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Video Playmate Calendar 1998

Subject: Review of 98VidCal
From: Arvola William <arvola@gte.net>
Digest: volume97/325
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 07:11:43 -0500 (CDT)

Some may recall that this viewer is rather fond of Rachel Jean Marteen's appearance in the 97VidCal. This is formalized by now awarding RJM the title of Video Playmate of the Year, 1998 [YPMOY-98] on the basis of the 97VidCal. The runner-up is Samantha Torres. The award is given unilaterally on this viewer's part and if it or the wording of the title gets anyone's shorts or panties in a bunch, let me know. It's all light-hearted on this viewer's part, so sue me for having fun :-)

This viewer's second annual review of the Video Calendar [1998] follows. At the end, the VPMOY-99 title will be awarded, again unilaterally. This review will be crossposted to the Playboy CyberClub for the first time with this article.

As usual, the number in parentheses is the approximate start time of each segment, in minutes. This video follows the now standard format of twelve Playmates, one for each month, with two distinct segments for each PM.

(02) Title: The standard montage of covers from the wall calendar pans before the viewer's eyes. The models are introduced in reverse calendar order.

(03) January: Jami Ferrell: Jami's from Indiana and she loves bastketball. We see a roomy warehouse apartment complete with basketball court and even a digital scoreboard. The score appears to be 69 to 34 as a red jerseyed Jami [#15] shoots hoops, and poses. Jami's fair skin is speckled with a wealth of dark beauty marks. A spin about the room on a well-preserved antique Western Flyer bicycle maintains a dynamic circular theme.

(05) Here the theme is light and shadows. Fair skin is offset by dark and burdundy lingerie. Jami's not a smiley girl but this viewer wouldn't mind trading places with a suede sofa she sensuously squirms and worms over. A blonde cascade displays well in this setting.

(07) February: Jennifer Miriam: Artfully disarrayed soft brown curls and one of this year's most pleasing bustlines are backdropped by a rustic outdoor setting. Texas hospitality is commended and Jennifer concludes, "Texans are great!" The Texas flag however is displayed incorrectly. Other similarities with Stacy Sanches' video segments are noted, both distressing and pleasing.

Mysterious symbolic tattoos adorn wrist, ankle, and hip. Lustrous purple nail polish clashes a bit. Jennifer has a delectable toothy pout but can't seem to quite break into a smile. Her outfits are simple: diaphronous dress, rawhide choker, cowboy boots and hat. In closing, Jennifer plays a single card, the queen of hearts.

(09) On a sketch pad, Jennifer portrays her fantasy man. The bed and church pew (?) of this rustic apartment provide platforms for posing. Jennifer's eyes display nicely here. Her voice is low, monotone, yet breathy at the same time. Our hero appears in silhoette and is greeted with a hug.

(11) March: Priscilla Taylor: Priscilla adores being pampered in a spa. Windblown poses alternate with shower and whirlpool scenes. Androgynous hands apply oil and administer a relaxing massage, this viewer was especially impressed by these images.

(13) A clock, fall leaves, and Priscilla's dialogue allude to New York City. The color is red; red leaves, red roses and petals, and a glamourous red gown. A beaded choker reminded this viewer of Marge Simpson. The director waxes artsy with some black&white footage of Priscilla in a white gown. A bridge figures prominently.

(16) April: Jennifer Allan: Clad in a silver party dress, Jennifer returns to her high-rise apartment after having been stoodup by her beau. Will she call him, she thinks not! A reflective and autoerotic evening home alone ensues. Figure studies and calisthenic poses are bathed in soft blue light. Belatedly, the miscreant calls, will she accept him? Reluctant at first, she warms to his voice...

(18) Readers may recall that last year's Miss April was nearly as adorable as Jennifer Allan. This year's Miss April *is* as adorable as Jennifer Allan. Wait, she is Jennifer Allan!!! :-)

A greenhouse has been converted into an apartment complete with Jennifer's favorite room, the kitchen. Jennifer "really gets into cooking, growing her own herbs and seasoning her own aromatic oils." Astute viewers will recognize Jennifer's dress from "Fast Women." It cleverly unbuttons in the front to display a more than pleasant bustline. It's skirt can be lifted in a tantalizing peekaboo maneuver. It can be completely removed! Through a rain swept window pane we voyeuristically focus on Jennifer in red and then yellow lingerie doing a characteristic and lascivious wiggle and twirl, all her own!

Jennifer's hair is back and up. The camera loves her face and she loves the camera, displaying lots of toothy grins and smirks, great eye contact. Jennifer really enjoys applying some of that oil to her bust and belly. Some unknown person, the viewer perhaps, must be responsible for the annointment of her lovely backside. A wealth of peach fuzz delights the viewer's eye, giving Jennifer's skin a soft aura in the proper light. On an iron yet cushioned sofa bed, Jennifer's on-hands-and-knees pose arouses the obvious thoughts in the male mind; her look tells us she knows exactly what we're thinking and, perhaps, she even approves [pardon me while I take a moment to salivate :-) ] After showing stellarly for much of its all-too-short duration, the segment closes a bit weakly with a figure study of a seated and distracted Jennifer.

On the basis of this segment, Jennifer is one of three finalists for VPMOY-99.

(20) May: Kimber West: A "good ol' Georgia girl" is moving to California. Kimber is moving into a well-lit, airy, and spacious new house. Boxes are shuffled hither and yon. Some of the contents are removed and playfully worn: various pairs of shorts and tops, a fedora, a [man's] shirt and tie. This segment is well-paced with only a few static poses on a wooden kitchen table. It closes with Kimber proudly showing off a well-appointed living room.

(22) Another segment with a light and shadows motif, candles are included this time. Winds of mysterious origin billow through Kimber's dark and lustrous locks. Kimber describes exactly where she likes to be kissed, everywhere!! This segment and the previous contain some of the "pinkest" shots of the whole video.

(24) June: Nadine Chans [her spelling]: Nadine has a charming German accent. A variety of neon signs provide a backdrop for dynamic dances and static figure studies. Nadine has lovely pale blue eyes and enthusiasm, if nothing else.

(26) In a dimly lit bedroom, Nadine composes a letter to a distant love. She consoles herself with an autoerotic bedtop squirm.

(28) July: Carrie Stevens: Massachusetts girl, Carrie has gone fishing at the local duckpond, clad only in a straw sunbonnet and a string of seashells about her waist. As demure modesty intrudes, a blanket charmingly covers her curves. Carrie speaks of her aspirations to work in the film industry. Exquisite steel blue-grey eyes adore the camera as soft brown wavy tresses waft in the breeze. Carrie can flirt with just a look! The fatal flaw of this segment is the lack of any dynamics.

(30) A theatrical dressing room is the setting and an old-fashioned lacy gown is the attire. Carrie's hair is up and her eyes are dominant and striking. Red roses appear, from a fan perhaps?

(33) August: Lynn Thomas: Lynn is a student of every aspect of photography; shooting, modelling, lighting, and even developing. Displayed cameras and a light table add ambiance to the setting. Lynn's gold nail polish compliments similar tones in her skin very nicely. A black-tie choker adds to this well-paced segment. Lynn balances very gracefully on one leg in a calisthenic pose. This viewer found the music and setting too reminiscent of Corinna Harney, and Lynn, albeit lovely, is not Corinna.

(35) Lynn expresses pride in her Vietnamese heritage while posing in a house and garden of Asian aspect. Sunlight, ferns, orchids, and pearls are all the accoutrements Lynn needs to charm.

(37) September: Kelly Monaco: It bodes ill for a model when she can't hold her own against a classic automobile and this viewer isn't even a car buff! Even a cute set of overalls failed to save Kelly from being shifted to the status of secondary focus with all the tools and shiny cars on the screen. Where's Wendy Hamilton when you need her?

(39) A bed appears to float among the clouds as less than angelic Kelly sports angel wings. Wait a minute, aren't her wings upside down? Just when this viewer was beginning to creep into the Monaco-for-PMOY98 camp, Kelly shoots herself in the foot not once but twice!!

(42) October: Ulrika Ericsson: Ulrika is a stunningly natural blonde beauty! Her appeal is almost asexual, abstract, artistic. This Swedish sweetheart characteristically plugs America, American weather, and, don't forget, American Playboy! Americana like neon signs, barber poles, life-size ceramic Holstein cows, and enameled sheet-metal advertisements adorn an outdoor setting. A Pug and a bicycle get into the act. Ulrika's charm overcomes the cheesiness of the rah-rah-America motif.

Ulrika is the second of the three finalists for YPMOY-99 on the basis of this segment.

(43) The music and the set have a fatalistic and morbid theme. A distressing letter from a lover, droplets of blood, and even a coffin appear. [Un]Happy Halloween!

(46) November: Angel Boris: Angel's oft-referenced periodic blondeness manifests in her two segments. This viewer was enchanted by the change.

"She doesn't always act like an angel, but Angel is her name!" The background fades to irrelevancy when Angel takes to the set! There's nothing abstract or artsy about this girl!! Playful smiles and goofy smirks are the order of the day. Flirt, flirt, flirt with the camera, she does! Her flawless newscaster's voice is confident and straight-forward. This Angel doesn't need wings.

Jeans and a tubetop, among numerous other similar outfits, adorn Angel perfectly. A denim hat sporting daisies aroused this viewer's fetish for head gear. Clothed or otherwise, Angel has one of the best bustlines to come along this year. Dynamically delightful, Angel dances, twirls and flips [her hair] energetically. An advancing shot of Angel on a bicycle should have been the closing, we get the advancing shot and then a retreating shot to close.

Angel advances to the finals on the basis of this segment.

(48) This segment has some common footage with "Girls of South Beach."

Angel's business-like attire and modern garage apartment can't stifle her everygirl charm. Less dynamic, this segment includes more figure studies than the last. The camera ruthlessly closes in and reveals the stippled texture of Angel's skin and her less than perfect complexion. An undecipherable tattoo marks one ankle. A black car's only other noteworthy feature is that it's taking our Angel away.

(50) December: Victoria Silvstedt: These two segments are taken from the 97PMOY-VCF.

Victoria is "SO excited" at being named PMOY-97. Enthusiasm is Victoria's strongpoint. Beautiful, she is; yet this viewer is less than excited. She smiles, she moves, she wears neat outfits in an outdoor flower garden; she does everything right. But something is wrong, unidentifiable.

(52) The lyrics say, "Every man's dream, like a model in a magazine." Victoria mugs and wiggles for the camera during a warehouse fashion shoot. At least Victoria can hold her own versus a silver Porsche though this viewer is one man who's not dreaming.

(57) Credits.

Recall that the finalists for VPMOY-99 are Jennifer Allan, Angel Boris, and Ulrika Ericsson. [Noting that these are all from 1996, honorable mention goes to Jennifer Miriam among the 1997 Playmates, she will probably be this viewer's pick for PMOY-98.]

And the winner is..............Angel Boris!

Even though this viewer is JA's official #1 fan, after much reflection and literal reviewing of their respective best segments, the award must go to Angel, albeit by the slimmest of margins. All three finalists are very rewatchable, the most important criterion.

As for the overall Video-Playmate Crown, RJM reigns for a second year :-) How's that for bias, Dominique?

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