Picture perfect  I   Meet Holland’s Shannon James, Playmate of the Month May 2007

By Michael Lello
Philly EDGE Correspondent

Getting to talk to a Playboy Playmate - now there’s an assignment.

The more cynical among us approach with caution, though. Will she be so stuck on herself that the only person more impressed than you with her looks is her? Maybe in this reality-TV world where anyone and everyone can become a celebrity, she’ll be a shameless self-promoter who only stops saying “I” and “me” to refer to herself in the third person.

Or that Playmate can be Shannon James.
James, a 20-year-old Holland, Pa., resident who’ll appear in the May issue of the men’s magazine - due at newsstands Friday, April 6 in metro areas; Tuesday, April 10 in others - has a way of dispelling those stereotypes.

Sure, her Playboy-worthy physical attributes are obvious, but the aspiring poet who lives with her parents comes off as the kind of girl that could renew even the most jaded guy’s faith in the fairer sex.

Part of that may be because of the way the blonde came to grace the pages of the periodical.

A friend felt that James was indeed Playboy material, and unbeknownst to her, sent some of her bikini photos to The Howard Stern Show. James was invited to appear on the radio program, but at first declined. The show asked again, telling her a Playboy photographer would be along to evaluate her.

James decided to go on the show last summer, which she says was a great experience that resulted in her being invited to do a Playboy test shoot.

In September, she got the word that she’d be Miss May 2007.

“This whole thing has been very crazy,” she says.

Indeed. She attended the legendary Halloween party at the Playboy Mansion where she rubbed elbows with the likes of Luke Wilson and Pauly Shore. She’s become friends with Miss March Tyran Richard, Miss February Heather Rene Smith and other recent Playmates like Amanda Page and Alison Waite.

She even refers to the iconic Hugh Hefner, the magazine’s founder and editor-in-chief, as “Hef.”

“Hef is great,” she says. “He’s really nice and kind of quiet, but when he says something, it’s definitely worth listening.”

The Council Rock South High School graduate attended college for a while in Florida before moving back home, where she now takes online courses, majoring in marketing with a plan to minor in chemistry or biology. Pharmaceutical sales is a possibility, she says.

She has done bikini contests but didn’t consider attempting to get into Playboy until her friend started the process.

“I love Playboy. I read it for years and always thought the girls are very beautiful,” James says, adding that she particularly admires Pamela Anderson and the late Anna Nicole Smith.

Her photo shoot took place in October in Los Angeles. She says her hair and makeup preparations took two hours and she was naked for six hours. Still, she says she enjoyed the process and working with the magazine’s staffers who put her at ease.

“My top memory is all the people I met,” she says. “Every person was so overwhelmingly welcoming and nice.”

Asked how her family and friends have reacted to early peeks at the photos, James replies that she wasn’t allowed to take any of them, so they’ll just have to wait until the rest of the world sees them.

When the issue hits newsstands this week, she’ll hit the promotional circuit, doing magazine signings and other appearances. Because she’s underage, she won’t be able to appear at alcohol-sponsored events, she says. She’ll be under contract to Playboy for two years, and how many appearances she does is up to a combination of her discretion and how in-demand she becomes.  The only event she knew about at the time of this interview was a Playboy/Hooters launch party in Atlantic City.

Since Hefner published the first Playboy issue in 1953, the magazine has become an indelible part of American culture. The November 1972 issue sold more than 7 million copies. The magazine now sells about three million copies per month; more than 10 million adult Americans read each month’s issue, according to Playboy’s corporate Web site. There are also international editions in 22 countries.

With her name and photos about to be given national exposure, James is aware that some unsavory characters might approach her with business opportunities. But she notes that all of the promotions are first cleared by Playboy.

“It is a concern,” James says. “All the promotions are through Playboy. They screen them and determine what’s real.”

James cautions other models that thousands of young women send their photos to Playboy and only a small percentage even make it to the test shoot stage.

But she also advises “it’s a great experience” and there are other ways, in addition to sending photos and attending open casting calls, to get into the magazine. Heather Rene Smith, for example, first appeared on Playboy’s Cyber Girls site before making it into Playboy proper.

For now, James is patiently waiting the arrival of the May issue at her home. Make that 25 copies of the issue, which she’ll be sent.

“I’m really excited,” she says. “I’m holding onto all of them.”

See more pics of Shannon at www.playboy.com, http://www.myspace.com/shannonjames2007 and at www.phillyedge.com.

Instant replay

Pennsbury grad was Miss November 2001

Shannon James isn’t the only Bucks County woman to have graced the pages of Playboy.

Five-plus years ago Yardley resident Lindsey Vuolo was featured as the mag’s centerfold for November 2001 (several online sources list her as the first openly Jewish Playmate).

As her Web site photo illustrates, Lindsey is still beautiful.

And she is still busy.

According to a report by Dan Gross in last Thursday’s Philadelphia Daily News, Vuolo appears in a poster for Yuengling that can be seen in the movie Artie Lange’s Beer League.

You can see more of her at www.lindseyvuolo.com

-Joe Student