April 28, 2008 Issue
Cover Story
The Genius of Gossip Girl
TV's most over-the-top drama has been a big success with texting tweens, scandalmongers, and glamour fetishists. But -- and we realize this is an old-fashioned question -- can it become a success with television audiences?
Features
You Walk Wrong
It took 4 million years of evolution to perfect the human foot. But we’re wrecking it with every step we take.
If God Is Dead, Who Gets His House?
The fastest-growing faith in America is no faith at all. And now some atheists think they need a church.
Columns
Econobamanomic Theory
To build a Democratic future, Barack Obama needs to borrow from Bill Clinton’s past.
Intelligencer
In Council Scandal, Weiner’s a Winner
City Council funding fumble gives him a boost.
Eye on Zagats? Tim, Nina Skip China Trip
Have lunch with Les.
Would U.S. Elect a Smoker As President?
Lapham coughs up opinion.
Gothy Hooch Too Much for Starlet
Evan Rachel Wormwood.
Paul Rudnick’s Fashionable Disaster
Metaphor, cha-ching!
Daring Frenchman Wants WTC Back
Wishes to dance again.
European’s Vacation
The news that hordes of European tourists were propping up New York City’s economy came as no surprise to those who caught a glimpse of the German fellow cruising the streets last week in a late-model Popemobile.
Spinnsylvania
A Clinton loyalist’s best-case scenario on the campaign’s final stretch.
No Time for Vertigo
What do ironworkers think about up there?
The Spirit of ’68
An SDS radical returns to Columbia, disappointed.
Strategist
The Best Bet
The fruits of the season are weeks from local harvest, but a good-looking bowl is a harbinger of tasty things to come.
Paul Hughes, Art Dealer, and Son Kean, Student
"My dad’s very eccentric, but in a civilized way."
Map No. 16: The New Yorkville
Someday, the neighborhood won’t just be culinarily and culturally rich� it’ll be subway convenient. But why wait for the MTA?
Way Before It Was Cool
For four decades, a former synagogue on Hester Street has been a studio, living space, and renovation project for the artists Thomas Nozkowski and Joyce Robins.
The Restaurant Review
Classic Hellenic on the Upper East Side.
In Season
Louisiana crawfish usually appear in late winter and are in season through June.
Insatiable Critic
Tet is the most ambitious effort yet from Saigon-born Steven Duong.
Restaurant Openings
Week of April 28, 2008: Savarona and Wildwood Barbeque.
A Nice Light Quaff for Balmy Spring Days
By now Spanish-wine lovers have become familiar with white Txakoli. Much rarer is its lesser-known pink sibling, the Ameztoi Rubentis.
Like Butter
After having been buried under a fashionable flood of olive oil, butter is back in a big way
Culture
Ray of Light
Madonna didn’t know where Malawi was. Now she’s out to save it.
Where a 75-Story Tower Blends Right In
The �contextualists� have it all wrong: Jean Nouvel’s beast is exactly what 53rd Street needs.
The Movie Review
Errol Morris takes on Abu Ghraib. Plus: The problem with Judd Apatow.
Tribeca Watch: Four Not to Miss
The film festival’s greatest strength? NYC documentaries.
How to Make Poptimistic Photo-Anime
The Wachowski brothers’ Speed Racer puts more than a fresh coat of paint on the old anime series.
The Theater Review
A Catered Affair tries to elevate itself by going grim.
Is This Book Worth Getting?
A no-frills guide to five just-published first novels.
Flava of the Month
At the Chateau Marmont with Margaret B. Jones, L.A.’s memoirist of gang life.
Real Housewives: Contagious?
Last week, the first season of Bravo’s deliciously nasty The Real Housewives of New York City ended much the same way it began, with dinner and savagery.
The Art Review
A collaboration between two superhot artists instantly looks dated.
The Classical Music Review
Satyagraha’s rivers of sound convey an endless quest for enlightenment. Or they’re really tedious.
Agenda
Lullabies by Way of Broadway
For kids and tired moms.
Departments
Comments: April 28, 2008
Readers sound off on Hillary Clinton, AIDS doctor Gabriel Torres, and more.