Messing With Perfection

As this year's Cyber Girl of the Month class has been far less than stellar, one hopeful that I and many others had pinpointed from the very start, Hillary Fisher, just had her time in the spotlight. After having a stellar showing as CGOW months ago, Hillary looked to be the one to steal the year's final prize and take it to the house with ease.

After a month of Hillary's features, I can safely say that there is no doubt she will be a force this year in the running for CGOY 2010. I mean, there really is no competition from anyone else -- except, of course, fo

r Jamie Graham, whose CGOM performance was second to none. Surely, Hillary, with all of her outstanding sexiness and awesome talent could surely sweep everyone and dominate the year? Well, let's take a look first.

While it's true that Hillary is head and shoulders above almost all of the girls so far this year, in other years she would be in a bit of trouble. With an uninspired and flat performance in her pictorials, the ever-so-sexy Miss Fisher was unimpressive. Even in her first pictorial, things just didn't transpire right, and the production value suffered. Her best photo was a bit of an oddity, and needed a gimmick pose to be sexy. Although ultimately Hillary's cut, toned body was very attractive, it just seemed to not go anywhere.

Things only got worse in Week 2, with some amateurish posing and horrid photography. It just seemed to not go anywhere, and only seemed to waste the talent that she had. The curls in the hair just made it seem frizzy and unkempt. Her body wasn't lit right, and so it seemed to not have the dynamic curvature and volume that it did before.

Admittedly, Hillary is, in the end, the best looking girl of 2009. She is just drop dead sexy, and in Week 3 she picked up the slack and delivered some very good shots. Taking on a more nuanced and subtle posing style, she did a great job with innocent photos like this one, and this excellent full body shot showing off her great look in natural lighting. As I mentioned, Hillary looks so good when lighting is used sparingly, and when she's allowed to move around with lighter, more natural gestures. When the photographers ruin her pictorials with overproduction and overdirection, you get the problems seen in her other weeks.

When you look at her and take a step back, you see the same awesome model as in her CGOW pictorial: strong, sexy, forceful and dynamic in her posing. She takes charge in front of the camera, and when she is comfortable in her own skin, she shines. When Playboy gets in the way and tries to do too much (overdoing her hair, her set, her posing direction), things go wrong. I'm sure that she could do more, but ultimately, the best showing of the year is still in the hands of Jamie Graham, who show

ed near-perfect posing talents and an even sexier body than Hillary.

Consensus...

Facial: A

Hillary's greatest strength is her bright smile and gorgeous natural looks that set her far apart from the rest of the 2009 class.

Body: B+

Hillary keeps her body very toned and has awesome proportions. However, a questionable set of breast implants and skin that's not always flawless in front of the cameras sets her back.

Talent: B+

We all know what Hillary has the capability of doing, but she takes too much direction from photographers and producers. When she gets into a natural groove, she soars.

Pictorials: B-

Again, Hillary has loads of potential. However, her showing in her CGOM set was extremely mediocre, and at times below average. She has to concentrate more on being natural and using her acute presence.

Videos: B

Hillary doesn't look great in motion, often seeming robotic and unnatural. Again, it might be a product of her being out of her comfort zone, but she looks far better in photos.

Overall: B+

While offering a better showing than almost all of the other entrants in 2009, Hillary fell far short of expectations. Her pictorials are some of the bigger disappointments in 2009, but I can still root for her chance to win CGOY 2010, because of her massive potential. If she has several months to offer retribution and to show off what she can really do, I'll take them in a heartbeat. Still, she was outshone by fellow CGOM Jamie Graham this year, since Jamie's overall performance was far stronger.

The Plot Thickens

There's no secret that this 2009 Playmate class is shaping up to be what is possibly one of the best ever. It certainly has become one of the best we've seen in several years, possibly since the Golden Era years of the late 90's and early 2000's, when Playmates were refreshing, innovative, and uniquely awe-inspiring. We saw a lull in the creative engines over at Playboy for a few years, but that all seems to have come to an end with the recent entries in the race for PMOY 2010. The class has been deep and gorgeous, and just when it seemed like it couldn't get any better, they gave us Kimberly Phillips in September, who was a knockout and easily in the Top 3.

This month, they didn't make it any easier.

They stuck to their guns of delivering quality models by introducing Lindsey Gayle Evans, a blond young bombshell from Louisiana bayou country. She has every bit of the southern belle look that we crave in wholesome blond Playmates, and then some. She is unique, built like a sex machine, and is incredibly, deeply talented. So much so, that she again rattles the discussion of who the top prize should go to. Should she sneak into the top 3 with her stellar performance?

Let's take a look at Lindsey's high-quality work that really makes her significant. You'll notice that even with clothes on, Lindsey's charm and presence are unmistakable. And when she sheds those clothes, the combination of her movements and her eyes perched upon that beautiful face make for some great entertainment. Not to mention her body, whose incredible 5'10" frame makes for some serious model-like posing, like with this one, showing off her long legs and proportionate butt.

As you go through her pictorial, you start to notice that there truly is a lot to this girl's talent. Not only is she physically a great woman because of her proportions despite being so tall, but she knows how to use those measurements wonderfully. This photo is a very intriguing shot of her, with a bottomless view of her hips that draws attention with lighting and a mysterious facial expression. Because her frame is so long, often she makes good use of her legs, but it's also often best used when she curls up and gets close in on the shot, instead of going lengthwise. The photographers did a great job of capturing Lindsey's legginess, with an an amazing upside down picture and a nice view of her curled up on the couch. Lindsay's makeup was also done perfectly, accentuating her amazing eyes.

The great material doesn't stop, with the pictorial ending out with this sexy silhouette again capturing that look, and this artsy picture taking an intimate look at her personal glow in the natural light.

Consensus...

Facial: A

Lindsey's face is wholesome and cute, with luscious, deep eyes and beautiful, smooth facial structure with understated cheekbones.

Body: A-

Her body is very lean, although not entirely toned. Her legs are very long and her height comes across well in photos, lending to excellent proportions because of her gorgeous backside.

Talent: A

It may be more due to her photogenicity, but Lindsey is as good a poser as any this year, which certainly puts her over the top in the Playmate race. She makes excellent use of her tall frame, using her legs better than any 2009 Playmate.

Pictorial: A+

A rich, wondrous pictorial full of various themes and picture-perfect production value.

Centerfold: B

Videos: B+

The videos captured Lindsey's playful and active posing style, but often didn't show enough solid material to make them truly engaging.

Overall: A

Lindsay is just the latest Playmate of 2009 to get an extremely high score for being a complete model with loads of depth and talent. She offers even deeper competition in the field, and where she ranks in the bunch all comes from her performance in her stellar pictorial, which may very well be the best pictorial of the year. A definite contender for PMOY, she needs to tango with the other top girls of the year for the crown. The plot thickens...

Best Photo: #14 | Worst Photo: #16

CGOY & PMOY '10 - The Race is On

Let's take a second to step back and take a look at how the races for PMOY and CGOY are transpiring so far. It's easy to see that they differ greatly in candidates and their quality, but both should be pretty intriguing given how good the top talent is and the potential for some amazing pictorials. I won't rank the ladies now - that's a job for the end of the year. However, I'll take a look at who's really carrying the torch and who the stragglers are.

The Race for Cyber Girl of the Year 2010

The Top (in no particular order)

• Hillary Fisher
• Jamie Graham
• Cassie Keller

The Middle

• Kaytee Bees
• Carlie Christine
• Netty Maj

The Bottom

• Lauren D'Marie
• Jennifer Lewis
• Rebecca Lynn

For CGOY, the race is very top-heavy. You have some great talent and clear frontrunners in the last two months with Hillary and Jamie, but the rest are just a blob of unrecognizable talent. Cassie is a fan favorite not really because of her looks, but because of her unique posing talent and impeccable technique. Kaytee Bees was the Cyber Girl 100 winner and shows the most promise outside the top 2, but there is a noticeable talent gap between #2 and 3. The rest are just disappointments, the biggest of which was Lauren D'Marie, who followed up a gorgeous CGOW performance with a flat and very uninspired CGOM entry. The results are a very thin CG class going into the final three months.

The Race for Playmate of the Year 2010

The Top (in no particular order)

• Dasha Astafieva
• Jessica Burciaga
• Kimberly Phillips

The Middle

• Candice Cassidy
• Hope Dworaczyk
• Crystal McCahill

The Bottom

• Jennifer Pershing
• The Shannon Twins

On the Playmate side of things, everything is noticeably more of a level playing field. It's so deep, I can see anyone I ranked in 'the middle' winning it all for 2010. The top of the class is absolutely stellar: in separate years, Dasha, Jessica, and Kimberly would all win PMOY. But here, only one can win. Still, the talent runs deeper, with Candice Cassidy being a truly legitimate contender, and Hope being a possible fan favorite. The Shannon twins were an experiment gone wrong, and Jennifer Pershing is not even worth the mention. These, however, are minor blemishes in an otherwise deep and talent-rich class. It should be a brilliant ending, with the 55th Anniversary Playmate leading the charge.

So, what does everyone think? Are these categories close to the truth? Who do you think will come out on top down the stretch? Three months to go, and plenty more fun to come.

Out Of The Blue

Every once in a while, Playboy has the ability to discover a seminal talent that really puts us back in our seats and makes us stare in awe and wonder. After all the downs that the magazine introduces, after all of the lame, cookie-cutter Playmates and Cyber Girls, they manage to pull out an absolute gem. That's what keeps us coming back, and that's what keeps them on the gold standard. Do they realize their own ups and downs? Probably not... what else would explain the Shannon twins?

That's happening right now, as we speak. Every day, the Cyber Club introduces a marquee pictorial, such as some breathtaking Playmate Xtra entries (Kayla Collins and now the unbelievably gorgeous Laura Croft, who deserved another shot more than anybody) and a very exciting talent in this month's CGOM, Hillary Fisher. The real story of the year, however, has been the Playmates.

Oh, what a year we've had. The candidates have been second to none, and in a race like this, with talent top to bottom, one can expect things to die down towards the end. Well, they aren't dying down one bit. Enter Kimberly Phillips, Miss September, who has just crashed the PMOY race as a relative unknown, and stolen the hearts of thousands. She's just appeared out of the blue, and has become easily one of the top contenders for the year's crown.

One look at Kim will tell you all about why she's so special. She is the quintessential girl next door of the modern era: very tall (5'8"), very busty, and curvy to a point where she doesn't look like a twig with a bra on. She has perfect proportions, and her model-like size combined with her sweet and unassuming persona makes her a bit of an oddity. Being such a ridiculously proportioned girl, she stays well grounded.

Kimberly's pictorial is awesome, full of variety and life. This full frontal shot is jaw-droppingly amazing, with that curve along her belly and that bald hip line looking especially incredible. You can see an hourglass figure, and in such a tall girl it really makes for a sight to see. You can even see her relative voluptuousness more clearly in this photo. After a playful series of carwash photos that don't do a whole lot to enhance the quality of the pictorial, she returns to the bedroom, stripping down in this natural and very candid photo.

Kim then unleashes a sexual tide, looking frazzled and extremely flirty after taking off a lacy top and slinky underwear. She alternates this with a strong sense of innocence under a soft light, allowing her to show off her strong versatility. She caps it all off with an unusually sexy centerfold, which I found to be very interesting in that it doesn't really look like her at all. Although she looks very different in it, her dark, small eyes shimmer, and as in her pictorial, are very tantalizing.

Consensus...
Kimberly Phillips is the real deal, there is no doubt. Her subtle posing style and fantastically unusual body are her main weapons, and she produces top quality photos with no gimmicks whatsoever. She may not be as flashy as this year's top girls, like Dasha Astafieva or Jessica Burciaga, but she has her own style that sets her apart. She is the ultimate modern girl-next-door, and truly carries with her a sense of the present. In fact, she is so representative of the modern vision of a sexy woman that she may define the 2009 year if she is to win PMOY. And for that prize, she is a very, very serious contender, if not #1 in many peoples' eyes.

Scorecard (click to enlarge):

A Legend In The Rough

Throughout every year, there is an ebb and flow when it comes to Playboy's leading ladies. Oftentimes, the Playmates and Cyber Girls are out of sync, with one race being completely devoid of decent candidates while the other is absolutely breathtaking and groundbreaking. It's never both at once, always one or the other.

2009 has been a wondrous year for Playmates. We've had girls like Dasha Astafieva, Jessica Burciaga, Hope Dworaczyk, and Candice Cassidy in the mix, all contributing to a stellar class. And it just looks like there's more excellent material to come, with sinewy, luscious redhead Kimberly Phillips, who looks extremely promising, and could be a true candidate for 2010's PMOY.

On the other hand, the race for Cyber Girl 2010 is not quite so nice. It's been a mixed-up, mashed-up race with disappointing entrants left and right. March's Lauren D'Marie was the first candidate with seeming potential, but she crashed and burned by deviating from her captivating CGOW look. Kaytee Bees, the Cyber Girl 100 winner, was not necessariily up to par with her billing, but was moderately cute. Carlie Christine lost every bit of luster she had in her cute CGOW pictorial. Cassie Keller picked things up, but is not a real, truly viable CGOY candidate.

So who stepped up to the plate? Well, in 2008's Girls of the Big Ten college girls pictorial, one girl really stood out to readers, and personally caught my eye, as well. I'm talking about Jamie Graham, who had a stunning series of two photos in that pictorial that were truly amazing. Even with only two photos, you could see that her body was just phenomenal up and down. Lo and behold, Jamie won some recognition with this showing, and is our July Cyber Girl of the Month.

Jamie is an honorable mention this year because she is not only the best Cyber Girl of 2009, but may well become one of the all-time legendary Cyber Girls. Everything comes together when you witness Jamie, her engaging posing style, her breathtaking posing talents, and you just cannot omit her nearly flawless, cut body.

Firstly, Jamie has an amazing sense for the camera. She plays into it and each and every shot counts when she gets in front of it. Much like eternal Cyber Girl greats like Amy Sue Cooper or Jo Garcia, Jamie has a true knack for posing in the nude. When she arches that back and lets it all spill out, her sexuality oozes and comes in heavy. It is relentless and stunning in every photo and video that she is in, and for such a seemingly low-key girl with her clothes on, she absolutely transforms when all the lingerie flutters off.

That's the most endearing thing about Jamie... the fact that she can absolutely transform before your eyes before she switches gears. Jamie can start out as a wholesome girl with parted, straight locks of hair and an innocent half-grin. Then, she can turn it all around by showing off a body that is second to none, with plump, full breasts, a wonderfully toned backside, and a flat, cut belly that just looks as hard as a rock when you view it. All that is combined with flawless, milky skin that masks a powerful and well-maintained fortress of femininity.

Consensus...
When it comes down to it, Jamie is by far the best we've seen this year, and may go down as the best model of the year when all is said and done. She might be the ultimate retribution for a poor CGOY choice for 2009 (Sharae Spears), and may go down as one of the great CGOY's of all time, taking her rightful place among greats like Jo, Merritt, and Amy Sue. Altogether, she has what it takes to go all the way -- the only thing in her way is competition that might come down the road later this year. If all goes normally, there will not be another girl who can replicate the sensuality and the absolute physical perfection that Jamie possesses. This girl is simply too hot to pass over... we might have a true star on our hands.

Jamie's Scorecard (click to enlarge)

Announcing the Greatest Cyber Girl Tournament

So I mentioned a while ago that I was taking nominations for a tournament field of 32 that would be in the running for Greatest Cyber Girl of All-Time. These lovely ladies would be plucked from the batch of over 400 Cyber Girls we've had so far, on any level (CGOW, CGOM, etc). Then, they'd go head-to-head in a bracket-style tournament to see who would come out on top.

The selections are out, and as I had explained, there are four "groups," with the girls seeded 1-8 in each group depending on a number of factors. One major factor is fanfare and recognition. The "crowd favorites" will get higher seeds. Also, girls who have more material and are more prolific will get higher seeds. Of course, any girl who has been a Cyber Girl of the Year automatically receives a #1 or #2 seed as a reward. Girls who only had reached CGOW status will get bottom seeds, but their nomination means that they still have a chance to knock out the big ones.

With all that, here is the bracket:

Greatest CG Tournament Bracket (click to enlarge)

I'm sure there will be some controversy over who got snubbed and who was nominated, but we'll all see it play out in the coming weeks and months. As always, your support (and criticism) is definitely welcome!

#8 Seeds

Kim Hiott

Gianna DiMarco

Markesa Yeager

Erica Campbell

#7 Seeds

Danielle Gamba

Dana Dicillo

Hillary Fisher

Jaime Graham

#6 Seeds

Shamron Moore

Kortnie O'Connor

Trina Marie

Mary Jane

#5 Seeds

Heather McQuaid

Paula LaRocca

Carolee Bass

Jia Lynn

#4 Seeds

Tasha Nicole

Kimberly Holland

Melissa Puente

Kaytee Bees

#3 Seeds

Jennifer Hurt

Stephanie Eve

Carmella DeCesare

Jillian Beyor

#2 Seeds (CGOY)

Erica Michelle Barre

Alicia Burley

Breann McGregor

Sharae Spears

#1 Seeds (CGOY)

Jo Garcia

Monica Leigh

Merritt Cabal

Amy Sue Cooper

Twice? Not as nice.

If there's one thing Playboy has proven with its latest "double issue," combining July and August into one big "summer edition," it's the fact that fans are growing tired of gimmicks. That's evident from the recent reaction to the Shannon twins, which seem almost like a cheap way of introducing two Playmates at once without having to work too hard, and letting the editors off the hook for a couple weeks of vacation.

What else could it really be? Playboy just wanted some time off, where they didn't have to work too hard. I must admit, when I saw the preview pictorial come out, I had gotten my hopes up just a bit. These twins looked like they had the "it" factor -- the chemistry and sense of sisterly love that could vault them over the top and give them enough gusto to perhaps look like serious Playmate twins.

It was all just a gimmick, after all.

These Playmate twins are nothing more than just twins, just like the Campbell twins last December. I have to reiterate this, and I believe other fans' patiences are wearing then with this fact as well: even if a mediocre model has a copy of herself in the same picture, it doesn't make her any sexier. In fact, it just cheapens the whole experience. Having Playmate twins just for the sake of having them makes you feel like you're being cheated, like you're being taken for a ride by Playboy. The Shannon twins simply don't have the bodies nor the talent to strike it big with viewers. Where are the Bernaolas or the Teles twins and their curvy bodies? Now that would be a pleasure.

The Shannons' pictorial is just one big gimmick. It is set entirely within the Playboy mansion, taking advantage of different vantage points all over the house. Now, the twins can look mighty cute when they just give a nice glance at the camera. By far cuter than the Campbell twins, just because of their bright personalities. It's this bubbliness, combined with their excellently shaped buttocks, that save them from being atrocious models. That's where the buck stops, because these twins haven't got that sparkle, to say the very least.

The Shannons are shiny and polished when they're with each other in all their glory. However, when they try to get cozy with each other, the scheme wears thin. They are a very physical couple, which is what you want to see with twins (and I'm talking physical in the playful sense, of course), however, leafing through the pictorial, you get the sense that it's not the models' prowess that makes them slightly interesting. They are photogenic, but after striking some awkward poses and looking like two amateurs the whole way through, you begin to think that these girls would be better suited as Cyber Girls than full fledged Playmates. A shoddy centerfold doesn't do much help to wrap things up, either.

Consensus...
The Shannon twins are the equivalent to Playboy slamming on the brakes on an otherwise excellent 2009. With a great Playmate lineup so far, they didn't have to go to such lengths to turn in a mediocre pair of Playmates to eat up a couple months. Perhaps a non-sister duo would have been great (a blonde and brunette in the same pictorial). Instead, we get a set of twins that will undoubtedly go down as one of the major missteps in Playboy's history. These two don't lack looks, but they do lack any real spark to be considered viable Playmates, let alone Playmates of the Year.

Scorecard (click to enlarge):