Playboy January 2008

FEATURES 56 OUR BATTLES JOINED On his first visit to Afghanistan, in 2004, reporter CHR/STIANPAREN - befriended his translator, Ajmal Naqshbandi. Last year Parenti learned Naqshbandi had been captured and beheaded by the Taliban. In this riveting first-person account, Parenti returns to Afghanistan to discover how and why his friend was killed. 82 A TASTE OF PRIORAT Priorat is a sensational Spanish wine that is fast losing its status as a best-kept secret. Acclaimed novelist ROBERT COOVER elegantly explains why. 86 MIKE TYSON LAID BARE As Kid Dynamite prepares to return to jail, boxing writer JONATHAN REM:MU presents a series of compelling interviews that add up to a portrait of an enigma. 104 RIDING HIGH WITH ARTIE LANGE Explore the world of the actor, comedian and Howard Stern sidekick. Is being this funny worth risking your life? 108 2008 CARS OF THE YEAR KEN GROSS looks at the sweetest rides, from the best sport sedans, sports coupes and convertibles to the ultimate contender we crown Car of the Year. 116 LAND OF THE FREE, HOME OF THE SCARED "A government can take fear and control everything with it," warns JIMMY BRESLIN in this call for collective common sense. Since 9/11, he says, the government and the media have joined in panicking us. How did it get out of hand? 120 PARTY OF THE YEAR Britney and Lindsay, Imus and Michael Vick, Becks, Marty, Peyton and Sanjaya2007's most memorable names wrap up the year with one final blast. FICTION 70 BLUE LIGHT Peerless storyteller JOHN UPDIKE returns with a tale about Fritz Fleischer, a man who takes a blue-light treatment at his dermatologist's and finds his thoughts jumping from his aging skin to the fragility of intimacy. THE PLAYBOY FORUM 41 HOW THE WEST WAS RUINED John Muir was the sainted godfather of the conservation movement, the co-founder of the Sierra Club and a champion for national parks, but his rhapsodic view of nature hurts the modern environmental movement. 20Q 78 HELENA BONHAM CARTER Director Tim Burton's companion and muse chats about who would get custody of Johnny Depp if they ever split, her impressive orgasm scene in Fight Club and her twisted role in Sweeney Todd. INTERVIEW 47 TINA FEY She's an alumna of Saturday Night Live and the creator of 30 Rock, but she still can't shake her image as the queen of the comedy nerds. The thinking-man's sex symbol explains her love for Star Wars, why she would be honored if Will Ferrell stabbed her and the reason she went off on Paris Hilton. PICTORIALS 60 CURRY FOR DESSERT In a much requested return appearance, Adrianne Curry enlists a girlfriend to turn up the heat. 90 PLAYMATE: SANDRA NILSSON It's a sensuous Swedish encounter as Miss January takes Manhattan. 122 THE YEAR IN SEX A look back at the silliest, spiciest, most salacious sex-centered subjects of 2007. 131 PLAYBOY'S PLAYMATE REVIEW Assess the positions of the dozen candidates and vote for Playmate of the Year. notes and news NOTES AND NEWS 9 WORLD OF PLAYBOY Hef and the Girls Next Door grace the Fox Reality Really Awards, and mixed martial arts come to Holmby Hills. 10 HANGIN' WITH HEF Bridget gets caught up in a murder mystery, Kendra raps with the stars, and Holly and Hef do Disneyland. A new Playboy shop opens in London. 167 PLAYMATE NEWS Sara Jean Underwood, Hiromi Oshima and Lauren Michelle Hill star with Anna Faris in I Know What Boys Like; Miss June 1969 Helena Antonaccio shares her Secret. DEPARTMENTS 3 PLAYBILL 13 DEAR PLAYBOY 17 AFTER HOURS 27 REVIEWS 35 MANTRACK 39 THE PLAYBOY ADVISOR 102 PARTY JOKES 171 WHERE AND HOW TO BUY 172 GRAPEVINE 174 POTPOURRI FASHION 74 THE FOUR S'S Skin, scent, style and shave—we cover the top products in each category, while Sara Jean Underwood, Kara Monaco and other Playmates discuss what they think makes a well-groomed man.