Playboy's 'Girl Next Door'
It's a reality party from the king of fantasy. Hugh Hefner, the world's ultimate playboy, says he just couldn't resist hosting his own TV "strip search." “I think that there is a little bit of a ‘star is born ‘phenomenon here," Hefner said.
Fox's two-hour special, "Girl Next Door: The Search for a Playboy Centerfold," chronicles 12 young women in their quest to becoming Playmate of the Month. “Extra” got a peek at the process, starting with their audition tapes.
“I wouldn't say my mom's exactly excited about me being naked, nor is my dad. But they're excited about the experience," one potential Playmate said.
Instead of some exotic island, this daring dozen is shacked up in the very same house, just down the street from the famed Playboy mansion. Hefner says, “You get a sorority kind of situation and by its very premise, something that will have tremendous appeal to both male and female audiences."
Ava Fabien, a centerfold in the 80s, plays the role of Playmate mentor, and she gave us a personal tour of the Playmate house. With cameras rolling 24 hours a day, there was non-stop drama. She says, “They were always trying to figure out what Hef wanted, and no one knows what Hef wants. Only Hef knows."
The Fox network has gotten heat for the special. Critics protest that it objectifies women. But these ladies see it as a launching pad to Hollywood dreams. Hef says, “It literally changes lives and once you're a Playmate, you're a Playmate for ever.”
|
