The artist Daniel Bozhkov once made an enormous crop drawing of Larry King by clearing a field of plants in the shape of the famed interviewer's face.

Then he flew a plane over the entire field and filmed his handiwork. When the footage found its way to CNN, they aired it -- during an interview with Friends actor Matthew Perry -- in a moment of eccentric brilliance.

Bozhkov, who also created a cologne dedicated to Ernest Hemingway (Eau d'Ernest, naturally) is back with another project, this time in Berlin. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Sigmund Jähn's trip into space (he was the first German to do so), Bozhkov recently renamed Skulpturenpark Sigmund Jähn Park for 7 days, 20 hours, 49 minutes -- the precise amount of time Jähn was in space. He then opened a kebab stand and served kebabs every day for the week of March 16 to 23. The project also involved a life-size sculpture of Jähn, a series of hand-painted billboards, and an elaborate surveillance system.

Bozhkov was born in Bulgaria and is currently living in Italy, where he is a Rome Prize fellow at the American Academy in Rome. His permanent home is New York, and he exhibits at Andrew Kreps Gallery. At once dreamy and cerebral, Bozhkov is an irrepressible force in the art world. And a very original one. --DAVID COGGINS

(Images via andrewkreps.com)

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Carla Bruni, the former model, current pop star, and new wife of French President Nicholas Sarkozy, joined her husband this Thursday for France's first state visit to England in more than a decade. Sarkozy's theme was building a new brotherhood between the nations but, on the eve of the pair's arrival, the venerable British auction house Christie's dampened la fraternité with the announcement that it was selling a nude photo of Bruni. The piece is part of a larger collection going on the block, including nudes of Kate Moss, Gisele Bündchen and a fully clothed Igor Stravinsky.

(Carla Bruni)

The auction has provoked outrage from Sarkozy, who is trying to shed his image as a "Bling Bling" president who cares more about strolling with his beautiful wife than finding answers to Frances economic malaise. Christie's is sticking to its guns, claiming the photo is a tasteful piece of art featuring one of the world's most beautiful women. Rather than back down, Bruni went on a press offensive, appearing with the royal family in a stunning outfit, more Jackie O than Oh My. And while the auction may have slowed Bruni's transformation into the Gallic Princess Di, it certainly won't hurt sales of her new album.

(Gisele Bündchen)

The auction is scheduled for April 10th at New York's Rockefeller Plaza. The photo, a gelatin silver print shot in 1993 by world-renowned photographer Michel Comte, is expected to fetch $3-4000.

Register for the auction

(Kate Moss)

What CBGB was to punks, the Nat Sherman shop is to smokers in Bloombergian New York: a haven for indulgence, devoid of puritan opprobrium. As they put it, "Your freedom of choice, often denied to you as a smoker, can be exercised and expressed here." Exercising said freedom has become that much more rewarding, thanks to their newly completed, membership-only Johnson Club Room -- named after Sherman's rather peculiar sobriquet for his wife, Lydia. Situated in the basement of their shop on East 42nd Street -- perfectly located for a pre-power meeting drag -- it functions as a combination coffee shop and university club, with a somehow inevitable jazzy soundtrack and darkroom-red lighting.  Some fine wines and top shelf liquor accompany Irving Farm coffee, Murray's Cheese, Russ & Daughters smoked salmon, and other Gotham delicacies. But the real attractions -- lovingly depicted in the portraiture lining the walls -- are the cigars. Any imaginable variety can be found at the ground level shop (all but those from communist lands, anyway) along with all manner of cigarettes and pipe tobacco, but club members can make use of their private storage locker, and brag about sharing walk in humidor space with the likes of Joe Torre, Rudy Giuliani, and Bill Richardson. While Nat Sherman's Michael Holba admits that he's "keeping [his] dry cleaner in business," there's enough air conditioning capacity to clear a 27-story building, and smell is anything but dive bar stale. While you won't be able to make a night of it -- the club closes at 8pm -- the Johnson is a welcome throwback to a city untouched by modern modesty. Surgeons general be damned.  --NICHOLAS MOSQUERA

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Stephen Kelly has seen inside the homes of some of the country's most powerful cue buffs: secretary of energy Sam Bodman, Fidelity chief Ned Johnson, retired Celtic Robert Parrish. As owner of Boston Billiards, the country's preeminent custom and restoration billiards table company, Kelly points to his eclectic client list -- and thriving business -- as proof that the home theater has officially been ousted as the rec room status symbol du jour. "Tables that sold for $48,000 just six years ago now command up to $75,000," he says. Recent highlights from among the 100 for sale in his Massachusetts showroom include a $90,000 French walnut table from the early 1900s, and a $125,000 Brazilian rosewood beauty dating back to 1880. Of course, if he doesn't have it, he'll find it -- pointing to a 1915 Arts and Crafts relic he recently sought out -- or make it, right down to the leather pockets crafted in-house (custom work typically ranges from $40,000 to $60,000). But perhaps the most striking evidence that business is booming? Kelly's beloved personal table now doubles as workbench. --ALYSSA GIACOBBE

Boston Billiards, 617-625-2718, bostonbilliards.net

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In May, the public gets to view the latest experiment from Bill Massie, one of the country's most innovative architects. His "'08 house," a sculpturally enhanced version of a classic Modernist box, goes on display outside the Art Gallery at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Massie built the 2500 square foot, steel-framed home in sections inside an old spare parts factory in nearby Dearborn. Once transported to Cranbrook's green lawns, it took two days to bolt together.

Unlike standard construction, Massie put up the frame before drawing up further plans. "I held back designing things which weren't truly structural until I got to stand inside," he said. "I got to tune the space as if it were a piano or a violin."

Massie's signature sculptural elements include the concrete dimple in an otherwise straight roof and a large, all curved-wall bathroom. The shower has a window opening to the roof. This helps air flow through, cooling the house. "If you leave the window open when you go out and it pours, it doesn't matter because the rain goes straight into the shower," Massie says, extolling his design's combination of "sustainability and voyeurism."

Building the '08 in his own factory, Massie eliminated the client. Thus, it's design with no compromises. As for the house's future? "I'm looking for buyers so I can build the next one," says the architect. --DAVID HAY

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(Photo: AP Photo/Christopher Morris/VII)

Marking the fifth year anniversary of the Iraq Invasion, PBS's Frontline will be presenting a two-part documentary, Bush's War, tonight and tomorrow. The series details the plans behind the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the power struggles among the highest political figures in office. Part one begins with the attacks on September 11, 2001. Part two examines the Iraq war, the early mistakes that were made, and the war's effects on the Iraqi people, the American military and the rest of the world.

For Bush's War, director and writer Michael Kirk and his team talked to key behind-the-scenes players in Washington and amassed over 400 other interviews. "Parts of this history have been told before," said Kirk. "But no one has laid out the entire narrative to reveal in one epic story the scope and detail of how this war began and how it has been fought, both on the ground and deep inside the government."

Part one of Bush's War will premiere on PBS on Monday, March 24, at 9 p.m. and continues with part two on March 25. --EMILY TAN

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MVSTAT: Frontline, now in its 25th year, has won a total of 12 George Foster Peabody Awards, 20 Alfred I. duPont Awards, 38 Emmys, and one Pulitzer Prize...

My first reaction to Barack Obama's now widely known -- and dissected -- NCAA picks:  "He is out of his mind if he thinks Pitt is going to the Final Four."

Still, on the face of it, the "Baracket" is clearly the work of an astute college hoops fan -- and a candidate who happens to be embroiled in a tight battle for the Democratic nomination. The choices are stylish, if a little safe (not unlike the man himself), and his upset picks feature teams from the next two major primary battlegrounds, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. While Davidson (from North Carolina) over Gonzaga (Washington state) is a popular pick among the NCAA-prognosticating set (Obama, of course, already won the Washington primary on February 19), St. Joe's (Philadelphia) over Oklahoma is not one I have seen.

Then there is the punishing of Ohio for handing a March 4 victory to Hillary Clinton in the form of Duke (North Carolina again) over Cincinnati-based Xavier, and the thumping of Texas (UT out in the Sweet Sixteen?); the shout out to David Geffen and the senator's Hollywood donors (UCLA all the way to the finals!); and the nod to the ancestral homeland (Kansas, needless to say, must make the Final Four). Meanwhile, taking Pittsburgh to go to the Final Four is a near certain bracket buster, but one that is sure to please voters in western Pennsylvania. In fact, an impressive geographical diversity courses through Obama's Final Four brackets. (50-state strategy, anyone?)

But, in the end, political expediency wins out as UNC sails to the national championship in San Antonio. (Obama on 6-foot-9 power forward Tyler Hansbrough: "That's a big boy, there.") The question remains: Will Tar Heel voters reward the senator's loyalty on May 6? --SAM ERICKSON

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Perhaps New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg was belatedly celebrating his decision to (allegedly/supposedly/probably/maybe) stay out of the presidential race this year when he dressed up in denim cutoffs, purple metallic leggings and teal leg warmers to perform with the Broadway cast Xanadu for the press' annual Inner Circle Dinner on Saturday. Whatever the reason, it's good to see that despite construction-crane tragedies and collapsing investment banks plaguing the city recently, Bloomberg hasn't lost his sense of humor. Of course, this sort of thing isn't exactly unprecedented; his predecessor knew his way around lipstick, fishnet stockings and a feather boa, and there's ample photographic documentation of this. But in a campaign climate that has honed in on more mundane image issues like Obama stowing his American flag pin and Hillary's depressing army of pantsuits, it's no surprise Giuliani didn't last long. Bloomberg, in seeming to fold his presidential cards, might just have the foresight his predecessor lacked. America may be ready for a different kind of president, but a grown man paying homage to Olivia Newton-John movies? Not a chance. --Wyatt Jansen

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Two talented singer-songwriters named Kate hail from England. They're both in their early twenties, their last names sound vaguely alike, and they've both put out records this year. Here's a cheat sheet to keep them straight. --Jeff Johnson

(Photos: Kate Walsh (left) via katewalsh.co.uk, Kate Nash via katenash.artistes.universalmusic.fr)

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Four out of the five senses agree: fish tacos are disgusting. They smell like the Long Beach Aquarium, look like they were scraped off the floor of an arts and crafts class, break apart in your juice-covered hands, and sound like a particularly foul euphemism. But taste overpowers all else for Los Angelenos, and locals go straight to the man himself, Señor Fish, to snag their aquatic snack.

With a handful of locations in LA including Downtown and Pasadena, this lesser-known chain is an underground fish taco empire. On a recent evening, I dropped by the Señor Fish in Eagle Rock at 4803 Eagle Rock Blvd.  The entrance is constructed with a cathedral-style gazebo, suggesting that this is where the Angels come for their plain fish tacos, ceviche tostadas or grilled trout. Electric pinks and teals cover the walls inside and out on the patio, giving the restaurant a Mexi-tropical vibe.

At the suggestion of Sandra, who works the register in front, I ordered the non-battered halibut taco and the lightly battered orange roughy, which is a deep-sea fish in the slimehead family -- a family I assume could benefit from a dip or two in the deep fryer.  The halibut taco, blanketed in a double-wrapped flour tortilla and littered with crisp lettuce and fresh tomatoes, retained its moisture and fish taste. I decided to make over the roughy with a trip to the salsa bar -- all are house-made.  Following a treatment with tomatillo-green chili salsa, the orange roughy was muy rico -- a perfect balance of flavors and textures. Unlike Taco Bell or Del Taco, the bottom of the fish taco food chain, and even the upstarts Rubio's grill and Baja Fresh, Señor Fish delivers on its promise of chewy, crunchy, fish tacos fresh off the docks. 

Sadly, though, due to a large lunch, I sinned in the church of fish tacos and did not clean my plate. As a result, I got a flat tire pulling out of the parking lot. Come for the orange roughy or the lunch special, but beware of the taco Gods. --MICKEY STANLEY

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(Lot 24, "Reclining Nude" by Mark Gertler)

Even with the anemic value of the US dollar, some of the most reasonable auction prices are of dead British artists despite the fact that their work sells in robust pounds. Consider that Sotheby's sale of 20th Century British Art in London on March 18 is full of choice prospects in the four-figures. Bargains, however, are only good if the pictures are good, and the sale contains excellent drawings and paintings by class English acts like Walter Sickert and Henry Lamb.

Bloomsbury painters are represented with a Vanessa Bell interior of Charleston, her country home, and a series of Roger Fry landscapes and portraits. For those who prefer sharper-edged modernism, there's always Sir Peter Blake -- still very much alive -- whose 1991 collage for the I.C.A.F poster contrasts such bearded heavyweights as Cezanne and Van Gogh with the equally imposing face of Jayne Mansfield. --David Coggins

(Lot 155, "Painter and Critics" by Alan Lowndes)

(Lot 31, "The Garden Room" by Vanessa Bell)

(Lot 189, "Original Collage for the 1991 I.C.A.F. Poster" by Sir Peter Blake, R.A.)

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MV STAT: The last surviving 13th century copy of the Magna Carta sold in a 2007 Sotheby's auction for $21,321,000. In 1984, the documents previous purchaser, Ross Perot, acquired it for $1.5 million...

The skeleton of the High Line -- an elevated railway built in the 1930s to transport cargo between factories and warehouses -- has been a shadow over the west side of Manhattan for more than twenty years. Now, following the ambitious project to transform the Chelsea railway into a public park and promenade, architect Neil Denari has dreamed up a 14-story apartment building that will defy gravity by cantilevering over the park. Denari's building, called HL23, will sit on a 40 foot-wide base on West 23rd street, but will expand upwards to house single floor units as large as 2,500 square feet. Construction begins in March 2008, and the project received seven waivers from the city in order to go ahead with an atypical -- and potentially imposing -- design. The simple fact that HL23 is drawing more praise than criticism, however, is testament to the building's innovation and charm.

Comprised of eleven residences ranging in price from $2.65 million to $10.5 million, the building is aiming for a gold level certificate from LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). As a "green" building, HL23 will provide green power, improved ventilation and air quality, environmentally friendly water fixtures and appliances to reduce consumption, and plenty of natural daylight to decrease the need for electric lighting. HL23 will have floor to ceiling windows on two of the three facades and specially designed, stainless steel panels on the side immediately over the park. The steel panels are curved so as to play with the light that will reflect off of them and to create the illusion of movement within the building itself.

The interior of the building will be designed by Thomas Juul-Hansen, a Danish-born architect whose clients have included Damon Dash, David Limpan, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and David Yurman. Due to the building's unique exterior shape, each apartment unit will have a different floor plan. "The homes," Juul-Hansen says, "will complement in every way the poetic form of the building, the romance of the views, and the natural impulse to live with great art that has inspired the neighborhood's character and the proximity to some of the greatest galleries in the world."

This June, the relationship between HL23, the High Line, and its surrounding neighborhood will be the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York. Entitled Fast Forward New York: Neil Denari Builds on the High Line, the exhibit will show the transformation of the west side from its industrial roots to its current cultural and artistic eminence. HL23 is scheduled to finish construction in the spring of 2009 and Denari hopes the building will honor the past just as much as it hints to the future. With respect to the past, he says, his goal is to "celebrate [West Chelsea's] gritty, industrial romance and the beautifully decaying form of the High Line." --CHLOE KAMARCK

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Hordes of people who enjoy guzzling wine and gobbling hors d'oeuvres in the sizzling Miami heat (also a great way induce a dizzy spell) recently attended the 7th annual South Beach Food & Wine Festival. Tickets were completely sold out, and crowds proudly sporting plastic wineglasses-on-a-rope around their necks pushed through the tents pitched along Ocean Avenue. Along with various restaurant and winery booths offering tastings, there were four days of seminars with names like "Bourbon Mixology on the Beach," "Unlocking the Secrets of Boutique Cheeses," and "Getting to Grips with Grappa." The foodie stars came out at night, with parties hosted by Mario Batali, Jamie Oliver, Danny DeVito, Rachael Ray and (BAM!) Emeril, to name a few. The event is such a success that its promoters plan to bring the whole circus to DUMBO, Brooklyn this fall. And if I thought Floridians could be pushy with those samples, we ain't seen nothing yet. --TASHA GREEN

(Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain, and Mario Batali)

(Emeril Lagasse)

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The fireworks, drum rolls, and pom-pom shakes at Madison Square Garden last night weren't for the New York Rangers, and certainly not for the Knicks. Tennis was back in the Big Apple's Big Oval, with an unprecedented match on American soil between champions Roger Federer and Pete Sampras.

More than 19,000 people were in attendance as the 26-year-old Swiss master bested Sampras 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in the three-set exhibition match presented by NetJets, StarGames, and Men's Vogue. Despite the Federer's dominance in the sport -- he's been tennis's top player for the past 4 years -- Sampras, 36, was obviously the crowd favorite. A "Pistol Pete" banner waved in the stands and loud cheers punctuated his aces and winners. The two have faced off 4 other times, with Federer winning a five-setter at Wimbledon in 2001 and taking two of three exhibition matches during a 2007 tour of Asia.

In front of an eclectic audience that included Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, Barry Diller, and Gap designer Patrick Robinson, the current and former number one players kept it competitive but lighthearted. During the second set, both Sampras and the crowd reacted loudly to a ball hit on the line -- a questionable call that went in Federer's favor. Sampras jokingly threw his arms up in disgust. A smiling Federer told the umpire to reverse the call, which he did.

Sampras, whom Federer has complimented for still possessing one of the top five serves in tennis, looked a little winded at times but held his own -- at least until he found himself on the receiving end of four consecutive aces late in the third set. And although Sampras has roundly rejected any possibility of a return from retirement, he did sound enthusiastic about a rematch against Federer, who is just two Grand Slam titles shy of Sampras's record 14. "I'd love to do it again," Sampras told reporters. But he added that Federer certainly doesn't need to play exhibition matches. "I know, in my day, when I was No. 1 in the world, I'm not so sure I'd have done it."

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It may be counterintuitive to go to Germany to find a store specializing in English shoes, but Hamburg's venerable Ladage & Oelke will exceed all of your expectations. When the original Ladage store burned down in 1989, a pillar of Hamburg's English tailoring establishment suddenly vanished, and the cause, shockingly enough, was arson. Instead of mourning, however, the Franck family, which has run Ladage since 1845, found a beautiful arcaded building on a canal off the Inner Alster Lake.

Their principal addition, which had been unfeasible in their tight former quarters, was a definitive shoe department. Hamburg's anglophile community loves a sturdy brogue, and that is now what Ladage offers in spades. You will still have no trouble outfitting yourself for the city's brisk climate: on their main level they stock duffle coats, tweed blazers, and heavy suits. Their second floor, however, is largely dedicated to their unrivaled shoe department.

Edward Green, John Lobb, and Crockett & Jones are represented with vast selections, many exclusively available at Ladage. You'll find racks of boots that range from the heavy (Australia's rugged R.M. Williams) to the refined (Crockett & Jones's shapely Chelsea) to the waterproof (Wellingtons of every color). The rest of Europe is hardly neglected. There are two-toned wingtips from Italy's Santoni, a wide variety of loafers from France's Paraboot. Ladage carries everything from pumps for evening wear to two-toned golf spikes to boots to be worn with kilts.

It's the kind of store with a sense of discretion for those who don't need logos plastered on everything they own. Sometimes the assurance that comes from being perfectly shod is the only luxury you need. --DAVID COGGINS

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Men's Vogue debuted its Critics' Choice series this past Wednesday with a timely celebration of HBO's soon-to-be-retired drama, The Wire. Using the opportunity to elaborate on topics from his February 2008 piece, Ned Martel led a lively discussion with several cast members. Dominic West, who plays Jimmy McNulty, talked about the rebellious cop's thirst for whiskey -- a trait West claims might have had less emphasis had another actor taken that role. Meanwhile, Michael K. Williams (Omar Little) described seeing one of the men who inspired his character; while visiting the set, the real-life "Omar" groomed his fingernails with a shiv. The conversation was enough to make any Wire fan giddy.

The next Critics' Choice event -- featuring designer Philippe Starck -- will take place this spring in Los Angeles. As for The Wire, cherish its final moments because, as Bubbles says, "there's a thin line between heaven and here."  --BARRETT BAFFERT

Dominic West (Jimmy McNulty)

Andre Royo (Bubbles)

Michael K. Williams (Omar)

Ned Martel, Dominic West, Andre Royo, Men's Vogue Publisher Marc Berger, and Michael K. Williams

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In recognition of Roger Federer and Pete Sampras's upcoming New York City match on March 10 at Madison Square Garden, Men's Vogue asked James de Givenchy at Taffin to design an exclusive gift for the two tennis stars.

Taffin created two identical sets of exquisite cuff links. The mismatched pair features one link that represents Federer's Swiss flag and another for Sampras's stars and stripes. The links -- made with diamonds, rubies, 18k rose gold, and platinum -- are also engraved with "Federer vs. Sampras" and "3/10/08."

When the battle of rivals is decided on Monday night, there can only be one winner. But thanks to Taffin both Federer and Sampras will take away some nice souvenirs. --STEPHEN WATSON

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Barack Obama may not have clinched a decisive victory over Hillary Clinton in the delegate race after yesterday's primaries, but his Men's Vogue cover story from 2006 continues to make news. On Feb. 28, Mos Def cited the September/October 2006 article -- which reported on the then-distant rumors that the up-and-coming Democrat would run for the Oval Office -- in his decision to endorse Obama. "When I saw him on the cover of Men's Vogue even before he threw his hat in," the rapper and actor told Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis at an event in the 92nd Street Y, "I was like, 'This guy is going to run for president, and he's going to win.' And he's going to win because he's an author and he looks good. The best-looking guy for the job, at this point, is a black guy. I'm cool with that."

Also in that 2006 article, Obama told writer Jacob Weisberg that he sided with now confirmed Republican nominee John McCain on ethics reform. In fact, Obama spoke highly of the Arizona senator: "People see John McCain as a prima donna," he joked to the elites gathered at an event. "I think of him as a role model."

If Obama does become the Democratic nominee and faces McCain in the general election, those words may take on even more significance. --EMILY TAN

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Karl Markovics (left) in The Counterfeiters

Almost two weeks on, this year's biggest Oscar controversy is still rippling: the fact that the four acting awards went to Europeans, not Americans. It's a hypocritical quibble, considering the short shrift the Academy habitually gives to foreign films. Elevated to Best Picture nominee only 8 times, the jingoism-infused category forces diplomatic corps from around the globe to hawk their nations' wares to the tiny percentage of voters who won't base their decision on titles alone.

This year's winner, Austria's The Counterfeiters, now in theaters, is a decent film, buoyed by Karl Markovics's lead performance. He plays Sally Sorowitsch, a talented currency forger conscripted by the Nazis in a real-life scheme to flood the American and British economies in the waning days of World War II. Sorowitsch's skills, and those of several fellow Jewish captives, are rewarded with preferential treatment, relative to the conditions elsewhere in the concentration camp (rarely seen, but ever audible). The problem is that these moral quandaries -- survivor guilt; terrifying knowledge that a successful forgery buttresses the Nazi war machine -- are muddled by Stefan Ruzowitzky's documentary-like direction, a ham-fisted score (you half expect SS officers to twirl handlebar mustaches) and one-note supporting characters. As little angels and devils on Sally's shoulders, they reduce an existential dilemma to children's morality tale.

That these shortcomings were overlooked makes the omission of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days from even the pre-nomination shortlist determined by the Academy (part of the Byzantine Foreign Language voting process) that much more inexcusable. 4 Months's Romanian director Cristian Mungiu created a flawless film about another crippling test of character, that was, in not just my opinion, the best movie of the year -- perhaps of the last several. No one looks to the Oscars for fairness, but must they so consistently advertise their isolationist indifference? --NICHOLAS MOSQUERA

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(Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová celebrate their Oscar win. Steve Granitz/WireImage)

At the 80th Academy awards, the tiny independent feature Once, produced for only $160,000, brought home the gold. The much beloved feature won for its best original song called "Falling Slowly" written by Glen Hansard and performed by him and Markéta Irglová.

When Glen was up on stage, Men's Vogue noticed something...a certain suit worn by Glen in our February issue, was now being worn by Glen in front of 32 million viewers.

The suit was created by Tomas Maier for Bottega Veneta, and we thought the pairing of the two was a great match. Seems like Glen thought so too. --STEPHEN WATSON

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