This is Vanity Fair's 19th annual Hollywood Issue, and it's a lighthearted, circus-themed portfolio called "Bruce Weber's Adventures in Hollywood." According to VF.com:
It's one for the history books- more than 75 different stars were photographed for Vanity Fair's 19th Hollywood Portfolio, shot by Bruce Weber as the famed photographer's definitive tribute to the town. Enfolding Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, Amy Adams and Jonah Hill, Selena Gomez and Alan Arkin, Weber's vision called for a variety of talent-of both the two- and four-legged variety. The cover: Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper (impishly smiling in a bear suit and a gorilla costume, respectively) flank America's sweetheart Emma Stone. Oscar winner Affleck cemented his status as Hollywood's in-demand director with Argo, which received seven Academy Award nominations, including best picture, while Cooper's Silver Linings Playbook received eight nominations, including Cooper's first for best actor. Youngest-ever best-actress nominee Quvenzhané Wallis also appears on the cover gatefold along with Olivia Wilde, Kerry Washington, and Eddie Redmayne.
The key words here are "cover gatefold." Because although there are technically black people on the cover — Quevanzhané Wallis and Kerry Washington — you only see them when the entire thing is unfolded. Once the cover is folded up, the way it will be on the newsstand, you only see Ben, Emma and Bradley. Not a big deal, really, except that Vanity Fair has been pushing the black people off of the main cover and over to the right so they'll get folded up on the newsstand consistently, FOR YEARS.
Fun images though! And there are black folks on the inside, from Halle Berry to Quincy Jones and three of his daughters, Rashida, Kidada, and Kenya. Also, if you love this kind of stuff — epic photoshoots — you'll dig the behind-the-scenes shots. Wardrobe lust! From the press release:
VANITY FAIR'S HOLLYWOOD PORTFOLIO BY THE NUMBERS
8 days
9 iconic locations
125 people photographed
78 of them actors
1 elephant
1 horse
2 baby tigers
1 world-famous marching band
10,000 articles of clothing
500 pairs of shoes
200 pairs of sunglasses
$3 million worth of designer jewelry
2 fashion directors
7 fashion assistants
4 seamstresses.
Click to enlarge and see the full cover.
Ben Affleck, Emma Stone, and Bradley Cooper on Vanity Fair's Hollywood Cover [Vanity Fair]
Related: Fire Up the Weber! Behind The Scenes [VF]
Earlier: Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue Pushes Actresses Of Color Aside (Again!)
"Young Hollywood" Is White, Thin