The Coronavirus Contrarian, a Manhattan Murder Mystery, Queens of Acid Drag, and More!

Introducing our must-read new newsletter [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Weekly]( A SPECIAL EDITION OF COCKTAIL HOUR April 16, 2020 Welcome to the second edition of “V.F. Weekly,” a new newsletter showcasing our freshest, best, and most urgently informative journalism. Ahead, you’ll discover a robust range of stories, from a profile of the COVID-19 crisis’s most outrageous heretic, to a true-crime long read from acclaimed author Christopher Bollen, a portfolio of trailblazing drag queens, an in-depth discussion of Humphrey Bogart’s wartime classic, Casablanca, and a roundup of accessories worthy of Queen Elizabeth II. For all that and more, scroll on! And if someone forwarded you this email, [sign up for “Cocktail Hour” here](. [Breaking]( [King of the COVID-19 Contrarians]( By David Freedlander [Alex Berenson, thriller writer, former Timesman, marijuana alarmist, and intellectual entrepreneur, thinks scientists, politicians, and the media are fueling coronavirus hysteria. Does he have a case?]( [Read More]( [The Big Read]( [Murder at Sutton Place]( By Christopher Bollen [After the surrogate son—and alleged lover—of New York’s “jeweler to the stars” was involved in a brutal killing, tabloid drama engulfed a swath of the city’s rich and powerful. But what really happened the night of Joey Comunale’s murder?]( [Read More]( [In Our Words]( [“Maybe I will transcend worrying about how I look to other people, or how literate my bookshelf comes across, or whether my Warrior Two is in any kind of alignment.”]( [Sonia Saraiya]( [— Sonia Saraiya on the Pandemic That Turned Us Into TV]( [Read More]( [Good Looks]( [Put a Pin on It]( [For her national address last week, the queen wore a striking—[and historically significant](—turquoise brooch. The V.F. fashion department selects the personal ornaments worth fastening in solidarity.]( [Read More]( [HWD]( [COVID-TV Is Coming—Eventually]( [In a post-coronavirus world, television writers and producers will have to decide where (or if) the pandemic fits into their story lines.]( By Margaret Heidenry [Read More]( [Hive]( [Dr. Fauci Might Never Shake Hands Again]( [In a conversation with Peter Hamby, America’s doctor discusses the future of sports, 5G conspiracy theories, and why music festivals make him nervous.]( By Peter Hamby [Read More]( [vanities]( [Is This the Paparazzi’s Flash Finish?]( [Photos of celebrities in public are the lifeblood of tabloids—so what happens when everyone is staying home?]( By Dan Adler [Read More]( [Hot Type]( [Queens of the Counterculture]( By Maureen Orth [A new book unearths the legend of the Cockettes, who electrified San Francisco in the early 1970s with their gender-bending performances and wild drag. Maureen Orth bears witness to the trailblazing group’s brief, glittery glory.]( [Read More]( [Sound On]( [Here’s Looking At You, Kid]( [On this week’s episode of Little Gold Men, a look back at 1944 best-picture winner, Casablanca, and why the film continues to live up to its reputation.]( [[Play Button]Listen]( [From the Archive]( [The Waiting Plague]( [In 2020, we have COVID-19. But 15 years ago, avian flu was the pandemic waiting to happen. In a 2005 Vanity Fair feature, a look at how the world was grappling with the reality of a pandemic.]( [Read More]( [Vanity Fair]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [YouTube]( This e-mail was sent to you by VANITY FAIR. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2020. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.