Finest Hour

Folks, sorry that I haven't posted in quite some time on this blog... it has had to wait. But in that time, so many things have transpired in the Playboy world, it will be very hard to catch up. Heck, we've had two new Playmates, a slew of Cyber Girls, and plenty more. I'll start playing catch-up by reviewing two of the important new Cyber Girl of the Year contenders for 2009. These girls might be old news to some, but their debuts make them very important in the race.

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Although I believe we've been seeing a string of some odd choices for Playboy Playmates so far in 2008, we have come to a climax in terms of Cyber Girls. Playboy Online's signature feature girls have been up and down for most of this year, but the Cyber Girl of the Month class is about to get a whole lot better, almost exponentially. It's surprising that Playboy is starting to just churn out one after another in terms of amazingly talented and gorgeous Cyber Girls, even in their weekly features.

So far in this year, I felt like we only had one serious contender for Cyber Girl of the Year, Trina Marie. Trina was, by far, the most unique and intriguing girl in 2008, because of how well she executed her CGOW pictorial and how comfortable and sexy she looked in her videos. She really has an intangible quality that could take her very far. And she'll need it. Trina had some competition from Heidi Wheeler or Alexandra Penovich, but things are escalating quickly. Now, we have a slew of new and talented women taking center stage, starting with Jia Lynn and continuing with this month's feature girl, Tasha Nicole, and going farther beyond to some old favorites and new faces.

First, Jia's pictorial. Jia has undoubtedly become the frontrunner for Cyber Girl of the Year in terms of sheer fan support and hype. From the very beginning, Jia looked fantastic in her CGOW pictorial, looking sleek and sharp. However, she had an artificial polish that separated her from the natural, flowing beauty that made all the great CGOY winners of the past so memorable, like the Merrit Cabals and Jo Garcicas. Well, Playboy has worked miracles before, and this is another one, right on the head. Jia has been changed from a Photoshopped and airbrushed centerfold to a breathtaking, realistic model with a set of awe inspiring pictorial and video sets.

Jia started out the month of September with a great bedtime lingerie set, where she really came out of the closet in terms of unleashing her full potential. One of the first things that struck me: Jia's body is immaculate. That's not even a stretch of the truth; Jia's body is a perfect 10 in terms of curviness, having an athletic, toned look that's just great to look at. You'll also notice that photographer George Georgiou took extra care in getting a good view of Jia's backside. Have you ever seen a more perfect butt in all of Playboy? It's like a dream, in each and every picture. Again, this was Jia's coming out party, showing that she is capable of incredible depth in her work.

Although her latter two pictorials show a lack of creativity in their themes, it only helps Jia shine more, since she keeps it interesting anyway. The fact that she's able to always hit different poses and keep you locked in is amazing. Jia really is a fascinating girl, and she has loads of talent to boot. Photos like this from week two and this one from week three are examples of just how amazing she can be. As always, Jia comes off like an angel, almost surrealistic, and it's what makes her stand apart from the other girls of this 2008 class, including even Trina.

Sure, Trina is beautiful and a girl-next-door, but when we're talking about Cyber Girl of the Year, you need a bit of an awesome quality, and Jia brings the same sort of variety that we saw in Jo Garcia, who continues to perform amazingly as this year's CGOY. Watch any of Jia's videos or just stop to admire her luscious body, and you'll find it obvious why she's got an inside track to becoming CGOY 2009. But, her race to the finish may not be so smooth...



Consensus... A-


Jia Lynn
Cyber Girl of the Month
September 2008





For the month of October, we were once again delighted with a contender for CGOY 2009, and this time the moods and themes shifted, as we found a girl with a "darker" more sultry look hit the scene, Tasha Nicole. Tasha's style is more raw and sexual than Jia's, and it offered a nice one-two punch for these two important months of entries.

While Tasha's Cyber Girl of the Week pictorial was truly special and spectacular, when she opened it up for more photos and a bigger collection in her month's nomination, she became exposed of slight flaws. Her over the top, big hair, curvy body approach can lack a bit of subtlety that really makes pictorials unfold well. But, when all is said and done, Tasha looks great naked, and that's where she shines. Not with props or outfits that she strips off, but when she's completely in the nude and not trying too hard.

That's what keeps Tasha from being really an elite CGOY candidate... her posing talent isn't as maturely developed as Jia's or Trina's. Oftentimes she attacks the camera with everything she's got, complete with scandalous lingerie and a full range of poses, only to have her more effortless photos really stand out, like this one from her second week's installment. A simple, relaxed smile is sometimes all she needs to really stick out, and that doesn't always happen with her.

Still, with all of her lack of great posing skill exposed, you can't argue against Tasha's looks. She is undeniably exotic, albeit not the "breath of fresh air" that she could have been, but you can't deny that her body is extremely well toned. When she gets it in the right poses, it's hard not to put her in serious discussion for CGOY 2009.

So, when it boils down to it, Tasha is a contender. A major one, at that. She has the looks and the presence to get things done, but a more refined and less explicit posing style can do wonders for a model. It's all about subtle sexuality in Playboy, and Tasha misses that most of the time. You can see her week 4 videos and find a wild girl of your fantasies, but when it comes down to it, she doesn't tantalize and tease the same way that a "girl next door" candidate can do.




Consensus... B

Tasha Nicole
Cyber Girl of the Month
October 2008