After years of touring and intercontinental migration, singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche has finally settled down in Brooklyn, savoring old friends, a new album and a mellower lease on the high life. "We love it here,” says Lerche, motioning to his backyard. “We have parties outside, even on freezing cold days.” Thankfully, this warm late summer night promises no such thing. The 27-year-old singer-songwriter, dressed comfortably in electric-blue pants and a loose linen shirt, reclines while his slight wife, Mona, fusses over their patio table, arranging tea lights and fixing watermelon cocktails and artichoke appetizers for her guests. She makes certain not to muss her Dolce & Gabbana separates, vintage apron and silvery freshwater pearls. “My wife is a great cook,” says Lerche, smiling. “But she’s a fantastic entertainer.”

Edward Cullen's brother deals with monkey business

The culture of the gay Harlem houses -- the birthplace of “voguing” -- goes back as far as the 19th century. In the beginning, the gatherings that took place there were a matter of survival; by the late 1970s, they were established sanctuaries, providing family -- and safety in numbers -- to homeless street hustlers, pier queens, addicts and other lost souls. The houses took names like LaBeija, Chanel and St. Laurent, imitating the fashion houses they idolized. And they threw elaborate balls -- flamboyant 10-hour affairs, where voguing was pioneered, with the houses competing for prestige (and sometimes cash).

In Martin Scorsese’s upcoming thriller Shutter Island, Emily Mortimer runs away with the show as an on-the-lam patient who breaks down opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. Though she starred in David Mamet’s Redbelt last year, the English actress is just now earning her black belt in bitchery, by kicking around her 10 least-favorite things.

Who better to sample fermented grapes at Gordon’s, London’s oldest wine bar, than the man behind Straight No Chaser? Raise a glass to musician Mr Hudson, Kanye’s newest protégé. Ben Hudson, the Birmingham-born frontman for Mr Hudson, has earned the right to relax with a glass (or eight) of wine. In the past year, he appeared on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s latest records, traveled the world as part of West’s crew (“He’s like the Kofi Annan of pop,” Hudson says of his friend and mentor) and saw his smash single -- the glorious, West-assisted “Supernova” -- climb to the top of the U.K. charts. Still, Hudson isn’t yet ready to toast his good fortune. “As an Englishman,” he says, “I’m allergic to bombast. It’s up to the people at home to decide if I’ll be playing at Wembley in 10 years, or if I’ll be back on the dole.”

Four stars from this month’s ensemble film New York, I Love You , a romantic paean to the city that never sleeps, tell us they watch when no one’s looking.

Are you watching, or being watched?

We tapped four visionaries -- Juergen Teller, The Raveonettes, Jennifer Lynch, and James Jean -- for their takes on surveillance. The works of art they created are, well, out of sight.

Two game-changers discuss putting the band back together.

The "Donnie Darko" director makes us a mix