A Pro and a Con
For Shelby Hewitt, a Boston social worker in her 30s, posing as a teenage foster kid was easy. The question is: Why would anyone want to go back to high school?
The Attention-Whore Index
R.F.K. Jr. tries out anti-Semitism for size, and Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie continue their never-ending, acrimonious divorce. Who’s grabbing your attention this week?
The View from Here
Hollywood isn’t the only strike zone. French journalists are picketing the latest antics of right-wing media mogul Vincent Bolloré
While Rome Burns
A brutal heat wave is shutting down daily life in Italy—and giving one clever weather forecaster the chance to flex his Dante knowledge
Royal Mayhem
The exiled would-be King of Italy got away with murder, then a German model demanded justice
The Je Ne Sais Quoi of Jane Birkin
A lifetime of photographs pays tribute to the French-British actress and singer who inspired the iconic handbag
Keeping Up with the Joneses
In the 1990s, Helen Fielding’s hilarious novel Bridget Jones’s Diary became a huge hit. Now revisionists are ruining the fun
The Attention-Whore Index
After a brief summer break, the world’s neediest attention-seekers are back and clamoring for your vote. But who really deserves it? You decide!
Cinema Verité
Like the plot of a French New Wave film, the legendary actor Alain Delon is in a tumultuous battle with his much younger girlfriend
The View from Here
A U.S. Air Force whistleblower has made dramatic new claims for the existence of U.F.O.’s. Is it enough to finally make us believe?
Wagnerian Army
Why is Prigozhin’s Russian mercenary force named after Hitler’s favorite 19th-century German composer?
Julian Sands
The actor imbued his performances across screen and stage, from James Ivory’s A Room with a View to John Malkovich’s A Celebration of Harold Pinter, with the same zeal he brought to his life
Antique Road Show
At Mille Miglia, Italy’s most prestigious auto race, an appreciation for classic cars and all that comes with driving them—danger, beauty, and speed—endures across generations
The View from Here
The Russian connection in the notorious Profumo case during the Cold War looks like a prequel to the first Trump presidential campaign
The Root of All Evil
Did a bizarre experiment using modern medical technology to reveal the secrets of demonic possession unleash a deadly curse on its participants?
Glenda Jackson
The fearless stage-and-screen actress reached stardom in the 70s with Women in Love, A Touch of Class, and Elizabeth R, and continued performing until the end
Cat’s Out of the Bag
In the late 90s, Jocelyn Wildenstein became a tabloid sensation after her $2.5 billion divorce and as “the poster child for plastic surgery gone wrong.” Now she’s broke and the subject of a new HBO documentary series
Private-Jet Paradox
Wanna take mine or yours? Will the climate crisis ground the use of private planes or simply make the elite more secretive?
I Am Important
Being exceptional is overrated. Perhaps it’s time to embrace the power of an ordinary life
Anyone for Fives? Anyone?
As Wimbledon approaches and the lawn-tennis season enters full swing, another, less vaunted ball sport is clinging to life
The View from Here
Pride flags in June are now as ubiquitous as tinsel in December. Yet, as a gay man, I’ve never felt more invisible within the L.G.B.T. movement
Sex, Drugs, and Bloody Murder
The gruesome killing of an aspiring model by a rich American playboy sent shock waves through Swinging London and its infamous Chelsea Set
An Intriguing New Model
Tesla aficionados who have lost their appetite for Elon Musk are turning to Lucid
Match Point, Italian–Style
When a Milanese waiter’s mistress confronted his pregnant girlfriend about their affair, he took matters into his own gruesome hands
