Playboy August 2006

COVER STORY What really makes a bikini float is the woman filling it-think Brigitte Bardot, Raquel Welch and cover model Monica Leigh. Senior Contributing Photographer Stephen Wayda sheds light on the result of decades of swimsuit evolution. Our Rabbit is the missing link in Miss March's gold two-piece. Features 56 WHY ARE WE IN IRAQ? The director of the documentary Why We Fight has interviewed nearly 200 Americans about their thoughts and feelings on war and security. Actor Ethan Hawke, ex-soldier Jessica Lynch, trucker Ted Chapman, scholar Cornel West and Senator John McCain are among the cross section of the country captured here. BY EUGENE JARECKI 70 THE BIKINI AT 60 Louis Reard designed the world's tiniest swimsuit for women 60 years ago, and we've been thanking him ever since. PLAYBOY celebrates the evolution of the two-piece, as well as the curvy women who fill it. 76 ALL ROADS LEAD TO BRAZIL One woman forges a glorious path to the promised land as she walks us through her first Brazilian bikini wax. BY SLOANE CROSLEY Plus: ROCKY RAKOVIC shares her pain by having his family jewels waxed bare. 78 ALL CLEAR See-through spirits are the perfect pour for summer. We toast the intoxicating history of vodka and gin. BY RICHARD CARLETON HACKER 98 PLAYBOY'S 2006 NFL PREVIEW We convened more than 25 of football's finest players, coaches and analysts-such as Cleveland's Ted Washington, the Ravens' Brian Billick and Carolina's DeShaun Foster and asked them 25 things we'd love to know about the NFL. We also say who's up, who's down and who's going to the Super Bowl. Fiction 66 CUL-DE-SAC For the couples living in a suburban cul-de-sac, marital dissatisfaction and infidelity have become part of the environment. A sudden change, however, upsets the delicate balance. BY J. ROBERT LENNON The Playboy Forum 43 RADICALS ON THE RISE The author of Conservatives Without Conscience wonders why we tolerate extreme authoritarian leaders who want to take us where a great majority of thinking Americans don't want to go. BY JOHN DEAN 20Q 96 LUKE WILSON He's the regular-guy actor who inexplicably dumps Lima Thurman in My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Now the real-life smart-ass cuts loose about his brother Owen, why he named his eyes Shorty and Kevin, and the joys of becoming fat and arrogant. BY ERIC SPITZNAGEL Interview 49 DENIS LEARY Everyone's favorite foulmouthed comedian shook the stand-up circuit in the early 1990s with his spirited satirical rants, which led to sod-out shows, boffo CD-and-video sales and movie roles. We chat with the still-edgy funnyman while he works on the third season of his wild, gritty television series Rescue Me, and he gets fired up about sexy nuns, the pleasures of p•c'anity and why the president deserves free blow jobs. BY STEPHEN REBELLO Pictorials 60 A DASH OF FLAVOR From Brcnx babe to silver screen stunner to the pages of Playboy, Stacey Dash is building an impressive body of work. 82 PLAYMATE: NICOLE VOSS See what's blooming as Miss August takes you on a private tour of her garden of delights. 114 REAL GIRLS OF THE O.C. Peel back California's orange curtain and gaze upon these sun-kissed beauties of the beach. Notes and News 9 THE WORLD OF PLAYBOY Hef joins the Playboy Racing Team at the Toyota Grand Prix; Seth Green and his Robot Chicken posse invade the Mansion. 10 HEF'S BIG BIRTHDAY BASH The Man celebrates the big eight-zero with his girlfriends, a multitude of Playmates and stars such as Paris Hilton, Owen Wilson, Vin Diesel and Pam Anderson. 147 PLAYMATE NEWS Kelly Monaco hosts the Daytime Emmy Awards and earns a nomination for her General Hospital role; Barbara Moore revs up the Headlights & Tailpipes adult revue in Las Vegas. Departments 3 PLAYBILL 15 DEAR PLAYBOY 19 AFTER HOURS 35 MANTRACK 41 THE PLAYBOY ADVISOR 94 PARTY JOKES 130 WHERE AND HOW TO BUY 151 ON THE SCENE 152 GRAPEVINE 154 POTPOURRI Fashion 104 FASHION MILANESE Make a pilgrimage to the mecca of style for Milan Fashion Week with famed photographer Harry Benson, who gives us an exclusive look at the designers whose clothes are part of la dolce vita. BY JOSEPH DE ACETIS Reviews 27 MOVIES Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell are the new Miami Vice; Oliver Stone tackles the 9/11 search-andrescue saga World Trade Center. 28 DVDS See what life at the Playboy Mansion is really like with The Girls Next Door; Thank You for Smoking is an addictive tar-black comedy. 30 MUSIC The 15th anniversary of the three original chill-out CDs; PLAYBOY'S playlist for a late-night sonic buzz. departments 32 GAMES NFL Head Coach lets you oversee every detail of a team's season; play outdoors with the best portable game systems. 33 BOOKS Decide if soccer matters with The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup; pin-ups come to life in The Wonderful World of Bill Ward.