The Rise and Fall of Planet Hollywood |
Jean-Claude Van Damme, all muscle and martial arts and hair gel, shouted in his Belgian accent that he was in the mood for something with "some kick, some spice." Without missing a beat, Roseanne Barr, who was pouring a drink for Danny Glover, said: "Try the Rockettes. I hear they're French." A pause, as if to wait for the laughter and applause of a live studio audience, then George Clooney leaned over the bar—Caesar-cut, ER George Clooney—yelling, "There's an emergency! I need a drink!" If this sounds not at all organic, not at all resembling what these incredibly famous people would order or just a little too scripted, that's because it likely was. This was opening night of the Planet Hollywood on Rodeo Drive. Every celebrity you could imagine was there. It was the hottest ticket in town. ABC aired a special event, Planet Hollywood Comes Home. The cops shut down the street. All this for a chain restaurant that served chicken coated in Cap'n Crunch. And not just a chain restaurant but a theme restaurant. A Rainforest Cafe with celebrities. It seems unfathomable now that stars would go along with this. But they appeared to be having a ball. |
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The Best Books of 2024 (So Far) |
Welcome back to another year in books, dear reader. Just a quarter of the way through 2024, we're already enjoying an embarrassment of literary riches—and now, we're here to spread the gospel about our favorites. The best books of the year (so far) are taking us to dazzling new frontiers. In the fiction landscape, a spate of new novels offer visions of humanity from unlikely narrators, including robots, aliens, and the undead. Meanwhile, it's shaping up to be an outstanding year for memoirs; new outings from luminaries like Leslie Jamison, Sloane Crosley, and Lucy Sante will grab you by the heartstrings and refuse to let go. In the nonfiction space, some of our finest intellectuals have released titles that help us make sense of our changing world, from the culture-flattening force of algorithms to the future of work. Here are the Best Books of 2024 (so far), presented in publication order. |
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Five Fits With: Sir Paul Smith, Living Legend of Menswear |
I have interviewed 84 people up to this point for Five Fits With, but never anyone with a career as storied and long as Sir Paul Smith CH CBE RDI. His eponymous brand is 54 years old, with absolutely no signs of slowing down. He's won countless awards and accolades, written books, collaborated with many of the world's biggest artists and brands, all of which you can read upon a quick search of his name. Surely I need not explain why he is one of fashion's biggest living legends. So, what would you ask the man who has lived as an exceptional a life as his? Well, as it turns out, whatever you like. It wasn't a surprise—his reputation precedes him—but Sir Paul was kind, open, and best of all, extremely fun. He was literally skipping up the block, bringing me along for the ride. "I've done a couple of photo shoots," he said with a sense of good, dry British humor. After the shoot, we sat down at his Wooster Street shop during his brief visit to New York to check in on his namesake brand's takeover of the Nordstrom Clubhouse and generally get a lay of the land Stateside. The conversation covered everything from his brand's foundations and growth to creating custom trousers for Jimmy Page, being knighted and married on the same day, why men's clothing never really changes, and plenty more. |
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My Never-Ending Search for Adderall |
In October of 2022, the FDA announced there was a shortage of amphetamine mixed salts—better known by the brand name Adderall. The agency didn't offer any solutions or timelines but promised it would "continue to monitor and assist manufacturers with anything needed to resolve the shortage." The shortage not only continued but also made it even more difficult for people to get other medications. Doctors, hoping for a short-term solution, started prescribing Vyvanse, Focalin, and Ritalin. By mid-2023, those meds also faced supply issues. A month later, I was on the phone with a pharmacist, pleading, saying I've been dealing with ADHD nearly my entire life and I've never had this problem before. "I've called five other pharmacies, and I don't get why I can't just get the medication I take to function close to normal," I said. All the pharmacist could do was apologize and tell me they had no idea what was going on. I am hardly alone in my desperation. I have a friend in Philadelphia whose teenager takes Adderall, the search for which they call their "Kafka story." Another person told me he drives 40 minutes from his home in Wisconsin to a less affluent town in Illinois where he never has trouble getting it. Pharmacies in low-income communities, where there are high rates of uninsured people who can't afford the out-of-pocket costs, fill fewer prescriptions and, the story goes, tend to have more of the drug on hand. It's a bleak indictment of our country's health-care system. |
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The Black Crowes Are Ready to Fly Again |
Chris and Rich Robinson claim it wasn't a big deal to get the wheels turning again, but it did take some attitude adjustment. "When we got back together," says Chris, "we didn't get on the phone and talk about it—'I love you, man. I'm sorry.' We're not like that. But at the same time, we have to be more like that. I'm learning, still, about communication, about empathy, about not falling into old habits in terms of how we deal with each other emotionally." The result is Happiness Bastards, the first new Black Crowes album in fifteen years and a return to their signature hard-charging riffs with echoes of Memphis soul and old-school barroom boogie. Out now, the record was produced by Grammy winner Jay Joyce, who came up in the rock world but is best known for his country work with Carrie Underwood, Eric Church, and Miranda Lambert. |
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Matt Bomer's Sleek Oscar Weekend Suit Is Shockingly Affordable |
We've been saying it for years: You don't need a million bucks to look like a million bucks. But sometimes it takes the right person to say it to you. And Matt Bomer is that person. The night before the Oscars, the Maestro actor stepped out in a chic satin suit from none other than (drum roll please) Banana Republic. The look is undeniably elevated. The price? Not so much. It's sold as separates, but the full suit will run you just $650, which isn't nothing—but it's a whole lot less than you might expect. On a weekend that's a revolving door for luxury looks, Bomer took the road less traveled. But let's be real: Neal Caffrey has always been defying odds (I see you, OG White Collar fans). |
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