She may not be a household name herself, but it is thanks to Lauren Zalaznick that American audiences have come to know and love—and loathe—such outsize personalities as Rachel Zoe, Tabatha Coffey (of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover), Millionaire Matchmaker Patti Stanger, the five Queer Eye guys and far too many Real Housewives and project Runway contestants to rattle off here. As President of NBC Universal Women and Lifestyle Entertainment Networks, Zalaznick has reshaped the way this country zones out.

Sure, she was still a child in the ’80s. But given her string of command performances, we knew that Claire Danes was perfect for our fashion story on the revival of powerhouse dressing inspired by the greed decade. After all, her strength on-screen -- and off -- made Zac Efron quake in his boots at the mere thought of working with her in Richard Linklater’s upcoming film, Me and Orson Welles.

The high voltage actress gets electric.

The brother-sister Indie Darling Duo decorates us.

Jumpin’ Jack Flash! We certainly had a gas with the ebullient Juliette Lewis, who took on the diverse roles of Bettie Page, Coco Chanel, Bonnie Parker and Mick Jagger for this issue devoted to the act of creative rebellion. Each one of these individuals, in their own way, defied convention in their heyday as much as Lewis herself does. The Oscar-nominated actress made the radical decision at the age of 30 that she could no longer resist the call to rock. She stepped off of “the hamster wheel” in Hollywood a few years back and got down to the business of rock ’n’ roll. Her soulful intensity and raw self-examination come through full-throttle on her new record, Terra Incognita. But thankfully, she’s back on the big screen, too, with four new films due out over the next year (and a brutally candid interview).

The actress and musician paints her wild streaks on us.

Rape. Murder. Teens. Transgressive literary anti-star Dennis Cooper can be depended on for a few things—convention, however, certainly isn’t one of them. “I never learned how to write fiction, never even took a fiction writing class, so my books are sort of strangely shaped,” says the 56-year-old writer who unleashed a five book cycle of snuff, drugs and rock ’n’ roll on an unsuspecting literary world beginning with 1989’s brilliant shocker Closer, and then went on to win wide acclaim for 2005’s The Sluts, an ingenious novel told by way of Internet postings on a male escort site.

Just the thought of a summer issue put us in full-on beach mode -- daydreams of far-off places, sandy toes and tropical drinks. To that end, a truckload of black volcanic sand was hauled in, along with a passel of plush beach blankets, chaise lounges and striped umbrellas, for our cover shoot with the incomparable Marion Cotillard, who brought a touch of the French Riviera to Canal Street one day in early May. The Oscar-winning La Vie en Rose star is certainly on a whirlwind journey of her own, as she ascends from respected actress to international movie star.

Shawn Mortensen with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Marion Cotillard is having a New York moment. The new face of French cinema, who took home a treasure trove of gold statues from far-flung corners of the world for her memory-searing role as Edith Piaf in 2007’s La Vie en Rose, is slathering cream cheese on half a bagel as she readies for our daylong cover shoot. So much for the spread of organic salads, fresh vegetables and hot water with lemon she’d requested.