Graydon Carter

Soon after Lehman Brothers fell, and New York business writers found themselves smack in the middle of the biggest story of their careers, Fortune’s managing editor, Andy Serwer, convened a staff meeting on the second floor of their Sixth Avenue home.

He wanted to say thank you! Not only did the magazine have a series of timely covers—Hank Paulson was on one, and they had a profile of AIG’s former chief Hank Greenberg coming down the pike—but it was responding fast on the Web, and its Web coverage was impressing everyone in the building.

“I have to tell you, fortune.  read more »

Graydon Carter told a bunch of American Express executives that he created the Waverly Inn for the "non-Sex and the City and nonhedge-fund crowd," and that he oversees the restaurant's table assignments. Also, he hires people who "walk with purpose." [P6]

Macaulay Culkin's older sister Dakota died on Wednesday after being struck by a car in Los Angeles. [Us Weekly]

Some very attentive Gwyneth Paltrow fans believe the actress may have recently gotten breast implants. [P6]  read more »

At today's Newhouse panel at the Plaza, moderator Ken Auletta asked all three Condé Nast editors on the dais—Vogue's Anna Wintour, Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter, The New Yorker's David Remnick—how they felt about the future of magazines. Would the crisis that's currently afflicting the newspaper industry take its toll on magazines?

As they've said before, these editors think everything will be just fine!

"I think we’ve been in difficult times before and we’ve come out of them and I’m sure that we will again," said Ms. Wintour.  read more »

"I have no plans to leave American Vogue now or in the foreseeable future," said Vogue editor Anna Wintour as she was walking out of the Plaza this morning.

Ms. Wintour was at the Plaza today along with New Yorker editor David Remnick and Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter to participate in a panel discussion sponsored by the Newhouse School of Communication and The New Yorker.

Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Ms. Wintour was coming close to giving up her editor's chair. Earlier this week, Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse dismissed reports he was meeting in France with French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld about her replacing Ms. Wintour. "This is the silliest rumor I ever heard," he said. Ms. Wintour, when offered the chance to dismiss the rumor on November 21st, only fueled further speculation when she told a reporter to go away.  read more »

The New York Times has posted a preview of the Book Review's lead review from this week: Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter on Nelson W. Aldrich, Jr.'s George Plimpton oral biography, George, Being George: George Plimpton’s Life as Told, Admired, Deplored, and Envied by 200 Friends, Relatives, Lovers, Acquaintances, Rivals — and a Few Unappreciative Observers. (An oral biography of George Plimpton: Capital idea!)

It's hard finding just one thing to quote from the long, admiring review, which takes into account a man with a long, admirable life, but here's one little nugget.

Per Mr. Carter:

I remember getting a call some years ago from a television casting agent looking for a patrician type to play an editor who liked to go shooting rats in Central Park. I asked the agent if she had approached anyone else. As it happened, she had. Lewis Lapham said it was beneath him. George Plimpton agreed to do it, but he had a scheduling conflict. So she ended up with me. And the show went off the air within the year.  read more »

We channeled the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe alongside Josh Lucas, David Schwimmer, Arden Wohl, and Mary-Kate Olsen at the Accompanied Literary Society Halloween party.

The art world remembered Robert Rauschenberg at a Coalition for the Homeless benefit. 

We spent an anxious Election Eve with Graydon Carter, Tina Brown, Salman Rushdie, Regis Philbin, and Nora Ephron at the New York Public Library’s Library Lions benefit. 

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At the New York Public Library’s Library Lions benefit on Monday, Nov. 3, most guests were eager to get home at a reasonable hour—since polls around the city were scheduled to open at 6 a.m. the next day, and as several guests pointed out, open bars at benefits tend to make it difficult to get anywhere on time the following day.

“I’m going to vote early, probably right after my show,” said Live with Regis and Kelly host Regis Philbin, who was one of the earlier departers along with wife, Joy. “I’m just so glad it’s over! This has been the longest election.  read more »

As John Koblin reported yesterday, Condé Nast is implementing across the board budget cuts. Men's Vogue was forced to reformat itself down to a glorified supplement to its big sister publication; Portfolio is dramatically scaling back its Web site and limiting its run from 12 issues a year to 10.

Like the natty yet faceless figure in the opening credits to Mad Men, Condé Nast editors could be forgiven for feeling like their world is collapsing around them and their lives—not to mention their lifestyles—are in a state of free-fall.   read more »

Volkswagen has provided the Jolie-Pitts with 20 vehicles for their stay in Berlin. That's 2.5 cars for every member of their family. [NYDN]

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen may be fighting about the possibility of getting matching breast implants. It seems that Ashley wants to "look more voluptuous" and told Mary-Kate "that she wanted her to get one at the same time so that it wouldn't be glaringly obvious that Ashley had work done." For her part, "horrified' Mary-Kate is "into that flat look and thinks clothes look better with less cleavage, so she'd rather be smaller and more stylish." [Star]

Graydon Carter modestly declined artist Edward Sorel's offer to paint him on the wall of the Waverly Inn alongside Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and Walt Whitman. [R&M, sixth item]  read more »

One more addition to Graydon Carter's stable: longtime Atlantic writer and Blackhawk Down author Mark Bowden is dropping his exclusive contract with The Atlantic and signing a two-story-a-year contract with Vanity Fair.

In a landscape where there are no available media jobs, and there's virtually no mobility in the market, Mr. Bowden appears to have written his ticket. He told The Observer that after six years on contract at The Atlantic, it was a decision that largely came down to money.  read more »

"My personal theory is that she’s something that they can’t grasp," CBS News commentator-turned-McCain advisor Nicolle Wallace tells Felix Gillette of Sarah Palin. "They don’t know how to process her. She is beautiful, accomplished, successful, pro-gun and pro-life. They’ve never seen all those things in one package. She totally disorients many in the liberal media, especially a lot of the women."

John Koblin reports that Moneyball author Michael Lewis will be leaving Portfolio and The New York Times Magazine for an exclusive gig at Vanity Fair. "In the pantheon of great narrative journalists, Michael Lewis is pretty much at the top," says VF editor Graydon Carter. Plus: Times Metro Section’s Big Flatbush Wake

Who will write the great non-fiction account of this election, wonders Leon Neyfakh. "[A]re these not extraordinary times? Even the skeptics seem to agree that this election has been one of the most captivating and unpredictable in history..."

Plus: Drop.io... Buffalo Guys... Darren Aronofsky.

About a month ago, Vanity Fair deputy editor Doug Stumpf took Michael Lewis out to dinner at his boss Graydon Carter’s Waverly Inn. Mr. Stumpf brought along fellow Vanity Fair editor Punch Hutton and contributing editor Bethany McLean to help split the $55 truffled macaroni-and-cheese plates for the table.

Mr. Lewis, who has been (and still is, at press time) on contract with The New York Times Magazine and Portfolio, had been wined and dined by magazine editors before. But this trip to Graydon Carter’s own private-public domain was a first.

And now, Mr. Lewis has given Vanity Fair an oral agreement that he will drop both of those contracts, and he will sign exclusively with them.  read more »

“You see those extras?” said the producer, indicating a group of nubile young women standing a few feet away. “They’re yours for the asking. Just point to the one you like and I’ll have her sent to your room.”

This was in the summer of 2007, and we were on the roof of Soho House in New York shooting a scene from How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. I was actually staying at Soho House, so from a purely practical point of view it would have been relatively easy to dispatch one of these young women to my room. But was he being serious?

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Scarlett Johansson informed a photo-seeking bouncer at Lower East Side bar National Underground that she is "not the Statue of Liberty." [P6]

Gossip Girl star Chace Crawford brought a girl back to his apartment and she reported that the bathroom is covered in "crusty toothpaste and self-tanner." [Full Disclosure] 

Former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM, both of whom were badly injured in a plane crash on Friday, are expected to make a full recovery. [US Weekly]  read more »

Last night, Charlie Rose welcomed Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter to his PBS talk show to talk about his magazine's 25th anniversary issue and companion book.

After an extremely enthusiastic introduction (inside voice, please, Charlie!), the two cover a lot of ground from the journalism to art and photography to documentaries to his new baby to what movie is Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse's all time favorite. (Is it D.O.A. or The Searchers?)

A self-deprecating Mr. Carter told Mr. Rose that he lacks a "core competence" and that his greatest accomplishment has been keeping his job at the magazine for the last sixteen and half years. He also hints at writing some sort of memoir one day.

When Daily Transom first broke the story about the opening of Greenwich Village High School—a new private school founded by Vanity Fair deputy editor, Aimee Bell—little information was available other than an earnest slogan: "Work Hard, Be Kind, Take Risks."

But in today's Times piece about the high school, we learned that Ms. Bell's little project happens to be backed by some important names including her boss, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter, president of the New School Bob Kerrey and his wife, television and film writer Sara Paley, actor John Leguizamo, and President of Scholastic Richard Robinson.

The Daily Transom asked Mr.  read more »

Irina Aleksander is sad to report that the parents of charmingly kooky socialite Arden Wohl have separated, and dad Larry has been spotted around town with a woman who is not his wife Denise.

Ms. Aleksander also stopped by Barneys on Monday evening for a book party celebrating Graydon Carter's new tome, Vanity Fair: The Portraits, A Century of Iconic Images, where she asked champagne-sipping guests like Barry Diller, Richard Meier, and Fran Lebowitz how the latest financial news would affect the city.

George Gurley headed to the Soho Grand to hang out with the stars of the new film Ghost Town, where he found James Lipton gruff, and Greg Kinnear and Ann Dexter-Jones characteristically sunny. She loves orchids! And her kids!

And Spencer Morgan speaks to one of the partners of beleaguered downtown club The Box, whose liquor license is up for review. In this city, hell hath no fury like a neighbor who can't sleep!  read more »

Felix Gillette writes that "On the morning of Sept. 14, during a Sunday morning Palin-palooza, George Will sized up the made-for-TV story line thusly: “We had the tech bubble. The housing bubble. Now we have the Palin bubble. Sooner or later bubbles do what bubbles do. But not yet. This is still going strong.” And for the time being, it remains a seller’s market. (A few days after Mr. Will’s assessment, CBS News announced that Katie Couric had landed the second broadcast-news interview with the in-demand governor.)."

Does print journalism matter in this election, wonders John Koblin, now that "in-boxes crammed with New York Times articles and Huffington Post hyperlinks do not advertise their relative value or importance. Everything is equal, everything is a tie and nothing, it seems, is important anymore."

Leon Neyfakh talks to David Foster Wallace's agent and editor about whether or not fans can expect new work from the late author. "When we put together the 10th anniversary for Infinite Jest two years ago, we had an event in New York and an event in Los Angeles, and I talked with him about whether he would like to come be part of them," says Mr. Wallace's editor, Michael Pietsch. "I was not surprised to hear that he was wary of that idea. 'I'll do anything you want me to do,' he said, 'but please don't ask me to do this, please, please, please. I'm working on something long and it takes me a long time to get back into it after I'm pulled away from it.'" Plus: Carrie Bradshaw, the Teenage Years.

Plus: NBC News... Dexter Filkins... Two and a Half Sitcom Wriers Left in Hollywood... Graydon Carter.

On Monday, Sept. 15—the day the Dow dropped 504 points—some of the well-heeled guests at a party for Graydon Carter’s Vanity Fair: The Portraits, A Century of Iconic Images seemed a little rattled. “I think it’s great, I think it should happen every day,” said IAC chairman Barry Diller, who recently split his company in five parts. “Yes, I’m joking. Sorry,” he barked as he quickly excused himself. 

Others were more sanguine. “I think it’s a correction. If you take the long-term view of things, the ups and downs don’t seem so dramatic,” said svelte Vanity Fair contributor Amy Fine Collins. “I remember in 1987, there was this big  read more »

Vanity Fair editor and restaurateur Graydon Carter has admitted what many have long suspected (hoped?): There is nothing that special about his ultra-exclusive Waverly Inn, the design for which was apparently "shamelessly" and "ruthlessly" borrowed from other places.  [P6 ]

Leonardo DiCaprio is off-again with Israeli model Bar Refaeli. [NYDN] 

During the filming of Righteous Kill, Robert DeNiro took 50 Cent to a shooting range to "break the ice." [People] 

Reformed drunk-dialer and Insider correspondent Pat O'Brien is having weird delusions of grandeur, as evidenced by an email he sent out to the staff of his show (sample: "Even Joe Biden said, 'You should be running for president!'") [  read more »

Mary-Kate Olsen won't have to talk to the police about Heath Ledger's death after all. [NYDN]

Graydon Carter bought the lease on the Monkey Bar on East 54th Street. One of his partners told the Post, "It's just going to be a little bar in Midtown." Just like the Waverly Inn is a little bar in the West Village! [P6]  read more »

Scarlett Johansson is still talking about being friends with Barack Obama on the Internet. [Newsday]

On a sweltering afternoon early last month, Adam Newman, a 25-year-old Park Slope comedian who works for CollegeHumor.com, made a life-changing decision: He took scissors to a pair of brown corduroy pants and fashioned them into shorts.

“It’s getting hot and I’ve made up my mind. This summer, I’m wearing shorts!” Mr. Newman blogged recently. “I’ve always been an exclusively-pants guy, but I’m ready for change. No more sweating under the jeans at the park, I’m letting it breathe this year!”  read more »

Mr. Newman is not alone. A growing number of style-conscious men are becoming more comfortable with the idea of showing some leg during the hot summer months.

John Koblin examines Bill Clinton's angry response to Vanity Fair's recent profile of him. "The responses from the former president and his camp are very saddening in their own ways,” according to VF editor Graydon Carter. Plus: Ana Marie Cox joins Radar.

Leon Neyfakh reports from Los Angeles' Book Expo America where Random House's new C.E.O., Markus Dohle said, “I am looking forward to becoming a real New Yorker."

Spencer Morgan talks to Rip Torn about Norman Mailer: “Norman always dressed to the nines... He always had a suit, vest, tie, sometimes a hat. And so behind the lamppost, he turned to me and said, ‘Why you always dressed like a fuckin’ bum! Dress up, put on a nice shirt and tie, and you’ll get more respect.’"

Plus: George Gurley at 40... Eliot Spitzer's new job... and Sex and Our City.

On the afternoon of June 2, Wolf Blitzer was talking to Vanity Fair national editor Todd Purdum about his 9,647-word piece about Bill Clinton.

“Some people who work for him now say that he seems to be angry all the time, angry when he gets up in the morning and angry when he goes to bed at night,” Mr. Purdum was saying.  read more »

During Bill Clinton's spectacular meltdown yesterday--calling Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum a scumbag, sleazy and slimy--he also decided to drag just about everyone into the melee. He said:

"The editor of Esquire-- he sent us an email yesterday and said it was the single sleaziest piece of journalism he'd seen in decades. He said it made him want to go take a shower and he was embarrassed to be a journalist when he read it."  read more »

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Graydon Carter gets the full Devil Wears Prada treatment in How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, a movie based on Toby Young's subtly titled book about his experiences working at Vanity Fair. In the film, the editor-in-chief is played by Jeff Bridges and named Clayton Harding. [P6]

Lydia Hearst says that GG's Michelle Trachtenberg is her BFF while wearing nipple tassels.  read more »

On Monday, April 28, in the subterranean auditorium of the New York Public Library, Vanity Fair hosted a cocktail hour and convocation of experts grandly titled “Redesigning the World: A Green Way to the Future.” And environmentally concerned New Yorkers Mary Richardson Kennedy (wife of Robert Kennedy Jr.<  read more »

Freelance Fizzle!  read more »

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In the next five years in Graydon Carter’s world, you’ll walk onto a plane, or a subway, or a soon-to-be-invented mode of transport, and you’ll tuck a little electronic book under your arm. Inside that little book, which will be very expensive at first but soon will cost $150, there’ll be a series of mylar “pages,” and there will be small buttons off to the side, and once you hit one of them, whoooosh, words and photos from Vanity Fair will suddenly appear.  read more »

Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter showed up almost three hours in to this morning's Landmarks Preservation Committee meeting on the proposed St. Vincent's Hospital rebuilding in the West Village.

"I'm against it!" he said. The proposed towers would very nearly cast a shadow over his nearby restaurant, the Waverly Inn, after all.  read more »

With the writers’ strike and all, what’s goin’ on with the Oscar parties?  read more »

Vanity Fair just announced that they are planning to cancel their annual Oscars after-party.

Here's the entire announcement, as posted on VF Daily this afternoon:

After much consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar party. We want to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and we look forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year.

Each New Year brings with it the obligatory slate of resolutions. And like some college-level sociological experiment, each New Year also brings with it a slate of stories about what famous people have resolved to either quit—smoking, say—or begin—usually something kind of boring, like marathon training or French classes. True to form, WWD recently called some executives in the magazine world to ask them what they hope to accomplish, respectively, in 2008.

Vanity Fair honcho Graydon Carter, who also happens to own a restaurant famous for its tony, truffled mac ‘n’ cheese, is working towards “less food, more exercise.” Meanwhile, Mr. Carter’s publisher, Edward Menicheschi, wants more-or-less the same thing, though he was slightly more specific, aiming to “cut back to four nights a week at the Waverly.”  read more »

Back in August, New Yorker editor David Remnick assigned writer Nick Paumgarten a profile on Eliot Spitzer’s rocky first year as governor. In late September, Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter assigned writer David Margolick a profile on Eliot Spitzer’s rocky first year as governor.

Mr. Paumgarten had his first conversation with Mr. Spitzer two weeks after Labor Day—the first of six conversations they’d have by around the time Mr. Margolick first approached the Spitzer camp. In the end, Mr. Margolick would meet with Mr.  read more »