BlackBook Magazine

That handsome devil is a man of many proverbs and thoughtful drinks. Screwhound?

There is no such thing as a lousy or attitudinal bartender at West Hollywood’s clubby Chateau Marmont, that castle on Sunset. Each has his own charm, sense of humor, looks, style—from Fred, who hails from Chicago and can crack his neck like a carnie; to Stinson, a Southern charmer with a gift for prose. So it’s hard to single out Robert Floyd, Florida-raised, 37. But the guy is something of a superstar at making people relax and enjoy the show. His aw-shucks good looks, though, are a beard for his off-kilter humor. And while you’ll never hear him talk about it, he was mighty fine as Cassio in a Hollywood production of Othello. But at the Chateau—as the Santa Anas roll in at dusk, blowing the tiki torch flames and ushering in eucalyptus breaths—it’s more like A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And Floyd? Its resident Puck.

From postwar efficiency to 'the iPod of cars' in just under five decades.

In 1957, the Fiat 500 debuted as a model for postwar efficiency. Originally conceived to battle congestion in the notoriously narrow streets of Italy, it quickly established its reputation as a jaunty, modern car that had posh Italian birds singing the praises of its flirty headlamps and chic, maneuverable design.

Fifty years later, the 2008 Fiat 500 (call it the Cinquecento if you want to sound worldly) aims to reclaim the minimalist retro style and superior handling of its predecessor while upgrading to 21st century technology and engineering. Today’s version ($14,700) is ultra-compact at just under 140 inches long (think a mini-Mini Cooper) and can seat four adults comfortably.

The best hotels, motels, and five-star 'schloss.'

By Ken Scrudato

DOLDER GRAND, ZURICH
doldergrand.ch

A rendering of Switzerland’s regal Dolder Grand, above.

Myriad new boutique hotels, and none can hope to touch the mythic glamour of the illustrious Dolder Grand. Perched majestically above the glorious city of Zurich (which, mind, The Mercer Index just announced as the city having the highest quality of living in the world), this quasi-castle (that’s “schloss” in German) has played host to everyone from Nelson Mandela to U2. Now it’s being dazzled up for a Spring 2008 re-opening, with two new wings by star architect Norman Foster. Everything will be sleek, but notably, the Dolder will now house suites dedicated to the likes of Giacometti and the Rolling Stones-so you might not want to snort anything from the minibar.

The young actor is getting typecast in period costume. But wethinks no one should protest too much. There's an Olivier here on the rise.

By Peter McQuaid

Eddie Redmayne, above, channels Mary Poppins at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

At the tender age of 25, Eddie Redmayne is becoming well acquainted with Elizabeth I. His first turn with the Virgin Queen was in 2005 in the television movie starring Helen Mirren. And this fall he took on the hapless role of a disgruntled Roman Catholic who attempts to assassinate the inimitable Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Later this spring, he plays William Stafford, foster father to a toddler-aged Elizabeth who is briefly left abandoned after the execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn, in The Other Boleyn Girl.

This month, Rizzoli publishes its second volume of color photographs and essays heralding the urban and suburban residential work of the great Pritzker Prize-winning architect. Here, a hazy taste of the 250 images inside.

Grotta House, Harding Township, New Jersey, above.

Dylan's candy is dandy, but Snickers sell quickest.

By Jonathan Kelly

Three-figure champagne and $12 mini-bottles of scotch? What else would you expect from the room bar in the Upper East Side’s fabled Carlyle hotel? Let food and beverage director Guillermo Guevara explain.

BLACKBOOK: As far as minibars go, yours seems fairly populist.

GUILLERMO GUEVARA: It’s nice to have a balance of highly priced items and important brands, but to also have items that are more affordable and don’t represent luxury.

BB: How much does the minibar change from your ordinary rooms to your most exclusive tower suites?

GG: Some of our suites have a bit of an upgrade in terms of wine. They also carry bottles of Chateau Montalana Cabernet Sauvignon and very exclusive champagnes such as Dom Perignon and Cristal.

You don't need Yukon Cornelius's ice pick to discover these shiny treasures. We've hand-picked them for you—from Bulgari and Hermés, to Chanel and Prada.

Click here for more from the Looks Dept!

Clockwise from top: La Prairie Silver Rain ($135) and Cellular Luxe Lip Color in Pink Sapphire ($55), Chanel Fine Jewelry Trio Ring ($20,000), Serge Lutens Louve ($135), Van Cleef & Arpels Drape de Diamants Necklace ($2,733,500), Asprey Corkscrew ($600), Prada Infusion d’Iris ($90), Hermés Martini Glass ($210), La Prairie Cellular Treatment Foundation Cream Finish ($95).

Photography by Richard Gary
Fashion Editor Bryan Levandowski

From Tom Waits's lisping to Palm Springs Living, there's something for everyone under the tree. But beware: Santa Claus is drunk in a ski room somewhere.

American artist Walton Ford is perhaps best described as Audubon on acid. The naturalist-gone-nuclear’s intricate, dazzling, and sometimes disturbing watercolors might be mistaken at first glance for antiques-until you notice some of the animals are engaged in sex acts, cannibalism, or other supposedly “unnatural” behavior. Ford’s outsized talent gets a suitable forum in an opulent, signed, limited-edition volume, Walton Ford: Pancha Tantra (Taschen, $1,250). Scrappy New Yorker scribe Bill Buford provides the text.

In other noteworthy tomes this month: Jean-Michel Berts captures a deserted Manhattan in the ethereal magic of dawn in The Light of New York (Assouline, $50). And the photographic genius who made the Modernist architectural masterpieces of California famous through his work is celebrated in the three-volume Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered (Taschen, $300). Some of the houses first touted by Shulman are seen in their current incarnations in Diane Dorrans Saeks’s sleek, stylish Palm Springs Living (Rizzoli, $55). Widely imitated and justly world-famous architect Richard Meier’s residential commissions are showcased in Richard Meier: Houses and Apartments (Rizzoli, $85).

From Toyota to Porsche, these eco-friendlier road picks are making Al Gore very happy, indeed.

Good news for Al Gore (or any gearhead with a conscience): 2008 marks the start of what looks to be a hybrid boom. Toyota, one of the trailblazers of hybrid technology, will release a 2009 Prius with lower emissions, a leaner silhouette, and a cheaper price tag, and has licensed its diesel-electric engineering to the 2008 Nissan Altima hybrid model. For tree-huggers for whom money is no object, a bevy of luxury cars are taking the eco-friendly plunge.

Checking in at West Hollywood's Boys Town Inn. (BYO bed sheets.)

By Michael Ruffino

Ramada Inn, Los Angeles, above.

The Ramada Plaza Suites Hotel West Hollywood, north of Fairfax, east of Beverly Hills, west of Hollywood, and south of the mountains, is in Boys Town, so called because it is usual in the neighborhood bars and clubs for men to endeavor unconnected to the presence of women. The hotel identifies just Hollywood, of course, recommending Dan Tana‘s or The Palm to some, nothing in particular to others. The hotel also identifies its facing street not as Santa Monica Boulevard but as “world-famous Historic Route 66,” on a giant plaque outside the lobby. Management is obviously keen on that mildly absurd point of interest-an employee directing us to nearby Spanish Kitchen instructed, “a left on Route 66, which is right out front here, and a right at CVS.” As he did, the lobby’s automatic doors dismissed a teen demimondaine past us, past the giant plaque and out onto Historic Route 66, where with a terminal-sounding sigh she climbed into a Chrysler Sebring (henceforth Sigh-Bring), where an irreparable bald chap waited at the wheel. We note that Route 66 is also called The Mother Road, sometimes for all the wrong reasons.