December 7, 2009 Issue
Cover Story
Obama Lost, Obama Found
The president’s cool and his advisers’ skill at building his serene
image have created a power vacuum in Washington. The next
hundred days will be a crucial test: Can he shed his brand, alienate the
public, and by doing so become a great president? By John Heilemann
On the Cover: Urethane shadow portrait by Michael Murphy.
Features
The Cinemascope Spectacular of Books
A volume big and obsessive enough to contain Stanley Kubrick’s never-made masterpiece, Napoleon.
The Abortion Distortion
Just how pro-choice is America, really?
Tim Keller Wants to Save Your Yuppie Soul
The evangelical Christian preacher says the secular holy trinity of money, ambition, and achievement is the root of all evil. So why are so many New Yorkers flocking to him?
Intelligencer
Nickel and Dimed
The potential effects of the United Homeless Organization scandal.
The State We’re In
When even Louisiana is better run than New York State, what’s next? California, here we come.
The Keep
America’s medieval new U.N. mission.
The Neighborhood News
Our roundup of news from around the city.
From Africa to Margaritaville
Introducing Ilo.
110 Minutes With James Rosenquist
The artist painted the town—from Times Square to the Whitney. But the town he painted is gone.
Michael Kenneth Williams’s High-Wire Act
Williams is best known as Omar, the gay stickup man he played on The Wire.
Columns
No Holding Back This Holliday Season
As in Matt Holliday, the free-agent slugger—the Yankees ought to renounce sentimentality and break out the bills for him.
Strategist
Best Bets
Sparkly party décor, nongeneric wrapping paper, and more.
The Look Book
“I love putting accessories on the outside of my body to look good, but I practice yoga for the inside.”
The Underground Gourmet Review
Two wrestling-themed taquerias enter the Manhattan arena.
In Season
With Christmas and Hanukkah looming, you could probably use a drink.
Restaurant Openings
Week of December 7, 2009: The Loading Dock and The Norry at Kampuchea.
The Borne Identity
A change of imported-chocolate regimes at a Park Avenue boutique, just in time for the holidays.
Chef on the Grill: Todd English
The celebrated chef goes from out of the tabloid fire and back to selling frying pans (and opening restaurants).
Hubs Within Hubs
Three gift-rich neighborhoods where checking off the list doesn’t even require a MetroCard.
Culture
A Very Dylan Christmas
Going electric was one thing. But going Andy Williams?
Next Stop, Main Street
Ha Jin’s new stories go where the new immigrants do: Flushing’s Chinatown.
The Movie Review
Every star of Jim Sheridan’s Brothers outdoes expectations.
Overachiever: Donald Glover
At just 26, Donald Glover is a YouTube sensation and has a role on NBC’s Community.
Being in the Room
Harry Benson got shots you just don’t see anymore.
The Theater Review
Fela! can get even a staid Broadway audience shaking its hips. Plus: Kenneth Lonergan’s midlife crisis.
The Next Great Leap
Judith Jamison on her twentieth (and last) year as the empress of Alvin Ailey.
Agenda
Grand (Re)opening
Birdbath’s Maury Rubin is putting the finishing touches on the third branch of his “green bakery.”
Departments
Comments: Week of December 7, 2009
Readers sound off on AIG bonuses and more.
The Approval Matrix: Week of December 7, 2009
Our deliberately oversimplified guide to who falls where on our taste hierarchies.
Write a Letter to the Editor
Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Please include a daytime phone number.
- Mail to
-
- New York Media
- 75 Varick Street
- New York, NY 10013
- NYletters@newyorkmag.com
Join the Discussion
Read All Comments | Add Yours
Recent Comments On This Article