Las Vegas Weekly

May 13, 2010 · 9:12 AM

Photos: Hef reveals 2010 PMOY, says Crystal Harris is Playmate for life

By Robin Leach

2010 Playboy Playmate of the Year Hope Dworaczyk.

Photo: Playboy

Model Hope Dworaczyk will be officially introduced as Playboy’s 2010 Playmate of the Year at the Palms on Saturday night. The stunning brunette will be featured in an eight-page nude pictorial in the June issue of Playboy that goes on sale tomorrow. VDLX is delighted to be the first local media outlet with the news that Playboy gave us the go-ahead to release this morning.

The 25-year-old beauty from Port Lavaca, Texas, who was Miss April 2009 received approval for the layout from her grandmother, who was the principal at her high school!

“If Nanna had nixed it, I wouldn’t have done it,” Hope laughed.

Hope also is featured offering a glass of wine to fans in Playboy’s first 3-D issue. That’s a dream Playboy founder Hugh Hefner told me he first had in 1953 when he launched the first issue with Marilyn Monroe.

This is the first time the official announcement and introduction of a Playmate of the Year will be revealed away from Hef’s Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, Calif. Yesterday in an exclusive interview about Hope, he told me: “Put simply, Las Vegas is a grander venue than the Mansion for this. Being at the Palms adds a lot more excitement and partying for the celebration. It’s the first time we’re also letting fans come in to join the party when we introduce Hope at Rain nightclub.”

The ceremony will be a star-studded celebration hosted by Grammy Award winner Robin Thicke and featuring performances by the Playmate Dancers, the White Tie Affair and Playboy’s 55th anniversary Playmate Dasha Astafieva.

“I can’t believe I’m Playmate of the Year,” Hope said. “What an amazing honor. I still feel like this is all a dream.” To mark her win Saturday night, she will be presented with a $100,000 check and keys to a BMW S 1000 RR Superbike.

Hef told me yesterday: “Back in 1953 when I launched Playboy, I had no money left over for promotion. I thought then that since 3-D movies were so popular, we should kick off with a 3-D layout. Getting it was easy. We even shot two girls nude for it, but then we discovered the cost of the glasses and binding them into the issue was simply prohibitive. Now 57 years later with 3-D film and future TV hot and popular once again, this is the right time to finally do it.

“Hope certainly qualifies for it anyway. She’s not just 3-D. She’s 3-double-D!”

Hef explained that the decision to select Hope was made in combination from reader votes and the magazine’s editors and executives.

“It all starts with the readers poll,” he continued. “Then the editors and finally the promotion people who have worked with the candidates. I then have my 5 cents to add. Actually, it’s way more like a couple of bucks worth. Remember the buck stops with me anyway!

“We had an excess of riches this year, but Hope was the slam-dunk winner. She’s hosted her own television fashion show in Canada for three years, so she’s already well experienced for the year that lies ahead of her.” Then he laughed: “Our new expression around here at my age is ‘where there’s life, there’s Hope.’ ”

But he quickly added that even though he’s selected a brunette over the blonde entrants, he’s keeping blondes as his favorites.

“I still prefer blondes in my personal life. Everything is just wonderful with Crystal (Harris), and she’s now my playmate for life!” Hef said.

Rain will be decorated with a hutch full of Playboy Bunnies, and although actress Pamela Anderson won’t be able to attend as originally planned, she’ll still be honored for her record number of covers.

Hef explained: “She’s dealing with some unexpected additional tax payments, so she had an offer she couldn’t turn down. So we understand that completely, and she’ll do it next year instead. But we will still honor her.”

I asked Hef if his Playmates of the Year have noticeably changed since the first one.

“I think today the women are in much better physical shape. They are healthier and are definitely taller than back then. But you know Playboy has been a constant that the Playmate of the Year from Marilyn to Pamela must still have that natural beauty of the girl next door. We haven’t changed that much.”

The very first Playmate of the Year was Ellen Stratton in 1960, and Hope succeeds Ida Ljungqvist, who was unveiled last year at The Playboy Mansion before coming here to celebrate at The Playboy Club in the Palms.

I’m set for Sunday brunch at Iron Chef winner Kerry Simon’s restaurant in Palms Place after the Saturday festivities with Hope, and we’ll have that interview along with a photo gallery of the party here at VDLX on Monday.

Hope appeared on the cover of the April 2009 issue with actor Seth Rogen, and Stephen Wayda shot her centerfold on sale tomorrow. She’d originally tested for the 55th anniversary Playmate search, and her Inside Fashion on E! Canada is now in its third year. A Miss Teen Texas in 2000, she became a runway fashion favorite of Miss Sixty and Balenciaga and did a world tour for Versace. Based in L.A., she has been linked to Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks.

Additionally, Hope is currently the face of Philippe Patek and Elie Saab print campaigns. How could I end this without giving you the vital statistics: 34C, 23, 35!

As Hef summed up: “She certainly qualifies as the best of the best!”

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.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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