Julian Sands, one of the great actors of the past 50 years, died while hiking in Southern California. This week, his friend and fellow actor Simon Callow shares memories of the man who left a mark on him, beginning with their time together while filming A Room with a View. And speaking of movies, William J. Mann reveals how a breathtakingly beautiful 20-year-old starlet and a thrice-divorced alcoholic more than twice her age created that rarest thing in Hollywood: a love story for the ages. And then Rich Cohen joins us for a conversation about U.F.O.’s and what to make of the recent testimony of a whistleblower who claims the government has captured alien flying machines. Yikes! All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. 

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This week, Rich Cohen tells us about the time he was sent to Woody Creek, Colorado, to check in with the godfather of gonzo, Hunter S. Thompson. Then, speaking of writers, many of you may know the Jackie Collins book Hollywood Wives, which skewered the Beverly Hills elite and sold more than 15 million copies. Now, on its 40th anniversary, Jackie Collins’s daughter Rory joins us to reveal what she learned about life from her powerhouse mother. Finally, Ravi Somaiya has the incredible story of a doctor who used medical technology to investigate the secrets of demonic possession. But did he unleash a deadly curse in the process? It’s a wild story. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.

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This week, John Glatt has a shocking story of sex, drugs, and a bloody murder by a rich American playboy that sent shock waves through Swinging London in the late 1960s. Then, because it’s summer, it’s time for summer reading. Who better to chat with on that subject than one of our favorite guests, Jim Kelly, the Books Editor here at Air Mail. Jim will tell us about a book he’s loving this week, and a few others. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.

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It was a crime and a trial that riveted New York and defined an era: the case of the Central Park jogger, when a young woman was brutally assaulted in the park in 1989. This week, Jeffrey Toobin discusses his eye-opening piece on how the fates of two people involved in that horrendous crime have taken shockingly divergent paths. And how the attack sparked Trump’s interest in politics. Then we have the incredible tale of the boy who fled Saigon as a 12-year-old refugee during the Vietnam War and has now returned as a Michelin-starred chef. It’s the stuff of a Hollywood epic, and Lloyd Grove tells us all about it. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. 

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How did it come to pass that we find ourselves living in “The Era of The Butt”? Linda Wells, the editor of Air Mail Look, explains all. Then fans of great food no doubt remember the Spotted Pig. For 16 years it was one of New York’s most acclaimed restaurants. After management was accused of sexual misconduct, it closed up. Now the West Village building that housed it is home to a new restaurant, the Golden Swan, and Alan Richman has a report on it. And speaking of restaurants, Bruce Bozzi joins us. Bruce is the host of Table for Two, Air Mail’s other podcast, where he sits down for a meal with a friend, and this week he’ll tell us about his recent chat with Rita Wilson. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.

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The 70s were the Me Decade, and the 80s were the Greed Is Good decade. But what is this strange decade of the 20s we are living in now? Here at Air Mail, we’re calling it “the Raging 20s,” and Bruce Handy explains why. Then John Glatt has the bizarre true-crime story of a Utah mother of three whose husband died from poisoning. She then wrote a bereavement book for kids, and you won’t believe what happened next. And speaking of wild: Legs McNeil has the inside story of two very strange bedfellows. Specifically, how Kenneth Anger, the writer who influenced everyone from Led Zeppelin to Martin Scorsese, became the unlikely friend of Alfred Kinsey, the father of the sexual revolution. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.

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It’s officially summer, which means the blockbuster movies are here. But will any of them win an Oscar for best picture? As Sam Wasson reports, the gatekeepers in Hollywood just made it a lot harder for any movie to win an Academy Award for best picture. He’ll tell us why. Then, if you’re still undecided about your summer-escape destination, Catherine Fairweather has a great idea for where to go in Greece. And the answer may surprise you. Finally, here’s a question: How did a once glamorous restaurateur become Putin’s most powerful, feared, and brutal military commander? Andrew Ryvkin joins us with his insightful report on the rise of the man some call “Putin’s chef” and tells us whether the mercenary leader of the Wagner Group is truly out to put Russia’s elite on the chopping block. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. 

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This week, Lauren Bans tells us why the best thing on social media these days is the Instagram account of Michael Keaton, which is loaded with … dad humor?! Then, if you live in New York City, you know there is a rat problem. A very big one. And the always funny David Kamp will discuss what to do with one of the city’s most pervasive constituencies. And finally, Alessandra Stanley, a Co-Editor at Air Mail, takes us inside the big party of the week—Air Mail’s bash at the Hôtel du Cap to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. as well as the Cannes Film Festival. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss.

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This week is our South of France episode, which coincides with the Cannes Film Festival. Graydon Carter, a Co-Editor at Air Mail, tells us about the inspiration behind this special issue and takes us inside our party at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc. Then we have two great stories about movies: Josh Karp has the scoop on a film Dame Helen Mirren called “an irresistible mix of art and genitals”—the 1979 erotic historical drama Caligula, which starred Mirren, Malcolm McDowell, more than a few PenthousePets, and Gore Vidal. (Talk about an orgy of talent … ) Then Sam Wasson has the story of the five-time Academy Award–winning director who was so angry that he could not get financing for his film that he literally threw his Oscars out the window in a fit of apocalyptic rage—and, in the process, created the template for a new kind of indie filmmaker. Can you guess who that is? Sam will reveal the answer. All this and more make this a show you won’t want to miss. 

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This week, William D. Cohan, our man on Wall Street, reveals why the head of Goldman Sachs has cozied up to a man who’s built super-exclusive homes for Tom Brady, George Clooney, and other big names. Then, on the subject of property and places to hide out and unwind, our man in France, Alexander Lobrano, reports on a private island in the French Riviera that’s being transformed into the setting of a luxury hotel. And finally, Bruce Handy discusses the legacy of Bruce McCall, the illustrator and Air Mail contributor who led a truly Great Life. All this and more make it a show you won’t want to miss.

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