The Dramatic Saga Behind Making ‘Children of Blood and Bone’
Thursday, August 13, 2026
Plus: The WNBA Star Who Became a MAGA Fixation
August 13, 2026 |
The aughts YA boom was in full flower in 2017, when Harvard grad Tomi Adeyemi sold her first book: a fantasy novel that would eventually be titled Children of Blood and Bone, inspired by West Africa. Before the book was even published, she’d also sold the film rights. It was a dream scenario for any debut writer—until this year, when Adeyemi began publicly and vehemently distancing herself from the Blood and Bone adaptation, calling it “the worst thing I have ever had to live through.” What happened? “The answer may trace back to a controversial casting and tension on set,” Rebecca Ford writes in her thorough investigation of the project’s behind-the-scenes drama. But don’t stop at this TL;DR—you’ll want to read the whole thing.
If that’s not intense enough for you, how about a play about Israel? Hannah Seligson talked to Tony winner Jonathan Spector about his new theater sensation Birthright, which might be the first work of fiction to capture the great rupture in the American Jewish community that’s happened since October 7, 2023. And for good measure, Kase Wickman also has a rundown of how WNBA player Sophie Cunningham became a MAGA darling. (Hint: It involves discourse about trans athletes.) I’m going to lie down for a bit. More tomorrow! |
HILLARY BUSIS,
FEATURES EDITOR |
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Magic and Mayhem |
BY REBECCA FORD |
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Tomi Adeyemi’s film deal was an author’s dream. So how did the adaptation of her best-selling novel turn into what she calls “the worst thing I have ever had to live through”?... Read more |
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From the Archive |
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The Gangster and the Goddess |
BY PATRICIA BOSWORTH |
The sensational 1958 stabbing of Lana Turner’s gangster lover, Johnny Stompanato, by her teenage daughter, Cheryl Crane, turned a harsh spotlight on the much-married star’s trail of dangerous liaisons. There are still questions about what exactly happened that April night in Turner’s sumptuous pink bed... Read more |
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Copyright © Condé Nast 2026. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved. |
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posted by Francis Dwight at 3:20 PM
What Is Usha Vance Thinking?
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Plus: Jason Bateman Still Hates Baths
August 12, 2026 |
It’s possible to read the headline of this newsletter—which is also the headline of Kate Andersen Brower’s juicy new story about America’s second lady—in two ways. The first: What exactly is going on inside the brain of Usha Vance, a public figure who has morphed herself into the perfect Republican politician’s wife: “present, useful, and almost invisible,” as Kate puts it? The second: What would drive a high-powered liberal lawyer like Usha toward this strange position in the first place? (In other words: What on earth is she thinking?) Kate offers a few convincing potential answers for both readings.
Elsewhere, I’ve got a dispatch from a very entertaining live recording of Amy Poehler’s podcast, and Rebecca Ford has a wide-ranging conversation with another Emmy nominee: Jason Bateman, recognized in four distinct categories this year for his work on two different shows. More tomorrow! |
HILLARY BUSIS,
FEATURES EDITOR |
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What Is Usha Vance Thinking? |
BY KATE ANDERSEN BROWER |
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“It’s patronizing to say that she’s been silenced,” one Yale Law classmate says of JD Vance’s wife, who has perfected the art of knowing where she stands in the Trump administration’s political pecking order. “She has chosen this.”… Read more |
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From the Archive |
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Stealing Mona Lisa |
BY THOMAS HOOBLER & DOROTHY HOOBLER |
The shocking theft of the Mona Lisa, in August 1911, appeared to have been solved 28 months later, when the painting was recovered. From the May 2009 issue, the authors suggest that the audacious heist concealed a perfect—and far more lucrative—crime… |
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posted by Francis Dwight at 2:12 PM
Clocking in With The Pitt’s Patrick Ball
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
As a doctor’s daughter born and raised in Pittsburgh, I’m thrilled today to present yinz (look it up!) with a long Q&A I did with Patrick Ball—a.k.a. The Pitt’s Dr. Langdon, the recovering addict with the best head of hair at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center. Ball and I connected recently to talk about his show’s startling Emmy-nomination haul (25, more than any other series this year), as well as getting to work on its third season and his opinions about The Pitt’s, ahem, extremely devoted fandom. My favorite part of our chat was his response to the diehards hoping his character hooks up with Taylor Dearden’s Mel: “That has nothing to do with me,” he said, laughing, “but I’m glad everybody’s having a lot of fun.”
Elsewhere, Dan Adler reports on the latest from the Luigi Mangione state trial. More tomorrow!
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HILLARY BUSIS,
FEATURES EDITOR
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The Emmy nominee has thoughts on fans who turned on Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby, and those who hope he and Taylor Dearden’s Mel become a couple. Ahead, a chat with the breakout star on shipping, stardom, and season three... Read more
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At the final hearing before the accused assassin’s state murder trial, husband-and-wife defense attorneys Karen and Marc Agnifilo sought a larger audience for their global symbol of a client. Vanity Fair reports from the Manhattan courtroom... Read more
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It was, in 1947, that rarest of unions: a royal love match. But though the dashing Prince Philip of Greece and the 21-year-old heir to Britain’s throne were clearly besotted as they began a life and family together, trouble lay ahead as “Lilibet” became “Her Majesty” and the new Duke of Edinburgh chafed at his consort role.
From the January 2012 issue, Sally Bedell Smith describes the dynastic struggle that rocked Queen Elizabeth II’s marriage and the difficult choices she was forced to make... Read more
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posted by Francis Dwight at 2:17 PM
