Robert Pattinson,Twilight,New Moon.Vanity Fair Magazine

Robert Pattinson, cover star. Twilight’s Hot Gleaming
Overnight, Robert Pattinson found himself the world’s No. 1 heartthrob—and the Twilight star isn’t sure he likes it. Visiting Pattinson at his Waldorf hideaway, Evgenia Peretz learns about his wild year, his relationship with co-star Kristen Stewart, and Hollywood’s doubts about casting him as vampire Edward Cullen. Photographs by Bruce Weber.

Precious Moment
Ruven Afanador and Leslie Bennetts spotlight Lee Daniels and Gabourey Sidibe, director and star, respectively, of the indie-movie sensation Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.

Endless Summers
Bouncing between top posts at Harvard and the White House—neither place lacking in big egos—Larry Summers has never been afraid to speak his mind. Are his critics right to call him a bully, or are they just cowed by his brilliance? William D. Cohan goes searching for the human side of Obama’s economic adviser. Portrait by Steve Pyke.

Vampire Prep
Justin Bishop and Michael Hogan spotlight the indie rockers of Vampire Weekend, who are slyly riffing on their prepster image for a second album, Contra.

First, the Gloves Came Off …
Supermodel Stephanie Seymour seemed to break from her stormy romantic past when she settled down with art-collecting tycoon Peter Brant in Greenwich, Connecticut. But with the couple deep in the divorce-court dirt, Seymour makes a full disclosure to photographer Mario Testino.

The Trouble with Harry’s
The Cipriani brand, long the guarantee of a glamorous evening, had New York society flocking to its nightspots—until Arrigo and Giuseppe Cipriani fled the U.S. in the wake of tax-evasion convictions. Mark Seal catches up with the father-and-son restaurateurs in Europe, where they finally tell their side of the story. Photographs by Giacomo Bretzel.

A Crime of Shadows
The Web-crawling child-molester is a bogeyman of the Internet Age, and police authorities may be over-reacting. In a detailed reconstruction of the online cat-and-mouse game between a determined detective and her target, Mark Bowden reveals how a man who is likely not a pedophile can be caught and convicted as one. Photographs by Gasper Tringale.

Restless Development
André Carrilho and Christopher Hitchens spotlight novelist Zadie Smith, whose latest, nonfiction book reflects an elegantly supple mind.

Inheritance, Italian-Style
A surprise cremation, one love child’s adoption, two other would-be heirs—it’s no soap opera, it’s the real-life scandal engulfing some of Italy’s most venerable families. Bob Colacello unravels the legacy of Carlo Caracciolo, Prince of Castagneto, the playboy press magnate whose DNA could settle quite a few questions.

Sculptural scene: Liz Kabler in the Met’s rooftop garden • The Cultural Divide • My Stuff—John Derian • Frank DiGiacomo gives Second City a round of applause • Elissa Schappell’s Hot Type • Punch Hutton on the online home-décor magazine Lonny • Gagosian’s new retail outpost • Julian Sancton is on board with Up in the Air • Bruce Handy is out-Foxed by Wes Anderson • Punch Hutton’s Hot Gifts • Lisa Robinson’s Hot Tracks • The best picks for a beautiful holiday season.

The Author Who Played with Fire
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and its two sequels put crime novelist Stieg Larsson atop the best-seller lists, but he didn’t live to see it. As the last of Larsson’s trilogy is published in Europe, Christopher Hitchens looks to Sweden’s dark side for clues to the author’s brilliant success.

Chastain Virtue
Jessica Chastain

As Told to Craig Brown
Malcolm Gladwell explains Christmas

In Character
Michael Imperioli

Out to Lunch
Sidney Lumet

Stage Fright
Mark Seliger and John Heilpern spotlight the Broadway-bound cast of The Addams Family, including Bebe Neuwirth as Morticia and Nathan Lane as Gomez. Altogether ooky!

I’m a Culture Critic … Get Me Out of Here!
Reviewing the oeuvre of Dog the Bounty Hunter, Kate Gosselin, and all the attention junkies of the Real Housewives franchise, James Wolcott concludes that Reality TV is the destroyer of everything decent and good. Photo illustration by Darrow.

Inside the Astor Verdict
After five stressful months, and weeks of deliberation, the verdict finally came: Anthony Marshall was guilty of defrauding his centenarian mother, Brooke Astor. With in-depth accounts from eight jurors, Meryl Gordon reveals the fears, tears, and backroom fireworks that nearly led to the mistrial of the decade.

The Thigh’s the Limit
Patrick Demarchelier and Laura Jacobs spotlight the spring ready-to-wear collections in Paris, where hemlines are ignoring the recent financial unpleasantness.

60 Minutes Poll
How do Americans feel about H1N1, Facebook, and “Get ’er done”?

Editor’s Letter
Attraction and Repulsion

Proust Questionnaire
Andre Agassi

Only in the Magazine
Contributors; Letters; Fairground; Credits

Addicted to Cute
It’s not safe to surf the Web, clogged as it is with adorable pictures of kitties and puppies and babies and things that go “awww” in the night. The epidemic of cute has reached into big business, politics, and Hollywood, observes Jim Windolf, but all this sweetness stems from a depressing truth.

The Now of Avedon
When photographer Richard Avedon edited a special issue of Harper’s Bazaar, in April 1965, it wasn’t simply fashion—it was the future. Recalling Avedon’s prophetic mix of Space Age, multi-racial youthquake symbols (the Beatles! the Astronettes! Jean Shrimpton!), David Michaelis tells how America’s national portraitist rejuvenated his career.