ELLE February 2014

Tuesday, February 4 DULY NOTED Like fellow The Office alum Mindy Kaling, new author B. J. Novak finds his sweet spot pinpointing universal neuroses in One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, his charming collection of fictional vignettes. "I felt a little bad because in my impression I gave the scientist a lisp, which he didn't have in real life, but that was the part that made my friends laugh the hardest, so, who knows." Tuesday, February 11 ICE PICK After a 16-year-long battle for Olympic recognition, women's ski jumping premieres as an official sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. One part fearlessness, two parts vodka. Friday, February 7 FIRE STARTER Leave it to Cate Blanchett to be the only woman in a Clooney-directed film called The…

Friday, February 7 If the Winter Olympics have you dreaming of an idyllic, snow-covered locale, head to Gstaad, Switzerland, for "Elevation 1049: Between Heaven and Hell." The site-specific exhibition high in the Alps features works by some of the neutral nation's top artists, including Roman Signer, whose House With Rockets (1981) is pictured. Sunday, February 16 If you ever wondered about the secret to Dutch photography team Inez and Vinoodh's exemplary marriage, which weds their personal and professional lives, you can buy into the myth with the duo's eponymous jewelry collection. The dainty, interlocked 18K gold and oxidized sterling silver rings were designed to symbolize the couple's unity. Friday, February 14 Want a Valentine's Day date that will never let you down? We suggest the trusty, flirty, flattering DVF wrap.…

CHELSEA PERETTI The stand-up comic and prime-time scene stealer will keep us laughing all month long with a series of star-studded posts on ELLE.com PARTNERS IN CRIME As costars on FOX's cop procedural Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Chelsea Peretti and Andy Samberg share some ridiculously hilarious scenes (check out their urinal showdown in "The Slump" episode to get the full scope of their no-face upmanship). But their chemistry is years in the making–the pair carpooled during their elementary school days in the San Francisco Bay area (see evidence at right, courtesy of Peretti's shoebox of memories). To kick off an exclusive monthlong series of Q&As with her comedic icons–Danny McBride and Catherine O'Hara among them–Peretti grills Samberg on rumors, unrequited middle school love (hers), and the sanctity of marriage (his). And because…

News flash! Women are aggressive toward one another, particularly toward those women in short skirts. At least that's according to The New York Times, which recently reported on new research out of McMaster University in Canada that found women in a group were outright hostile toward a female "considered attractive from an evolutionary perspective"—"clear skin, low waist-to-hip ratio, and large breasts"—who appeared in a low-cut blouse and short skirt. When the same female showed up in jeans and a loose T-shirt, women in the group paid her little attention. The researchers suggest that, from a sociobiological perspective, the short-skirted avatar was perceived as a threat for attention from potential sperm-donating and shelter-giving men, as we're all supposedly in a battle for high-class male genes. (And to be fair, the subjects…

GAME CHANGE Lizzy Goodman's "Girl-On-Girl Power" (December 2013) explores the fluid sexuality of women who left their husbands for other women. The provocative piece stirred up mixed reactions: Thank you so much for this article. I can relate to Nicole and the others—it can be difficult talking to anyone, for fear of being judged. I feel that I'm bisexual, but my family has no idea. I really hope that I'm brave enough to come out one day. —Anonymous, via e-mail What rubs me the wrong way is having to change your identity and community when you fall in love with someone new—who cares if you were with men for most of your life and suddenly love a woman? Nobody should receive hate or judgment, whether they're going out with a…

Mark Seliger PROVENANCE: Amarillo, TX NOW: New York City PROFESSION: Photographer THIS MONTH: "Orange Crush" (page 218). "The inspiration for this shoot was derived from nature morte—it's French still-life painting, basically. It's something I love. We were in this juxtaposition of a beautifully styled prison, incredibly set, with great characters. We wanted to take the general idea of the sets and create a still-life world, a very painterly world, around them, and for the cast to be able to play within that." BONA FIDES: BA, graphic arts and design and photography, East Texas State University; work has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone; collected photographs include Listen, In My Stairwell, and Physiognomy MUSICAL INTERLUDE: "I'm in an alt-country band called Rusty Truck. I write the music, play guitar,…