Opinion Polls for 2008

I said I'd keep you all posted on the opinion polls for the Playmate of the Year 2008 race, even in the months leading up to the votes. I've looked through several of the early opinion polls in the Playboy community, including a couple of hotly contested ones with strong indicators for a couple of girls. Some polls show a very close race, so let's see how they stack up with my rankings...

Poll #1: 2008 Official Poll
(PlayboyCritic ranking given in brackets [ ] )

January - Jayde Nicole [3]		3rd	11.05%
February - Heather Rene Smith [5]		T-9th	4.65%
March - Tyran Richard [4]		T-5th	5.23%
April - Giuliana Marino [11]		T-5th	5.23%
May - Shannon James [2]		12th	2.33%
June - Brittany Binger [1]		1st	29.65%
July - Tiffany Selby [6]		11th	2.91%
August - Tamara Sky [10]		T-5th	5.23%
September - Patrice Hollis [9]		T-9th	4.65%
October - Spencer Scott [7]		2nd	16.86%
November - Lindsay Wagner [8]		4th	6.98%
December - Sasckya Porto [12]		T-5th	5.23%

This poll was particularly interesting and shocking because of the ranking of Shannon James, who placed last in votes, but was my #2 because of her fantastic pictorial. She's a beautiful woman, and I don't understand why she hasn't mobilized enough fans to get her going at all. One positive concurrence is obviously Brittany Binger, who gathered first place in both my ranking and in this poll. With more than a quarter of the votes, she's even rather far ahead of predicted fan favorite Spencer Scott, who is generating tons of buzz. As you know, I placed Spencer at #7, but the fans are obviously very excited about the young blond model. There are plenty of stalemates in this poll, but another piece of good news is the performance of Jayde Nicole, who placed third in both the poll and my ranking. I'd love to see her win it over Spencer, but it looks like Miss Scott might be at an arm's length by the time the votes are tallied. Also, Lindsay Wagner surprised me by placing 4th, as I didn't realize that she was generating this much buzz in the community.

Poll #2: General Fan Poll
(PlayboyCritic ranking given in brackets [ ] )

Miss January, Jayde Nicole		27	29.35%
Miss February, Heather Rene Smith		9	9.78%
Miss March, Tyran Richard		11	11.96%
Miss April, Giuliana Marino		13	14.13%
Miss May, Shannon James		6	6.52%
Miss June, Brittany Binger		51	55.43%
Miss July, Tiffany Selby		4	4.35%
Miss August, Tamara Sky		5	5.43%
Miss September, Patrice Hollis		10	10.87%
Miss October, Spencer Scott		27	29.35%
Miss November, Lindsay Wagner		20	21.74%
Miss December, Sasckya Porto		3	3.26%

This poll is definitely even more interesting, in that it gives Brittany Binger a massive lead over everyone else, with over 55% of votes! It also has both Spencer Scott and Jayde Nicole tied at 2nd with more than a quarter of votes! This huge gathering of votes by the clear top three makes it easy to narrow down the candidates: we should have Brittany, Spencer, or Jayde as our next PMOY. I was still upset that Shannon James placed at 9th and is doing so poorly in every opinion poll, although not as poorly as in the previous one. The poll was also showing that Sasckya Porto was a clear last-place finisher and an overall disappointment to many fans.

Given these polls, it's clear that we've got three candidates who are head-and-shoulders above all the others. Brittany, Spencer, and Jayde combined for a majority of votes in both polls, asserting their dominance on the field. It's my hope that Brittany or Jayde win over Spencer, but either of the three could prove to be a good candidate for PMOY. I'll keep everyone posted on any further developments.

In the meantime, enjoy the montages of what kinds of girls we might have taking the crown in April. 2007 was a great year of Playmates, regardless of who wins. With so many exotic faces and a markedly changing direction for Playboy, it'll be exciting to see what lies next in 2008.

#14 - Monica Leigh

Our most contemporary Playmate on this list, Monica Leigh was Miss March 2006. A gorgeous New York beauty from just last year, Monica also won Cyber Girl of the Year 2006 and has been a featured Playboy girl ever since. The only girl ever to become Playmate of the Month as well as Cyber Girl of the Year, Monica was a one-in-a-million talent. Even though she just became a recent star, she's made enough of an impact and is enough of an outstanding talent to be one of the greatest ever. In 2006, she competed with modern-day superstars like current reigning PMOY Sara Jean Underwood, as well as Janine Habeck and Cassandra Lynn. Although Monica was head-and-shoulders better than the others in 2006, she failed to take the crown, possibly because of her extensive success as CGOY.

PMOY or not, Monica is and was one of the very best Playboy has ever shown us. She wowed us with a picture-perfect body, impeccable posing, a gorgeous Latina heritage, and photo upon photo of tantalizing goodness. There's no way to argue that Monica isn't one of the most flawless Playmates of all-time, and it's indeed arguable that she may be one of the greatest to emerge in the post-Golden Era of the late 1990's.

If you've been following Playboy recently, you may know all about Monica already. Her Playmate pictorial is both polished and focused, and feeds off Monica's awesome talents easily. Her tight top and sexual stare make for incredible poses, while her dirty, leaning poses totally uncover her outstanding curves. The hottest pictures that Monica does are those where she is active and moving, like this one, where she's looking out the window with sunlight penetrating her tanned and beautiful body. If you think she can't pull off the spicy look, check this leaning photo out, where she pinches her nipples and lays back in a sexy straight-hair pose. One of my favorite things about Monica has always been her fantastic nipples, which are constantly erect and always amazingly sexy. Here's a great close-up of those wonderful nipples... probably the 8th and 9th wonders of the world. To touch it all off, Monica stands up in a stretching pose that uncovers her fantastic, slim proportions, then introduces what is possibly her finest photo. In this AMAZING Pic 24, Monica looks like a pure goddess, unleashing her curves in the shadows and shooting a sizzling look to the camera that only she could ever give. She then bends over to end the gorgeous pictorial with grace.

Monica Leigh is obviously deserving of high praise and a spot in the Playboy record books for her lofty accomplishments. She's garnered numerous awards and should be easily considered one of the greatest of all time for her engaging look and outstanding posing abilities. In fact, I'm waiting in the wing to see even more of Monica's dynamic posing. Yes, her CGOY pictorial had plenty to offer, but wasn't moving and impulsive enough to really satisfy a real fan of the trade. Her March 2006 pictorial just shone in terms of how well the pictures were taken and how enthusiastic Monica was in each of them. Such a great girl... you might be thinking how it could get any better. Well, that's only #14... we're not even halfway done yet!

#15 - Heather Kozar

Lovely Ohio native Heather Kozar was Miss January 1998, as well as Playmate of the Year in 1999, our first PMOY to make the list! Heather came about at the ripe "golden era" of the late 90's of Playmate greats. She won the annual award as the best Playmate of 1998 over such names as Julia Schultz, #17 Lisa Dergan, Angela Little, Vanessa Gleason, Laura Cover, Tiffany Taylor, and even the Dahm triplets! It's debatable as to whether she should have won, but the fact that she stifled all of this stiff competition makes her a formidable force of the 90's.

If you don't recognize Heather's curly blond locks and outstanding posing presence, just take some time to peruse her extensive pictorial. Heather was a dynamic poser with constant movement and consistency where it mattered most: allowing a sexual aura in each and every one of her photos. Ultimately, it was Heather who ushered in the era of hot and edgy Playmates with her large breasts and bleached pubic hair, not to mention that piercing face that can capture just about any scene perfectly.

Heather does an amazing job of putting together a timeless pictorial. It starts with her lace sheets poses, where production value takes center stage. One of the best photos of all-time is Heather's awesome Pic 2, which takes the lacy cloth and puts a sexy silhouette to it, leaning up against the table and letting the soft light trickle through her breasts. Absolutely magnificent. The limousine offers an interesting montage and puts things on a personal level, with the "purring cat", the departure (with awesome busty lighting yet again), and this very spicy shot with that slightly intimidating look that Heather does very well.

All of this is good, but Heather is definitely at her best in shots where her breasts were prominently featured. This great side shot shows a flowing posing style, while this swooping photo is one of Heather's very best, showcasing lots of cleavage and the amazing curvature of her buttocks, as well. Top it all off with this breathtaking dreamlike pose, sprawled out on the bed, this head-to-toe beauty shot, and this final shot in the shadows, and you get one of the greatest girls to ever grace Playboy's pages.

Once you see Heather's extensive entry into the annals of Playboy history, it's no wonder she's one of the best that ever lived. Heather presented us with poise and grace during her tenure as Playmate of the Month and Playmate of the Year. Given the great girls that emerged in the late 90's, we're bound to see more girls from this era, and many of the girls from here have already made our list. Heather's entry at #15 brings us closer to the top 10, and interesting timeline trends can be drawn from which eras these girls were selected from, as well as which ones were chosen for their ability to make an impact on the fabric of Playboy's history.