Las Vegas Weekly

December 23, 2009 · 9:32 AM

Birthday girl Holly Madison: author and Las Vegas homeowner?

By Robin Leach

Holly Madison makes an appearance at The Jewelers in support of her Holly Jolly Christmas Toy Drive with Lotus Broadcasting on Dec. 15, 2009.

Photo: Scott Harrison/Retna/www.harrisonphotos.com

Platinum blonde beauty Holly Madison celebrates her 31st birthday today and says it has been “one incredible year.” Determined to continue living in Las Vegas as her new hometown, she’s narrowing her search for a home here and has begun work on her first book.

Holly told me: “There has been so much change in these past 12 months -- so many things have happened to me. Think of where I was this time last year: In a short span of time, I got started with Peepshow, fought injuries for the run on Dancing With the Stars, started the reality series and all the time have done my best to promote Vegas and show the world what a great city this is.

“I truly believe God has a plan for me, and I love where I am at as I celebrate my birthday this year. Even though I’m turning the ripe old age of 31, I’ll never really grow up. I turned this year’s birthday into a monthlong party because there are so many good things to celebrate.

“Last week, we all went to Disneyland, but tonight we’re having a big Vegas birthday dinner, and Coldstone Creamery is naming a new Holly Madison dessert item to their menu and sending my favorite Pink Peppermint over as the birthday cake!”

Holly was ecstatic over the success of her inaugural Holly Jolly Christmas Toy Drive, in which she partnered with Lotus Broadcasting for The Salvation Army and Toys for Tots programs.

“We collected thousands of gifts for the needy -- beyond counting there were so many. I can’t wait to do it again next year. It’s been such a great success and far more than we dared dream possible. It’s honestly been overwhelming, and people have been so kind and generous.”

Holly was just unanimously voted by the hard-boiled showbiz media of Las Vegas as the hardest-working new star of the Strip, who as a new ambassador has done the most to promote our town this past year.

“I’m honored and blessed because it’s all been an incredible year. But I’m a project person. I have to be busy, with my hands in everything. I just have an appetite for doing things. I know what people think about busty pinup blondes, but there are all sides to me, and I’m glad I get to do and show them all here in Vegas. The new reality TV series will show that, too.

“I know the image people have of me, but I am a sweet, kindhearted person who believes in working very hard, with not enough time in a day to do all I want to do.”

Holly gets a short vacation from Peepshow at Planet Hollywood starting Jan. 4. When the show resumes, she’ll be its solo headline star now that Aubrey O’Day’s contract recently ended. Holly will be using some of the free time to finalize the purchase of a new home here.

“I love living here. I have a long-term contract with Peepshow, so I’ll still be in Planet Hollywood as Robert Earl’s across-the-hall neighbor,” she laughed. “But for daytime, weekends and for the sake of my dogs, it’s time now for a proper home. I want a pool and a slide!”

She’ll also be working on the first Peepshow souvenir program. “I was a photo editor at Playboy, after all, so I can use that experience to produce our first glamour book for Peepshow,” she said. Additionally, she’s begun work on a new book about Las Vegas to be published in the summer.

Holly continued: “I’m going to show different sides to the history of Vegas along with the fun things a girl in my age group can do here if she comes to play or comes to stay! It will have lots of photographs, and we’ll show its progress on the reality show, too. I’m calling it The Showgirl Next Door.”

With Christmas just two days away, Holly finished her own shopping at the new Crystals shops in CityCenter. “It’s fun celebrating a birthday and Christmas to top off the year,” she laughed. “Then comes New Year’s and the resolutions. This year, though, I don’t have a specific resolution because I want to keep heading in the same direction with my life. The goals are the same from a year ago, that I take on more projects and succeed with those, too. Think back over the last 12 months, and look at the changes. They have been big, and yet it’s all gone beautifully.”

So I just had to nudge Holly about love and romance! A year ago, she’d come out of the lengthy stay with Hugh Hefner at The Playboy Mansion, which was well-chronicled on E!’s The Girls Next Door, and into and then out of a wild, tabloid-frenzied match-up with Believe illusionist Criss Angel. Now our gossip mill is in overdrive about her early dates and Twitter messages with Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden, who used to date Paris Hilton.

“It’s not going to be anything public,” Holly confided. “I think both of us just want to take our time and see where it leads. He is the sweetest nicest guy. Just tell everybody I’m really happy where I am on this birthday and am looking forward to the New Year. Please wish everybody a very Merry Christmas for me and a Happy New Year -- and come see Peepshow!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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