Mel Gibson in The Hangover, Anna Sui and More Yes List Culture Picks

Each week, The Daily Beast scours the cultural landscape to choose three top picks. This week, a raunchy new comedy, a rock ‘n’ roll designer celebrates her anniversary, and uncovering what makes vampires tick.

Due Date Director Speaks

Todd Phillips is now the go-to guy for raunchy comedies. In theaters today is Due Date, his latest starring Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as mismatched road trip buddies. The film’s gross-out moments have shades of Old School and The Hangover, yet still manages to be sweet, like a goofy Rain Man. Phillips has been in the news for other reasons lately—he hired, then fired Mel Gibson from his sequel to The Hangover. The Daily Beast’s Marlow Stern talks to the director about Galifianakis’ alleged revolt over the cameo casting: “There’s no truth to it being any singular person,” he said. “The truth is, if it was one person it wouldn’t have gone down that way, and I can promise you that.” He also talked about his muse, and whether there will ever be a sequel to Old School: “I think there’s a term limit on sequels in a weird way.”

Anna Sui Celebrates 20 Years in Fashion

Her designs are beloved by all the supermodels she’s also befriended, and now Anna Sui is getting her due in print. A new book chronicling the designer’s 20-year career is released next week. Anna Sui includes over 400 photographs from Sui’s archives and shows—from iconic supermodels on the runway to her bestselling designs. The tome was written by Andrew Bolton, curator of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and includes introductions from Sui herself, White Stripes frontman Jack White, and legendary photographer Steven Meisel.

Inside the Vampire Diaries Craze

The hugely popular soap was originally called a Twilight knockoff, but now in its second season, the CW hit may be on track to beat Edward and Bella at their own bloody game. Choire Sicha headed to a Miami mall to figure out why fans are swooning over lead actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley (hint: they’re really attractive). Werewolves and witches abound on the show, yet at the appearance the smoldering male leads were surprisingly human, petting a woman’s stomach and going out of their way to spend time with fans with disabilities. Sicha writes “In person the boys are exactly like they are on TV: fatless, a little swaggery, charming, piercing-eyed (and subtly wearing makeup).”

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