Vanity Fair

This one goes out to the ramblers. Watch VF cover star Jenna Ortega reflect on ‘Wednesday,’ what inspired her to become an actor, and her public persona here: https://lnkd.in/eZCt4smH

Sabrina Carpenter taps into the candid energy that fans have long embraced in her music with her new album ‘Short n’ Sweet.’ “The songs that really resonated with people were closest to my truest personality—in its silliest, most fun form or its most raw and vulnerable…. That gave me all the confidence to tap into myself a lot deeper,” Carpenter tells VF of her latest release. “I feel very much myself again, even in the moments where I’m nervous about the future. There’s a lot more uncertainty, which is fun to write because there’s a lot of what-ifs in that.” Read VF’s full conversation with the “Espresso” singer: https://lnkd.in/e59QrqTR

As summer begins to wind down, Netflix has plenty of new films and TV shows for you to enjoy—including the latest season of ‘Emily in Paris.’ See the full list: https://lnkd.in/gyyPHd5f

Exclusive: ‘Rust’ director Joel Souza, who was wounded during the on-set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, finally tells his devastating story about the fatal accident. “When I tell someone it ruined me, I don’t mean in the sense that people might generally think,” Souza tells VF in his first interview about the shooting. “I don’t mean that it put my career in ruins. I mean, internally, the person I was just went away. That stopped.” In the emotional interview, the director mourns Hutchins’s loss, unpacks his complicated relationship with Alec Baldwin, and discusses his reluctant return to finish the movie. Read the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/dR_HEyie

I started my career as a photo editor, so you can imagine what a joy it was to speak with photographer Gregory Crewdson about how he arrived at photography, his new book, and seeing himself in his work. https://lnkd.in/eZ97Pk75

A 95-year-old diamond heiress and a much younger genderfluid reality star went viral on social media for their epic feel-good romance. Was it all a long con? The life of José Castelo Branco, 61, and Lady Betty Grafstein DBE, 95, consisted of dinner parties, galas, fashion shows, and afternoons on yachts—outings that Grafstein precariously attended in a wheelchair. In New York, where they lived in their exquisitely appointed Upper East Side apartment, the two were never seen without meticulous, often matching, designer ensembles. They shared a closet. They shared Botox doctors. But soon enough, their manicured façade came crashing down amid domestic violence allegations and Grafstein’s numerous health scares. For VF’s September issue, contributor Alice Hines investigates whether the couple had a feel-good romance for the ages—or something far darker. Photo: Max Lakner Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/eDzRNdt7

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is chasing one of the few prizes money (alone) can’t buy: an NBA championship for his team, the Los Angeles Clippers, whose staggeringly expensive state-of-the-art arena opens Thursday. Ballmer oversees the completion of his stately pleasure dome in Inglewood and constructing a championship-caliber club to play in it. It’s a tall order, as the Clippers have never won a title in their half-century-plus existence. Despite emerging as a recurring playoff contender, they have yet to shake their rep as the little brother to the city’s most celebrated team. “It’s hard enough getting out of the Lakers’ shadow,” he admits. “We’re trying to establish an identity.” For VF’s September issue, Ballmer speaks to VF about the passion project, his “unmatched” devotion to the team’s success, and his relationship with Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Read the full interview: https://lnkd.in/eDuguKz7

In the wake of the success of Netflix’s ‘Wednesday,’ Jenna Ortega was grappling with an identity crisis of sorts. “For a long time I was so scared and so thrown off by everything that happened,” she says of her overnight ascent. She had dodged the minefields of child stardom, but growing up a Disney star came with other stumbling blocks—namely, finding a sense of self. “So much of my life has been on set with other people telling you what to wear, what to do, what to say,” Ortega tells VF. “I realized that I had lived pretty much all of my life under this naive perspective that I never challenged or questioned things because I never felt like I needed to.” She likens shooting the hit series, and the reception that followed, to a door opening. “It was the first time that I felt like I actually had to ask myself what I wanted.” Read her full September cover interview: https://lnkd.in/enHuC7Zp