Episodes
Ashley Baker has thoughts on summer travel. Then, for more than a century, being selected as a Rhodes scholar, and given the opportunity to study at Oxford University, was seen as a great validation of one’s strength as a student and a future leader. But, as James Kirchick reports this week, it seems that is no longer the case. Then it’s summertime, which means cocktails on the beach and rosé all day. But Linda Wells tells us what happened when she tried a THC cocktail. And finally, on the...
Published 06/01/24
We have a frightening article this week courtesy of Clara Molot, a Senior Editor here at Air Mail. Many people are not aware that across the U.S. and around the world rates of cancer in young people are rising with no clear explanation. And Clara looks at a mysterious cancer surge among a group of twentysomething alumni from a college in Virginia. It’s a heartbreaking story. And speaking of heartbreak: it’s been 25 years since John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, died...
Published 05/25/24
The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing in the South of France, and one of the big stories everyone is following concerns Francis Ford Coppola. Forty-five years after he won the Palme d’Or for Apocalypse Now, he is back with his latest film, Megalopolis. He has spent more than $100 million of his own money on the film and is at the festival looking for a distributor. Our own Sam Wasson will tell us how one of the titans of moviemaking found himself hat in hand. Then Stuart Heritage will...
Published 05/18/24
Is your partner cheating on you with an A.I. companion? As Flora Gill tells us this week, many people, in search of physical and emotional intimacy, are increasingly turning to what are known as “A.I.-companion sites.” Then Alyssa Choiniere takes us inside the protests at Columbia University and tells us where this all might be headed. And finally, John Arlidge joins us from London with a new look at an extraordinary scandal. Ten years ago, high-profile members of the British...
Published 05/11/24
For decades, the Eurovision Song Contest has been a source of fun for millions. This year, people are bracing for other possibilities. Jonathan Margolis tells us why. Then Michael Gross has a revealing look at the scandal that sent New York’s bluebloods buzzing: when the son of Brooke Astor, the long-reigning queen of New York society, was convicted of stealing millions from her. (Or did he?) And finally, on strange stories of a different sort, Paulina Prosnitz tells us about Sarah J. Maas....
Published 05/04/24
This week, Howard Blum, who has been following the story of the man accused of killing four students at the University of Idaho, has new revelations that could sink the case against Bryan Kohberger. Then Carrie Monahan reports on how the desire by one of New York City’s most notorious private clubs to open an outpost in East Hampton has local residents up in arms. And finally, many of you know the film Mommie Dearest, which stars Faye Dunaway as Hollywood legend Joan Crawford. Now there’s a...
Published 04/27/24
This week, Spike Carter has the wild tale of a man known as “the Zelig of Awful,” who went from being the boyfriend of Liberace to a pivotal witness in one of Los Angeles’s most gruesome murders. Then Linda Wells looks at why men with graying hair get such bad dye jobs—and she names names. Later, Lea Carpenter tells us about a fascinating new book by the legendary editor Michael Korda, and how it is a cautionary tale for our times. And finally, here at Air Mail we have some great news: we...
Published 04/20/24
It’s a dirty little secret that interior designers to the rich and famous love to make knockoffs of museum-quality furnishings, often with no penalty. Well, no more. And you can thank—who else?—Kim Kardashian. Dan Rubinstein reveals why she now finds herself tangled up in a messy lawsuit over a dinner set. Then, speaking of messy, Jack Sullivan tells us the temper tantrum Tucker Carlson threw at his alma mater, a very elite high school. And finally, Steve Garbarino tells us why New Orleans is...
Published 04/13/24
This week, Kat Rosenfield explains how we are in the throes of a new sexual revolution. Yet where baby-boomers were obsessed with the practice of sex, Zoomers are more interested in the principle of it. Then the subject turns to Civil War, one of the most anticipated movies of the spring, from writer-director Alex Garland. It imagines what a second American civil war might look like. Michael Sragow has seen it and tells us about it. And finally, speaking of movies, Woody Allen has a new film...
Published 04/06/24
This week, Jensen Davis reports on how Gwyneth Paltrow’s healthy-takeout restaurant chain—Goop Kitchen—is taking over Los Angeles. And even Gwyneth haters can’t get enough of it. Then John Arlidge reports from London to take us inside what might be called “A Tale of Two Royal Households.” How is it that Kate and William, the monarchy’s younger and—one would think—media-savvier generation, botched their communications about Kate’s illness, while King Charles of all people put on a master class...
Published 03/30/24
This week, Elena Clavarino has a fascinating and funny report on how English is conquering Continental Europe’s native languages. The problem is so pervasive that Germans can’t help but call it “ein shitstorm!” Then Louis Cheslaw joins from London with his report on the turmoil that has consumed one of the art world’s most influential publications, Artforum. And finally, from Washington, D.C., James Kirchick discusses the new book on gender by the writer Judith Butler.
Published 03/23/24
This week, Andrew Ryvkin shares his thoughts on the election in Russia being held for Vladimir Putin. Then Pico Iyer gives us his review of A Very Private School, a new book by Princess Diana’s brother in which he details his brutal tenure as a young boy at a British boarding school rife with sexual and emotional abuse. And finally, the acclaimed documentarian Alex Gibney discusses the making of his poignant new film about the musician Paul Simon.
Published 03/16/24
This week, Jeffrey Toobin explains how Stormy Daniels may just be the unlikely savior of American democracy. Then Alexandra Marshall joins us from Paris. Yes, the rest of the world is dreaming of seeing the Olympics sparkle in the City of Light when the Games open on July 26, but as Marshall reports, the construction and chaos have left the city and its residents on the verge of a nervous breakdown. And finally, John Mauceri shares the story of how an all-Black production of Hello, Dolly! in...
Published 03/09/24
This week, Dana Brown reports on how and why one of New York’s great institutions—the media power lunch—seems to have seen its last days. Then, Linda Wells, knower of all things beauty-and-wellness-related, looks at an extremely unhealthy behavior too many of us engage in: lying to our doctors. And finally, Johanna Berkman tells us about a woman at the United Nations who is optimistic that peace can be achieved between Israel and Hamas.
Published 03/02/24
This week, Katya V. joins us from Moscow with her report on how those inside Russia’s opposition plan to confront Putin in the wake of Alexei Navalny’s death. Then Nicholas Griffin has the inspiring story of Rachel Silverstein, a determined environmentalist who went full Erin Brockovich on some of Florida’s most powerful players, and beat them. And finally, the always entertaining man of style George Hahn has answers to your burning questions, including: Has Joe Biden made Aviator sunglasses...
Published 02/24/24
If you have been watching the limited series Feud: Capote vs. the Swans, you know the famed writer betrayed every one of his friendships with those women. Yet, as Joseph Rodota reveals, there was actually one woman Capote did not sell down the river; he tells us who she was and why. Then, speaking of feuds, Kurt Wagner has the untold story of the lengths to which Twitter founder Jack Dorsey went to sway his company’s acquisition in Elon Musk’s favor. And on the subject of the rise and decline...
Published 02/17/24
It’s been a year of meltdowns in the media, and Brian Stelter has the scoop on how—and why—a start-up called the Messenger, which promised to re-invent journalism, burned through $50 million in funding in less than 12 months and went down the tubes. Then, we all know Vladimir Putin wants to win at all costs, but it’s not just with his troops in Ukraine. As Andrew Ryvkin reports, the Russian leader is now forcing Russian musicians to support his war in Ukraine. And finally, it wasn’t all that...
Published 02/10/24
The new mini-series about Truman Capote and his destructive feud with “the swans” is out. Who better to tell us about the gossip behind the feud than Sam Kashner, who details how Capote committed social suicide when he spilled the secrets of New York’s most powerful and beautiful women. Then, speaking of beautiful, hard-to-please women, Paul Campbell tells us what you learn when you date a supermodel. And finally, it has now been more than three years since Jennifer Dulos disappeared. The...
Published 02/03/24
If you hate lawyers, this week we have a story for you. Jeffrey Toobin will tell us how and why partners in New York City’s big law firms are now acting like players on George Steinbrenner’s New York Yankees. Then, if you are looking for a mid-winter-break destination that’s different from all the usual locales, Marcia DeSanctis has just the ticket: a long-overlooked place that’s rich with history, architecture, and dazzling new developments. Finally, Stuart Heritage joins us from the U.K. to...
Published 01/27/24
This week, Alexandra Marshall joins us from France, to tell us about the dashing new prime minister who is 34 years old and why seemingly everyone in the country can’t stop talking about him—including the man who bullied him in high school. Then John Arlidge joins us from the U.K. with the shocking details about the worst miscarriage of justice in British history, when 700 people were convicted of a crime they didn’t commit. And speaking of the U.K., Ashley Baker has the scoop on the return...
Published 01/20/24
If you’re suffering from withdrawal from the end of The Crown and are in need of some monarchy drama, Joseph Bullmore has just what you’re looking for, with not one but two stories about dysfunction among European royalty and aristocrats. Then, speaking of drama, let’s talk about Angelina Jolie. The always insightful Dana Brown tells us how he sneaked into her new, invitation-only store in New York City and what he discovered once he got inside. And finally, David Christopher Kaufman shares...
Published 01/13/24
This week, Alessandra Stanley looks at how Vladimir Putin punishes women in order to crush dissent. Then, speaking of bad behavior by prominent men, Alexandra Marshall joins us from France to tell us why #MeToo allegations have finally caught up with the country’s most decorated miscreant, Gérard Depardieu. And continuing on the subject of miscreants, Patrick Kidd joins us from London with the crazy story of a woman known as “Baroness Bra.” She made millions when she created the Ultimo padded...
Published 01/06/24
If you are an avid reader of Air Mail, you are surely familiar with our Attention-Whore Index, where we rank the most offensive attention-seekers of the week. As 2023 draws to a close, the man who compiles that list, our own George Kalogerakis, reveals who takes the prize as the biggest windbag of the year. Then George Pendle tells us how he and Elena Clavarino solved the battle between Gen Z and baby-boomers. And speaking of boomers, Sam Kashner takes us inside American Graffiti, the...
Published 12/30/23
This week, Linda Wells tells us what you need to know about looking great in 2024 and why everyone seems to be very nosy these days. Then John von Sothen joins us from Paris with his report on a flamboyant Frenchman who rose to fame for saving and restoring lost film classics—but then found himself on trial for manslaughter. And finally, speaking of classic films, Josh Karp looks at the making of The Long Goodbye. Directed by Robert Altman and starring Elliott Gould, this reimagining of the...
Published 12/23/23
This week, Charles Leerhsen takes us back to the early 1990s and tells us what he learned while being a ghostwriter for a young (and friendless) Donald Trump. Then Alexander Lobrano joins us from Paris with a report on the reopening and rejuvenation of one of the city’s most treasured restaurants. And comedy writer Alan Zweibel has some thoughts on Jewish humor now.
Published 12/16/23