When Nicolas Niarchos first set out to winnow his book The Elements of Power: A Story of War, Technology, and the Dirtiest Supply Chain on Earth into its Vanity Fair form, there was a simple task at hand. Who would be our main character, the person who could take readers through the corrupt underbelly and political stakes of the mineral mining in Africa that affects their lives in a very real way, that they might not know about? Cue: Dan Gertler, the unscrupulous Israeli businessman who set out to make his name in the diamond trade and stumbled upon a whole different hustle when he got to Congo. In other book news, this excerpt from Steven Levingston’s Twilight of Camelot: The Short Life and Long Legacy of Patrick Bouvier Kennedy tells the story of the Kennedys’ third child—his premature birth, the scramble to save him, and the media circus that erupted around the family. And out of our Old Hollywood Book Club, two books reframe the transformative, emotive power of the singer Nina Simone.
If you like your dramas to play out on the stage instead of the page, check out our recap of this weekend’s BAFTA awards, where a guest with Tourette syndrome shouted a racial epithet at Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo while the pair was presenting an award. We’ve also got lists of all the looks, winners, and appearances worth talking about from the night. |
ADRIENNE GREEN,
EXECUTIVE EDITOR |
When Israeli businessman Dan Gertler set his sights on Congo, he found the minerals he was looking for, and a whole new world of trouble.
“We all knew he was a scumbag,” said a London financier who worked with Gertler. “He was someone who was malevolent.” At one point, the financier went to visit Gertler in his suite at the Ritz in London. “He oozed evil.” |
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The author tells the story of the Kennedys’ third child—his premature birth, the scramble to save him, and the media circus that erupted as Patrick’s life hung in the balance. |
Delroy Lindo told Vanity Fair afterward that he and Michael B. Jordan “did what we had to do” while presenting—but that he wished “someone from BAFTA spoke to us afterward.” |
After last weekend’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, where stars did not bring their fashion A game, the BAFTAs have been somewhat of a redemption. |
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