I've been going to E3 for years, but I don't typically mention it in polite company. That's because up until recently, saying that you'd attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo (i.e. the world's pre-eminent video game conference) would generally be met with a mix of blank stares, pity and revulsion. This annual gathering of video game makers and the journalists who cover them may have been one of the highlights of my year, but talking about it outed me as a giant honking nerd. These days, however, games generate as much if not more buzz than Hollywood (and have the sales figures to back it up). And suddenly a surprisingly large number of people press me for juicy details as soon as I return from the killing floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center. It seems E3 is officially interesting. Which means you should know enough about it to have an intelligent conversation next time you're accosted by a hipster wearing an "In The Beginning There Was Pong" T-shirt. These are the questions people ask me. These are the answers I give them. Please to enjoy...
Now and again, it's a good idea to grab an old favorite cocktail book, crack it open, and try something you've never had. This one below I found on p.305 of the Playboy Bartender's Guide, written by Thomas Mario with illustrations by LeRoy Neiman. (You can find the book on Amazon.) Quick and easy, with ingredients you might have in your home at any given time, the Havana Cocktail is a winner on a hot summer night.
HAVANA COCKTAIL 1 1/2 oz light rum 1 1/2 oz pineapple juice 2 tsp lemon juice Shake with ice, strain into a pre-chilled cocktail glass, and light up a fat cigar.
Special Condiments Editor Lindsay Silberman files this exclusive report:
Move over ketchup, Tabasco, mayonnaise and relish – at least just for the weekend. Apparently, Saturday, August 2nd the nation will join together for “the most celebrated holiday of condiment-lovers everywhere”…the 17th annual National Mustard Day.
If you didn’t think the “holiday” itself was ridiculous enough, check out these summer mustard-inspired cocktails created by the “Krafty” mixologists over at Grey Poupon. Experimenters beware: these drinks are probably just as gross (if not grosser) than they sound.
-Tequila Maria: In a large glass, mix beer, tequila and tomato juice with Grey Poupon Harvest Coarse Ground Mustard. Add a splash of limejuice for a citrus kick. Garnish the tumbler with a dill pickle spear and enjoy. -The Barracuda: Mix pineapple juice, rum and a touch of Grey Poupon Savory Honey Mustard. -The Preparada: Pair beer and tomato juice with Grey Poupon Hearty Spicy Brown Mustard.
Playboy Contributing Editor James Rosen has written an interesting and perceptive article for RealClearPolitics.com discussing the relationship between two of modern publishing’s most influential figures: Hugh M. Hefner and William F. Buckley Jr., a pair of commanding contemporaries who are seldom linked but who actually have a strong connection.
"William F. Buckley, Jr., who died February 27 at age eighty-two, was many things: graduate, and scourge, of Yale University; architect of the modern American conservative movement; founder of National Review; author of fifty books and 5,600 syndicated newspaper columns; host of television's Firing Line (1,054 episodes recorded between 1966 and 1999); peerless debater and lecturer; spy and bestselling spy novelist; millionaire yachtsman; harpsichordist and pianist; bon vivant and...Playboy contributor?"
Correspondent Ben Conniff tells you how to become a pop star.
If you want to make it big as a musician these days, selling CDs isn’t going to cut it. Much like our shopping, dating, social interaction, and (ahem) media, the music industry is now dominated by, and reliant upon, the internet. But for music, this may not be a bad thing.
Enter GigMaven.com, a brand new website that connects under-the-radar musicians with performance venues. The process is simple: the venue posts open dates in their calendar, interested bands apply, the venue filters through the information compiled on the bands’ pages to find the perfect fit, and the best band gets the gig. The simple online process removes snail-mailing sample CDs, days of phone tag, and scrambling to find last-minute acts from the process, leaving each party more time to do what it does best: play music and sell us beer.
Satirist par excellence Joe Queenan visited the offices. The good news is that Joe will be returning to the pages of Playboy in just a few months with a hilarious tale of a unique gastronomical quest.
We’re used to seeing the rabbit’s head in unexpected places, but at Morrisey concert? Being worn by Morrisey? Yeah, we’re not sure what to make of it either.
(Thanks to UK film writer Calum Waddell for the tip.)
Staff Sergeant Eric Kocher is the key military advisor for HBO Films miniseries Generation Kill. He was a U.S. Marine and a member of First Reconnaissance Battalion, and was one of the marines covered in Evan Wright’s original articles and book, upon which the miniseries is based. During his nine years with the U.S. Marine Corps., he served four tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan, and was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with “V” for Valor, and two navy commendations for valor. On top of all that, he also appears in the miniseries, portraying Gunnery Sergeant Rich Barrett, another Marine from the Battalion. We’re delighted that he agreed to answer some questions from us.
PLAYBOY: We’ve all seen war movies where war gets Hollywoodized. From your point of view as a soldier and as a tech advisor, was there much Hollywoodizing going on in Generation Kill? KOCHER: Most war movies do a few things to Hollywoodize them. One is add some bullshit subplot. It seems most movie makers have a political agenda. They have something to say and their work is a conduit to push this on the American public. So you see two types of war films one that makes every motherfucker a hero and glamorizes war. It depicts the fighting man as a Boy Scout fighting for God and country, and of course apple pie. Sorry Mom and Dad -- we all have potty mouths. The Acting Director of Marine Public Affairs recently sent out an email stating, "It's raw and has elements that are very much out of synch with the core values our nation rightly expects of its Marines" referring to the first two episodes of Generation Kill. On the other hand you have filmmakers who turn every fighter into a baby killer or some school girl that doesn't want be there. It’s hard to capture the essence of today’s fighter. I say fighter because in the grand scheme of things the Army, Marines, and Navy (sorry Air Force, you guys don't count)--all troops in combat living under these stressful conditions act out in a similar manner. The raw humor is a common bond for people subjected to extreme situations, namely, war--killing a man, staying awake for days on end, training past typical human limitations and developing extraordinary mental discipline.
The third mistake that some Hollywood war films make is having unrealistic situations – overblown firefights, huge explosions, homeboys falling off the roofs of three story buildings, and guns that never run out of ammo or malfunction.
This is probably why Generation Kill is not Hollywoodized. It portrays these events realistically, both big and small events, and it was part of my job as military advisor to get it right. It was the filmmakers’ jobs to tell an interesting story without politics and I think they do a good job. There is no political agenda to prove or disprove our occupation in Iraq -- the story is about the life of the men and the daily grind for a combat troop. PLAYBOY: Do you see yourself making a career of being a military advisor on films? KOCHER: I am a rookie learning a new trade; only time will tell if I can make it in this industry. I was hoping Mr. Hefner would hire me to maybe mow the lawn up at the mansion if things don't work out well here. I always had a crush on Kendra Wilkinson for The Girls Next Door. So, do you have any hook-ups?
Tattoo artist Samuel Perez, who works out of Alley Kat Tattoo in New York City, recently inked Olivia De Berardinis’ illustration of Kendra from our September 2006 issue on a client’s leg and sent us a photo. Meanwhile, in a story published in Sunday’s Los Angeles Times, Olivia discusses how she drew inspiration from Playboy as a young girl, and the work she does for the magazine today.
What American Graffiti and Breakfast Club and other movies have done in fiction, American Teen does in a documentary –and rather more powerfully. Director Nanette Burstein spent a year at the high school in Warsaw, Indiana, following around members of the senior class. Eventually narrowing her focus of the 1,200 hours of film she shot onto five students–Megan the bitchy princess, Colin the jock, Jake the invisible man, Hannah the creative offbeat girl, and Mitch, the regular guy–Burstein finds amazing drama in the most ordinary events.
Intern Amanda Wills wanted to call this blog "Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist Approach To Art And Cinema," but some of us aren't that mature. Here is her report:
The 1920s ushered in a new art phenomena, a movement that incorporated textual and visual elements in an effort to recreate the unconscious dream. Surrealism sought to transcend beyond deliberate thought and incite a desire so fervent it almost became frenetic. Spanish artist Salvador Dalí was the master at representing the Surrealist movement on canvas, paper, and film.
New York’s Museum of Modern Art is hosting an exclusive Salvador event entitled, Dalí: Painting And Film explores The Central Role Of Cinema In The Work Of The Surrealist Master. Organized by Tate Modern and The Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, the show focuses on the relationship between the paintings and films of Dalí and how the cinema was both an inspiration and a vehicle of experimentation for the artist.
Editors and publishers from Playboy’s international editions journeyed to New York last week for high level brainstorming. From left to right: Evaldas Rimkus (Marketing Director, Lithuania); Jelena Markune (Publisher, Lithuania); David Walker (Secretary-General of Intenational Publishing); Raul Sayrols (Publisher, Mexico); Diego Ramirez (Managing Director, Colombia); Gabriel Bauducco (Editor in Chief, Mexico); Liudas Dapkus (Editor in Chief, Lithuania); Gerardo Campillo (Publisher, Colombia); Shen Yan Dylan Paul Tan (Editor in Chief, Singapore); Maya Perez (Associate Editor, Philippines); Francisa Yolin (Web Editor, Mexico); and Sunn Liang Yeo (Managing Editor, Singapore)
Cartoonist Edmond Kiraz recently unveiled a show of his original art, including eleven of his Playboy cartoons, at the prestigious Musée Carnavalet in Paris.
Visitors to the exhibition are greeted with an enlarged copy of the words Hef wrote for the exhibition catalogue:
It was in 1970 when Kiraz’s first cartoon appeared in Playboy magazine, and since then his artwork has become a recognizable constant amongst its pages for good reason. His doe-eyed, lithe, lingerie-clad females painted in opulent settings add sophisticated sensibility with a Parisian flair. Highly adept at portraying eroticism with indifference, his mademoiselles are completely distinct. His roster of male characters include randy psychiatrists, piano teachers, cuckolds, boyfriends, libidinous executives, sassy swingers and historical figures, especially one Toulouse-Lautrec who has made numerous appearances in Kiraz’s cartoons. His unique style and timeless sense of humor have entertained Playboy’s readers for the past 37 years and continue to enhance the magazine to this day.
Born in Egypt, Kiraz has lived in Paris for most of his life. Along with Playboy, his work can be seen in numerous French magazines, and he’s published fourteen collections of his work. He is the archetype of the sophisticated Frenchman: a gourmet diner, bon vivant and raconteur. He travels a great deal and luckily for us, loves drawing beautiful women.
I've been going to E3 for years, but I don't typically mention it in polite company. That's because up until recently, saying that you'd attended the Electronic Entertainment Expo (i.e. the world's pre-eminent video game conference) would generally be met with a mix of blank stares, pity and revulsion. This annual gathering of video game makers and the journalists who cover them may have been one of the highlights of my year, but talking about it outed me as a giant honking nerd. These days, however, games generate as much if not more buzz than Hollywood (and have the sales figures to back it up). And suddenly a surprisingly large number of people press me for juicy details as soon as I return from the killing floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center. It seems E3 is officially interesting. Which means you should know enough about it to have an intelligent conversation next time you're accosted by a hipster wearing an "In The Beginning There Was Pong" T-shirt. These are the questions people ask me. These are the answers I give them. Please to enjoy...
Now and again, it's a good idea to grab an old favorite cocktail book, crack it open, and try something you've never had. This one below I found on p.305 of the Playboy Bartender's Guide, written by Thomas Mario with illustrations by LeRoy Neiman. (You can find the book 
Special Condiments Editor Lindsay Silberman files this exclusive report: 
Playboy Contributing Editor James Rosen has written an interesting and perceptive article for 
Correspondent Ben Conniff tells you how to become a pop star.
Satirist par excellence Joe Queenan visited the offices. The good news is that Joe will be returning to the pages of Playboy in just a few months with a hilarious tale of a unique gastronomical quest.
Staff Sergeant Eric Kocher is the key military advisor for HBO Films miniseries Generation Kill. He was a U.S. Marine and a member of First Reconnaissance Battalion, and was one of the marines covered in Evan Wright’s original articles and book, upon which the miniseries is based. During his nine years with the U.S. Marine Corps., he served four tours in Iraq and one tour in Afghanistan, and was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star with “V” for Valor, and two navy commendations for valor. On top of all that, he also appears in the miniseries, portraying Gunnery Sergeant Rich Barrett, another Marine from the Battalion. We’re delighted that he agreed to answer some questions from us.
Tattoo artist Samuel Perez, who works out of 
What American Graffiti and Breakfast Club and other movies have done in fiction, American Teen does in a documentary –and rather more powerfully. Director Nanette Burstein spent a year at the high school in Warsaw, Indiana, following around members of the senior class. Eventually narrowing her focus of the 1,200 hours of film she shot onto five students–Megan the bitchy princess, Colin the jock, Jake the invisible man, Hannah the creative offbeat girl, and Mitch, the regular guy–Burstein finds amazing drama in the most ordinary events.
Daniel H. Wilson wrote a great book last year called Where’s 
Intern Amanda Wills wanted to call this blog "Salvador Dalí’s Surrealist Approach To Art And Cinema," but some of us aren't that mature. Here is her report:
Editors and publishers from Playboy’s international editions journeyed to New York last week for high level brainstorming. From left to right: Evaldas Rimkus (Marketing Director, Lithuania); Jelena Markune (Publisher, Lithuania); David Walker (Secretary-General of Intenational Publishing); Raul Sayrols (Publisher, Mexico); Diego Ramirez (Managing Director, Colombia); Gabriel Bauducco (Editor in Chief, Mexico); Liudas Dapkus (Editor in Chief, Lithuania); Gerardo Campillo (Publisher, Colombia); Shen Yan Dylan Paul Tan (Editor in Chief, Singapore); Maya Perez (Associate Editor, Philippines); Francisa Yolin (Web Editor, Mexico); and Sunn Liang Yeo (Managing Editor, Singapore)
Cartoonist Edmond Kiraz recently unveiled a show of his original art, including eleven of his Playboy cartoons, at the prestigious