#7 - Alicia Rickter

In the mid 1990's, the ultimate Playmate movement was on: a shift into better, more vibrant times, with a clear departure from 80's style Playmates with all their flash and pomp, and into an era of refined women with hard bodies and convincing attitudes. These new girls were at the pinnacle of nude posing because they learned to use their sense of emotion and sexual demeanors to convey ideas, not just pictures, to the minds of the audience. One of these influential Playmates of the 90's was our number 9, Alicia Rickter, Miss October 1995. She was a start of a new generation of Playmates, as could be seen from the shift in thinking with a 1995 class including Danelle Folta, Cindy Brown, the classic Rhonda Adams, Rachel Jean Marteen, and Donna D'Erico. But it was Alicia who cemented herself among all of them as a timeless classic, and one whose stylistic qualities and techniques are still followed today, 13 years later.

Yes, it's been 13 years since the dawn of the modern Playmate, and that all started with Miss Rickter, the otherworldly 5'8" brunette Californian model whose impact was one for the ages. Alicia was someone who truly transformed the art of being a Playmate -- not since Kelly Gallagher had such a fine brunette taken the stage. Alicia's style is immaculate and one that is unable to be reproduced: she was vastly expressive, speaking words with every move and every look. Her photogenic appeal was undeniable - she hit poses and had shots taken that go down as some of the greatest in history. Best of all, Alicia was one of the most quintessential "girl-next-door" Playmates of all-time, which is a staple of the Playboy moniker. It is one of the prime reasons people turn to the magazine, to see girls whose artistry might give hope to the same sort of inspiration in any attractive woman on the street. Alicia looked like your average Jill, but moved and expressed herself like only an experienced supermodel can. And the results were dramatic.

Perusing Alicia's collection is not like looking through a small collection, it's like looking through a variety of scenes and moods. This girl has depth that can be really appreciated by looking at what she has to offer. Her slinky, spunky nature shot well in photos like this one, which has her dark lingerie contrasting her light skin, for a shot filled with sexual attitude. Alicia's famed pictorial, "The Librarian," is one of the classics of Playboy lore, and it starts out with this fantastic photo. Each layer of her clothing falls off, and it peels back to a sexual fantasy like no other. As she leans back and makes it more interesting, Alicia's body works perfectly with the natural lighting. Fully nude behind a stack of books, the lighting is intensified here to show her beautiful skin. As we look to another similar pictorial style, Alicia's costume in her schoolgirl photos is sexy, like in this shot, where her innocence is palpable, but only skin deep. Alicia's greatest weapon was knowing how to blend maturity and true innocence into one fantastical package, like here, where her modest clothing gives way to a spectacular body. As "The Librarian" progresses, Pic 29 shows Alicia in a slightly edgier place, showing off her body with little in the way, and exposing the true edginess of her underlying style.

What come next are some of the great photos in Playboy history, shot from behind a bookshelf and cleverly lit to show off Alicia's amazing curves, and enhance her otherwise slim body into something that only a goddess could show. Pic 32 shows Alicia stripping away the rest of her lacy lingerie, and the SPECTACULAR Photo #33 is a testament to her amazing production value. Here, her buttocks are lit perfectly and her truly feminine profile is a sight to behold. The next photo delves further into the devilish sexuality Alicia exudes so well, shooting a stare from behind the books.

Other gorgeous photos of Alicia that make her one of the greatest of all-time are this one (an innocent and sexually reticent photo that really summarizes her posing style), this one from behind (very suggestive and subtle at the same time), and this angelic side shot (a great photo of Alicia's complex face and amazing, large eyes).

Take some time to understand Alicia and browse her numerous photos. You'll immediately understand why she's ranked as our #7 Greatest Playmate of All-Time. Alicia was an amazing talent with plenty to offer. Her body was not that of a buxom bombshell, but it was modest and sexy. Her style wasn't over-the-top and flashy, but she kept it down to basics and offered artistry and beauty with every single picture. She took posing in Playboy to new heights, and many of the photos in her amazing collection might as well be in Playboy's photography hall-of-fame. That's how good she was.

So, a classic enters the top-10, but there's still four to go before we find out who the top three are, and that's something you want to stay tuned to see for yourself.

Valentine's Girl

The burden of Miss February, representing love, passion, and all that comes along with the most romantic of months, is a tough one to handle. The Playmate representing 2008 is Michelle McLaughlin, a Californian blonde with a cute persona and a good overall look. Michelle is a good choice for Playmate, being polished and wholesome. Yes, wholesome describes it best. She's a pretty girl with great presence and a tight little package of a body. But stretch it past that, and you're just kidding yourself.

Michelle is a beautiful girl, but let's leave it at that. Like Sandra Nilsson of last month, 2008 is still looking for a viable PMOY candidate, and you can thank the heavens that it's only February. Like Sandra, Michelle just isn't memorable, and doesn't excite the senses or steal your attention you can race through her photos and browse through her pictures, and give her a mediocre review, but not much else past that.

So let's take a look at Michelle's pictorial. The first picture that caught my attention was her bathtub photo, which is definitely beautiful. But this was 9 pictures into her pictorial! However, you can see how much fun Michelle's having in the tub, and her soaped up body and unique face are fun to look at. Yes, she does have a new face, that's not so "everyday" because of her eyebrows and lips. She also has an interesting smile, and although I didn't like it much at first, I began to notice how unusual it was, and it grew on me. One problem with Michelle is that although her body is nice and she knows how to pose very well, her breasts are odd. They don't hold up well, and appear flat on top and sag down at the bottom. But you can't deny Michelle's sexuality, which I was nervous about after seeing Sandra last month. Michelle can work it, like in this photo, which almost alludes back to the great Playmates of the past, with that legs-spread, hands-on-breasts look. Those spread legs expose her vagina in that photo, but very subtly with excellent lighting that keeps things classy.

Michelle tied it up with a mediocre showing in the bathtub, with this photo and this sexy laying photo being the highlights. That one's especially interesting because of the raised profile of her crotch, which is incredibly erotic. Speaking of erotic, also check out Michelle's great centerfold, which is definitely the best I've seen since Tamara Sky's of last year. Michelle's centerfold is very clean, bright, and complements her body perfectly, with golden hues and undertones and a lovely lace top finishing it off.

All in all, a weak showing for February, following in the footsteps of January. As 2007 started off with a great big bang, 2008 suffers in its slow pace and overall "political correctness" of its models. Sandra and Michelle are gorgeous women, but have little to offer in the material department. If they want to win PMOY 2009, they'll have to put up some spicier photos. In the meantime, we'll wait and see if Miss March, Ida Ljungqvist, can wow us. Ida looks promising, and she's exotic and interesting enough to take us for a ride. Hopefully, her material can match her very interesting looks.



Consensus... B

Michelle McLaughlin

Featured Photo - 2/17

I never forget where my favorite girls came from, and that's easy to do when Cyber Girls are in question. In the early 2000's, Cyber Girls were a new idea, and many of them have faded away, many of them being all-time classics. Back then, Cyber Girls were unique and exotic, and always interesting. Not like today, where most of the girls are either too fake or too unworthy. In 2003, Merritt Cabal was selected as Cyber Girl of the Year, and boy, did she deserve it. Merritt was and still is one of the great Playboy talents of all-time, bringing about a low-key girl next door sensuality that was otherworldly.

It's clearly shown in this week's Featured Photo selection. In this one, Merritt was at her absolute best, being completely in the nude and strutting her stuff. Merritt was so appealing to me because of how damn good she looked naked. I mean, completely naked. Miss Cabal was outstanding without props, just her natural looks and wonderful body. She did it so well with her cute face and understated approach. Maybe she wasn't the most famous girl because of her lack of luster and pomp, but Merritt was definitely one of the greatest pure "lookers" in Cyber Girl history.

This photo really floored me because of how amazing Merritt's body looks from the side. In her other pictorials (which must be seen to be believed), Merritt's body is incredible, but the curvature and perfection can't be easily noticed. I think most of the time her girl-next-door charm overshadows just how voluptuous and awesome her body was, but this picture showed it beautifully. Also, the way she held her breasts up with her crossed arms and her slightly wet hair is draped over her face... priceless. Not to mention the photography quality is excellent, and the pink hues in the background complement her skin tone very well. An exemplary job is done by legendary George Georgiou in this one. I miss you, Merritt!

#8 - Jaime Bergman

Putting aside all the talk about this year's big winners, let's delve more into the cream of the crop, with our #8 Greatest Playmate of All Time, Miss January 1999 Jaime Bergman. Jaime was truly an impactful and amazing Playmate, right in the middle of the so-called "Golden Era" of the late 90's, when Playmates were superstars, and every single one seemed to be a keeper. The class of 1999 was part of a "hall of fame" class complete with Stacy Fuson, Alex Karlsen, Natalia Sokolova, Tishara Cousino, Kim Spicer, Jennifer Rovero, Kristi Cline, PMOY Jodi Ann Paterson, and even Brooke Richards. It seemed like every single month in 1999 was a winner, and Jaime was the one to kick it all off as Miss January, beginning the final year of the millennium and ushering in an era of fine Playmates.

Jaime was something else, indeed. She was pure Playmate, to say the least. When the idea of the "Playboy Playmate" is conjured up in peoples' minds, they think of a sexy blond with sensibility and a strong sexual allure. A blue-eyed vixen with every feminine curve on her body, with costumes and photography that will leave you breathless. That's exactly what Jaime did, but in a new era. She took the idea of the "traditional blond" Playmate, and improved upon it extensively, with polished photography and exceptional awareness of her own strengths. And boy, did she have quite a few strengths! Jaime was and still is one of the most amazingly beautiful Playmates in history, and is a timeless example of how Playboy staples and tried and true traditions of the "blondes have more fun" philosophy still hold true today.

Jaime was also a very prolific Playmate with one of the most unique and memorable pictorials in recent times. Her recurring "cowgirl" look is a major part of her legacy as a Playmate, and she's instantly recognizable because of her southwestern flair. She does it in so many different ways, it's a sight to behold. In this classic outfit, Jaime's denim jeans and lacy and racy undergarments are gorgeously lit. Another of her looks is the ripped-away denim and cowgirl top, like in the timeless Pic 06. This photo is an example of Miss Bergman's awesome posing skills, showing a sexual, wistful girl with lots of posing talent. Perhaps her most defining moment, however, is Jaime's "phone call cowgirl" look. In this photo, it's demonstrated, and be sure to prepare yourself to become floored. In this series, Jaime wears nothing but a leather belt and cowboy hat, handling a cigar and payphone, and delivers dead-on poses with her glistening, naked body. It's nothing short of amazing what she can do with so little, as she hits some of her natural poses with great ease. It almost always seems like Jaime isn't even trying, like in this immaculate head shot, showing off her buttery smooth breasts.

Jaime continues the pictorial with her cutaway jeans and lace lingerie, but this time emphasizing her unbelievable features with perfect lighting. Striking a variety of mean poses, including this powerful side shot, Jaime tangos between looks of clear sexuality and playful innocence.

Another of Jaime's incredible features is her whimsical "fluttering night gown," which can be seen here. Again, Jaime delivers, here in yet another southwestern outfit, the leather chaps. One look at those amazing, piercing blue eyes and that silky smooth body, coupled with that platinum blonde hair, and it's hard to argue that you're setting your eyes upon one of the most beautiful women who has ever been. On top of it all, if you think you've seen it all, see the can't miss Pic 32, one of Jaime's absolute classics. This one tells her whole story with grace and a polished look that almost comes naturally. It becomes immediately obvious that Jaime can be outstandingly sexual, and can lure you with awesome costumes and great expertise, and she can do it all by contorting herself when necessary, or just letting the cameras watch while she idly heats things up with just one look.

Take one last look at these two photos (1 and 2) in series, and it sums up Jaime: pure heat, accentuated by her unique southwestern style. She's an all-American girl with plenty of talent, and a whole lot of body. She's tanned, her body is outstanding, and her face is angelic. Her ability to steal the camera for herself is seen in Pic 46, just another addition to her magnificent library of deadpan shots.

In addition to her classic centerfold, Jaime's strong body of work sums up why she should be #8 in our list of the greatest Playmates of all-time. Her impact on the Playboy world was felt immediately when she came about, lending her undeniably sexy style to the annals of Playboy history. She was sassy, cute, magnetic, bright, and always charming in every single shot. It was impossible to take a bad picture of her, and her photogenic appeal made her one of the greats. So, as we add yet another chapter to our growingly sexy countdown, girl #8 only proves that Playboy sets a standard which has continually been upheld, and has been honored even by models of late.

Spencer on PMOY 2008

Spencer Scott, the outspoken 18-year old Miss October '07 who's really captured the hearts and minds of plenty of Playboy fans, has lots to say about the Playmate race, and said this about the potential winner of the nomination:

"I do believe the odds fall in the favor of a brunette this year, and my pick is Brittany [Binger]. She is really genuine. There is no other brunette who has the personality to match their looks like Brittany. All of the other brunettes for 2007 are beautiful (it is Playboy), but none have the total package and care about their fans like Brittany does....she is the real deal."

These are interesting words from a real front runner in the race. Spencer is a massive fan favorite and is certainly on pace to challenge Brittany, but the fact that she admits a potential win by Miss Binger gives credence to the fact that rumors of Brittany's nomination are fully circulating. It's been known for several weeks now that Spencer and Brittany are the top two contenders in fan polls, and unless a strong boost has been given to the other girls, it's probably time for one of these two to stand up.

As you can see from the pseudo-advertisement above, Spencer's "campaign" for PMOY is in full-swing, and the internet-savvy teenager is definitely on top of it. It's getting all the more intriguing, let's put it at that. In addition, Brittany is building up a massive lead in the polls. Rumors are flying around that even Jayde Nicole has already been crowned PMOY. It's heating up, and all we can do is analyze the rumors and watch and wait.

CGOY 2008 Polls: Up For Grabs

Looking at the polls as the CGOY 2008 candidates near the announcement of the winner, the race for Cyber Girl of the Year couldn't be tighter. If you think people have divided opinions during the Presidential primary races, wait 'til you see what people think about the twelve girls running for this title. The winner will be announced next month, and so far, people have voted in several polls that show close races and extremely different opinions on each. There aren't any real consensuses of a clear winner, and that's what makes this race all the more interesting.

Primary Single-Choice Forum Poll (mike909)
(The number in the brackets { } shows the difference between PlayboyCritic ranking and poll results ranking. A positive score means the model's poll results are higher than the ranking.)

1. J. Hurt - 22.78% {+3}
2. J. Beyor - 17.72% {+8}
3. J. Garcia - 17.09% {-2}
4. P. Mikula - 10.76% {+1}
5. M. Dylan - 9.49% {+1}
T6. A. Jae - 5.06% {+1}
T6. S. Harris - 5.06% {+2}
8. N. Erminia - 4.43% {+1}
9. B. Anna - 3.80% {-6}
10. K. O'Connor - 1.90% {-8}
11. M. Francis - 1.27% {E}
12. S. Olson - 0.63% {E}

This poll was certainly a surprise, and just illustrated to me the differing views of most people. Compared to my ranking, the results of the poll were radically different, with some striking changes. Most notably, the meteoric rise of Jillian Beyor, who placed an astounding 2nd here and 10th in my ranking, was startling. I couldn't believe that she had garnered so much fan support. I knew all along that she was popular with the regulars, but not this much! Jillian has a true shot at winning the CGOY nomination if this keeps up, and she would certainly be a true darkhorse candidate in my mind, as she wasn't even close to being on my list.

A huge disappointment for me in this poll was also Kortnie O'Connor, who pretty much switched places with Miss Beyor. I had it in mind in January, right as Kortnie came out, that she'd at least be a favorite to win the nomination, let alone become CGOY. Now, it looks pretty bleak for her. I don't think it's possible that she could recover, and that's a huge disappointment, seeing as how gorgeous she is. Brie Anna was also a girl I liked who voters are obviously not responding to.

It's interesting to see Jennifer Hurt as a clear frontrunner with almost 23% of the vote. My favorite, Jo Garcia, trails quite a bit with 17%, but it's within striking range, especially since this poll is only a small sampling. Overall, the poll is one of the most important since it's a "single choice, single vote" poll, and so it really shows a lot about voting patterns. In those terms, I could even see Patrycja Mikula within striking distance for the nomination, but it'll be tight!

Multiple-Choice Forum Poll (stla99)

1. J. Garcia - 33.06% {E}
2. J. Hurt - 32.23% {+2}
3. J. Beyor - 26.45% {+7}
4. P. Mikula - 19.01% {+1}
5. M. Dylan - 16.53% {+1}
6. S. Harris - 14.88% {+2}
T7. K. O'Connor - 9.09% {-5}
T7. N. Erminia - 9.09% {+2}
T7. A. Jae - 9.09% {E}
10. B. Anna - 8.26% {-7}
11. M. Francis - 5.79% {E}
12. S. Olson - 3.31% {E}

This poll is a little less revealing about actual results, since it allows voters to pick second or third choices, as well. You see that when this is opened up, Jo Garcia takes #1 because of just how many supporters she has in general. However, we still see a clear Top 3, with Jillian Beyor and Jennifer Hurt mounting a stunning run to the finish. Miss Hurt is certainly a power player, as she's showing that she can stick with the best, and had a very narrow margin in this poll. A few more votes could vault her to #1, so it's not unlikely that she would have gotten #1 in all polls. In that case, obviously Jennifer has a very high average score, and will be a true power player down the stretch. I still can't see Jillian taking the crown, since she lacks memorable shots and a true aggressive campaign. It's also tough to see Patrycja Mikula being of any threat, since the margins between her and the top are rather wide.

The rest of the pack seems to be the same, with Kortnie O'Connor still being a major disappointment at 7th place. It's sad that she can't garner much attention. It could be attributed to a "memory effect" experienced in these Playboy elections, where early candidates have a tough time penetrating. However, that's a hard sell for such a huge drop like Kortnie's. Alas, I think we can count her out.

So, what have we learned? Anything can happen. Garcia, Beyor, and Hurt are the clear contenders for the award, and others in the middle of the pack, like Miss Mikula and Mallory Dylan, can possibly make a push if there was some sort of miraculous shift in opinion or the release of a bonus pictorial (highly unlikely, given that it would be unfair). Should be a good race down the stretch!

2008 Cyber Girl of the Year Candidates

I promised that I'd do a review of Cyber Girls, since Playboy doesn't do anything nearly comprehensive in terms of a CGOY review. You may well know that Cyber Girls have become somewhat of a staple of what Playboy does, especially in its online world. Great CG's move on to become Playmates, or create shockwaves as wonderful models and as CGOY's. Indeed, the yearly award is an important one: the Playmate gets a small, paltry pictorial when she's crowned with the "highest honor." On the other hand, a CGOY is a girl whose pictorials come out once a month for an entire year, from March to March. So, it's important to get this one right!

So, the Cyber Girl of the Year is to be crowned in March, so let's get going and find out how these girls stack up.

Kortnie O'Connor - January 2007

January's girl was exceptional, and certainly one of the best Cyber Girls for quite some time. Her dark, feminine looks are exceptional, and that smile of hers captures each and every shot. Her pictorials have variety, sparkle, and her body is unbelievable. She hasn't generated a lot of buzz, but she's one of the tops on my list.

Consensus...
Posing: A+
Body: A-
Face: A
Pictorial: A+
Overall: A

Nancy Erminia - February 2007
Looking over Nancy's pictorial gets mixed reactions out of audiences. She's definitely an exotic girl, and her stacked, hard body is tough to beat by possibly any of the candidates. All-in-all, she hadn't delivered consistent quality throughout February, especially not enough to truly be great.

Consensus...
Posing: B-
Body: A-
Face: C+
Pictorial: B-
Overall: B-

Ashlee Jae - March 2007
I think March was a surprise move for Playboy because of the pick of a very "girl-next-door," average girl. Ashlee is a cute girl, not to mention a voluptuous one (5'4", 128 lbs.), so it was all the more surprising. Overall, it was interesting and refreshing to see a more "unpolished" girl take the stage and show off her talents.
Consensus...
Posing: B+
Body: B-
Face: B
Pictorial: C
Overall: B

Samantha Harris - April 2007
April marked a shift in the Cyber Girls of 2007: a shift into mediocrity. Yes, Samantha was something we hadn't seen before, and offered a unique look, especially in her sexy videos. But she didn't truly deliver, by any means. The month threw in a forgettable Cyber Girl, but we must remember that it's a voting process by which the selection is not as stringent. They slip through the cracks sometimes.
Consensus...
Posing: B
Body: B
Face: C+
Pictorial: B-
Overall: B-

Jillian Beyor - May 2007
Jillian came in and captured the hearts of lots of fans. She's been making appearances for a while, and for me, her body seems polished and excellently built but her serious looks and lack of dynamics is a complete turn-off. I noticed that she has very little "it" factor when it comes to posing, especially that balance of bubbly personality and buxom body that puts it together.
Consensus...
Posing: B-
Body: B+
Face: C+
Pictorial: C+
Overall: C+

Jennifer Hurt - June 2007
One of the modern Cyber Girl superstars after her co-ed appearance, Jennifer is a massive fan favorite. Her cute, wholesome looks, short golden locks, and smooth body are all reasons why Jennifer is a real contender. She adds a whole different feel to the contest, departing from the "sexpot" look of other candidates. The real problem lies in her lack of variety and true posing talent, being unable to produce a real good set of solid shots.
Consensus...
Posing: B-
Body: B+
Face: A-
Pictorial: B-
Overall: B+

Marie Francis - July 2007
The true definition of a "forgettable" Cyber Girl, Marie came in and out without much fanfare. Her disappointing body is only offset by her occasional sassy attitude, which comes out every once in a while, but not often enough. It often looks like she might just have the talent to pull through and deliver some decent photos, but alas, it never gets executed.
Consensus...
Posing: B
Body: C-
Face: B
Pictorial: B-
Overall: C

Patrycja Mikula - August 2007
This Eastern European hottie is a small girl with a great body, who likes to work what she's got, and let's just say that her features are outstanding. She's curvy in all the right places, for sure. However, as beautiful as her body is, Patrycja suffers from a lack of consistency in her pictorials, which are often drab and flat, but show signs of brilliance, with some engaging entries.
Consensus...
Posing: A-
Body: A
Face: B-
Pictorial: B
Overall: B+

Stephanie Olson - September 2007
Stephanie has gotten very little critical acclaim from audiences, and rightfully so. Starting out as a promising Cyber Girl in her CGOW pictorial, Stephanie ultimately flopped with her cookie-cutter platinum blonde looks and lack of subtlety in each of her photos. This girl seriously lacks any posing talent whatsoever, and lets you know it right away. Look for her at the bottom of any voting poll.
Consensus...
Posing: C-
Body: B
Face: C
Pictorial: D
Overall: C-

Jo Garcia - October 2007
Miss Garcia is an iconic Playboy girl (the only girl I've ever given an A+ in a PlayboyCritic rating), and a true fan favorite, as well. One of the finest girls to come out in a long time, Jo has absolutely innate posing talent; she has some of the most amazing and perfect moves I've seen. In addition to possessing textbook posing ability, she has a tall, all-natural body that's slim and supermodel-like. Exotic looks and a one-of-a-kind production makes Jo one of the greats.
Consensus...
Posing: A+
Body: A
Face: A+
Pictorial: A+
Overall: A+

Mallory Dylan - November 2007
The busty Californian did a pretty good job in November, with a polished look and a finely tuned body. Mallory was sexy and sensuous throughout her pictorials, delivering consistent and suggestive pictorials with some true girl-next-door abilities. While most of her pictorials are good, she doesn't really take it to the house in terms of sexuality, which is part of what keeps her from being really great.
Consensus...
Posing: B
Body: A-
Face: B-
Pictorial: B
Overall: B

Brie Anna - December 2007
Brie impressed me by the way she just sizzles in front of the camera. With her unique face and slim, petite body and great height, she's a tall wonder who really excels at camera presence. When she gets the hair messed up and penetrates with those eyes, she captures scenes and does an excellent job. She sometimes feels a little nervous or shaky in front of the camera, but not enough to truly be a detriment.
Consensus...
Posing: B+
Body: A-
Face: A-
Pictorial: A-
Overall: A-

Overall Standings:

12. Stephanie Olson
11. Marie Francis
10. Jillian Beyor
9. Nancy Erminia
8. Samantha Harris
7. Ashlee Jae
6. Mallory Dylan
5. Patrycja Mikula
4. Jennifer Hurt
3. Brie Anna
2. Kortnie O'Connor
1. Jo Garcia

So with that, I give you my predictions for 2008 Cyber Girl of the Year. it's already being billed as the most contentious CGOY race ever, with a plethora of great candidates. you know, looking back, it's obvious that this one is the best race ever. Usually, mediocre candidates crowd #3-12, but this time, I could feasibly see four or five girls in contention for the prize. I'd love to see Jo take the crown because of just how much more talent she has to show us, but I'd also be happy with Kortnie or Brie. I know that Jennifer is a huge fan favorite, so we'll look at the polls soon and analyze who's in front to take this major award.

#9 - Tiffany Fallon

You might be interested to know that our first single-digit Playmate is not a time-tested classic or a Golden Era beauty, but instead is Tiffany Fallon, Miss December 2004. Tiffany was a true Playboy superstar who was the brightest of a bunch of Playmates that were new and fresh. The class of 2004 was an exceptional bunch, complete with 50th Anniversary Playmate Colleen Shannon, Sandra Hubby, Hiromi Oshima, Pilar Lastra, Kimberly Holland, and reality star Cara Zavaleta. Even with all these newfound stars and icons, 2004 was won by Tiffany, who earned the 2004 Playmate of the Year award and immediately was enshrined in the annals of Playboy greatness. Her extensive photography work far outreaches the confines of Playboy, having been featured in her own website and an extensive PMOY collection of over 30 pictorials and dozens of videos. However, it's not her prolific abilities that got her into the Top 10.

Instead, it was Tiffany's exuberant charm and outright femininity that got her here at #9. Indeed, Tiffany was a welcome change of pace, since her talent being able to have an uncanny talent of combining elements of Playboy past and present. On one hand, Tiffany absolutely hearkens back to the 50's and 60's, when models were simply stunning and sported bright eyes and big, glossy smiles. They were the prototypical "pin-ups" that deserved to be revered as perfect female specimens. Tiffany brought that into the modern day with stunning talent. On top of all that, she was also polished and sported the sexual talents of a modern girl, therefore taking that "elite" Playmate look of the past and combining it with variety and sensuality. The combination of these elements makes for a Playmate that has received recent attention, but will go down in history as a revivalist Playmate with loads of talent. The fact that she is able to put together so many pictorials and look stunning in them all is a testament to her powerful statement on modeling.

Tiffany's PMOM collection was picture-perfect. Being a December Playmate, she lived up to expectations of such title holders with a gorgeous Christmas pictorial, complete with holly and pomp. Her sexy outfit quickly gave way to nude posing with some fishnet stockings that totally stole the scene. Sporting a perfect smile in this bust shot, her blue eyes and raven black hair were the things dreams were made of. Particularly striking was her camera presence, which was shockingly subtle but so enthusiastic that she lit up the camera overwhelmingly. Tiffany was unbelievable in her proportions, with a nice set of hips (her measurements: 34C-23-35 - the combination of that small waist and ample hips made her breathtaking) accentuated everywhere. The "hourglass" figure can be characterized by Tiffany's masterpiece of a body. Tiffany also turned it on when it mattered most, with this pillow shot exuding sexual desire. She flipped her hair and spread her legs, and it was instantly a home run with every shot. She ended her Christmas pictorial laying down and crossing her arms, bringing out her curves along her golden brown skin.

Before moving to some of her greatest PMOY shots, take a look at her centerfold. It's worth it. Just take a look at those too-amazing-for-words eyes over that pearly white smile, and you have a true winner on your hands. Speaking of her extensive PMOY work, not going through too many details, one pictorial you MUST see is this one. In it, Tiffany is all-natural and without props or gimmicks, simply showing off her outstanding posing talent with one great shot after another. My absolute favorites (and some photos that might have vaulted Tiffany to #9 in the first place) are this engaging and awesome shot of her crossing her legs and staring down the camera, and this masterfully lit photo of her kneeling down and exposing those perfect breasts and silky skin. It might just be too good for words. If you still need your Tiffany fix, check out this photo, which I think perfectly shows off her proportions... they're perfect in all the right ways.

So, you can see, one word can describe Tiffany that I used earlier: masterpiece. Her body is a masterpiece. Her collection is a masterpiece. Her whole reign as Playmate of the Year was perfect, and her body and style are what make Playboy so attractive in the first place. She is and was everything that a great Playmate is supposed to be. It obviously stands as a true sign that even as we progress and are looking for new talent in Playboy, every day we find new surprises left and right. Even the classics have some competition with girls of today every now and then.

So, with that, we kick off the single-digits in a marathon to the finish. You see from Tiffany that these are truly the leaders of the pack. We've spared nothing in finding the girls who truly were the most influential and sexy Playmates of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The Cyber Girl Slump

As I talked on Wednesday about the Coeds starting to look good with the coming of the lovely Magen Lugo (hopefully just the start of things to come), the picture surrounding Cyber Girls is notably different. After a 2007 year marked with a couple of great stars like Kortnie O'Connor and Jo Garcia, it looks like 2008 is off to an interesting start.

Refer back to my article on December 23rd of last year, when I predicted who the first four Cyber Girl of the Month winners of 2008 would be. These girls really stuck out, especially Meghan Allen, whom I gave an A- because of her gorgeous pictorial and awesome body. Meghan definitely wowed me with her bright photos and polished looks... I even went so far as to declare her a front runner for CGOY 2009.

Well, Playboy sure dropped the ball on that one.

Meghan did win the Cyber Girl of the Month nomination, and a couple of pictorials came out throughout the month last year. I was extremely disappointed. None of the photos even seemed to look like the Meghan I knew... I mean, compare this spectacular model with the run-of-the-mill girl they gave us with a dark streak through her hair and subpar posing performances. Hardly the same! In addition, none of Meghan's pictorials were innovative or interesting, and all looked exactly the same and were stuffed full of photos like any CGOM pictorial would normally have. The second pictorial is just as atrocious, with nothing to distinguish it or showcase any of the talents that were shown in Meghan's CGOW pictorial. There are a few markers of what once was, saved only by Meghan's still-sexy frame (when she does it right, which she misses far too often), but all-in-all it's a major disappointment for a girl with so much potential.

I don't blame Meghan for her collapse... just the editors, the stylists, the photographer (George Georgiou, a veteran whose work is usually far superior to this trash)... but not the model. Meghan is beautiful and has the skills, which is obviously how she made it this far. I guess it's the expectations behind this pictorial that made it so disappointing, but that shouldn't happen with careful planning. A wasted effort, all in all.



Consensus... C+

Meghan Allen
Cyber Girl of the Month
January 2008






As for February, Amanda Henshaw won the nomination, while I expected Caitlin Ferguson to take the crown. I gave Amanda a C+ for her CGOW pictorial, but she might change all that, because I noticed that her production value is far better now, and she might surprise us by giving us a great video performance. I'll wait to pass judgment on that, though.

Until next time...