Vanity Fair December 2013

The most wrenching moment in Thornton Wilder’s Our Town comes when the young Emily Webb, who has died in childbirth, is allowed to return to the world of the living and observe a day in her life—as it happens, the day of her 12th birthday. The experience of the ordinary, watching acts as simple as making breakfast, proves to be unbearable. Ultimately Emily asks, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?” I couldn’t help but think of Our Town while reading David Kamp’s “The Day Before,” beginning on page 146. There have been many accounts of the horrific events in Newtown, Connecticut, last December, when a gunman shot and ultimately killed 20 schoolchildren and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and then turned the gun…

1 Patrick Demarchelier For contributing photographer Patrick Demarchelier, whose photos of Nicole Kidman accompany “Nicole’s State of Grace” (page 140), the opportunity to work with the Australian beauty was a cherished—if not so rare—pleasure. “No matter how many times I photograph Nicole,” says Demarchelier, who has shot her for two other Vanity Fair covers, “she never fails to amaze me with her energy and beauty.” 2 Emma Hardy Photographer Emma Hardy has considered actor Mark Rylance a hero ever since she saw him in Much Ado About Nothing, at London’s Queen’s Theatre, in 1993. “I wished above all to honor Mark in his portrait,” says Hardy, who shot Rylance for the Spotlight on page 155. “To photograph him in the early morning at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre—which Mark was instrumental in…

The October issue represents the best of what Vanity Fair is. The editors crafted an issue that, without being consumed by the magazine’s centennial, celebrates the past and present of the publication that in my humble opinion has most infuenced the culture of the United States (and the Western world) over the past century. From the breathtaking photography of Steichen and Leibovitz to the genius of Christopher Hitchens and Michael Lewis, this magazine covers every subject worth covering. Your success surely is proof that as long as magazines publish such wonderful content, print is not dead. GUILLERMO ORDORICA Mexico City and London The 10 essays of “The Vanity Fair Century” were a stroke of pure genius. What a fantastic way of providing a favor for each of the decades. Bill…

The Mailbag will be delayed briefly this month while we scramble to accommodate a reader from Florida: “I PAID AGAIN TODAY . . . I WANT MY ‘VANITY FAIR TOTE BAG’ SENT NOW.” (Pause.) O.K., where were we? Lanny Middings writes from San Ramon, California: "In answer to the question ’What is it that you most dislike?,’ Stephen King [in the Proust Questionnaire] replied, ’Broken fucking promises.’ Was King referring to promised copulation engagements that were not honored?" (We’ll have to get back to you. Tote bags to mail!) "Your October edition was superb, and I especially want to compliment the authors of ’100: The Vanity Fair Century,’" says Richard Dinmore, of Castle Pines North, Colorado. "It was one of the best pieces in Vanity Fair’s distinguished history." Lisa Whittington,…

The cover of our 100TH-ANNIVERSARY ISSUE, starring KATE UPTON, had to entice, shock, and intrigue in the same way the magazine has since 1913. And thanks to our Twitter followers, we know it did just that. @KATEUPTON Happy birthday @VanityFair!!! @_KATHERINE WEBB @KateUpton We gonna have to celebrate your VF cover this weekend. Pajama party and room service probably @JAY BERGER “Good call, man.”–Grocery Store Clerk as I bought the Kate Upton Vanity Fair; seeing right through me. @ JULIEANN SILVER Should’ve been a big photo of Dominick Dunne … RT @elissaavery: also, really Vanity Fair, you celebrate 100 years in print with Kate Upton? @JSTERLING 74 @KateUpton may very well be the 21st Century’s Marilyn Monroe. Have u seen the latest issue of @VanityFair? DAMN! #Cleavage @GREG CARRASCO I…

It must be the fur balls. (Or maybe the cooler-than-thou attitude? Nah, probably the fur balls.) In any event, no cats reading this month’s poll will be pleased by the results. While most pet owners would brave a house aflame to save their pet, notably more dog owners say so than cat owners. Among cat owners, not even a third say they always trust their pet’s instincts about people. And nearly a quarter of Americans, asked how many cats is too many cats, answered, “One.” Brutal. A faint glimmer of dignity for felines was detectable when Americans were asked which pets would make them “think twice” about their owners. Only 4 percent of us said cats, although that nice, low figure loses some of its impact when you look at…