Hope Dworaczyk Interview
Hope Dworaczyk is a whole ‘nother level of good-looking. The 2010 Playmate of the Year makes beautiful people look like absolute trolls. And if you’re even slightly unattractive, just go ahead and walk on the other side of the street. It’s like that.
Before posing for Playboy, Hope was a runway model who walked for Balenciaga, Robert Rodriguez, Abaete, XOXO and other brands. She toured with Versace and did print work for Patek Philippe. She’s also the host and co-producer of Inside Fashion, a shoe that appears on the E! Channel in Canada.
As Dworaczyk gets set to hand things over to the next Playmate of the Year, she’ll be competing on this season’s edition of Celebrity Apprentice. We talked to Hope about Hugh Hefner, what it’s like to be Playmate of the Year, Donald Trump, Celebrity Apprentice, the madness of Gary Busey, upcoming fashion trends and why girls love boots so much. Here’s the full interview:
CS: When you became Playmate of the Year how did that change your life?
HD: It changed a lot, I guess. I was going to say a little bit, but it did change a lot because suddenly it’s a completely different audience. Like the fans and people that know who you are. But for me it was different, because the whole Playboy community – it’s like once you’re labeled a Playboy Playmate, people forget you’ve done anything else. So everyone kind of focuses in on the fact that you’re the girl that got naked. That part changed as far as what people’s perception is. It changed my life in many ways, especially career-wise, because I got to do Celebrity Apprentice, I filmed a movie with Eva Longoria that will be out this summer. It just spotlights you and puts you more in the public eye and let’s you have a voice of your own where and you can say, “This is what I want to do with my future.”
CS: In terms of that perception shift; I know you’ve done a lot of runway modeling before. Is that something that’s less of a focus now? Are you in a different kind of category now or do you still want to do more of that stuff?
HD: No, I definitely still walk for designers, I just don’t do every designer. I will go and do a walk for one designer exclusively during a fashion week. So I don’t work as much on the runway, but I’ll walk. I definitely won’t stop walking. I also have a television show called Inside Fashion, and that’s on E! in Canada. So that’s what I was saying, that once you do Playboy, people tend to couch you in that. You’re a Playboy Playmate or Playmate of the Year, and they forget that you’ve done other things because being naked in Playboy I guess is more exciting for some people to say. Or more controversial I should say.
CS: So what advice do you have for the next Playmate of the Year?
HD: Just don’t take yourself too seriously. And don’t stop there, you have to work really hard. You can’t let that be the end of your story. You have to keep working and expanding your brand.
CS: What’s a quality or trait of Hugh Hefner that few people get to see?
HD: I think few people get to see that he’s so friendly and so sweet. I know that he’s helped so many people – which a lot of people I guess would know that. He’s just so nice and friendly, and he’s not actually the Hugh Hefner that he was when he was 40 or 30 years old. He’s a lot more calm now.
CS: So Celebrity Apprentice started this month. Did you have a positive experience during the whole filming of that?
HD: I did have a positive experience. Compared to all the other people that got into fights and probably now regret it because it’s all on camera. I was really quiet, especially in the beginning, and I didn’t get involved in all the conflicts that they had and all the fighting. I do a little bit at the end, because it is unavoidable at one point – if you’re in a corner you have to defend yourself – but I’ve never gotten to the point where I regret doing that reality show.
CS: Was it stressful at all?
HD: Oh, it was definitely stressful, because there are people around at all times. You always have a camera on you. You’re trying to be the most creative. You want your team to win. You want your charity to win money. Then you’re sleeping 3½ to 4½ hours a night and trying to avoid the cattiness that comes with not just the women’s side, the men’s side too. So that part was a little tricky.
CS: So who are some of the contestants who got into it and had these arguments?
HD: Well, in the previews you can see Meat Loaf and Gary going at each other. Jose and David Cassidy didn’t get along. Star Jones and NeNe. Lisa Rinna and Star Jones didn’t get along. The only person I’ve ever had real conflict with, a little bit Star Jones and a little bit NeNe Leakes. But for the most part after the show, we’re still friends. My conflicts weren’t as deep some of the others. There were some people that probably won’t talk again ever.
CS: (Laughs)
HD: The live season finale will be very uncomfortable for everybody.
CS: (laughs) So did you make some friends or allies? People that stuck out during the whole process?
Mar 21st
Yakuza 4 Trailer
Check out the trailer for Yakuza 4. The game came out this week and it looks pretty sick. You get to play with four different characters and explore the massive underground crime world of Tokyo. The open world let’s you hit up karaoke bars, massage parlors and pachinko palaces. You can test your skill at mini-games like ping pong, golf, bowling, card games, darts, pool, harbor fishing and batting cages. Oh, and you can also kick a bunch of ass while you navigate through Tokyo as a reformed Yakuza thug, an escaped convict, a cop and a loan shark. Take a look:
Mar 18th
Obama’s Fixation with the Final Four
GOP presidential hopeful and all around hot air bag Newt Gingrich isn’t the only one who’s upset about Obama’s fixation with the Final Four:
Via Imgur
Mar 18th
Yara Martinez Interview
Yara Martinez is a gorgeous, up-and coming actress who’s put together a pretty impressive resume in a short period of time. Born in Puerto Rico to Cuban parents, Martinez grew up in Miami before coming out to LA. She practiced ballet for 10 years before shifting her focus to acting. She has appeared on hit shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, ER, The Unit and CSI: NY. She played Christian Slater’s wife in My Own Worst Enemy. Martinez also has a regular role on Southland and she has a new show that debut this month, Breakout Kings on A&E.
We had a chance to chat with Martinez, and she gave us the lowdown on Breakout Kings, working with super-villain Sean Bean, Christian Slater’s approach to television, the set of It’s Always Sunny and the differences between LA and Miami.
CS: So you have a new show that premiered this month, Breakout Kings. You want to tell me a bit about what the new show is about?
YM: Yeah. The show is about US Marshals that are looking for people who broke out of prison, and they team up with ex-cons to look for them so they can get an inside viewpoint. It’s from the same creators of Prison Break. I play the wife of one of the US Marshals, played by actor Laz Alonso. I’m pretty much the supportive wife, but at the same time I try to keep him grounded and back in reality because he’s pretty obsessed. I’m like his rock. I’m like his go-to for strength and emotional stability.
CS: Gotcha, and so is the show going to be pretty action packed?
YM: It’s very action packed. It’s definitely an action packed show. There’s humor in it, too. Since it’s from the creators of Prison Break there is definitely that action stuff, but there are little winks to it as well.
CS: That’s cool. Now you’re also on Southland and from what I understand your character’s kind of going to get a little bit of a push this season right?
YM: Yeah. The last episode I think is going to air soon. The character I play is the wife of Kevin Alejandro. He died, so I’ve been dealing with his death and also the fact that his partner has been living in our house and it gets a little muddy emotionally because we are both grieving the loss of someone that a lot of us really loved. That can cause confusion in emotions about how we feel about each other.
CS: Got it.
YM: So it definitely could influence that development.
CS: Now in 2007 you were in The Hitcher with Sean Bean. Now that dude always seems to play the bad guy. Whenever you see him pop up in a movie you’re like, uh-oh, this isn’t good. Is he like a big super villain in person as well or is he like totally different?
YM: Well, I actually didn’t get to hang out with him during The Hitcher, but the first job that I ever booked was a pilot opposite him. It’s funny because I thought the same thing. I thought, oh my god who is Sean Bean going to be? He’s so intense. And our first scene we had to shoot was like these two characters were getting to know each other. So we’re trying to figure each other out. Between takes we’re talking and he’s like, “so what have you done?” He does have that mysterious look and voice and I’m like, “oh this is my first job” (laughs), and he just looked at me. We actually ended up getting along really, really well and we worked really well together. I got to hang out with him a few times. It was interesting, with me he was really nice and a total gentlemen and a really cool. He’s definitely reserved. He’s not one of those people who’s in your face. But we did go out a few times and he definitely does what he wants.
I just remember this one incident at the Four Seasons, someone told him to put out his cigarette and he just didn’t understand why they would tell him to put out his cigarette. He was very nonchalant about it and he had this very cool discussion with the man about why he should put out his cigarette. But he was so chill about it, that by the end, he was pretty much done with it.
CS: (laughs)
YM: He’s like smoking the cigarette while he’s talking to the guy about why he shouldn’t be smoking the cigarette. And he’s like, “okay I’ll put it out,” but it was already out. He was already done. That was smooth.
CS: How did you first get in to acting?
YM: Well I used to study ballet when I was younger and I went to one of those camps when I was 12 and you need to take an acting class. When I took the acting class, I just immediately knew that was what I wanted to do. I had always wanted to be involved in the theatre, but it switched from ballet to acting when I was 12. I went to an all-girl private Catholic high school, but during the summers I would go to New York and study theatre. So I have always wanted to be in the theatre. More >
Mar 17th
Limitless Prize Pack Giveaway
The film Limitless opens tomorrow, and we think it looks good. It stars Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, which is a pretty solid one-two punch. Cooper plays Eddie Mora, a writer who discovers a top-secret drug that allows him to use 100 percent of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. With his synapses firing on all cylinders, Eddie transforms into a super human capable of learning at a ridiculous pace. Eddie sets his sights on Wall Street, and comes up big. A big-shot business mogul named Carl Van Loon (played by De Niro) takes notice and invites Eddie to participate in the largest corporate merger of all time. Eddie then has to stave off stalkers, a gangster and the cops while he tries to maximize his abilities with a dwindling stash.
This action-packed thriller opens up tomorrow, and to promote the release, we’re giving away a Limitless prize pack to one lucky visitor that includes the following:
- A collection of mind thriller movies (Momento, Vanilla Sky, A Beautiful Mind, LA Confidential)
- A Limitless mini poster
- A copy of the Limitless book
- A Limitless stainless steel water bottle
To win the giveaway, follow us on Twitter @MANjrcom and leave us a comment telling us why you’d like to see the film. We’ll pick a winner at random next Thursday, March 24.
If you’d like to learn more about the film visit the Limitless Facebook page or follow @LimitlessMovie on Twitter for all the latest updates.
Good luck!
Mar 17th
The 33 Hottest Chicks with Three Names
There’s just something about hot chicks with three names. It’s like they know that two names just won’t cut it. They wanna leave that additional, lasting impression by throwing an extra one in there. It makes ‘em more memorable, more distinct. It’s like a badge of honor, and it’s a pretty elite club.
At MANjr, we want to salute those select few beauties who refuse to be held back by the burden of two names. We included some babes who are clearly passed their prime, but these are ladies that still deserve recognition for trailblazing three-name hotness. We threw some divorcees in the mix as well, because some of these hotties still rocked the triple-name status well, even it was temporary. Here’s a look at the 33 hottest chicks with three names.
33. Olivia Newton-John
About three decades and five surgeries ago, Olivia Newton-John was super hot.
32. Jamie Lee Curtis
From Halloween to True Lies, JLC was fine. Now she pushes yogurt and looks like a granny, but she had a solid run there for like 20 years.
31. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
She was hot as hell in Scarface, The Abyss and even Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. By The Perfect Strom, her time had passed.
30. Penelope Ann Miller
She was stunning in Big Top Pee Wee, Kindergarten Cop and Chaplin. And who could forget her head-turning performance in The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag.
29. Kristin Scott Thomas
She’s all old and fuddy duddy now, but she was pretty smokin’ in The English Patient.
28. Carrie-Anne Moss
She looks like she could kick our ass, but we’ll take the beating.
27. Courtney Thorne-Smith
With long runs on Melrose Place and Ally McBeal, Courtney Thorne-Smith was a fixture on Fox in the 90s. Extra bonus points if you loved her in Side Out.
26. Lara Flynn Boyle
Man this chick cut herself up something crazy, but she was quite the looker back in the day. Even before Wayne’s World, she was cute as a button in the 1989 flick How I Got Into College.
25. Joey Lauren Adams
Maybe it was that voice or her goofy smile, but the chick who starred in all those Kevin Smith movies and made Bud Bundy a man was on fire in the 90s.
24. Helena Bonham Carter
She’s got a monopoly on freaky-hot. When Hollywood needs to cast a looker with a screw loose, HBC’s gotta be high on the list.
23. Jada Pinkett Smith
It’s not her fault that she produces kids that can’t act.
22. Holly Marie Combs
She was the least hottest chick on Charmed, but hey, she’s got three names.
21. Bryce Dallas Howard
M. Night Shyamalan’s red-headed muse gets style points for having Fonzie as her Godfather.
Mar 17th
SXSW Interactive – Interview with Bonin Bough and Ellen McGirt
South by Southwest Interactive is a huge, annual conference that brings together leading entrepreneurs, start ups and innovators in the tech space. SXSW Interactive is wrapping up in Austin, Texas, and we had a chance to interview Senior Innovation Editor Ellen McGirt from Fast Company Magazine and PepsiCo’s Social Media and Digital Director Bonin Bough yesterday. We discussed the newest trends in Interactive, the emergence of mobile, how micro influencers can make themselves more available to agencies and advertisers and a lot more. Here’s the video:
Visit the SXSW Interactive site to find out more about what’s going on at SXSW this year.
Mar 15th
