Playboy August 2005

COVER STORY When Diora Baird first saw her Guess billboard she said, "Oh great, people are gonna get so sick of looking up at my boobs." Not so, of course, and now we'll see even more of Diora, with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in Wedding Crashers. Here, Odette Sugerman photographs her with Belle de Jour–inspired spirit. Our Rabbit fits Diora like a glove. FEATURES 66 THE END OF THE MOB The Sopranos could get renewed until the Cubs win the Series, but the real-life outfit isn't faring so well. Jimmy Breslin, the most streetwise reporter in America, wore out some shoe leather on the streets of New York and discovered that, with most bosses now dead, locked up or standing trial, the Mafia itself will soon sleep with the fishes. Plus, I Heard You Paint Houses author Charles Brandt solves the last mystery about who killed Joey Gallo, and Nick Bryant asks why the feds don't believe a credible and talkative ex–Mob boss. 84 PLAYBOY'S NFL PREVIEW The franchise quarterback has resurfaced as the most precious commodity in the NFL, and there are a lot of good ones. Who's going to wave hardware in the air in February, and who's going to wipe guacamole off his shirt? We have all the pigskin-related predictions right here. By Rick Gosselin 104 A FULL BOAT Take a funny guy who loves poker. Stake him $10,000. Send him on a weeklong cruise with 735 eclectic Texas Hold 'Em fanatics all trying to win more than $7 million in the biggest event on the World Poker Tour. What happens? Well, he's still not rich. By Joel Stein 116 OLD SCHOOL This year golf's most prestigious championship, the British Open, returns to the game's source: the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland, where golfers have roamed for six centuries. We take a look at some of the great moments that adorn the most storied venue in all of golf. By Evan Rothman FICTION 80 WEIGHT OF THE MOON In Haiti, where mysterious spirits join men with guns to haunt the humid nights, a young woman's trip to the market becomes fraught with violence and tragedy. By Madison Smartt Bell THE PLAYBOY FORUM 51 LUCKY TO LOSE Had John Kerry won in 2004 he would have inherited—and been expected to solve—enormous problems created by George W. Bush, whose faith-based presidency is leaving a dubious legacy. By Arthur Schlesinger Jr. 20Q 118 KATE HUDSON Most people know her as the bubbly actress who plays happy-go-lucky, lovable sweetie pies in a multiplex's worth of romantic comedies. Now, as Goldie Hawn's daughter finds her mojo rising in the dark thriller The Skeleton Key, she tells us why it was nice not to smile in a movie, why the whole rock-and-roll lifestyle turns her on, and. how to be a good mother and remain a hottie. By Eric Spitznagel INTERVIEW 59 EWAN MCGREGOR He made his mark in gritty indies like Trainspotting before seducing Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge and waggling a lightsaber in the new Star Wars movies. Then he did what most actors do when they're hot: He left on a 20,000-mile motorcycle trip. Now he's back, talking about playing a clone in The Island, the fun of dropping trou and the allure of Glaswegian girls. By Stephen Rebello PICTORIALS 72 ZUMANITY Get twisted over the entwined lithe bodies having an artful orgy in this fleshy Las Vegas spectacle. 90 PLAYMATE: TAMARA WITMER Head to Mexico with Miss August and see this 21-year-old model overcome her shyness and strip down to the basics. 122 OUR BEST GUESS See for yourself why billboards of Diora Baird, voluptuous Guess model and actress, stop traffic. NOTES AND NEWS 11 HEF'S HAPPY 79TH AND BUNNY BUSINESS See Hef's Casablanca-themed birthday bash—with Pink, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Tilly—as well as the Mansion's Easter Bunnies. 115 CENTERFOLDS ON SEX: MARKETA JANSKA Miss July 2003 describes how three's company in the bedroom. 155 PLAYMATE NEWS Pamela Anderson. Jenny McCarthy and Shanna Moakler redefine the boob tube; Scarlett Keegan tells us why she's happily redheaded. DEPARTMENTS 3 PLAYBILL 15 DEAR PLAYBOY AFTER HOURS 41 MANTRACK 47 THE PLAYBOY ADVISOR 102 PARTY JOKES 143 WHERE AND HOW TO BUY 159 ON THE SCENE 160 GRAPEVINE 162 POTPOURRI FASHION 108 MOTORCYCLE, JACKET Head out on the highway in rugged biker wear that's tailor-made for straddling these splendidly serious cycles. Fashion by Joseph de Acetis, Text by James R. Petersen REVIEWS 31 MOVIES Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johansson are clones on the lam in The Island; Jamie Foxx gets sky-high in Stealth. 32 DVDS The real winner of the 2004 election? The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. 36 MUSIC Kanye West pushes the boundaries of rap with Late Registration; the Pixies' Frank Black plays it straight on his new solo album. 38 GAMES Are you ready for Black Hawk Down, the game? Plus, arcade classics such as Pac-Man come to your PC. 39 BOOKS Cormac McCarthy returns with the powerful No Country for Old Men; re-creations of 19th century nude photos make erotic Flashback a delight.