New Hampshire contributor Kevin Flynn caught the Obama/Clinton love-fest in the little town of Unity in the Granite State. Here's his report:

For the first time since Hillary Clinton’s unexpected January win in the state’s primary threw the presidential contest into confusion, both she and Barack Obama returned to New Hampshire. The event was first-class political theater, but so many of the notes fell flat.

The one-time bitter rivals traveled to the tiny community aptly named Unity.  The rest of New Hampshire does not usually look to this village for political guidance. Or for symbolism. Ironically though, the town’s vote in the first-in-the-nation primary was a bellwether of the rest of the nominating process. Clinton received 107 votes; Obama received 107 votes.

The electoral process is designed to be fair, but not designed to be perfect. The system works, except when there’s a tie. We’ve all heard from the partisans who cursed the heavens about how George W. Bush stole the presidency in 2000. There would have been at least that many who would have spent 2000-2004 bitching about the illegality of Al Gore’s presidency had he won that recount.

In politics, we have become a nation of sore losers. Blame it on either Rush Limbaugh for building a career on being Clinton-contrarian or the liberal commentators who came before him. Holding a grudge is now a legitimate platform position.
 

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Fans of crime novels who don’t know the name Duane Swierczynski would do well to make the acquaintance. Duane has just published his latest novel, Severance Package, a funny and exciting tale of mayhem that updates the Ten Little Indians idea, subtracting some of the whodunit, adding several vats of plasma, and, most interestingly, adding in lots of anxieties about modern office culture. It was a fun read, perfect for the pool, a tad less perfect for your cubicle, and I'm delighted to recommend it. Duane took some questions from us last week.

PLAYBOY: You've written an excellent crime novel (The Wheelman) and an excellent, uh, mad scientist mass murderer novel (The Blonde) , both of which took place on the scenic beaches and mountains of Philadelphia. Severance Package also takes place in Philly, but almost entirely within the confines of a single office building. Where did you get the idea for this novel? Is there a part for Steve Carrell?
DUANE: You’ve just pinpointed why I love setting novels in Philly—all of the beaches and mountains! Actually, this bastard child has many fathers. One was the Valerie Plame case. I wondered what it would be like to work for a company that was a front for a spy ring… and you had no idea. (Because that would be me. Totally.) Also, I’ve had the unfortunately experience of having to fire someone, and it struck me how much it was like a professional hit—you pick the time, the place, the method, then BLAM. A person’s life is changed forever. So I thought, gee, what if this whole thing were a bit more literal? And… okay, I admit it. It’s a naked plea for Steve Carrell’s attention. (Steve. Call me.)

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The story rocking my little town in suburban New York is that of a senior at our high school's graduation ceremony who marked the occasion by mooning the audience.

This act would have been news enough, but then the principal--a fine and dedicated public servant known to me--revoked the young man's diploma and summoned the police, who arrested the lunar exhibitionist and charged him with disorderly conduct and exposure to a person. 

Well, surely we do not wish the pillars of our community to turn into over-boiled spaghetini at the first flash of goofballiness in the first degree. Still, is this really a matter for the criminal justice system? Do we really need to insert the long arm of the law into a case that already has such a vivid anatomical presence? 

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One cool thing about working at Playboy is that we get sent a lot of samples of liquor. And right about now on a Friday we start sampling them. (As they say, it’s five o’clock somewhere. And somewhere is here.) Over time, we’ve accumulated bizarre personal liquor cabinets, stashes of stuff that is good, bad, weird, specialized—or some combination of the above. We burn through the brown liquors pretty quickly, as they are easily mixed with Coke from the vending machine or enjoyable straight. The whites are a little trickier, as anyone who’s attempted a gin and coke will attest. In what could become a regular feature, we will now attempt to make a cocktail out of the ingredients at hand:

Hendrick’s gin
Drambuie
Leblon cachaca
Hiram Walker Peppermint Schnapps
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Novi: L’esprit de Paris (for Her)
Leroux Blue Curacao
Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
Tree of Life pomegranate wine

Inert ingredient: Can of Sprite taken from sales luncheon earlier in week.

Hmm. Let’s see…

Two healthy ounces of the Tito’s vodka?
An ounce or perhaps less of the blue stuff?
Top with Sprite?

Verdict: No surprise here. It tastes like orangey Sprite. Vodka undetectable. It’s completely drinkable but we wouldn’t exactly whip up a batch of it for a party.

All it needs is a name, in the way that any three random ingredients combined by desperate teenagers need at least a name. Turns out someone’s already dubbed it: The Ice Bear. 

Cheers until next time… 

It’s officially summer, and just before we head off to the beach to sear ourselves in the sun like ahi appetizers, we take one long, hard look in the mirror. Are we thinking uh-oh? We contacted certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rady Rahban—who has worked alongside Dr. Garth Fisher from the ABC show Extreme Makeover—and asked the good doctor about the nips and tucks people are having done in his Beverly Hills office to bring their sexy back for summer.

PLAYBOY: What procedures do men request most often?
RAHBAN: The most common procedures asked for by men today are body liposuction and nose/chin jobs. As men age they also begin to consider facial surgery and then facelifts, brow lifts and eyelid surgeries become more common. The average cost of these procedures range from $5000 for lipo up to $20,000 for full-face rejuvenation.

PLAYBOY: Are guys under 35 getting a lot of work done?
RAHBAN: Younger guys are definitely having plastic surgery done these days, especially within the entertainment industry. I would say again that liposuction is still the most common procedure. Many guys come in for liposuction of their chests as they may have "man breasts" which is a condition that is actually quite common.
 

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Last week, our friends at Orvis, the clothing and sporting goods company, invited a group of magazine editors up to their Sandanona hunting preserve in Milbrook, New York.

Among the group were my colleague Chip Rowe and myself, and–brace yourself, pun ahead–we had a blast. Sandanona, which is open to the public, is a terrific facility, now entering its second century as a preserve, set on 400 beautifully maintained acres, and like all of Orvis’ products, it’s first class. We went up to shoot clays, and after receiving a lesson on how to handle a shotgun, we moved among the 20-odd shooting stations, each of which provided a different presentation of the targets. Some of them were flung away from us, some diverge in the distance, some go directly over your head, some skitter across the ground. Hitting them is challenging work and righteously tiring–-but fun. Thanks to our hosts Perk Perkins and Dave Perkins, our maestro James Hathaway, our shooting guru Mike Quartararo, and everyone else who provided us with such a wonderful day.

Are you a body builder, or perhaps just looking to burn body fat and build lean muscle mass?  For those sick of preparing powered protein drinks in shaker bottles who want something that’s not only loaded with nutrients, but something you’ll look forward to drinking, Muscle Milk is a protein drink that’s just as easy to pop open as a Pepsi.

After I tried Muscle Milk a few years ago, I’ve never used another brand. For once, a protein shake that states its flavor is chocolate, actually tastes like chocolate. Muscle Milk comes in a variety of flavors including the all new Chocolate Malt and Strawberries ‘n Crème.  I’ve tried the Chocolate Malt flavor and you could swear you were really drinking a chocolate malt. Other flavors include Cookies‘n Crème, Vanilla Crème or Banana Crème.

 Muscle Milk is lactose and trans-fat free and loaded with essential vitamins and nutrients, giving you the energy kick you need to enhance your workouts. The 17 ounce drinks contain about 34 grams of protein, which promotes lean muscle growth, and fast recovery from lifting. Just drink one of these babies within 30 minutes after your workout and you’re good to go. For those seeking to burn body fat while lifting and maintaining muscle, try incorporating Muscle Milk into your meal-replacement diet. From personal experience, it’s a great way to lean up and not lose your muscle mass. To get your hands on Muscle Milk, visit any nationwide GNC store, or visit Cytosport’s official website to locate a retailer near you.

Ah, the smell of horsehide and fresh-mown grass—and that was just on the bus! Yes, it was Wednesday night at the ballpark, as about forty or so Playboy staffers headed off to Shea Stadium on an office outing to see the hapless Seattle Mariners play the even haplessier New York Mets in an inter-league struggle for the ages. Lucky for the group, the game was over practically before it started—the Mariners pounded the Mets 11-0—freeing the Playboy boys and girls to discuss such topics as hot dogs, nachos, cracker jacks, and shrimping.

Round up the usual suspects! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can anyone here explain the infield fly rule?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The sexy, single Cindy Margolis stopped by the New York office before heading out on a press tour where she promoted her sweepstakes to win a date with her to a Playboy Mansion party. (Photo by Mat Szwajkos / IYF Photo)

Congratulations to Playboy cartoonist Mort Gerberg! He won the Reuben Award for gag cartoons during the National Cartoonists Society's annual event. Mort has been contributing cartoons to Playboy magazine since 1963. His latest will appear in the August issue, on stands next month.

Conservative commentator George F. Will has just come out with a new collection of his newspaper columns called One Man’s America, which includes a piece he published in 2003 called "Hugh Hefner: Tuning Fork of America’s Fantasies." The piece rather neatly summarizes Playboy’s growth and acceptance over the years.

"In a real sense,’’ Will quotes Hef saying, "we live in a Playboy world." And when Will asks Hef how it feels "to have won," Hef, Will says, "pauses, looks down and almost whispers, `Wonderful.’’’

He’s unmasked Spider-Man, turned Superman into a commie, and once sent The Hulk after Freddie Prinze Jr. Now, comic book golden boy Mark Millar talks to Ron Motta of our research department about the movie adaptation of his comic Wanted, due to hit screens June 27th.

PLAYBOY: In some ways, Wanted is one of the first concepts you’ve ever come up with. How did you get the idea for it?
MILLAR: I was flipping through a book one day when I was about five years old or so. I saw a picture of George Reeves as Superman and I asked my brother, “Hey, who’s that?”  And my brother said, “Oh, that’s the real Superman.”  I said, “Well, how come we don’t see him anymore?”  Because back then we didn’t get the George Reeves show on the telly.  And my brother said, “He disappeared with all the other superheroes.  There was this big war with the super-villains and the super-villains won.”  And that idea sort of stuck in my head.

PLAYBOY: Did your brother ever try and grab a chunk of that Wanted cash?
MILLAR: Nah, I just brought him a few drinks! (laughs)

PLAYBOY: You said that you weren’t entirely happy with the first draft of the Wanted script.  How did director Timur Bekmambetov coming aboard change the sensibility of the project?
 

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The research department’s Brendan Cummings once again has his head in the clouds...

Is it the Mile-High Club Redux, or a sign of the times?

With skyrocketing fuel prices putting a damper on people’s travel plans this summer, even budget airlines have been forced to come up with innovative ways to lure passengers.  Irish carrier Ryanair, sometimes dubbed the “Southwest Airlines of Europe,” put a new spin on the old sex-in-the-air scenario.  CEO Michael O’Leary held a press conference with German media, detailing the new seating configuration for their fleet.

"So in economy it will be very cheap fares. Say 10 euros. And in business class it will be beds and blowjobs. In economy. In business, it will all be free including the blowjobs."

This puts the go-go boots and hot pants of 1970s Southwest stewardesses to shame. 
 

Roy Lichtenstein notwithstanding, comic book culture isn’t commonly associated with high art. However, another exception can now be made. In part two of my interview with Andrew Bolton, the curator at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he explains why the two opposing cultures make a perfect mixture this summer at the Met’s “Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” exhibition.  

PLAYBOY: How does the inner circle of the Met feel about this? Is this too low-end?
BOLTON: That is what has been really encouraging. They understand the concept behind the show. Even if they think the subject of superheroes is a low form of artistic expression, they engage with the concept behind it, this idea how the superhero has this metaphoric malleability, and how the superheroes reflect certain symbolic references.  They engage in the conceptual underpinnings of the exhibit even if they don’t like the nature of the superheroes.

PLAYBOY: Both the comic world and the fashion world are very opinionated. What has been their response?
BOLTON: Well I haven’t received any letters yet, although the show runs until September. It is a very vocal show. When you go into the exhibition it is very loud with people voicing their opinions about the fashion or about the costumes and I think that is very energizing. In the Greek or Roman galleries the decibels are much lower because people are afraid to comment about it. In this exhibition people have been much more lively. But I haven’t heard any complaints but I probably will because a lot of comic book fans have strong feelings about the nature of the material.

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