Cover Story

186      SOME ENCHANTED AMY

Amy Adams was all washed up—yet another blonde trying to make it in Hollywood. Next thing she knew, there was a redheaded, full-fledged movie star in the mirror. With a stunning rollout of new films, including next month’s Doubt, Adams talks to Michael Shnayerson about her roller-coaster ride to an Enchanted height. Photographs by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. Web special: Video

Features

192     INSIDE COLOMBIA’S HOSTAGE WAR

Following the cinematic rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages in July, is Colombia finally winning its battle with the farc guerrillas? Interviewing Betancourt, fellow prisoners, and President Álvaro Uribe, Maureen Orth explores a six-year jungle nightmare, the white-knuckle rescue mission, and the continuing ordeal of a captive nation. Portraits by Jonas Karlsson.

198     WILL’S CUP OF TEA

Of all Prince William’s would-be princesses, it was a St. Andrews classmate, Kate Middleton, who caught his eye, some six years ago. And a bumpy six years it’s been. As Britain waits for a wedding, Vicky Ward explains how the stewardess’s daughter learned to navigate the tabloids, please the Queen, and keep the future King in line. Web video: Vicky Ward discusses Kate. Plus: A slide show.

204     SEARCHING FOR ROBERT JOHNSON

Surfing eBay, a vintage-guitar expert chanced upon what could be only the third known photograph of Robert Johnson, the ill-fated 1930s Delta-bluesman who—legend has it—met the Devil at the crossroads, acquiring a talent that would inspire Dylan, Clapton, and many more. Frank DiGiacomo joins the quest to authenticate the image and untangle Johnson’s legacy.

208     WHO IS WALL STREET’S QUEEN B.?

Is the rivalry between CNBC star Maria Bartiromo and up-and-comer Erin Burnett real, or just a tabloid fantasy? As they race to cover a deepening economic crisis, Suzanna Andrews reports on the “Money Honey” phenomenon. Portraits by Martin Schoeller.

214     POP TO THE PEOPLE

Annie Leibovitz and Ingrid Sischy spotlight Keith Haring, who would have turned 50 this year, but whose art still lives.

216     DR. NICHOLAS AND MR. HYDE

Lots of billionaires behave badly, but Henry Nicholas is in a class by himself. Charges that he defrauded investors at his high-tech powerhouse, Broadcom, have been overshadowed by allegations of drug-fueled, prostitute-filled binges and the construction of a secret lair beneath the mansion where he lived with his wife and children. Bethany McLean investigates the background of an epic hangover.

222     THE TWO FIRST LADIES

Dazzled by a star-spangled White House dinner party held in his honor by Jacqueline Kennedy, French culture minister André Malraux set out to lend America his country’s greatest jewel: the Mona Lisa. In an excerpt from her new book, Margaret Leslie Davis follows the delicate painting’s nerve-rattling journey, on the heels of the Cuban missile crisis, and the “Mona Mania” that gripped the headlines as the First Lady orchestrated a triumphant display of U.S. leadership
 

FANFAIR

97        30 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE CULTURE 
            Con men—Guy Ritchie captures some of the cast of his 
             latest film, RocknRolla

98        The Cultural Divide
 
100      Elissa Schappell’s Hot Type

102      Leslie Bennetts frames Milton Greene’s life in pictures; 
            Olivia Strand discovers Katrina Markoff’s sweet life

104     My Desk—Martha Stewart

106     Julian Sancton grooves to RocknRolla; Graham Fuller 
            applauds The Soloist

108     Punch Hutton goes island-hopping in the Bahamian 
            archipelago

112     My Stuff—Ashley Olsen; Claire Howorth reads up on 
            Miami’s literati; Night-Table Reading

114     Lisa Robinson’s Hot Tracks

116     Holding a candle for Cire Trudon; John Ortved detects a 
            West Village scent-sation; Hot Looks

COLUMNS

124     THE NEWS BLUES 
            Today’s news isn’t just bad; it’s apocalyptic. Even  
            James Wolcott, a committed pessimist who survived
            atomic-age jitters, can’t handle the headlines. Illustrations 
            by Barry Blitt.
132      HALL OF FAME 
             Susan Rasco nominates sailing legend Gary Jobson, 
             who has raced to raise more than $26 million for cancer 
             research since he battled lymphoma. Portrait by Gasper 
             Tringale.
134      REVERSAL OF FORTUNE 
             How much worse will the economy get? Nobel-laureate 
             economist Joseph E. Stiglitz lays out the problems, the 
             best-case scenario, and the way to reach it.
140      CHERIE BOMB 
             Cherie Blair’s Downing Street blunders, intentional and
              not, drew constant scorn from the British press. Her 
              best-selling tell-too-much has given them fresh 
              ammunition. In an interview with Leslie Bennetts, the U.K.’s
              former First Lady strikes back. Portrait by Wayne Maser.
154      SHE LIKED IT HOT 
              In an excerpt from his new memoir, Tony Curtis recounts
              his affair with a 22-year-old Marilyn Monroe, when they 
              were two unknowns aching to make it, and their torrid 
              reunion 10 years later on the set of Some Like It Hot.
166      QUANTUM PHYSIQUE 
             Miles Aldridge and Krista Smith spotlight Gemma
             Arterton, one of the rare truly British Bond Girls. 
             Web special: Our favorite Bond girls.
168      LEVINE IN WINTER 
             For four decades, being caricatured by the New York 
             Review of Books illustrator David Levine was both a
             coveted honor and a humbling rite of passage. 
             But as the artist’s eyes fail, his recent work has all but
             vanished from the Review’s pages. David Margolick 
             outlines the poignancy of a career in its twilight.
             Photographs by Gasper Tringale. Web special: A slide 
             show of Levine’s presidential caricatures.

VANITIES

181      TAKE A LOAD OFF, SALLY
182      The S.N.L. cast gets into Wii
184      George Wayne probes Denis Leary

ET CETERA

68       EDITOR’S LETTER 
            American Political Idol—Mutually-Assured-Destruction 
            Edition
70       CONTRIBUTORS
88        LETTERS 
             Day of the Tyrant; Postscript; Web special: more letters
119      FAIRGROUND
256      CREDITS
259      PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE 
             Tom Jones