The Annals of Long Form Journalism

by Conor Friedersdorf

Jonah Weiner has managed to make the magazine celebrity profile interesting again. If you don't get why, this should help.

The headline in Mr. Weiner's effort is an allusion to the famous Gay Talese piece "Frank Sinatra Has a Cold." It's taught in journalism schools as an early example of New Journalism, and a demonstration of what can be produced when a profile subject refuses to cooperate. This celebrity profile of Val Kilmer is my favorite ever, largely due to the...