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):

Send In Your Nominations for the Greatest CG Tournament!

I thought I'd do the running for the Greatest Cyber Girl of All-Time by doing things a little differently. Instead of doing a simple countdown, I'm going to set up a tournament bracket. The bracket will be single-elimination, pitting two Cyber Girls against each other one-on-one.

The field will be made up of 32 Cyber Girls... anyone from any era, be it a CGOW, CGOM, or CGOY. The girls will be seeded based on their relative popularity around the Playboy community, and their status. If they made it to CGOY, they will hold a #1 or #2 seed. There will be four brackets called "divisions," and the winner of each goes on to try for the semifinals. Just check out the bracket below to get an idea for what it looks like.

Click to Enlarge Bracket

What I need from all my fans is a list... I need each of you to list 10 Cyber Girls that you think should be in this tournament. I'll gather the results and results from other sources and personal choice, and arrange the bracket seeding that way. Then, we'll start the tournament and go match-by-match eliminating girls and seeing who deserves the final crown. There'll be much room for debate, and I think this is a fun way of doing things that can get everyone a bit more involved with predictions, etc.

So please, write in your favorites!

#1 - Karen McDougal

It's definitely been a while since I last left my long-running countdown of the Greatest Playmates of All-Time. It's been a thorough and comprehensive list, and although fans may have been waiting for their favorite gal to pop up without any result, there's been speculation about who the number one model would be. She's been identified with lots of accuracy, and for good reasons. The leading lady is a girl who I think is the most complete Playmate, and model, ever to appear in Playboy, on any level. She transcends the norms and raises the bar when it comes to true beauty in the world of nude modeling.

I refer to the late 90's and early 2000's as my "Golden Era" of Playboy. With such consistency in the quality of models, it's no wonder I refer to it in these words. The girls of these years were some of the all-time greats, as is reflected by my countdown, and it all was kicked off at the end of 1997...

'97 was a turning point for Playmates. There were many milestones before the year, but there was something special about this one. The year took the shape of a typical 90's era collection of Playmates - and had its fair share of great Playmates, such as Lynn Thomas, Kalin Olson, Nikki Schieler, and Inga Drozdova. However, this was all just a precursor for December, which brought about a turning point in the way Playmates were perceived and photographed.

I'm talking, of course, about Karen McDougal, Miss December 1997 and Playmate of the Year 1998. She easily won the title after a rather weak class of Playmates, but would have dominated in any other year, easily. She set a new standard for the way Playmates were shot: with a classy but strong presence, with a new standard of curviness and strength, and a sense of bodily conditioning and posing talent that could put any other girl light-years behind. Karen could easily exist in any Playmate era and overshadow the competition, no matter who it could be. That is why she is my #1 - there is no question that she is head and shoulders above anyone in terms of sheer quality. Karen was unlike any other, and it would take pages upon pages to truly describe just how special a Playmate she was.

Karen emerged from blue collar Gary, Indiana, a midwestern schoolteacher who was a smash-hit beauty from the very beginning. With rounded, modest measurements: a 34-24-34 frame and a busty 125 lbs, the numbers on her sheet don't do her justice. Karen's exotic traits come from her Native American heritage and Irish mixed background, and show in each and every photo. Her unique looks are understated to just the right level, and never take over her shots and become the focal point over her pointed, highly effective posing style. Her grace is impeccable, and she doesn't have a single shot that falls short of expectations. Truly a momentous Playmate.

It's hard to peruse Karen's material without going over her centerfold first. Possibly one of the great centerfold photos of all-time, Karen's is an iconic pose that doesn't go all-out with a frontal assault on the senses, but instead holds back just the right amount, showing off Karen's beautifully built backside. Her feminine shoulders shimmer in the soft lighting, and the wintry setting makes for a very memorable sight. With a pretty red ribbon to tie back those lustrous locks, you've got a centerfold that is extremely well-shot, and accomplishes exactly what all centerfolds should do: be something that can stand as a work by itself, aside from pictorial material, taking on a life of its own.

One always has to begin describing Karen with her most eye-catching feature: her body. It was not just another hot and stacked figure that set Karen apart from all the others, but it was the way it became an icon for the Playmate world. Karen's figure is a temple, a shrine to feminine perfection. Not only was it soft and accented in its curviness, which set the bar for voluptuous and sinewy models of the era, but it was also as hard as a rock. She is known for her athletic, muscular build, and it showed in her pictorials, with every single pose being complemented by her tight form and exquisite posture.

Karen's figure was also one of incredible feminine balance: while she had a rough and tough exterior that allowed her to strike contorting, innovative poses, she also had a glowing softness to her skin and face that truly made her cute and endearing.

I always say that the most important asset of a Playboy model is her material, as well as her posing talent. Karen was the consummate professional in this category, providing stunning montages and incredible sights to behold. She had an almost poetic flow to her pictorials, always changing her gaze and shifting through with ease of motion. In the snowy hills, she shot an iconic set, ingrained in the memory of many a fan. Throughout her pictorials, she also boasted incredible production value by her editors, something which has not ever been matched in a model's pictorial. The quality is unbelievable, with thematic layering and a textural feel to each and every one of her pictures.

Her pictorials are almost of a storytelling nature, and the Christmas-tinged wintry themes are spot-on. The sets and lighting cater to Karen's unique skin hue, and her playfulness is never forgotten, and always highlighted when the time is right. The outtakes never even seem as such, often creating a sense of sexual innocence that draws the audience even closer to its alluring nature. All-in-all, Karen was never overbearing in her posing, always taking her time and having a level of patience that I had never seen elsewhere. She always knew how to time her photographs perfectly, never seeming like she was trying too hard to get that perfect pose. She is an example that all Playmates and Cyber Girls alike could learn quite a bit from.

Karen McDougal's ultimate impact on the Playboy world cannot be easily described. To a new generation, she was an icon and a trendsetter. To a legion of dedicated readers, she was a breath of fresh air and an usher for a new era of revival and greatness. Indeed, "revival" is the best word to describe Karen's influence. She created a new image of the Playmate as a strong, intimate woman who was fearless and always in control of the way she would come off.

Karen greatly influenced the way in which Playmates' range of skills were evaluated. In other words, girls were put into "niche" posing styles and categories that would limit their abilities and close them in, but Karen always found new ways to expand and grow her talents. Even when she was selected as Playmate of the Year 1998, Karen found incredible ways to "wow" the crowds, with shots like this unforgettable mountain vista. Her PMOY pictorial, in fact, contains some absolutely breathtaking photos that define professionalism in nude photography, like this silhouette and this follow-up, which truly highlight just how perfect Karen's body was.

Karen was not only a prolific Playmate, but she truly had a sense of quality, and what made a great pose and what did not. She was consistent, had a wholesome presence, and natural photogenicity that is incredibly rare. She stood head-and-shoulders above all others in Playboy's history, and should be remembered as such. In crowd circles, it can be widely debated as to who is the greatest Playmate ever, since there have been hundreds who can qualify and compete. However, a Playmate is something more than just a naked girl. There are three billion women on this planet, and many millions of gorgeous ones. However, it takes a certain intangible to truly be a fantastic nude, and Karen McDougal proved that she absolutely had the greatest body and set of talents in Playboy's history.