Gwyneth Paltrow emails celeb pals to boycott Vanity Fair

CEBU, Philippines - Gwyneth Paltrow doesn’t need Van-ity Fair — or so it may seem. The New York Times issued a recent report claiming the 40-year-old actress is feuding with the 100-year-old popular culture magazine. The Iron Man 3 star allegedly wrote an email to her celebrity friends asking them not to speak to the magazine. “Vanity Fair is threatening to put me on the cover of their magazine,” Paltrow reportedly wrote in May this year, a witness who saw the email tells the Times. “If you are asked for quotes or comments, please decline. Also, I recommend you all never do this magazine again.”

What does Paltrow have against Vanity Fair? The Times speculates that stars and their publicists are getting increasingly upset over Vanity Fair’s criticism of Hollywood in issues such as their report on the difficulties Brad Pitt’s “World War Z” had getting made, and the impact Scientology had on Tom Cruise’s marriage.

The magazine’s editor, Graydon Carter, however, defended their coverage in a statement to the Times: “We wouldn’t be doing our job if there wasn’t a little bit of tension between Vanity Fair and its subjects. In any given week, I can expect to hear from a disgruntled subject in Hollywood, Washington, or on Wall Street. That’s the nature of the beast.”

In May, Gwyneth Paltrow willingly appeared on the covers of People and Good Housekeeping, but refused to cooperate with Vanity Fair.Insiders say it’s a bold move for Paltrow, as editor Graydon Carter is an influential force in the industry. He hosts the Vanity Fair post-Oscar party — Hollywood’s hottest party of the year.

But it may not matter anymore, as the Times notes, “Celebrities and their publicists can now circumvent traditional media outlets and communicate with their fans directly through Twitter and Facebook.” Other big Hollywood players disagree.“Vanity Fair’s influence is still enormous,” Ron Meyer, president of Universal Studios, told the Times, while Harvey Weinstein said a mention in its pages was “the Good Housekeeping seal of approval in the media world” for a movie. (FREEMAN)