editor

Bob Mankoff

Music Supervisor

Randall Poster

Technology

Brooks Oakley Justin Rubaloff Sade Singleton

Intern

Gasper Tringale-White

OUR CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER ARE

Bill Keenan and Emily Davis

Air Supply General Manager and Brand Partnerships

Anjali Lewis

Advertising Director

Michael Pescuma

European Sales Director

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Financial & Business Operations

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Chief Strategy Adviser

Adam Mendelsohn

Chief Merchant

Jennifer Noyes

Shop Editor

Zoe Ruffner

E-Commerce Manager

Isaac Metlitsky

E-commerce Associate

Lilly Schoenbaum

In Memoriam

Peter Bogdanovich Duncan Hannah Douglas McGrath Richard David Story André Leon Talley

Issue No. 237
January 27, 2024
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Issue No. 237
January 27, 2024
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