Lynn Hirschberg, who wrote regularly for Vanity Fair under Tina Brown but never enjoyed the same closeness with the magazine under Graydon Carter, nevertheless was assigned to profile Seinfeld for the May issue. Hirschberg says she did not show Seinfeld her manuscript. Jonas faxed Vanity Fair what the magazine took as evidence that she did. Jonas isn't Seinfeld's publicist anymore. Then I talked to some people knowledgeable about the situation, none of whom would speak on the record.
Banality is what they ought to be doing.
That's what we should all aspire to. Anyway, I interviewed Seinfeld in the early '90s, when his new show had developed a loyal following but was far from the unprecedented critical and commercial hit it is now. Since Jerry and his pals spent so much time on the show sitting around in a coffee shop talking about dating, I convinced USA Today's Weekend magazine that it would be a fun idea to sit in a coffee shop with the comedian and talk about dating. I was a little nervous. My questions were far from brilliant, but he answered them pleasantly and openly.