LAST NEWS : VF Daily

Rhetorical-Advice Column: If I Don?t Like Google Scribe, Can?t I Just Not Use It?
Dear VF Daily, Boy, do I hate the new Google thing, Scribe! What even is it? Google already auto-completes searches, which is sometimes funny, and is certainly in line with its actual function. But now it wants me to install a thing that completes my sentences? What about the thoughts I think about my own thoughts? How dare it suggest what I should say before I even think of it? I don?t need or want Google Scribe. I see myself as having two options: one, I complain about how much I dislike the new function on my blog, on my Twitter, in comments on my friends? blogs, and maybe even in actual conversations with human beings, if an appropriate opportunity presents itself; or two, if I hate the new Google thing, can?t I just not use it? I?m so confused! Please help. Sincerely, Bewildered by Google Portland, Oregon

Why the Academy Needs to Give Jean-Luc Godard a Montage at the Oscars
The Nouvelle-vague mystery of ?Where In the World is Jean-Luc Godard? ? took a couple of provocative turns yesterday, finishing with an appropriately inconclusive arthouse ending. L?affaire Godard first began when the Academy couldn?t reach the Grand Master of the French New Wave to tell him he was being lauded with an honorary Oscar at the Governor?s Awards this November. Yesterday, the Australian press tracked down the reclusive J.L.G. in the small Swiss village where he lives, only to be told by his partner ?in life and in work,? Anne-Marie Mieville, that the original enfant terrible of world cinema would not come to the Governor?s awards because ?it?s not the Oscars.? (That is, his Oscar would not be presented at the actual ceremony.) Mieville went on to say that Godard likely wouldn?t have flown to L.A. in any case just to receive a ?bit of metal.? (He did, after all, skip Cannes.) Then, yesterday afternoon, Deadline posted a face-saving email from the Academy claiming that Godard had finally responded to their Oscar Evite with a resounding ?Maybe.? While film scholars are more likely to find a hidden ?happy ending? cut of Breatheless than we are to get a tidy resolution, we can?t help but send separate messages to the Academy and the rascally Jean-Luc: Academy, please give Godard a few minutes of airtime at the big show, and J.L.G., accept, s?il vous plais.

Which Princess Got Cheeky While on Vacation in Spain?
Animal-welfare groups are up in arms over photographs showing Prince Harry playing polo astride a bleeding pony. Concerns were raised that the Prince used his spurs excessively and drew blood, an offense punishable by anything from a warning to a fine of more than $75,000. However, it has now been pointed out that the pony in question was bleeding only on one side, meaning the injury was mostly likely the result of a collision with another horse. Furthermore, the royal family has issued a statement saying that the Prince dismounted from the animal as soon as he realized it was wounded. Harry is, after all, very fond of ponies. In May, he was reportedly reduced to tears when, after riding a beloved family pony, Drizzle, during a polo match, the horse died of a heart attack.

Scandal Glossary: The Complicated Past of Piers Morgan, Larry King?s Replacement
Today CNN announced that it has selected Piers Morgan to replace Larry King as host of Larry King Live, the name of which it will presumably change. Congratulations, Piers Morgan! ?We are delighted that he will now bring his dynamic, probing interview style to American television and to CNN viewers around the globe,? said CNN/U.S. president Jonathan Klein. Yanks will likely know Morgan from his participation on Celebrity Apprentice and America?s Got Talent, but across the Atlantic, the British gossip fixture has acquired a more controversial standing. Morgan is something of the rowdy, misbehaving second cousin to King?s affable, earnest grandfather. What follows is a cheat sheet to the many scandals of Piers Morgan. Cut it out and carry it in your wallet to stay informed and well spoken at the watercooler.

Stick Shift Review: Lee Friedlander?s ?America By Car? at the Whitney Museum
Lee Friedlander is one of the greatest living American photographers. Known primarily for his exploration of the American ?social landscape? (and those black-and-white Madonna nudes from Playboy in the 80s), he creates witty and indelible portraits of everyday life, often framed and fragmented by common objects?doorways, fences, walls, windows, buildings, plants, mirrors, shadows, and advertisements. It is as if he is commenting on the way that the things with which we surround ourselves are at once essential to and obfuscating of our national character. (Or something.) I?m a big fan of his work. And as V.F.com?s automotive columnist, I was especially drawn to his new exhibit at the Whitney Museum, entitled ?America by Car.? So when the opportunity to check it out arose, I floored it over to 75th and Madison.

What?s So Surprising About the Huguette Clark Inheritance Scandal?
From AP Photo.It seems that almost every day now there?s a new story in the papers about Huguette Clark, the reclusive 104-year-old Manhattan heiress who is reported to have abandoned her luxurious homes for a simple hospital room, even as questions swirl about the conduct of her trusted financial advisors. The controversy has a number of complex layers, but at the core it has essentially become a public debate about whether or not an elderly rich person has been taken advantage of by the very individuals hired to protect her, namely her accountant, Irving Kamsler, and her attorney, Wallace Bock. Clark?s family members have filed suit, and New York City prosecutors are reportedly looking into allegations that these two advisers have fleeced their elderly client. Whenever a vastly wealthy patriarch or matriarch reaches inheritance-splitting age, family disputes inevitably follow. Such disputes typically fall into one of two categories. First, there are the squabbles among the descendents themselves, each of whom generally wants to avoid getting less than any of the others, even if it means counting down to the very last penny. And second, there are battles between family members and wealth advisors, specifically the individual advisors who are closest to the aging (or recently deceased) holders of the family assets.

Men and Women Find Peace of Mind at the Exclusive Spa at the Setai Club
The Spa at the Setai Club is a Zen retreat in downtown New York. With the opening of the Setai Spa Wall Street, which sits just around the corner from the New York Stock Exchange, finance hotshots now have another place to relax after work. Tucked away on the second floor of the Setai Club (the members-only social club first begun in Miami), the 12,000-square-foot spa screams luxury and privilege. And, lucky for the surplus of successful men who work and live nearby, it's decidedly guy-centric. From the moment you step off the elevator and walk down the low-lit, ebony paneled corridor through the granite entrance to the spa, you realize that the Wall Street gem is a haven for men in the same way that an afternoon at Bergdorf's, can be a haven for women. The Setai Spa lounges offer products from June Jacobs, top, and Hommage, bottom, for use before and after treatments. Treatments: If you're looking for some major relaxation, we suggest the Setai Signature Massage, which is customized to your body's needs that day. For athletes, our go-to treatment is the Setai Sports Massage, a combination of deep-tissue massage and "trigger-point therapy" that helps to calm the nervous system after a long workout and flush out toxins and waste from overworked muscles. For men on the go in need of a quick pick-me-up, we recommend the Setai Power-Ready Gentleman's Facial: after steaming hot towels are draped across your body, you'll receive a neck-shoulder-and-scalp massage, followed by a deep-cleansing mask and exfoliation.

Your ?Bad Romance? Cover: A How-To Guide
Today?s addition to the Internet is a performance of Lady Gaga?s ?Bad Romance? by Inception star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. At New York?s Pianos bar on Monday night, Gordon-Levitt ended a summer concert series with a surprise rendition of the song, promising audience members, ?This is going to be worth you sitting and watching me tune my fucking guitar.? As it happens?although we did not withstand said guitar-tuning episode?we imagine it was worth it. His performance is charming, enjoyable, and not at all a snide mockery of the original?a rare combination in the register of Gaga covers. It is with the anomalous quality of Gordon-Levitt?s performance in mind that we ask other musicians, in planning their own inevitable ?Bad Romance? covers, to consult our guide to the successes and failures of this year?s most notable renditions.

Vanity Fair?s October Issue Now Available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch
As of today, Vanity Fair?s October issue is available in the iTunes App Store for users of the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. You?ll get every article, every photo, every page, plus plenty of in-app bonus features. The extras include: a video interview with Lindsay Lohan on the set of her cover shoot; an exclusive extended article about Glee?s Dianna Agron; and behind-the-scenes video and photo outtakes from our shoot with the stars of Jackass 3-D. As usual, the app lets you experience the magazine two ways: hold it horizontally to flip through a replica of the print edition, or hold it vertically to get an iPad/Pod/Phone-optimized version, with full-screen photos, scrollable and resizable text, and links to expanded coverage on VF.com. Download the Vanity Fair Magazine app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch from the App Store.

A Topical and Imaginary Meeting of the Emanuel Brothers
Yesterday, Chicago mayor Richard Daley announced that he would not be seeking re-election. ?I've always believed that every person, especially public officials, must understand when it's time to move on,? Daley, who has presided over Chicago for more than 20 years, told reporters. Indeed, it is time to move on, and it also may be time for Rahm Emanuel to move in. Earlier this year, the White House chief of staff addressed rumors of his interest in the Chicago mayoralty on The Charlie Rose Show. ?I hope [Daley] seeks reelection as you know, Charlie, you've been out to Chicago, he's done a fabulous job, and one day I would like to?but if he doesn't at some point that will be something I'll do,? he said. Emanuel?s plans were all but confirmed today, when senior White House advisor David Axelrod announced that should Emanuel run, the president support Emanuel?s endeavors. The possible prospective candidate, though, has not yet revealed his intentions. We imagine that for help with this decision, he has sought counsel with his brothers, Ari and Zeke. An imagined transcript of their conversation follows.

News Corp. Is Freaking Out
?You don?t get it,? a member of News Corporation?s inner circle in London told me last night, about the phone hacking scandal. ?If there was a conspiracy in the company, the conspiracy was to keep Rupert from knowing.? That is called the circle-the-wagons defense. That?s called everybody-else-is-expendable. That?s called a total freak-out. The company has been caught as unaware, as unprepared, as incapable of responding, as on the ropes, as it ever has in its 60-year history. News Corp. only knows how to be the aggressor; now it?s on the defensive?and it has to defend itself against the very thing that it has always been, that has always protected it, that is the reason for its fundamental pride: Its newsrooms are down and dirty. Continue Reading at Newser.com »

Michael Joseph Gross Responds to Criticism of His Article on Sarah Palin
Illustration by Edward Sorel. It has been only a few days since the appearance of my Vanity Fair article “Sarah Palin: The Sound and the Fury,” and the response, to put it mildly, has been considerable. I won’t address simple differences of opinion about Sarah Palin (or my take on her) in this short dispatch—Palin is a subject on which people have strong views, and often complicated reactions, and I’ll respond to some of the more thoughtful commentary at another time. But meanwhile there has also been a considerable amount of misinformation put about concerning the article and my work. It’s important to address this now. Before I do, one quick note. In briefly describing a scene in which I saw members of the Palin family (Sarah, Todd, Piper) just before Sarah Palin spoke at an event in Independence, Missouri, I assumed that the child with Down syndrome who was among the Palins was their son Trig. This was a mistake, and I regret the error. The child turns out to be Samuel Loudon, the son of Gina Loudon, an acquaintance of Palin’s. I’ll come back to Ms. Loudon in a moment. Now, on to a few matters of substance.

Who Should Play Ronald Reagan in Reagan, the Reagan Biopic?
This year has seen the rise of a bright star on the political scene: Ronald Reagan, a deceased late-20th century American president whose name has become something of a benediction?or, perhaps, malediction?among today?s Republican heavyweights. (Also, Michael Reagan, the former president?s son from his first wife, launched a courageous dot-com?make that dot-Reagan?start-up.) It makes sense then that the life of Ronald Reagan will now be the subject of a new feature film. Reagan, to which no star or director is yet attached, is slated for a 2011 release. The screenwriter is one Jonas McCord, veteran director of one episode from the 1994 season of Tales from the Crypt. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie will commence with ?the 1981 assassination attempt and tells Reagan's story through flashbacks and flash-forwards.? Although, as we said, no decisions about the cast have been made, we have produced the following suggestions for use at the casting director?s discretion.

Obama Won't Compromise on Ending Bush Tax Cuts for the Rich
? In a speech in Cleveland this afternoon, President Obama will announce that he opposes any compromise on extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans beyond this year, according to The New York Times. The Washington Post, however, reports that Obama will not threaten to veto any such compromise. Tune in this afternoon to find out which paper got it right! [NY Times, Washington Post] ? New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, perhaps the staunchest and most eloquent defender of the Ground Zero mosque, is also defending the right of nutcase Florida pastor Terry Jones to burn a Koran on 9/11. [NY Post] ? In her appearance on The Tonight Show last night, Meghan McCain told Jay Leno she cried when she learned that Sarah Palin would be her father?s running mate. She didn?t actually have any idea who Palin was at that point…but hey, it was an emotional time! [Huffington Post] ? BP has released its report on what caused the Gulf oil spill. The company admits that it had something to do with the disaster but largely deflects blame onto Halliburton and Transocean. [NY Times] ? Saturday Night Live will kick off its 36th season on September 25 with Amy Poehler hosting and Katy Perry as musical guest. The show has hired four new cast members. [Entertainment Weekly]

Anyone Notice Anything … Magical About the Cover of Bob Woodward?s New Book?
Finally! A name and a face for Bob Woodward’s hotly anticipated new Obama book. According to an announcement by Simon & Schuster this afternoon, the book will be titled Obama’s Wars and focus on the president’s foreign policy, particularly his military strategy in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Its cover does not, unfortunately, suggest the same severity and gravitas as the aforementioned prospectus. (As the idiom goes, let’s hope prospective buyers will judge the book by its content—or at least the outsize reputation of its author—rather than by its cover.) After spending several minutes attempting to deduce whether the alleged cover posted on The Washington Post’s Web site was not a terribly Photoshopped practical joke, we eventually convinced ourselves of its veracity after reading that the Associated Press was also vouching for its legitimacy. Still, is this not more disturbing than if the media were just momentarily misled by a dummy cover? How could no one at Simon & Schuster have noticed the similarity with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs?