Angie, a 21-year-old Mississippi State University aerospace engineering student from North Carolina with strawberry highlights, did not spend her spring break working on her tan on the Florida beaches.
She was here in town studying.
But Monday afternoon she and fellow student, Andy, 21, an educational psychology student at State, put away the books and instead were sitting on a sofa in suite 101 of a local hotel beneath a large framed black and white poster with the Playboy bunny logo, awaiting an audition with Playboy photographers for the “Girls of the SEC” pictorial to run in a special fall 2007 college women edition.
Both of the women asked that their last names not be used, and Playboy asked that the name of the hotel not be revealed.
“I've always been interested in Playboy, and just recently when they said they were coming out to Mississippi State, I said, well here's an opportunity here,” said Andy, 21, from Grenada.
Angie, like Andy, was anxious to step in front of the camera, and both see Playboy as a way to break into other forms of modeling and possibly acting.
“I was actually nervous a little, and then it was like, OK, this is no big deal. So I'm fine,” said Angie.
“I thought it was funny that people on campus were saying not to do it. And I said, ‘Wait, Playboy's coming?' And then I grabbed the (news)paper,” said Angie, referring to buzz around MSU after a petition began circulating bemoaning Playboy's presence on campus.
The magazine never intended to hold its auditions on campus, but picks the women for its Girls of the SEC from the members of the student body who come out to audition.
Playboy and magazines like it have held sway over a long line of criticism from women's groups - both liberal and conservative - who argue the photos of nude or mostly nude women reduce women to sex objects.
But for the women Monday, they say this view is overly simplified, and how the women in Playboy are summed up - many are depicted as sliding out of gauzy negligées - is in the eyes of the viewer.
“For me personally, it's not about that (women as sex objects). It's just the person who looks at the magazine, and what they're going to think,” said Angie, wearing a short denim micro-skirt and red stilettos.
Andy agreed, saying too much criticism has been directed at nudity in general.
“It's kind of like you have a model and maybe you happen to be in the nude,” she said.
Others in the MSU community wonder what, if any interests the Playboy interviews will really raise.
“I have never seen any evidence that most of our students would be at all drawn to this experience,” said Dr. Kelly March, an English professor in the Women's Studies program at MSU. “I'd be surprised if anyone really showed up.”
“I think MSU students are just not drawn to this type of activity,” added Marsh.
Playboy photographers say the only real difference between women in Mississippi and other parts of the country is here, they're older.
“The only difference we have now, with us being in Mississippi, is we're getting girls a little older, so they're a little more mature than what we usually get,” said Playboy photographer Kim Mizumo, noting a Mississippi state law which requires women to be 21 to pose nude.
“Usually, we get a lot of 18-year-olds,” he said.
Also on this college circuit is the University of Arkansas, Louisiana State University, and next week, the crew will be at University of Mississippi.
Playboy would not comment on how much the women were paid for the photo session.
“I can only say that it's a fair amount and should help them with some of their education expenses,” said Playboy spokesman Stefan Prelog.
The last time MSU women were featured in the Girls of SEC pictorial was 2001, and the series is part of a long-running tradition at Playboy featuring college women such as Girls of the Ivy League, introduced in 1979 and then followed by Girls of the Big 12 or Girls of the Top 10 Party Schools.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Playboy Playmate Tells All in Open Court
All eyes were focused on former Playmate of the Month, Lexie Karlsen as she testified in open court on Tuesday. Karlsen had received numerous gifts from Andrew Yao, who is under indictment for multiple counts of bankruptcy fraud. Gifts given to the playmate included a new Lexus, a home, lavish luxury trips, and checks for $150,000.
Andrew Yao, a 45 year old resident of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, finds himself facing two counts of criminal bankruptcy fraud. The criminal indictments are related to the 2002 failure of Yao's business, Student Finance Corporation. More specifically, Yao is accused of lying under oath during depositions related to the company's failure.
During the 2003 deposition, Yao was questioned about wire transfers totaling $669,000 that were sent to "A. Karlsen". Yao testified under oath that the funds were used to cover maintenance costs on his two airplanes. He was also questioned about two wire transfers to Las Vegas that totaled $150,000. Yao testified that these transfers were used to provide a family event for his ailing grandfather, and testified under oath that none of the funds were used for gambling.
All of the lies and deception surrounding these discrepancies came unraveled, as the criminal court heard testimony from a former playboy playmate as to what the $819,000 was really used for. As the court heard on Tuesday, "A. Karlsen" was actually Alexandra "Lexie" Karlsen Wolfe, who was Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month for March 1999.
According to the testimony, Yao had a passion for playing high stakes blackjack at $1,000 per hand. The high roller was frequently registered in the Penthouse suite at the Bellagio, where the casino would comp his room, food and drinks. According to an unnamed employee at the Mandalay Bay Casino, Yao once lost more than $33,000 in just 15 minutes.
According to Lexie Karlsen's testimony on Tuesday, Yao liked to raise the stakes at the table to $1,000 per hand so that he could intimidate other players into leaving the table. Then casino management would rope off the table, and a crowd would often gather to watch the high stakes action.
Unfortunately, Yao was gambling with company money. The two transfers of $150,000 were used to fund two gambling trips. One with former playmate Lexie Karlsen, and another with Penthouse Pet of the Millennium, Erica Jiles.
Andrew Yao, a 45 year old resident of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, finds himself facing two counts of criminal bankruptcy fraud. The criminal indictments are related to the 2002 failure of Yao's business, Student Finance Corporation. More specifically, Yao is accused of lying under oath during depositions related to the company's failure.
During the 2003 deposition, Yao was questioned about wire transfers totaling $669,000 that were sent to "A. Karlsen". Yao testified under oath that the funds were used to cover maintenance costs on his two airplanes. He was also questioned about two wire transfers to Las Vegas that totaled $150,000. Yao testified that these transfers were used to provide a family event for his ailing grandfather, and testified under oath that none of the funds were used for gambling.
All of the lies and deception surrounding these discrepancies came unraveled, as the criminal court heard testimony from a former playboy playmate as to what the $819,000 was really used for. As the court heard on Tuesday, "A. Karlsen" was actually Alexandra "Lexie" Karlsen Wolfe, who was Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Month for March 1999.
According to the testimony, Yao had a passion for playing high stakes blackjack at $1,000 per hand. The high roller was frequently registered in the Penthouse suite at the Bellagio, where the casino would comp his room, food and drinks. According to an unnamed employee at the Mandalay Bay Casino, Yao once lost more than $33,000 in just 15 minutes.
According to Lexie Karlsen's testimony on Tuesday, Yao liked to raise the stakes at the table to $1,000 per hand so that he could intimidate other players into leaving the table. Then casino management would rope off the table, and a crowd would often gather to watch the high stakes action.
Unfortunately, Yao was gambling with company money. The two transfers of $150,000 were used to fund two gambling trips. One with former playmate Lexie Karlsen, and another with Penthouse Pet of the Millennium, Erica Jiles.
Rejection Turned Playboy Hugh Hefner Into Womanizer
Playboy boss Hugh Hefner believes he only became a womanizer after he was rejected by his childhood sweetheart.
Hefner, 81 next month (09Apr07), dated the unnamed girl during his teens, and despite teaching him the jitterbug dance, she promptly ditched him for another man.
So the magazine chief decided on a make-over.
He explains, "That rejection prompted me to reinvent myself. I started referring to myself as Hef instead of Hugh, I changed how I dressed and became a better dancer."
Hefner, 81 next month (09Apr07), dated the unnamed girl during his teens, and despite teaching him the jitterbug dance, she promptly ditched him for another man.
So the magazine chief decided on a make-over.
He explains, "That rejection prompted me to reinvent myself. I started referring to myself as Hef instead of Hugh, I changed how I dressed and became a better dancer."
"PLAYBOY" INTERVIEWS GET MOVING AT DARK HORSE
For the last 45 years, the Playboy Interview has been unique in the world of journalism—a gold standard in the field of investigative reporting renowned for getting persons of importance—many of whom shun requests for interviews from other sources—to give life- and career-altering interviews. The Playboy Interview allows the subject a longer profile, with the interviewer (some of the most widely respected journalists of the era) guiding the conversation—just the way Hugh Hefner envisioned it back in 1962.
Power. Control. Influence. In every business, in every area of professional achievement, only a handful of people have taken control of their industry or marketplace. With vision, determination, and passion, these people have bent the world to their will. Some were millionaires from birth, others have risen to the upper echelons of power by their bootstraps. From the computers you use, to the shoes you wear, to the cars you drive, their hands have shaped the fabric of your daily existence. In Movers and Shakers, 15 of the most important people from the last 45 years of American business speak candidly about their rise to power.
M Press is honored to present these conversations with individuals who have shaped our lives and who have been shaped by the changing climates of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Playboy Interviews: Movers and Shakers, the fourth of these themed editions, each consisting solely of Playboy Magazine interviews, will be released in February 2007, with additional volumes to follow that feature unforgettable conversations with legendary actors, comedians, late night talk-show hosts, musicians, and many others.
This new volume, The Playboy Interviews: Movers and Shakers ($22.95, ISBN-1-59582-044-2) features interviews with the following notable figures: Barry Diller, Calvin Klein, Steven Jobs, The Google Guys (Sergey Brin and Larry Page), Jeff Bezos, Hugh Hefner, Leona Helmsley, Donald Trump, Vince McMahon, Ted Turner, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, and Malcolm Forbes.
Power. Control. Influence. In every business, in every area of professional achievement, only a handful of people have taken control of their industry or marketplace. With vision, determination, and passion, these people have bent the world to their will. Some were millionaires from birth, others have risen to the upper echelons of power by their bootstraps. From the computers you use, to the shoes you wear, to the cars you drive, their hands have shaped the fabric of your daily existence. In Movers and Shakers, 15 of the most important people from the last 45 years of American business speak candidly about their rise to power.
M Press is honored to present these conversations with individuals who have shaped our lives and who have been shaped by the changing climates of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Playboy Interviews: Movers and Shakers, the fourth of these themed editions, each consisting solely of Playboy Magazine interviews, will be released in February 2007, with additional volumes to follow that feature unforgettable conversations with legendary actors, comedians, late night talk-show hosts, musicians, and many others.
This new volume, The Playboy Interviews: Movers and Shakers ($22.95, ISBN-1-59582-044-2) features interviews with the following notable figures: Barry Diller, Calvin Klein, Steven Jobs, The Google Guys (Sergey Brin and Larry Page), Jeff Bezos, Hugh Hefner, Leona Helmsley, Donald Trump, Vince McMahon, Ted Turner, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison, and Malcolm Forbes.
HEFNER CONSIDERS MONOGAMY, DISMISSES MARRIAGE
Playboy boss HUGH HEFNER has rubbished reports he plans to marry his long-term girlfriend HOLLY MADISON, even though he is considering a monogamous relationship with her. The legendary 81-year-old womaniser currently has three girlfriends who he regularly sleeps with - but Madison is his favourite. When asked about the possibility of marriage, Hefner says, "I don't think so. But I do think that eventually Holly and I will have a monogamous relationship. "Do (my other lovers) KENDRA (WILKINSON) and BRIDGET (MARQUARDT) know that? Sure, it's fine with them. They are here for different reasons." Talking about Madison, Hefner adds, "I love her more than either of the two women I married. She completes me. Everything I do is more enjoyable because I share it with her. We have common interests in movies and in music and we are very compatible sexually."
Friday, March 9, 2007
Living her dream as Playboy model: ‘It’s so much fun’
This summary is not available. Please
click here to view the post.
Hugh Hefner's favorite Playboy bunnies take over Vail slopes
Hugh Hefner allowed his three favorite girlfriends time away from the hutch, aka the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles, to hit the slopes of Vail for snowboarding lessons.
Of course, 80-year-old Hefner's permission was also part of a plan that included a trademark promotion for his Playboy Enterprises.
Holly Madison, 27, Bridget Marquardt, 33, and Kendra Wilkinson, 21, were in Vail to tape an episode of the E! network's "The Girls Next Door," which premiered the first episode of its third season Sunday.
The three blonde former Playboy Playmates were paired with Olympic gold medalist Shaun White during the lessons. The episode will air next month on E!, which boasts "The Girls Next Door" remains the network's highest-rated series.
During their time here for the show's taping, Madison, described as the Playboy founder's "No. 1 girlfriend," was mum about last month's media buzz that had sources saying Hef had asked her to become his wife and the third Mrs. Hefner to date.
Although at one time Hefner had one of his famed Playboy Clubs in Denver, he never realized his dream of opening properties in celeb-heavy Vail and Aspen to serve his "keyholding members."
Of course, 80-year-old Hefner's permission was also part of a plan that included a trademark promotion for his Playboy Enterprises.
Holly Madison, 27, Bridget Marquardt, 33, and Kendra Wilkinson, 21, were in Vail to tape an episode of the E! network's "The Girls Next Door," which premiered the first episode of its third season Sunday.
The three blonde former Playboy Playmates were paired with Olympic gold medalist Shaun White during the lessons. The episode will air next month on E!, which boasts "The Girls Next Door" remains the network's highest-rated series.
During their time here for the show's taping, Madison, described as the Playboy founder's "No. 1 girlfriend," was mum about last month's media buzz that had sources saying Hef had asked her to become his wife and the third Mrs. Hefner to date.
Although at one time Hefner had one of his famed Playboy Clubs in Denver, he never realized his dream of opening properties in celeb-heavy Vail and Aspen to serve his "keyholding members."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)