| LINDSEY UNDERWOOD,
SENIOR EDITOR |
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VF’s Washington correspondent, Aidan McLaughlin, was in the room this week for the memorial for Robert Barnett, a lawyer who worked with many of our most recent presidential families, including the Bushes, the Clintons, and the Obamas. “This is the old DC,” the political strategist James Carville said at the funeral, where a real who’s who of political power gathered in Barnett’s honor.
Elsewhere, former first lady Michelle Obama weighs in on the East Wing demolition; Meghan Markle returns to set; and Patti Smith is still rocking. More tomorrow… |
In the expansive basement ballroom of The Ritz-Carlton in Washington, DC, a few hundred of the people who once ran the town gathered on Monday to mourn the passing of one of their own. The memorial was for Robert Barnett, the famed Washington lawyer, power broker, and confidant of presidents, who negotiated blockbuster book deals for superstar clients including the Clintons, the Bushes, and the Obamas. The invitation-only service, held on a sunny November morning and attended by a dizzying collection of Washington’s boldface names, was a fitting tribute to Barnett, who died in September at the age of 79. Nearly 700 people packed into the ballroom, filling every seat, to hear speeches from his many clients: Bill and Hillary Clinton, Bob Woodward, and James Patterson, to name a few.
Politicos including James Carville, Jesse Watters, and Anthony Fauci gathered to eat focaccia sandwiches, swap memories, and place literal bets on the future of the country. (Piers Morgan owes James Carville $1,000.) VF’s Aidan McLaughlin, who attended the memorial, has the full report: “It’s like Vienna in 1914.” |
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At a Brooklyn event for her new book, The Look, the former first lady spoke with close friend Tracee Ellis Ross about fashion, life after the White House, and what she really thinks about that incoming ballroom. |
An email sent on Tuesday may be part of the convicted fraudster’s parental push to secure a presidential pardon. |
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AI is the dirty word on everyone’s lips in Hollywood these days. Weeks ago, AI “actor” Tilly Norwood sent ripples of panic through the industry thanks to rumors that she might sign with a talent agency. (Spoiler: That didn’t happen.) Then Sora 2—the newest version of OpenAI’s video app, which can generate clips of characters featuring the likenesses of actual actors provided that they opt in—raised alarms for agents and talent. On social media, Robin Williams’s daughter, Zelda, begged people to stop sending her AI-generated videos of her late father.
Asteria, cofounded by Bryn Mooser, calls itself an artist-led generative-AI film studio. Unlike his rivals from Silicon Valley, Mooser sells himself as a creature of Hollywood who’s trying to use AI to enhance storytelling, not replace storytellers.
The prolific movie producer chats with VF’s Rebecca Ford about how Asteria can both revolutionize filmmaking and convert naysayers. |
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