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Nina Hartley

Posted on October 17, 2023October 17, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Nina Hartley: The Sex Fairy

The hand job gets no respect. It’s the Dodge Dart of sex acts, a series of motions that produces an orgasm without either party enjoying it all that much. [It seems like they might be doing it wrong. Just sayin’. -Ed.]

They can be painful, impersonal, the quickest of quickies. Men get hand jobs all the time, women (and men) dispense them, but no one brags about them. That’s why, when a female acquaintance who works in the porn industry boasted about knowing the actress who “gives the best hand jobs in the business,” I had to laugh. It may be the “best,” but it’s still a hand job. How good could it be?

Then she mentioned that the actress in question is Nina Hartley, a 56-year-old, award-winning porn veteran who’s pretty much done it all — and still does. She dominated notorious bad girl Belladonna; starred in her own how-to video, Nina Hartley’s Guide to Anal Sex; and thoroughly enjoys her open marriage. Porn star Lexington Steele has said that sex with Hartley was the best he’s ever had. If anyone could remove the stigma surrounding a hand-job, it would be Nina.

I take the bait and wonder what lies at the “heart” of Hartley’s secret.

“Nina knows what she is doing,” says my porn acquaintance. “She knows exactly how to pressure certain spots, where to rub, how hard, how soft — all of it. She gave my boyfriend a hand job, and it was incredible. I had never seen him spurt like that. I can put you in touch with her if you like.”

That’s how I find myself sitting across from THE Nina Hartley in a hotel room in downtown Los Angeles. She wears black leggings, black boots, red-framed glasses, and a button-down shirt. She’s the quintessential lusty lady next door that every young man ought to know. She takes in the room and asks, “Is it warm enough here? You’ll need to be comfortable with your pants off.”

I hop up to adjust the thermostat and can’t help but notice a small Dopp kit set down in front of Hartley. She’ll soon open it to reveal what she calls “my hand job kit.” Contained inside: black latex gloves, two kinds of lubricant (water-based and silicone-based), and a clutch of hand wipes.

Pants still on, I can’t help but wonder aloud why she bothered getting into elevating a form of sex that most people think of as, well, not quite sex.

“I’d like to change the dialogue of hand jobs,” Hartley replies. “A hand-job will hopefully result in an orgasm for the man. That automatically makes it sex. It allows me to enjoy sex without worrying about condoms, babies, diseases. It’s also a kindness to my partner. It allows me to be the sex fairy. I can give hand jobs all night and embody the whore with the heart of gold. I like to be sexually generous and pitch in. One night, with a group, I was fluffer, lube jockey, condom retriever, and cunt washer — and it was awesome. I’ll even hold your hat and coat if you need me to.”

Hartley adds, “People want sex to be spontaneous. I build a playground where you can be spontaneous, but no one is going to run out and get hit by a car.”

Hartley explains that hand jobs serve as the perfect introduction to a man and his penis: “Before getting my vulva involved, hand jobs allow me to see how my partner receives pleasure — how the energy exchange is — whether it’s a tango or a waltz. I’d much rather give a hand job than get bad dick. I know that if I’m in charge, it will be a good time for both parties. I’ve given hour-long hand jobs. I don’t think of it as a prelude to sex. It is the sex.”

And what makes a Nina Hartley hand job so good? She smiles and replies, “I’m the Vladimir Horowitz of dick.”

She’s not wrong.

[At this point we enter a rather graphic description of the author’s glee that seemed rather aside from the point of the sexuality education Nina Hartley hopes to provide. Suffice it to say that the technique involved holding some parts “like a taco” in order to set the stage, as it were. We now continue….]

“You coax an erection; you don’t force it,” she tells me. “Most women feel that just them being there is enough. But the penis has to know it’s wanted, not just required. Porn and popular culture have colluded to make you think the penis comes out of the pants and will fuck anything. But men require some emotional connection.” [Gasp!]

Nina says this while undertaking what she calls the “zipper pull”: While continuing the taco hold with one hand, she initiates a pressing-and-sliding motion with the other….

[More description better befitting Penthouse Letters than our more scientific analysis. … Then…]

Hartley’s hand job proves revelatory. It’s incredibly pleasurable and way sexier than I had previously thought possible. More than a happy ending, it’s a happy experience that makes me rethink what the act is all about. Rather than being throwaway sex, this is about connecting and having fun in a manner that full-on intercourse just isn’t. It’s like intentionally forgoing the super-serious main course for a couple of fun, umami-laced appetizers, knowing that you’ll be enjoying every bite. By applying focus, technique, and a good attitude, she takes the beleaguered hand job way beyond its consolation-prize status.

This experience has been enough to make me both forget the scene from House of Lies in which Doug’s penis gets manually jack-hammered and to consider enhancements that can elevate all forms of sex. After all, if Hartley can bedazzle a hand job so successfully, what can we do to notch-up full-on intercourse?

But truthfully, we’re already nearing the point of no return. Nina stretches out the completion a bit, and I’m left with chills running through my body.

I lie there for a moment, coming down from her digital tour de force, before feeling a little awkward and not sure of the appropriate cleanup protocol. Almost on cue, Hartley swoops in with hand wipes, then origamis the wipes and gloves into a neat, inside-out package that remains completely dry on the exterior.

“That was amazing,” I tell her. “I’m on another planet right now.”

“I’m a professional,” she replies. Then THE Nina Hartley gets dressed, hugs me good-bye, and heads out into the L.A. dusk. The sex fairy has left the building.

Being a remarkably intelligent person, Nina will often spout things that require at least mental footnotes to research later. We have no shame in saying that we had to look up “Vladimir Horowitz” to discover that he was a famous pianist (joke obviously intended in Ms. Hartley’s case, because she obviously enjoys playing with a pianist). Sadly, this famous person in an historically niche genre died years before almost anyone in this department was born. Our knowledge of deceased classical musicians was lacking. We admit. …

On a much brighter note (joke intended here too), you may also find Nina Hartley still pushing (and pulling) out good vibes these days as well. You actually may be surprised to learn that Nina Harley owns nina.com herself, once again proving that being “not young” can have distinct benefits. How many of us can claim we own the URL for our own name? … You can take this final fact to the bank too, given from someone else that owns their own name as a web address: The Gingers and the Jennas may have been more “famous” adult stars, taken in some sort of an overall, objective, societal, sort of way, but never has there been a “more popular” star than Nina Hartley. Anyone who has ever met Nina can tell you that. She has that exceptionally rare gift of speaking to you as if you are the only person in the world that matters to her at that exact moment. Somewhere in the Multiverse, Nina Hartley was probably President.

Pop Shots Ty Dolla $ign

Posted on September 27, 2023September 27, 2023 by Team Penthouse

The Penthouse World According to Ty Dolla $ign

It might seem predictable — or even cliché — that a prominent personality in the urban music scene like singer/producer Ty Dolla $ign would gravitate toward depicting hot chicks smoking weed, or wrestling around while oiled up in a girl fight, but we defy anyone to say they would have predicted that the images would be this artistic and scintillating.

Did you have a personal connection to the magazine growing up?

I heard of Penthouse, of course. Growing up, I think I found some of my dad’s one time.

Have you ever done anything like this before?

I have, but I haven’t released it yet. I have some shit coming, though.

You do? A nude photo shoot?

Yeah.

Tell me about it.

I can’t talk about it.

Okay, we’ll talk about this project. What were you going for?

I didn’t want to just have a super-ratchet photo shoot. If you notice, my music is kind of straight up, you know. And I didn’t want the pictures to be so straight up. All my videos are hella artsy. The song is talking about some crazy shit, but the pictures and the videos are tasteful.

Why is that?

Because that’s the way it is in life. What people do is, they will sell you a dream and make it seem like it’s all good. But in real life, they’re real ratchet. What I like to do is reverse that. I just tell you exactly what it is, but then I’ll show you the real visual of everything being perfect.

Expose the bullshit without being the bullshit.

Exactly.

What does Ty Dolla $ign look for in a girl?

Shit. Just swag, really. Being confident. There are a lot of cute girls out there who aren’t sure of themselves and that makes it too easy. I like it when a girl knows exactly what she is. Then it might be a challenge … but it might not be.

Do you have a particular type?

[Sings] “I ain’t got no type. Bad bitches is the only thing that I like.” You feel me? I’ll fucks with all different races, all different sizes. Maybe not too big, maybe not too small. I just like all women.

Even the more traditional models you see represented in mainstream media?

I like them, too … on those types of days. I’m not gonna lie: I’m a single man, and I’m not looking for love, but one day it’s gonna happen. I’m not hiding from it, either. Right now I’m definitely on my turn-up and I like all the different flavors. Compare it to a box of Crayola crayons. I like them all.

Any deal breakers? What would it take for a girl to turn you off?

If the coochie stink-stink, then of course I’m not fucking with her. If the breath stinks, I’m not fucking with her. If her nails are fucked up and dirty, I’m not fucking with her. I just like a woman to take care of herself and smell good. Oh. If she ain’t got no job, I ain’t fucking with her either. I don’t like broke bitches.

What exactly were you looking for when you cast Sophie Dee and Selena Santana as the models for the shoot?

For me it’s face first, so if you have a beautiful face, I’m fucking with you. Sophie and Selena definitely won as far as the face goes. And then the body comes next. Something about Sophie, probably the eyes… She just gets you.

Yeah, those eyes.

Just a thick, beautiful white girl with blue eyes and huge tits. That was cool. I think that’s everybody’s — a lot of people’s — dream white girl. And Selena as well. Selena is just a fire-ass Latin chick. Beautiful. Nice body. They’re both bad as shit. They holler at me.

What was your inspiration behind picking the set?

The weed shit definitely came from me. I’m looking into owning one of those shops, you know, and having some beautiful girls in the shop like that would probably be the everyday thing going on in there. I was like, fuck it, let’s do this first, and I’ll look into getting my license.

You weren’t into the girl fight?

I’m into it; it’s cool. They weren’t really fighting, though. They got turned-up. They started pouring that oil on each other, that baby oil.

But the dispensary was more your speed.

It’s definitely a reflection of me. It’s all good to have the girls, but just imagine: hotel with the girls, or dispensary with the girls? I’m going to choose dispensary. I don’t need the bed and all of that old-school shit. I’m down for the couch or the floor and the weed.

So your shoot actually gives people a glimpse into what Ty Dolla $ign is about?

If I weren’t working so hard every day doing music, I would probably be just chilling out in my weed shop with some chicks, getting hella stoned and trying all the different flavors.

In hindsight, would you have done anything differently?

I probably would have cast at least four to five [models]. A Spanish, a white, an Asian, a black, a Middle Eastern or an Indian or something like that. Something fly. You know you got to have all the flavors in order for it to be complete.

Sure, but if budget weren’t an issue?

Budget is never an issue for the Dolla $ign. Excuse me?

The only bad thing was that I couldn’t smoke inside, for the vibe. I was just talking about that with one of the homies yesterday. Everything that we do is based off if we can smoke or not. And I couldn’t smoke in there, so that was kinda wack, but outside wasn’t too far.

Did you hold anything back?

I definitely self-edited. I want my shit hella artistic and to get them blown up and have them hang in my crib, so right when you walk in my front door you can see them. And my daughter can walk in and see them, and my grandmother, and whoever else, and they still get the point. And it’s clean, you know what I mean?

What’s on the horizon for you professionally?

I have an album called Free TC coming out right before summer. And I got hella features dropping. God is great. I’m thankful. More tours coming. Festivals coming. Just more good music. Let’s get it.

What’s behind the title Free TC?

Free TC is dedicated to my little brother TC. He’s locked up for a murder that he didn’t do. It’s not just him who’s been [victimized by] injustice. I have other homies who are going through the same shit. All across America and in Mexico, in Canada, Africa, everywhere, and we just need to bring awareness to that shit. I’m going to take a lot of this money that I’m going to get from this album and put it toward a great team of lawyers and work on getting him out. That’s about it.

If you’re curious, The New York Times ranked that debut album at #4 for ’Best Albums of 2015” overall, and Mr. Dolla $ign just kept getting better (making our project with him look very smart, which we love, of course). You have to admire someone who has branded “Expensive” on their merchanidse — which includes one of best modern logo designs we have seen, by the way. Of course under it all live the music, but it could be that Ty Dolla $ign just might be one of those artists that proves able to trancend limited genre. Think about it: 7+ million followers cannot all be attracted by the same thing. Can they?

Trenton Beechum

Posted on September 19, 2023September 20, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Burning Rubber with Trenton Beechum

Before we get into the mechanics – as it were – of Trenton Beechum, you might need a quick primer on his realm.

Consider that a typical Formula Drift race is over in 45 seconds, and an entire heat completes in under two minutes. Yet fans and drivers alike continually spend hours at the track, soaking in the heat and breathing in the burning rubber, all for the chance to experience the nonstop adrenaline that makes drift racing unique in the world of motorsports.

“It’s more exciting than drag racing or circuit racing or anything because [you feel the] adrenaline the whole time,” says Trenton Beechum, the sport’s newest pro racer.

“The runs aren’t very long, but we’re going 100 miles an hour, neck and neck, with like a thousand horsepower cars. So, it’s pretty crazy. It’s a good adrenaline rush.”

Beechum, 29, has been drifting — literally, not metaphorically — since 2014. In 2015, he was the TopDrift Pro-Am Champion, and in 2019, he was the Formula Drift Pro2 Champion. He got his pro card to move up to the big leagues just before COVID-19 hit, and finally in 2022 has been able to take on the sport’s biggest names in his bid to establish himself as one of drifting’s top stars.

Going from the top of the track to the new kid on the block hasn’t been an easy transition — it’s hard to give up nonstop winning and go back to paying your dues — but Beechum has seen the sport’s fan base grow, and he’s planning to be there when it blows up and takes on NASCAR and Formula 1 in a battle to be America’s favorite motorsport.

“It started off as fun, and it still is really fun because now I’m going like seven times faster and competing with the world’s best people,” Beechum says.

As a kid, Beechum watched drifters like Matt Field and James Deane, two of the sport’s most famous racers, and now, they’re his friends — and his competition. But taking on his childhood heroes hasn’t been too much of a struggle.

“I like watching them race. I’m not crazy, but I’d rather be out there driving,” laughs Beechum, who counts Penthouse as a sponsor.

Part of the rush of drifting comes from having to keep a speeding half-ton hunk of steel from spinning out of control while driving mere inches away from your competitor. You know that feeling you get when you start hydroplaning during a storm? That’s the same feeling drift racers experience every time they get behind the wheel of their car.

It goes like this: Each heat in drift racing involves only two cars, a lead car and a follow car, and two laps. The lead car takes off and has a certain set of marks to hit around the track’s outer zone. When the lead car approaches a turn, the goal is to oversteer and kick the clutch, forcing the wheels to lock up and the tires to lose traction with the asphalt. Then, instead of driving around the curve, the car drifts, the tires shredding as they slide across the pavement. As the car comes out of the curve, the driver has to quickly straighten and regain traction to pull out of the drift.

If that’s not complicated enough, this is all happening while the follow car chases after the lead car, trying to hit every mark and match the lead car’s speed and angle — while essentially tailgating the competition. Then, they switch roles and do it all over again — in less time than it took you to read this explanation.

“It’s very nerve-wracking,” Beechum admits. “I still feel that way today. Getting in the car, sitting on the line, it’s just the most nerve-wracking thing you can do. [I can’t stop thinking] ‘Is the car going to survive? Am I going to crash? How fast are we going to go?’ But then once you get out [on the track], the next 45 seconds you’re just flooring it. You have nothing else to think about except keeping the car floored and as fast as you can go.”

If you watch ride-along videos of drifters, you’ll see so much activity as the drivers hit a turn. They have nanoseconds, at best, to kick the clutch several times, quickly counter-steer against the curve, and then whip the steering wheel in the complete opposite direction to fly into the perfect drift. There’s adrenaline coursing through their bodies from the sheer excitement of it all, but also the very real danger they’re in if they fuck it up. And yet, the best drivers execute that sequence with such style that it looks effortless from the outside, almost graceful.

When Beechum meets traditional racers who’ve decided to give drifting a spin, they’re usually freaking out.

“They’re so used to driving perfect, driving straight, and then they try drifting and they’re like, ‘Holy shit! I can’t do it. My body is telling me this doesn’t feel right,’” he explains. “It takes a different kind of skill.”

To be fair, Beechum says he wasn’t quite cut out for NASCAR, either — though for a slightly different reason.

“I went and tried it out, and I thought that shit was pretty fucking easy,” he says. “You’re just going left.”

He has nothing against traditional racing, though. He gets the appeal of going 200 mph — and getting paid handsomely to do it — but he also doesn’t feel the same connection to it that most fans and racers do. He didn’t grow up with NASCAR. At 15, he wasn’t so much into going fast as going hard, crashing through his neighborhood in a car he wasn’t technically supposed to be driving and seeing just what he was capable of behind the wheel.

More and more, Beechum says, he’s meeting new fans at his races who came over from NASCAR or Formula 1 and expected to feel about drift the way he feels about straight driving. But after seeing a couple heats, he says, they became converts.

“It’s like a drug,” he explains. “Ask anyone who’s ever drifted. I have friends who can’t race anymore, and they’ll be on another drifter’s team just to be around the sport, just to be that close and be a part of it.”

Infectious guy, that Trenton, right? … Obviously there would be an instagram. And obviously you can even find time to watch complete races, even in a forced short video format. Granted, to some of us it looks like trying to get to your girlfriend’s house before her parents get home during any Colorado winter, but these folks are doing it with 1,000 hp engines with nary any nookie at the finish line. That dedication has to count for something. And simply because we like for everyone to feel involved, we cajoled Mr. Trenton Beechum into giving us a clip from the “passenger cam” that we could share. … Better not sneeze during one of these runs. …

The Arizona that Begat Our War

Posted on August 28, 2023August 23, 2023 by Team Penthouse

WWII – Battle Against Time

Chaos, smoke and fire turned an island paradise into hell on Earth when hundreds of aircraft from the Imperial Japanese Navy rained bombs down on the United States Naval base at Pearl Harbor in Oahu, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941. Enemy soldiers targeted hangars and parked aircraft on the territory’s airfields and launched torpedoes against warships moored in the harbor.

During the first five minutes of the relentless assault, four battleships were hit — including the USS Oklahoma and the USS Arizona. A 1,760-pound bomb hit the Arizona’s gunpowder stores — and when it exploded, so did the doomed ship. The blast was so intense it briefly lifted the craft out of the water and gutted the forward decks. A massive fireball blew upward and engulfed its damaged masts. The bow was split from the rest of the cratered hull. Within nine minutes, the once grand ship began to slowly sink and would ultimately entomb more than 900 of its crew.

In total, the Arizona lost 1,177 sailors — accounting for nearly half of the American casualties during the sneak attack, which devastated the U.S. Pacific fleet and dragged the formerly neutral nation into World War II.

Just 334 servicemembers assigned to the Arizona survived — including 20-year-old U.S. Navy coxswain Howard “Ken” Potts. He was working as a crane operator and tasked with shuttling supplies to the battleship — but he was ashore when the Japanese began their assault. After racing to the scene, Potts helped rescue injured men from the oily harbor, which was ablaze, and later recovered some of the dead from their watery graves.

But Potts, like so many of his fellow heroes from the Greatest Generation, recently passed away — breathing his last in April, six days after his 102nd birthday. His death leaves only one remaining survivor from the Arizona: 101-year-old Lou Conter.

The fact that America’s WWII veterans are fading fast comes as no surprise. After all, the U.S. entered the war more than 80 years ago, which means the men and women who fought and won the historic conflict are now in their 90s — or older. According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, in 2022 only 167,284 of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII were still alive — and their numbers are dwindling daily. As these aging veterans disappear, their memories of the war’s triumphs and terrors threaten to vanish with them. But the American Veterans Center (AVC) is honoring their sacrifices, documenting their stories, and preserving their legacy for future generations.

The Arizona Memories

In 2020, Potts shared his memories with AVC.

“When I got back to Pearl Harbor, the whole harbor was afire. Oil that leaked out [from the damaged battleships] caught on fire and was burning,” he recalled.

Potts took a boat back to the Arizona and said he and others “picked people out of the water on the way” toward the flaming vessel.

He said when the onboard ammunitions exploded, that “basically blew the ship in half” and “that’s when it started to sink.”

Potts revealed, “That’s when they got on the loudspeaker and said to abandon ship.”

In the days following the attack, young Potts joined a diving crew to recover whatever corpses could be reached from the wreckage of the Arizona, which sank entirely by Dec. 10, 1941. He called it “the worst job I ever had.”

He also confessed, “Even after I got out of the Navy, out in the open, and heard a siren, I’d shake.”

Potts is just one of thousands of former veterans — from WWII and beyond — whose stories have been documented by AVC since it was founded in 1995. Dramatic oral histories telling the real-life tales of horror and heroism are available on the nonprofit’s YouTube channel, and written stories — submitted by former military members themselves or by their families — can be found at the Home of the Brave section of American Veterans Center online.

In addition, AVC provides all of its video and audio interviews to the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project for use by researchers. The organization also produces a variety of multimedia content, including documentaries and television specials, such as American Valor: A Salute to Our Heroes. AVC has called the Emmy-winning franchise an annual Veterans Day television tradition, which recounts the legends and heroes of the last 75 years of American military history.

AVC has also behind our nation’s largest Memorial Day event in Washington, D.C., a parade which draws an astounding 300,000 in-person spectators. This year as NASA prepares to return to the moon after more than five decades, the parade enlisted three former American astronauts — and veterans — as grand marshals: Russell “Rusty” Schweickart, lunar module pilot on Apollo 9, Charlie Duke, lunar module pilot on Apollo 16, and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt, lunar module pilot on Apollo 17. Duke and Schmitt are two of the four still living men to have walked on the moon, with Schmitt having been the very last to set foot on its surface.

Podcasts, magazines and more also reflect the AVC’s dedication to honoring our country’s WWII servicemembers.

The USS Arizona Memorial was formally dedicated on May 30, 1962. The museum and monument remain accessible only by boat and actually straddle the sunken hull of the battleship without touching it. Over 40 late survivors chose to have their ashes interred at the site to join their fallen brothers. The urns of the deceased were placed by divers in the well of the submerged barbette on gun turret No. 4. More than 2 million people visit the location annually.

The physical monument to the Arizona’s crew will remain for generations — but AVC is ensuring the memories of our WWII vets will also stand as a fitting tribute to their personal accomplishments and sacrifices.

You can learn more about The American Veterans Center of course — immersing yourself in the stories of past military heroes of all generations. If you can make it to Honolulu, though, a visit to the actual USS Arizona Memorial just migh

Liza Kovalenko

Posted on August 22, 2023August 22, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Liza Kovalenko: A Letter of Love and Peace

Liza was born in a small Ukrainian town called Shostka, near the Russian border. She confesses that she had a memorable childhood, surrounded by many friends and a happy family. She spent her time drawing, playing sports, and in the winter she skied and sleighed.

Liza also always dreamed of pursuing a modeling career. “I remember a moment from my childhood when I was in the village with my grandmother. She was looking at me and inadvertently said: ‘You will become a very beautiful model, your thin legs were made to be on the catwalk.’ I was nine years old. She impressed me and inspired me even more to become a model.”

That shows how it has been for Liza Kovalenko. As her career as a model explodes, she confesses that she has experienced some contrasts typical within the profession. For example, “The most difficult thing about being a model is that you are still an ordinary person, the image of the model is beautiful, always positive, friendly with clients, professional, resilient on sets. Sometimes I have bad days, like everyone else. Professionalism lies in not letting these weaknesses affect my work.”

However, Liza also appreciates the dream parts of this career. “Modeling is a lot of fun, the main thing for me is the opportunity to travel, make productions in different parts of the world, in beautiful places, learn languages and different cultures, as well as meeting interesting people.”

These days, Liza’s dreams take her to deeper places. “My biggest dream is to have enough influence to change the world, to help people, to create a fund to help children and mothers, to show that a beautiful appearance is important, but the beauty of the soul is even more. Kindness is true beauty.”

We met with Liza to talk about her career as a model, other personal projects, and also to get a perspective on the current situation between Russia and Ukraine. Somewhat surprisingly, the context Liza gave us provided an overview sensitizing this historical fact.

You have been close to art. Tell us more about your perspective as a plastic artist. We saw your Instagram account, where you publish some of your work.

I have been drawing since I was a child. I inherited my talent and sense of beauty from my father. Now I draw for my own pleasure and post my work on my Instagram account. I have several art projects that I hope to implement in the near future. You can see all the news on my Instagram.

What does sensuality mean to you?

The sensuality of a woman is in her goodness, her ability to see beauty, to project beauty and love into the surrounding world, helping people.

How would you describe Liza Kovelenko’s personality?

This is a difficult question, since a person is a storehouse of the unknown. As I go through new phases of my life, I learn many new things about myself. One thing I can say for sure: I am an artistic person, I subtly feel and react to what is happening. I try to live in harmony with myself and create the best version of myself every day.

Liza’s Treaty for Peace

Before the conflict, how have you lived, culturally and socially, in proximity with Russia?

For many days the world has been watching the events that are happening in my country, unfortunately they are tragic. Russia started the war in Ukraine on the morning of February 24, and the peaceful sky of my country was alarmed by Russian fighter jets. Military installations, factories, strategically important installations and civilian homes were attacked. The Ukrainian people and the Russian people have always been close, like brothers, but we are not yet one. Ukrainian culture has its own unique national characteristics, its own language, its own flag and its beautiful centuries-old history.

How have you experienced this situation?

I remain convinced that this is not a conflict of peaceful people, but a conflict of politicians. Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to invade the territory of Ukraine in a vile way, saying that our people and our country have no right to exist. In his image of the world, Ukraine should become part of Russia and be ruled by Russia. On my behalf I will say that Ukrainians are a free people who value their culture and Putin’s plan will not be fulfilled.

How have you lived recently concerning the situation, with your relatives, close friends, and Ukrainian compatriots?

The news of the war broke my heart. Like millions of Ukrainians, we are all amazed at the cruelty of the fraternal people, the orders to kill people who have lived so calmly in the neighborhood for many years. It is a treacherous intrusion by a man who promised us peace and broke his word. At the moment my family is still in the city, surrounded by Russian soldiers, They cannot leave, and I can only hope that everything is fine. I keep in touch with them every day. Many of my friends have already been separated from their families or relocated to more peaceful areas in the east. There are people coming out of their houses, trying to save their lives.

“The Ukrainian people and the Russian people have always been close, like brothers, but we are not one yet.”

What do you think of the support that the world has provided so that Ukraine can get out of this situation?

I think that every Ukrainian is grateful for the support given to our country, difficult times show the true nature of people. The world did not remain indifferent to our pain.

How can we support Ukraine?

Through a wide variety of foundations, some of them I shared on my Instagram. You can donate to the Ukrainian Army, to the Red Cross, to SaveLife in Ukraine. You can also help by buying products, medicines and equipment, and sending them to Ukraine. All help is very important at this time.

“There is no flag big enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people,” Howard Zin said. I pray and hope for the blue sky over our territory. For the smiles of my loved ones. For love, happiness and prosperity.

Even we sometimes have no words. Some of us know more than a few Ukrainians, and we keep Liza Kovalenko among them in our thoughts. Necessarily keeping our thoughts private, we move along. …

Giving our traditional due credit, we’ll list these in order of presumed importance. You may find Liza, the photographer Juan David Jaramillo, or the interviewer Aarón Zavaleta all on Instagram. Handy place, that Instagram. As per usual with articles from these foreign issues, we apologize for any silly mistakes in our clunky attempts at translation, but on the upside, we provide the original language version right here. If you cannot be accurate necessarily, you can at least be helpful.

Abrimos nuestras páginas para conversar con la modelo ucraniana Liza Kovalenko, sobre sus memorias de infancia, sueños como modelo y el context que ha vivido su nación en días recientes.

Liza Kovalenko: Una Carta de Amor y Paz

Liza nació en un pequeño pueblo ucraniano llamado Shostka, cerca de la frontera con Rusia. Ella confiesa que tuvo una infancia memorable, con un entorno de muchos amigos y una familia feliz. Desde ese entonces solía dibujar y hacer deporte, en invierno esquiaba y montaba en trineo.

También, ella siempre soñó con hacer carrera de modelo. “Recuerdo un momento de mi infancia cuando estaba en el pueblo con mi abuela. Ella me estaba mirando y sin querer me dijo: ‘Te convertirás en una modelo muy hermosa, tus piernas delgadas fueron hechas para estar en la pasarela’. Yo tenía nueve años. Me impresionó y me inspiró aún más para convertirme en modelo”.

Así ha sido, su carrera como modelo está en auge, y confiesa que ha vivido algunos contrastes propios de su industria, por ejemplo: “Lo más difícil de ser modelo es que todavía eres una persona común, la imagen de la modelo es hermosa, siempre positiva, amable con los clientes, profesional, resistente en los sets. A veces tengo días malos, como todo el mundo. El profesionalismo radica en no dejar que estas debilidades afecten mi trabajo”. No obstante, también se queda con la parte de ensueño de esta carrera: “modelar es muy divertido, lo principal para mí es la oportunidad de viajar, hacer producciones en diferentes partes del mundo, en lugares hermosos, aprender idiomas y diferentes culturas, así como conocer gente interesante”.

Sus sueños ahora la llevan a otros lugares más profundos, “Mi mayor sueño es tener suficiente influencia para cambiar el mundo, ayudar a la gente, crear un fondo para ayudar a los niños y las madres, mostrar que una apariencia hermosa es importante, pero la belleza del alma es más todavía. La amabilidad es la verdadera belleza”.

Nos encontramos con Liza para platicar de su trayectoria como modelo, otros proyectos personales y también para hacernos de una perspectiva sobre la situación que actualmente se vive entre Rusia y Ucrania. Aprendimos de ella y el contexto, y nos da un panorama que sensibiliza ante este hecho histórico.

Has estado cerca del arte, cuéntanos más sobre tu faceta como artista plástica, vimos tu cuenta de instagram, donde publicas algunos de tus trabajos.

He estado dibujando desde que era un niña. Heredé mi talento y sentido de la belleza de mi padre. Ahora dibujo por placer propio y publico mi trabajo en mi cuenta de Instagram. Tengo varios proyectos de arte que espero implementar en un futuro cercano. Puedes ver todas las novedades en mi Instagram.

¿Qué significa para ti la sensualidad?

La sensualidad de una mujer está en su bondad, su capacidad de ver la belleza, de proyectar belleza y amor en el mundo circundante, ayudando a las personas.

¿Cómo consideras que es tu personalidad?

Esta es una pregunta difícil, ya que una persona a su manera es un almacén de lo desconocido. En medida que paso por nuevas etapas de mi vida, aprendo muchas cosas nuevas sobre mí. Una cosa puedo decir con seguridad: soy una persona artística, siento y reacciono sutilmente a lo que está sucediendo. Trato de vivir en armonía conmigo misma y crear la mejor versión de mí todos los días.

Un tratado por la paz

¿Cómo has vivido cultural y socialmente, la proximidad con Rusia, antes del conflicto?

Desde hace muchos días el mundo está pendiente de los hechos que suceden en mi país, lamentablemente son trágicos. Rusia comenzó la guerra en Ucrania el 24 de febrero por la mañana, y el cielo pacífico de mi país fue alarmado por aviones de combate rusos. Se atacaron instalaciones militares, fábricas, instalaciones de importancia estratégica y viviendas civiles. El pueblo ucraniano y el pueblo ruso siempre han sido cercanos, como hermanos, pero todavía no somos uno. La cultura ucraniana tiene sus propias características nacionales únicas, su propio idioma, su propia bandera y su hermosa historia centenaria.

¿Cómo has vivido esta situación?

Sigo convencida de que este no es un conflicto de gente pacífica, sino un conflicto de políticos. El presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, decidió invadir el territorio de Ucrania de una manera vil, diciendo que nuestro pueblo y nuestro país no tienen derecho a existir. En su imagen del mundo, Ucrania debería convertirse en parte de Rusia y ser gobernada por Rusia. En mi nombre diré que los ucranianos son un pueblo libre que valora su cultura y su plan no se cumplirá.

¿Cómo has vivido la situación con tus familiares, amigos cercanos y compatriotas ucranianos?

La noticia de la guerra me rompió el corazón, al igual que a millones de ucranianos, todos estamos asombrados de la crueldad de la gente fraterna, las órdenes de matar a la gente que vive tan tranquila en el barrio desde hace muchos años. Es una intrusión traicionera de un hombre que nos prometió paz y rompió su palabra. Por el momento mi familia sigue en la ciudad, rodeada por militares rusos, no puede irse y solo puedo esperar a que todo esté bien. Me mantengo en contacto con ellos todos los días, muchos de mis amigos ya han sido separados de sus familias o reacomodados en áreas más pacíficas en el este. Hay gente saliendo de sus casas, tratando de salvar sus vidas.

“El pueblo ucraniano y el pueblo ruso siempre han sido cercanos, como hermanos, pero todavía no somos uno.”

¿Qué opinas del apoyo que el mundo ha brindado para que Ucrania pueda salir adelante de esta situación?

Pienso que cada ucraniano está agradecido por el apoyo prestado a nuestro país, los tiempos difíciles muestran la verdadera naturaleza de las personas, el mundo no permaneció indiferente a nuestro dolor.

¿Cómo podemos apoyar a Ucrania?

A través de una gran variedad de fundaciones. Algunas de ellas las compartí en mi Instagram. Puedes donar al ejército ucraniano, a la Cruz Roja, a SaveLife en Ucrania. También puedes ayudar comprando productos, medicamentos y equipos, y enviándolos a Ucrania. Toda ayuda es muy importante en este momento. “No hay bandera lo suficientemente grande como para cubrir la vergüenza de matar a personas inocentes”, dijo Howard Zin. Rezo y espero por el cielo azul sobre nuestro territorio. Por las sonrisas de mis seres queridos. Por el amor, la felicidad y la prosperidad.

Even if our translation was only barely a passing grade, it seems like maybe just the pictures might make it worth a closer look at Lza Kovalenko. We do not wish to be shallow, though, of course, so you should probably learn to speak Ukranian so that you can talk to her in her native tongue.

Jelly Roll

Posted on August 14, 2023August 10, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Jelly Roll’s Sweet Success

Nashville native Jelly Roll has lived a life like a country song. With a face full of tattoos — and more than a few extra pounds — the 38-year-old singer/songwriter doesn’t look like artists who typically play the Grand Ole Opry. However, the talented underdog did just that in 2021 — but his road to the famed stage was a rocky one.

Jelly Roll, whose real name is Jason DeFord, has been up-front about his past — and his demons, including struggles with anxiety and addiction. During his teens and early 20s, he was in and out of jail following arrests for armed robbery and drug possession with intent to distribute.

“In the beginning, I did a lot of drugs. I drank a lot of codeine, a lot of cough syrup,” he admits. “I took a lot of Xanax, did a lot of cocaine, just really took it overboard.”

Jelly Roll has since turned his life around — big-time. He’s also mined his personal pain and told his story of evolution and heartache via music on 2021’s Ballads of the Broken. The record includes the breakout hit “Son of a Sinner,” which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Radio and Country Aircheck charts and earned him three 2023 CMT Music Awards for Male Video of the Year, Male Breakthrough Video of the Year, and Digital-First Performance of the Year.

While the self-reflective record brought him phenomenal fame, its evocative power speaks to fans — and proves he’s country to the core.

“This album is the truth. It’s my truth. I put my blood, sweat and tears into this, and I hope y’all can hear my heart,” he says.

“Pain is an international language — everybody shares it to some degree. Being out on the road and meeting fans, I’ve learned that the more open you are in talking about it, the more people can relate to it.”

Jelly Roll first tried his musical hand at hip-hop, selling his own mixtapes out of the trunk of his car. His genre-bending career has encapsulated rap, rock and country, and as it’s progressed, he’s developed his own unique sound. It’s that sound — and his skills as a storyteller — which helped him build an online audience and grab the attention of music industry superstars — including singers Willie Nelson, Craig Morgan and Lainey Wilson.

“I was joking with someone the other day, and they said, ‘You dress like someone who’s been exposed to four different things,’” Jelly Roll says. “And I am — my sister listened to The Offspring and Sublime and Chris Cornell. My brother played Tupac and Too $hort, and [my mother] played outlaw country. To this day, I dress like a rocker, wear jewelry and a hat like a rapper, and boots like a country guy.”

Jelly Roll also lives purely as a man who’s never forgotten his roots. When the bighearted star sold out his first headlining show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena, he didn’t just rock the house for the hometown crowd. He also committed about $250,000 from its ticket sales to initiatives aiding the city’s incarcerated and underserved youth — including a recording studio to help kids learn a trade inside Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center, where Jelly Roll once did time himself.

“Nashville is a town that people come and take from,” he explains. “They come, and they party. They make the best memory of their life right here on Broadway. They come, and they chase their dreams. They join the medical field. They become big musicians in the music industry and make millions of dollars. But they never give back.”

He adds, “As a local kid, I felt like it was important to start addressing the problem hands-on, at a community level.”

The compassionate crooner is also giving second chances to ex-cons who’ve paid their debts to society with his Rolling with Jelly Food Truck.

“Our mission statement was: We only hire second-chance guys,” he says. “Every other place in the world is like, ‘If you got a felony, you can’t work here.’ We’re only hiring felons. They run the food truck and come out on tour with us some nights.”

Amid Jelly Roll’s personal epiphanies and meteoric rise, he’s had a constant companion — his beautiful wife, Bunnie DeFord. He first met the stunning smokeshow after one of his early Las Vegas gigs and credits her with changing his life in “every way possible” since they got hitched in 2016.

“We are comfortable having uncomfortable conversations.”

Mrs. DeFord — also known as Bunnie XO — is a straight-shooter like her husband, who doesn’t shy away from her past as a high-end escort and has also undergone a positive transformation herself. The business-smart beauty, 42, now runs her own entertainment empire, which includes her Dumb Blonde podcast. She jokingly refers to herself as the “degenerate love child of Dolly Parton and Dr. Ruth” and “the trailer park Barbara Walters.”

On the pair’s wedding anniversary in 2022, Jelly Roll gushed about his gal: “She truly changed the lens in which I see life through. These last six years have been a testament of the growth two rebels can make when they bring the best out of each other and push each other to the next level.”

Jelly Roll also praised his spouse for “standing by me when the monsters attacked and fighting the demons with me” — and for being a devoted mom to 14-year-old Bailee Ann, his daughter who was born to an ex while he was behind bars.
For her part, Bunnie credits her hubby with helping her refocus her vision and become the “best version” of herself. But she’s also Jelly Roll’s biggest supporter and calls him a “game-changer,” who’s blazing the trail for the have-nots — and the duo has quickly become one of country’s most dynamic couples.

“Somebody asked me what’s the secret to our marriage,” says Jelly Roll. “I didn’t even have to think about [it]. It’s simple — we are comfortable having uncomfortable conversations; we prioritize communication; we have learned to laugh at the small shit — and above everything, we don’t take anything too seriously.”

What’s next for Jelly Roll? In addition to his new album Whitsitt Chapel — his full-length country debut, which includes the fan favorite anthem “Save Me” as a duet with Wilson — he also plans to soon release rock and rap records. In addition, he’s slated to kick off his 44-city “Backroad Baptism” Tour on July 28 — but even if he were not on the road, it would be clear that Jelly Roll will be going places.

Although we may now never be able to completely erase the mental image of adult frolicking between Dr. Ruth and Dolly Parton from our brains, we do happen to like this duo a lot. There would be, of course, the obligatory tour schedule online, as well as the well worth your time XOMG Instagram account. You really should look for that Dumb Blondes podcast. It’s a hoot. Besides, who doesn’t need a “In Hoes We Trust” t-shirt? Everybody likes gardening.

Daring Iceland Nicole

Posted on August 2, 2023August 2, 2023 by Team Penthouse

A Fantastic Icelandic Voyage

Eloquent Nicole Vaunt, July 2020’s Penthouse Pet, says, “Exploring the southern coast of Iceland is a dream come true. This arctic island is endlessly inspiring: the geothermal pools run blue, mist hangs heavy on the mountains and each bend in Ring Road brings you to another beautiful waterfall.”

Nicole’s recent visit to the Nordic nation was her third, and the blue-eyed beauty admits, “I would travel there for the magical landscape alone, but this time I had a more mischievous motive in mind — posing on and among the giant, epic icebergs!”

The provocative model says of her edgy shoots, “I love knowing I’m adjacent to danger, but conveying serenity and ease as I move fluidly through each pose.”

Having grown up on the water, Nicole knows it can be as beautiful as it is deadly. “‘Never turn your back on the ocean’ is an old lifeguard motto for a reason, but I live for the rush of adrenaline that comes from creating in a risky environment,” she explains. “I was on my toes — literally and figuratively — never forgetting the sneaker waves on the black sand beach of Reynisfjara could surge up and overtake me at any moment.”

This adventurous spirit confesses she did underestimate one risk: Icelandic horses. “Don’t let the locals hear you call them ponies!” she warns. “They are tiny, on average between 13 and 14 hands [which is less than 60 inches tall], but I soon realized they have a very spirited temperament!

“The first part of our shoot was easy. Sitting astride a chestnut-brown fellow, I felt calm and glorious, alternating between pretending I was Lady Godiva and a general leading her troops into battle. The trouble started when I dismounted and started posing with him and his mare. Holding the reins of both — and feeling like a winsome maid enjoying her return from the fields — I felt a sharp nip on my left arm! Apparently, Princess felt I’d gotten a little too cuddly with her mate and she needed to remind me of my place. She’s an aptly named little gal. That ended the shoot, and I walked away wondering what a real bite felt like — and if I’d gotten off with just a warning!”

Next, Nicole achieved her goal of posing amid icebergs at the Jökulsárlón lagoon.

“Cold water can make immersion deadly; it drains your body heat up to four times faster than cold air. The ambient temperature on Iceland’s Diamond Beach in September is 50 F, but the average temperature in the Jökulsárlón lagoon is 25 to 30 F,” she says.

“I picked a favorable iceberg and waded into the water with a gasp and a laugh. In extreme environments like that it’s vital to know what you’re doing and do it quickly. I always check the forecast beforehand, and I’m very good at getting undressed in less than 10 seconds. Sometimes I get dressed again even more quickly!”

Icelandic Horse Complimenting Nicole Vaunt

Nicole recalls, “Five minutes into the shoot, the sound of a glacier calving went off like a gunshot. I knew I had less than a minute to scramble back to shore because the resulting waves would toss me off my frigid perch. The light was perfect, and I wanted to continue. But I knew I shouldn’t, and the photographer finally yelled, ‘Don’t be a hero!’ I’ve learned to listen. No photo is worth an injury or death. My lower limbs were lobster red when I emerged, and I was carried back to where my shoes and hot chocolate were waiting.

“My feet were frigid, but I couldn’t stop smiling. I did something new — something no one else has accomplished. When I climbed into bed that night, I drifted off with a deep feeling of contentment.”

The next morning, Nicole awoke to the soft light of morning but lingered under the covers with a cozy wool blanket by her side that was locally knit from the “absolutely adorable sheep” dotting the entire countryside.

She says, “Aside from a few scratches and a small bruise blossoming on my thigh, I felt amazing. But there was one more thing I wanted to do before I went home, and I was glad my photographer was as happy documenting playtime as he was adventure time. ;)”

On the off chance you do not spend all of your free time memorizing the penthouse.com archives, we should also probably remind you that you can refresh your Nicole Vaunt knowledge on this very site. Find her Instagram too. It’s fun.

Finally, in our traditional edification vein, we can tell you that the shorthand wisdom travel landscape photographers learn holds that, “Iceland is full of green, and Greenland is full of ice.” … Whether that holds true completely we cannot say, but we can confirm that Iceland has some of the most stunning vistas you will ever see anywhere in the world. Many tour companies sponsor photographic tours, but we picked out a fair representation from one we know to be good. Now Iceland will likely not be the cheapest vacation you ever took, but you’ll put all that money you have in camera gear to good use, you can be sure. OH! And we wrote to ask if any of their tours include Nicole Vaunt as a model, but so far we have not heard back. We’ll let you know if we do.

Pop Shots Neek Lurk

Posted on July 28, 2023July 27, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Neek Lurk Gets Weird with Charlotte Stokely

We have come a far cry from when The Peanuts’ Lucy first opened her psychiatric booth back in 1959, charging a mere five cents per visit. In a day and age when one in five Americans suffer from some form of mental disorder it comes as no surprise that self-diagnosed bi-polar “weirdo” and designer.

Neek Lurk’s clothing brand, Anti Social Social Club, which champions insecurities such as ‘SELF DOUBT,’ ‘FUCK EVERYONE. IT’S JUST YOU IN THE END.’ and ‘FUCK EXPECTATIONS’ on t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats, has such a cult following. ASSC was thrust into the stratosphere earlier this year when one of pop-culture’s best-known sociopaths, Kim Kardashian, wore one of Neek’s hats with the words te extraño (Spanish for “I miss you”) embroidered on it. And Lurk’s been waiting for the bottom to fall out ever since.

Tell me about your mother, Neek.

NEEK LURK: Damn. Well, she passed away two years ago so it’s kind of weird. She’s looking out for me right now, that’s why I’m doing all this stuff.

I didn’t really hang out with anybody; just loner-style. That’s who I am.

Much of what a man does in life is a direct result of a mother’s impact.

Yeah, we were never really close but now I think we got closer. It’s weird universe shit, like, whatever happened to me after she died … from me getting tons of money, to my brand to whatever the fuck I’m doing is basically because of her.

How has your relationship changed since her passing?

It’s stronger, for sure. She’s here right now; weird ghost stuff.

Today we’re at your Pop Shots shoot. If she’s here what do you think she’s got to say about it?

That it’s pretty awesome. She’d definitely back it.

Unlike many of the Pop Shots series, Neek shot some of the photos here on film, and others using a digital camera. Simply because it was easy to separate them, we have split the photos up that way here. Although we cannot say for certain who shot all of the digital pics, we can reveal that Digital Team super-favorite Kimberly Kane did the film work. Kimberly has many, many talents, and we wish she’d come to work here. (OK. So one of us really wishes she’d come to work here.)

What was your childhood like?

Just super isolated in my room.

By your choosing or her doing?

Just everything. It’s like I’ve been in a room for 27 years.

You’re a member of The Wolfpack?

Yeah. I didn’t really hang out with anybody; just loner-style. That’s who I am.

Now you’re thrust into a spotlight. How does that make you feel?

I’ve always been alone. Now I go home to my new house and I have a couple friends but I’m still the same person; I’m still all alone. I’ve been drunk my whole life which is a social lubricant. Now I’ve got some time off it and I’m completely inept in social settings.

What advice can you give someone that feels that social awkwardness that you address with Anti Social Social Club?

I didn’t really start drinking until two years ago and drinking does help me with my insecurities, like, I can text somebody or I can talk to somebody. It’s so corny but it’s so true. I don’t do drugs; I hate weed. But I started drinking whiskey and I was like, “Oh shit! This is lit!” Last year, every day I was looking forward to drinking and having friends and having people to hang out with and drinking was the only time I felt like I was good. By doing that people were like, “Damn, you drink way too much.” I don’t drink and drive anymore because I have a lot to lose but before it was nothing to lose and a lot to gain, in my head, but I remember a time I had dinner with somebody and I took a bottle of Jameson’s from Burbank and drank half of it on the way to Silverlake on the freeway. I sat down and she had a drink waiting and I downed it. That night I messed everything up. I should have been normal and chill but I was crazy and next thing the door slammed, she skirted off and I was left on the street. After that I was like, “people don’t get me as a person.” So as corny as it is, from that experience I made a t-shirt and a hat with a very relatable message and that was my outlet. No longer the booze.

But having experienced the superpower that alcohol gives you, how do you function with your insecurities without it?

It is a superpower. People just think you’re drunk but it is a trigger in your brain. The other day I hit somebody up while I was drunk and I would never hit them up sober. How do I cope with it? I’m learning how to cope. I just go home and do boring shit.

This is Penthouse. Do you go home and jack off?

Sure, yeah. Everybody does.

I was told at a very young age that you should be with one of every type of girl so that later in life when you close your eyes you can envision any girl in your head with clarity from personal reference. What’s your preference?

This is like a 10 p.m. question. Here’s the thing, I like watching Asian girls but I don’t like Asian girls. I want to be with a white girl or a Euro chick or a Spanish girl but I like watching Asian girls. I just never want to be with them.

I stared drinking whiskey and I was like, “Oh shit! This is LIT!”

You had the opportunity to go through the Rolodex of humanity for this shoot. How did you decide on Charlotte [Stokely]?

I have moods and that reflects on what I do, see, make, whatever. I’m super bi-polar. This week I like white girls. Next week I might like Latin girls. I’m never going back to Asian girls, sorry. It’s like dating my sister. It’s like I know you already. I want something new, something foreign. I need something new because I’m getting bored with everything.

Charlotte Stokely for Neek Lurk Digitally

As mentioned with the other gallery, Kimberly may well have shot some of these digital-version photographs as well. As a matter of note, as of this publication you can see more of Kimberly’s work in Pop Shots with both Steve Agee and Keith Hufnagel. Now you can see even more clearly why we tend to be little fan-people around her. And that does not even take into consideration her own work as a model and performer. To quote a darned fine book/movie — with which Kimberly was not involved as far as we know — “Who said life is fair? Where is that written?”

In terms of beauty? What does it for you?

I like girls when they’re super-insecure. Because I’m insecure myself so when they’re insecure that does it for me.

Is it because the insecurity is relatable? Or is it a power trip where their insecurity makes you feel less insecure about yourself?

Maybe it is a power trip but more it’s that she has the same moods as me and I can relate. It’s physical too but it’s more about the personality.

You’re 27 and living in an age where social media produces relationships as opposed to first-hand interactions like in the past.

Facts. Yeah, they hit you with the DMs so you know their vibe and personality through their Instagram but it’s not real until you really meet them. I’m being really picky right now. I get hit up with DMs all the time and I say, “No.” I have my guard up. I think right now we live in a quick age, whether it be a brand, an Instagram post or a relationship they’re quick as fuck. You could be with a chick Monday and you break up Monday. Everything is so quick. I’m actually kind of stressed.

Streetwear brands also come and go quickly. Your brand exploded. How do you maintain that in this age of quickness?

I don’t make a lot of stuff. I produce it the day after I have an idea. I can have something made in one day thanks to all my resources in California. If I want to make a jacket next week I will and release it the next day. And I don’t do seasons; it’s one piece whenever I want. I think that’s the new age of stuff. DGAF: Don’t Give A Fuck.

I like girls when they’re super insecure.

Would you say, though, that the success of the brand stems from the universal messages?

First and foremost, I didn’t think it was universal; this is how I really feel. I have been surrounded with negativity all my life but what am I going to do? Kill myself? Instead I made some shit and it worked out. Going back to my mom, I think she’s looking out.

Do you ever look at it like the world is paying you to go through therapy?

I never went through therapy but I do feel like what I’m creating right now is therapy for kids as well as me. I feel like I am a therapist to people but I need therapy. I guess I’m helping people and no one is really helping me.

Perhaps dating a therapist is the answer for you?

Funny you brought that up, somebody DM’d me and now we’re talking. I’m not making this up, she’s actually a psychiatrist. She’s like, “I can be your personal shrink.” Maybe that’s what I’m missing; a therapist that’s my girlfriend. It might work out.

Sometime there’s exposure for a brand that is unwelcome. Kim Kardashian wore your hat for a week straight. Were you psyched?

When I started this thing I had a certain group of people in mind; the weirdo kids. So those type of people isn’t who I made this for. But obviously money comes from that so I embrace it. She’s not that weird. I like weirdos.

I like weirdos too, but she has a fat ass.

See I’m not a fan of the ass. I like tits.

You back her tits over her ass?

No, no, no. Not her tits. I like small tits. Like Charlotte in this shoot.

Is there any part on Kim Kardashian you would take to a deserted island?

Nope. Nope, sorry. Nothing actually. Not even her personality. I’m bashing her right now, but thanks for wearing my hat.

Maybe that’s what I’m missing, a therapist that’s my girlfriend.

But with that booty you have to think she takes it in the ass, right?

Yeah, I think so. Even DP.

DP for sure. Kanye and who? Kanye and you?

Nah. Know what? I wouldn’t even do it. I’ll take a photo. I’ll stand a hundred feet away and zoom in but I wouldn’t do it.

Did you ever think you’d be here, Neek?

My favorite word is foreshadowing. It’s tattooed on my neck. For some reason all of the negative things in my life will be ok. I can over think myself but I never would have thought I’d be where I am. Everything is positive now, which scares the shit out of me. Like, what’s going to happen next year? Is everything going to go to shit?

What do you think the future holds for you?

I try not to think about it. What goes up must come down, right? And I don’t want it to go down. It’s scary.

In the end does the darkness win for Neek? Or the light?

The darkness, to be honest, because I think I’m still dreaming.

Well, it was nice knowing you, Neek.

Thanks.

The secret to being a good interviewer comes down to one simple aspect: LISTEN. The secret to being a really good interviewer comes down to an ability to come up with follow-up questions like, “Is there any part on Kim Kardashian you would take to a deserted island?” … You don’t come up with that question as you’re doing your research and getting ready for the interview. Nor do you come up with this photograph only shooting when you’re “supposed to” be shooting.

If you’re curious, this Neek Lurk interview ran in the October, 2016, issue of Penthouse Magazine. By 2017 ASSC (Anti Social Social Club) clothing was all but dead due to (allegedly) poor quality, poor attention to detail, and abysmal customer service. [For the record, being drunk does not make for an excellent customer service manager. -Ed.] … Neek hung in there, though, before eventually selling the brand, presumably for enough money to buy some very fine whiskey.

Drai

Posted on July 24, 2023July 24, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Drai: Kings of Las Vegas

While thinking about his 25-plus years in the Las Vegas nightclub industry, Victor Drai can’t help but smile.

“It has been a dream, and it’s been a lot of fun,” he says.

After a multi-decade career in fashion and entertainment — and producing films like cult classics Weekend at Bernie’s and The Woman in Red — he opened Drai’s Restaurant in the early ’90s in Beverly Hills. In 1997, on the cusp of his 50th birthday, he brought that magic to Las Vegas and ushered in an entirely new chapter of the city’s history in the most unlikely place — a former McDonald’s in the Barbary Coast.

“I was approached about opening a restaurant in Las Vegas. I came in for a fight, and I went to check out the space,” Victor recalls. “When I’m walking through the casino, I can smell the French fries, and then I had to take an escalator down to a McDonald’s.”

Unfazed by the current tenant, he saw incredible potential.

“Everybody thought I was totally crazy. Barbary Coast was the worst hotel on the Strip. We replaced a McDonald’s with a very high-end restaurant, and people thought I had totally lost my mind,” he says. “It was one of the most successful McDonald’s in the world, but they wanted to change the image of the hotel. They paid them a half-million dollars to leave. The rest is history.”

In 1999, Drai’s evolved into Drai’s After Hours. It changed the game — and not only as one of the first nightclubs in a casino. The revolutionary venue brought house music and bottle service, and for legions of discerning Vegas visitors, it has also delivered incredible memories. While continuing to operate his own successful establishment, Victor then opened Tryst and XS at Wynn Las Vegas as co-owner.

Throughout these years, Victor’s son, Dustin, has always been by his side.

“We are very close. I separated from his mom when he was very young, so he spent half of his time with me,” Victor says.

Growing up the son of Victor Drai was as glamorous as it sounds but also kind of normal.

“In my mind, he was a regular dad, but he was over the top. I grew up in L.A., but from the age of five years old — when my dad first opened Drai’s in Vegas — I was coming out all the time,” Dustin says. “We would go to the Orleans and see movies, and I remember the pirate show at Treasure Island. It never really kind of had that, ‘Oh wow, this is Vegas’ effect. It was just like, ‘Oh, that’s where dad works.’ I would go to Drai’s restaurant, and I’d sit there with the hostess, pick up the phone and take reservations. My dad never looked at me as a kid. He was always bringing me along and looking to me for input. And he was so proud to have me as a son. Even if he had a day full of meetings from 10 in the morning until 10 at night, I was there with him. He made sure that when I was around, I was his main focus.”

Dustin moved to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University (SMU) in 2012 — the same year Victor signed the deal to operate a new club atop The Cromwell, which was taking the place of Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon — the Barbary Coast’s replacement. On breaks from college, Dustin kept up with its progress.

With the opening of The Cromwell, Drai’s went from the basement to the crown jewel with the 70,000-square-foot Drai’s Beachclub Nightclub, which is 11 stories above the Las Vegas Strip.

Discussing his May 2016 graduation from SMU, Dustin explains, “My dad left school when he was in eighth grade, so graduating college was a big thing in my family. I was the first one to graduate college — and within two days, I was out in Vegas.”

When Dustin arrived for his first day of work at Drai’s Beachclub Nightclub, he began his crash course training. That summer, he worked every job possible at the business.

“I was learning the ins and outs of everything, how to open and how to close the venue, how to do the reports, how to run the point of sale system, all of that,” he says.

While Dustin was getting his feet wet, Victor took notice of a bigger paradigm shift within the industry. He always believed the club should be the star of the night, but the tremendous new space was becoming difficult to fill on looks alone. Drai’s competitors up and down the boulevard were spending top dollar on DJs — something Victor was reluctant to do.

“You have to evaluate, and you have to move with the times and with what’s going on. In my career, I’ve moved from fashion to movies to nightclubs. I was used to paying my DJ $500 and they stay in the back of the room, and I tell him what to play,” Victor says. “This all changed.”

It was then that the king of “After Hours” house turned to hip-hop. For a businessman who says he doesn’t like to look forward or backward, Victor has done a pretty good job of predicting the trends.

The idea came up to book full-length concerts from hip-hop stars with the production value to match. “Make a real show,” Victor says.

Dustin shares, “The first live residency was The Weeknd back in 2015. We built a venue that is great for concerts without knowing it. You’re able to watch your favorite artists in this intimate nightclub setting, while still getting the full production of a concert. It just got better, and it evolved over, you know, eight years into what we do today.”

Drai’s Beachclub Nightclub transformed into a live concert destination for today’s biggest hip-hop and R&B stars. At a pivotal time in 2019, Dustin took on the role of vice president of marketing and entertainment for Drai’s Group, learning the entire universe of how to book and liaise with artists, as well handle as contracts, negotiations and deals.

Throughout this summer, Drai’s will host Meek Mill, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross, Big Sean, Lil Baby, Ne-Yo, 2 Chainz and more as resident artists.

Dustin, along with Brian Affronti and Philip Loomis, work as a team to run all Drai’s Group venues.

Victor created the places where we all want to party, but he also created an industry. He has worked with many of the same people for years, and they, too, have become family. Affronti has been part of the Drai’s team for more than 15 years, dating back to Tryst at Wynn, and has known Dustin for more than half his life.

“Brian has watched me grow up, and now we are partners, running this business,” says Dustin, who adds Victor isn’t retiring anytime soon!

“The relationship between him and I as father and son is really strong. But now, he and I, as business partners, have blossomed into a symbiotic relationship where he trusts me enough to run the day-to-day operations,” Dustin says.

“He was telling someone the other day, ‘I get bored, I show up to the office and Dustin’s taken over my office, and he has all these meetings, and I’m just kind of sitting there like, “OK, well, things are running smoothly.” And there’s not really much for me to do.’”

“He’s involved in every major decision and all the big picture things, and we talk every single day. But when it comes to all the minute details of running the actual business and the day-to-day operations, he tells people, ‘I’m no longer Victor Drai. I’m Dustin’s dad.’ Where we’re at now, I feel like is the most that he’ll ever retire. He’s able to enjoy his life the way he wants to enjoy it and not have to really stress, but still he enjoys working.”

Victor says, “Dustin knows me so well, better than anybody in the world. Better than myself almost. He knows when I am mad; he knows when I am good. He knows what my reaction will be. So that helped in a huge way to work together because he knows how I will react. Maybe I’m not going to be happy with it, or I’m not going to agree with him. He’ll approach me in a different way than anybody else. Many times he’s right, and I’m wrong.”

When the decisions get tough, Victor imparts some simple advice: “I say go for it, and see what happens. All my life, I’ve only worked on my instinct and my belief. If you do something from your heart and you fail, you’re OK with it. It’s not a big deal. You learn from it, and you move on.”

Dustin says, “It means that I have to work harder than everybody else. And I have to put in more time and more effort. And the biggest thing that I always told myself is that I don’t want anybody to think: That’s Victor’s son. I want people to think: That’s Dustin Drai. He works hard.”

“The best business advice my dad has given me is never be content, always continue to try and to continue to improve. So if something’s successful, how can you make it better? What changes need to be made? And don’t be afraid to make them. My dad has lived many lives. He was always reinventing himself over and over and was never afraid to take risks within his life to improve.”

What’s next for Drai’s? After almost a decade, the father and son are entertaining the idea of expanding into other markets.

“I think for us, everything needs to be right — the deal, the city, the partnership, the venue, the timing,” Dustin says. “In Vegas, we still have to run three venues. I’m super eager to expand — almost to the point where I’ll take a bad deal just because I want to expand. That’s kind of where the relationship between my dad and I is really helpful. He says, ‘No, that is a shitty deal. Don’t take that deal. We’ll find another one.’

“The right deal will come eventually. The brand is our name. I think there’s a bright future for it outside of Vegas. We’re continuing to improve in our city, and we’re so confident in the brand that we know it could be successful globally. We are excited to see what the future holds for the Drai’s name.”

Given the header image chosen, we thought it might be fun to close with this shot looking from the other direction. Granted, this image was taken at night, but many of us might say that Vegas does not really become Vegas until you experience it at night. So there’s that. If you want to visit yourself, we encourage you, or if you happen to manage a killer up and coming artist you think might be perfect for the venue, give Dustin a call. Tell him we sent you. Then tell him we want tickets.

A Crossword Around Here

Posted on July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Don’t be Puzzled — The Answers are at Your Fingertips

Growing up, I used to watch my Uncle Mike do the crossword puzzle in the local paper every Sunday. That was his thing. He loved to do it and was really good at it. Me? I had never completed a crossword in my life. Either I didn’t know all of the answers, or I didn’t understand some of the clues, so every attempted puzzle of mine went unfinished. [Do you wonder if that fact ever led to a “cross word” or two? -Ed.]

My uncle came to visit recently, and while he was sitting doing his crossword, something clicked for me. What if we had a puzzle focused on a subject I knew a lot about, like Penthouse magazine, or Bob Guccione? And what if the answers were super easy to find — or even provided somewhere?

I’d definitely complete that puzzle!

Inspired, Uncle Mike and I did a deep dive on the internet, looking up every cool factoid we could find about Penthouse and Bob that we could use as a question and cross-referenced for an answer. Well, what we found will absolutely blow your mind!

In fact, you see the result before you — Penthouse magazine’s first-ever Trivia Edition Crossword Puzzle. We designed this specifically to allow readers to copy and paste the questions into a web browser to find the answers — if they don’t immediately come to mind. [They’re also on page 75, of the Penthouse magazine, May/June 2023 edition, so you might want to Subscribe to avoid missing any other crucial information. -Ed.]

I can promise that when you’ve completed this puzzle, you will know more about the illustrious history of our Penthouse Brand and the iconic man who created it all, Bob Guccione.

Obviously — well, maybe not “obvious” but still true — we could not spend the time necessary to code this fancy puzzle Sam built so that you might be able to fill it in online. We can, however, build a handy-dandy PDF that you can download and print to fill it in with a pencil/pen like Sam’s uncle. If you decide to do that, you will need the clues which we have helpfully included here. Without clues it would be super hard to fill out a crossword puzzle.

penthouseCrosswordPuzzle_20230506 Download

Crossword ACROSS

2) Which legendary artist of Alien fame was featured in Penthouse with drawings of hard-core penetration?

4) Kathy Keeton and Bob Guccione published ________ magazine, an anti-aging, health and wellness magazine launched in the USA in 1989.

7) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Century.

9) Who was the first celebrity on the cover of Penthouse magazine, appearing in July 1979?

10) Last name of the martial artist and action film star who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in August 1992.

15) Bob Guccione personally financed the creation of the world’s first ________ fusion reactor in the 1980’s.

16) Name the June 1993 Penthouse Pet and star of Phantasm 2 who is the current photo editor of Penthouse magazine. [If you do not know this one, you have not been reading very carefully here. -Ed.]

19) Guccione produced what 1979 historical erotic epic described as the most controversial film of all time?

20) What is a common nickname for Bob Guccione?

22) Name the July 2007 Pet of the Month who went on to crossover mainstream fame starring in Steven Soderbergh’s, The Girlfriend Experience.

29) In the early 80s Guccione invested in a music magazine called ________, of which his son, Bob Jr., became the founding editor and publisher.

33) In 1969 Penthouse was published in the United States to compete with ________ magazine.

35) This 4-time Grammy Award winning band famous for the song Walk This Way was on the cover of Penthouse magazine July 1993.

37) The Penthouse Boardwalk and Casino was a proposed hotel and casino that was to be built in ________ New Jersey in the 1970’s.

38) Which Baywatch star’s honeymoon photos were printed in the pages of Penthouse magazine June 1996?

43) Penthouse published a short-lived comic book spin-off entitled Penthouse ________ featuring sexually explicit stories.

45) Which actor from the movie A Clockwork Orange starred in Caligula?

47) Which Bill Clinton accuser had pictures published in Penthouse?

48) Which former professional boxer with a grill business was on the cover of Penthouse June 1992?

50) Name the “1x” car driver sponsored by Penthouse in the World of Outlaws sprint car series.

52) Name the automotive magazine that Bob Guccione sold to Petersen Publishing Company in 1999.

55) In March of 1970 Penthouse showed the first glimpse of a ________ on the cover.

57) In 2010 what was the cause of Bob Guccione’s death in Plano, Texas?

60) Penthouse was the first men’s magazine to publish female pubic ________ on its pages.

62) Bob Guccione branched out into Hollywood, investing money into the film ________.

64) The magazine of sexual marvels, Penthouse ________ brings you our readers’ own sizzling tales of forbidden desires, insatiable needs, and unspoken lusts, as well as erotic fiction.

67) Name the founder of Penthouse magazine.

68) The Penthouse brand logo that incorporates the Mars and Venus symbols in its design is called the Stylized ________.

69) Name the Science/Science Fiction magazine that Kathy Keeton founded in 1978 with Bob.

71) Whose short story “Children of the Corn” was first published in Penthouse magazine March 1977? [Movie, about the time she was also trying to stay around long enough to give birth to John Conner. – Ed.]

72) Name of Vogue magazine current Editor-In-Chief whom Guccione gave her first job as the Fashion Editor of his women’s periodical, Viva magazine.

73) Bob Guccione was born in ________, New York.

74) Name the German supermodel who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in December 1993.

75) Name the star of the film The Naked Gun who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in August 1993.

Crossword DOWN

1) Which 28-year-old singer and actress stripped off for Penthouse magazine in a patriotic shoot photographed by publisher Bob Guccione in 1983?

3) Name the Pulitzer Prize author who penned the X-rated epic Caligula.

5) Which Penthouse Pet of the Year announced her candidacy as a mayoral candidate for Toronto City?

6) What female academy award winner starred in the movie Caligula?

8) Which late editor of GQ magazine got his start as the Editor-In-Chief of Penthouse magazine from 1976 – 1977?

9) Name the lead singer of new wave band Blondie who was on the cover of Penthouse magazine in Feb. 1980.

11) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Month who went on to television sitcom fame playing Terri Alden on Three’s Company.

12) Mark Wahlberg went by the name ________ on the March 1993 cover of Penthouse magazine.

13) Penthouse ________ magazine is filled with titillating stories and readers’ first-hand account of their kinkiest sexual fantasies and experiences.

14) The name of the Presidential mistress that told all and showed all in the Dec. 1992 issue of Penthouse would be Gennifer ________.

16) Name the first Asian Pet of the Month in January 1981 who was an American model-turned-actress and starred in the movie, Big Trouble in Little China.

17) Penthouse was the first and only magazine to publish nudes of this iconic singer/actress in the September 1985 Special Anniversary issue.

18) Which notorious ice skater’s wedding night video outtakes were featured in Penthouse magazine, September 1994?

19) Name the supermodel famous for her face mole who graced the cover of Penthouse magazine in February 1993.

21) Name the youngest heavyweight champion in history who appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in May 1993.

23) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Year for 2004 who is considered by many to be the world’s most famous adult performer and “The Queen of Porn.”

24) This stand-up comedian known for his dark, neurotic and self-deprecating humor appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in October 1993.

25) Whose Manifesto did Penthouse publish in October 1995?

26) Bob Guccione at one point considered, but rejected, entering which vocation?

27) Penthouse Variations was the first magazine to publish an unknown erotic writer named A.N. Roquelaure aka ________.

28) Name the actor, comedian and composer who starred in the movie 10 that appeared on the cover of the April 1992 Penthouse magazine.

30) Last name of the Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up for 1990 who was the nurse on the cover of the Blink-182 album, “Enema of the State”?

31) Guccione sold his country house in Staatsburg, New York to actress ________.

32) Name the 2015 Penthouse Pet of the Year Runner Up who was cast as the role of Dylan Quinn in the Showtime series, Submission.

34) Frequency that Penthouse magazine currently gets published.

35) Guccione amassed an amazing ________ collection over the years, once appraised at $59 million.

36) Name the former professional basketball player who was on the cover of Penthouse magazine in Dec. 2005 and changed his name to Metta World Peace in 2011.

39) Name the 1983 Penthouse Pet of the Year who came in 3rd place on season 9 of the reality show Big Brother.

40) Stephen Hawking bet physicist Kip Thorne a year’s subscription to Penthouse magazine over what recently discovered cosmic object?

41) Which radio shock jock appeared on the cover of Penthouse magazine in Sept. 1992 and in April 1997?

42) Which Miss America was forced to resign her crown in 1984 after appearing in Penthouse magazine?

43) Name the Penthouse Pet of the Year that starred in Spring Break and was married to Wiseguy actor, Ken Wahl.

44) What was Bob Guccione famous for wearing?

46) Name the stand-up comic actor known as The Diceman who was featured on the front cover of the April 1991 issue of Penthouse.

49) Which actor played Bob Guccione on the Hulu series, Pam and Tommy?

51) Which former president of production of Paramount Studios and former president of Columbia TriStar Pictures got her start as a merchandising director of Penthouse from 1967–1975?

53) Guccione published the first ever tech-oriented magazine for men called ________ magazine.

54) Name the Italian film director and screenwriter that directed Caligula.

56) Penthouse magazine centerfold models are known as “Penthouse ________”.

58) Name the star of TV’s Two and a Half Men who appeared on the cover of Penthouse in Jan. 1993.

59) Name the breed of dogs Bob Guccione owned, Rhodesian ________.

61) This legendary comedian is famous for playing God in three films and appeared on two Penthouse magazine covers with Vanessa Williams.

63) The name of the rivalry between Penthouse and Playboy during the 1960’s and 1970’s (pun on the Punic Wars).

65) In what city was Penthouse magazine established in 1965?

66) Penthouse ________ was started in March 1968 featuring fan letters, articles on health, medicine, psychology, and social relationships.

70) Name the International magazine for women that Bob Guccione and Kathy Keeton published from 1973 to 1980.

We gave no small amount of thought as to how to provide the answers to these many and fascinating questions, finally settling upon a method Sam suggested. If you pop over to the contact form and write in for them, we’ll send you a PDF with the answers on it. That may not be the most elegant solution, but it will work, and you will never hear from us again (well, unless you sign up for the newsletter). And even if you do not want the answers, we figured you deserved something for making it all the way down to the bottom of this very long page, so we’ve posted a picture of Sam Phillips some 30 years or so before she made up this crossword puzzle. We were going to just put in her cell number, but we envision way too many cross words, honestly.

Sommers Time

Posted on July 9, 2023July 8, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Sizzling Sommers

Stunning Angela Sommers first graced the pages of our magazine as May 2012’s Penthouse Pet and reigned as 2013’s Pet of the Year Runner-Up — and in the years that have passed since then, she’s only grown more gorgeous!

These days, Angela has a jam-packed schedule as she juggles work as a model, content creator and feature entertainer, all while attending nursing school. But the busy beauty took the time to chat with Penthouse about her past and present — and her promising future.

Just as a bit of background for the uninitiated, Angela Sommers has shot plenty of solo pictorials and girl/girl content — including her Penthouse movies with fellow Pets Layla Sin and Emily Addison — even exploring the fetish industry, posing for photos and performing in videos related to bondage, superheroine cosplay, wrestling and basically any other costumed adventure you can think of.

Though lately the native New Yorker scaled back her mainstream adult video work, she continued shooting glamorous fetish content, and the in-demand dancer ramped up her schedule as a feature entertainer at gentlemen’s clubs. She says of her full-blown featuring days, “I did it for years and enjoyed myself.” She adds, “I still do — but I slowed down about three years ago to start college.”

Angela pursued her studies part-time while continuing to work, but since entering a nursing program, her education has been her primary focus.

“I’ve just been really grateful that my fans have not completely left me as I’ve slowed down because of school,” she says. “When I started posting about it, people were like, ‘Are you leaving the industry?’ But I made it clear I wasn’t.”

Angela adds, “The clubs have been so kind, too. So many great clubs are like, ‘Don’t worry about it. We don’t mind. We’ll work around your school schedule.’ A lot of people did that for me, and I’m thankful.”

She still hits the road when her schooling allows, such as the summer break between semesters, and regularly shares her club schedule on her “Official Sommers” Instagram account..

The showstopper unabashedly enjoys how featuring allows her to express her creative side by crafting her own costumes and mixing her own music, but reveals she’s also drawn to it because, “I feel like I’m a natural performer. That’s just in my blood.”

The Sultry Sommers adds, “I was a belly dancer recreationally for a couple of years. I love body movement, I love dance, and I love performance. It makes me very, very happy. I feel very natural onstage. I just like making people feel something. Whether I’m making them smile, making them happy or making them turned on.”

This devoted student has recently begun her clinical rotations and expects to have her nursing degree by 2025. [We will plan our illnesses accordingly. -Ed.]

“I really enjoy working at the hospital,” she says. “It’s very difficult, but that’s because I’m new. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, and it’ll get easier. But I do like working with people. I get gratification from working with people who are sick, so I think that’s where I belong.”

Even so, The Angela Sommers doesn’t see herself leaving behind feature dancing or her own online content creation any time soon.

“If people still want to see you, then why would you stop?” she reasons.

Angela says she most enjoys shooting damsel-in-distress bondage and cheesecake-style pinup content — featuring very high pointed heels, corsets, leather and brightly colored clothing. She recalls her Pet of the Year Runner-Up shoot was “absolutely beautiful.”

Ms. Sommers remembers, “It was like a Hollywood movie theater kind of thing with popcorn and the old camera roll. It was a really cool, old glamour Hollywood style, which I really enjoyed. They really went all out. It was really nice.”

When it comes to making her own imagery versus shooting with someone else, Angela says she appreciates being able to put her own personal mark on the entire process.

“It’s nice having creative control. I can shoot whatever I want and how I want it. And I can edit it the way I want and produce an image that I feel suits me best and portrays me the best way,” she says.

“I’m kind of a one-stop shop. I do everything myself. I shoot it. I edit it. I love doing that. I love making my costumes, too. It just gives me pleasure to create both photos and videos. I like creating erotic art.”

Ms. Sommers has been quite popular over the years, and thus we would be remiss not to mention PenthouseGold as an option for see (much) more of her in the members’ site. We figured we’d take advantage of the subtle opportunity to drop in that shameless plug, mostly because we just had to be remiss. Heck, we hate being miss in the first place.

Independence Style

Posted on July 4, 2023July 4, 2023 by Team Penthouse

Contemplate Some Independence Style on this Appropriate Day

Historical rules around here have changed. The whole “thou shalt not reveal the identity of a Pet until the first day of that Pet’s month” dictate kind of looks pretty silly ever since the print publication has changed to an every-other month schedule. Anyone who subscribes to the magazine will already recognize the the happy lass showcasing her own independence style in the following clip, even though in theory we are not supposed to identify her because we do not happen to be in August, 2023, yet as of this writing.

Still, we will follow the rules and not identify her, although this would definitely be a reason to consider a subscription, which could presumably give us bonus points for cross promotion and sneaking in a shameless plug without literally slapping you upside the head with it. … Hmm. That would make it just a “plug” it would seem. … Cool.

Which leads to a perfect segue for some of the classic Penthouse super-fun discovered stuff — at least of the non-biological nature.

Independence Style for Cool Evenings

Sheep Inc. weaves sustainable fashion goals with style. Edzard van der Wyck and Michael Wessely launched Sheep Inc. in November 2019 with an idea to reimagine the knitwear industry entirely. The two clever and climate-committed fellows sought to accomplish this lofty goal by coupling age-old techniques with modern innovations, while becoming one of the world’s first carbon-negative clothing brands. How’s that for some Independence Style, right?

Fast forward to winter 2022, and Sheep Inc. has already accomplished that bold aim, arriving at pretty epic results, proving neither concept nor creation needed compromising in order to achieve their vision. So, how did a London-based brand, using wool from New Zealand and fabric manufactured in Italy, achieve such lofty heights? As with most clever innovations, in retrospect the answer looks deceptively simple.

For the wool, Sheep Inc. works exclusively with suppliers and sheep farmers who use regenerative farming methods. Wool is then sent to Italian yarn mills that run solely on renewable solar-powered energy. On top of that, money from every sale goes into environmental projects recommended by climate change experts, ensuring the company’s carbon footprint falls into the negative.

But we hear you asking: Do their end products live up to the concept behind their production? The answer would be a resounding, “Yes!”

You can pretty much outfit yourself year-round with their creations — which range from tees and crewnecks to tracksuit bottoms and shorts. A standout within their collection, we’d say, would be The Hoodie. This light and comfortable warmer highlights a unique take on a classic. It comes in an array of pastel and primary colors, but around here the striped Glucus Atlanticus has shown itself a real gem.

If you prefer a more rounded style, then look no further than The Cardigan. Again, it comes in a multitude of color variations, but the simple button look will work with just about everything in your wardrobe as a classically versatile piece.

Van der Wyck and Wessely have even more ideas for changing the way the fashion industry operates. The innovators stress the point of keeping in tune with not only how they create the clothes, but they want to make the ownership experience unique as well. You can even stay up to date with the sheep that provided the wool for your tops, shorts or hats. Each animal gets tagged, thus allowing you to check out how it’s getting along, how often it’s been shorn, and even whether or not it’s had a few little ones.

Moving forward, Sheep Inc. wants to target closer work with other brands within the industry wanting to follow a similar path. They aim to spread the gospel of carbon-negative production and help others come up with better ways to create clothing that can actually benefit the planet — and the way we look.

[Calling all of this a sheep trick would be beneath us, naturally, so we will not.]

The Time for Independence Style

Surfwear brand Outerknown and luxury watchmaker Breitling create a collab well ahead of its time, as it were.

Having surfing legend Kelly Slater, a genuine GOAT, as director means Outerknown probably gets offered a few more collaborative projects than most brands. The sustainable clothing and surfwear group has now teamed up with Swiss luxury watchmaker Breitling, and the venture makes more sense than you might expect.

Whereas some set aside a fair bit of time to head out into the surf for a morning or afternoon, professional surfing races against the clock as well. Checking the time between sets and the time until the end of the session can be the difference between advancing to the next stages or packing up your board and heading to the airport.

This fact — along with Slater’s early memories of his dad, Stephen — serves as the inspiration behind the collaboration between Outerknown and Breitling, an effort resulting in the Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown. The timepiece boasts a strap made with Econyl — yarn from old fishing nets, a fabric which Outerknown has become accustomed to using in their clothing collections.

The watch even features a bright orange face, a nostalgic nod to Stephen Slater, who wore an orange watch when the father and son surfed together. Echoing Breitling’s Superocean dive watch from the ’50s, the Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown aims itself firmly at a new generation of ocean lovers who get their kicks closer to shore.

It features the watch brand’s signature arrow-pointed hands, a shock-resistant ceramic bezel and a COSC-certified chronometer.

So if time is of the essence when you’re out on the water, and you’re looking for an all-round time teller that looks as good with a wetsuit as it does with a traditional suit, the Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown will fit the bill.

[All deference to the magazine editors, our research led us to conclude that no such watch as the “Superocean Heritage II Chronograph 44 Outerknown” even exists. We did find a collaboration item looking as described on the Outerknown site, but they call it the “Breitling Superocean Automatic 42 Kelly Slater” in their description. Near as we can tell, the photograph provided features what may be a different collaboration called the “Superocean Heritage Chronograph 44 Outerknown” — without the “II” after the word Heritage — on the Breitling site. Honestly we’re not sure exactly, but decided that this approach definitely fit our Independence Style theme today, so we’re just taking the win. -Ed.]

Independence Style in Travel

Mona, Athens’ newest boutique hotel, energizes an ancient city.

Greece tends to be one of those locations in Europe which can be hot pretty much all year round. Also incredibly rich in culture and architecture, we can easily see why a great many tourists have it on their list of destinations. The city may be less well known for luxurious hotels, however. Fortunately for those of us that like a little pampered treatment in our travel, that all changed with the opening of Mona, located in the heart of downtown Athens.

Overhauling an eight-story industrial factory from the 1950s actually allowed the creation of the concept boutique hotel, if you can believe that. The space now includes 20 rooms, a café, lounge and rooftop terrace — plus a basement venue for performances by artists and musicians. What may be most striking about Mona, however, would be its stunning interiors. The overall design displays a perfect blend of the past, present and future, creating dreamlike spaces that are more avant-garde than ancient Greece.

The designers purposefully been left the walls with the scars of the building’s past, while the furniture and photography everywhere push the mood into a more modern, bespoke setting. The rooms themselves feature delightful reworked vintage furniture and classic Greek pottery, with beautiful green botanicals acting as a contrast to the brown, beige and gray surroundings.

Like any fine hotel, you can find a varied selection of accommodations. Choose between Intimates for two; Patios, which sleep up to three and feature signature recycled brick, sofas and terraces; and Amours, which comfortably accommodate parties of four.

But by far the most sought-after options, though, would be the Penthouses and Mona’s Suites. With spacious interiors, balconies that overlook Athens and enough space to sleep up to four adults, they put the the jewels in Mona’s crown. The Mona team even designed the furniture around the hotel — and you will find much of it even for sale, should you want to take a comfy physical reminder of your visit back home with you.

Mona has managed to breathe a fresh and modern lease of life into Athens and anyone seeking a luxurious, yet modern, stopover should definitely consider adding the stop to their Independence Style adventure.

In fairness, most of us already knew Greece is the Word. Yeah, yeah … we better shape up. We will apologize, however, by making it easy for you to find Sheep Inc. and the Mona Hotel. We have Independence Style too, you see. Yep. Hopelessly devoted. That’s us.

AEE 2023

Posted on June 27, 2023July 19, 2023 by Team Penthouse

The Evolution in AEE 2023

The drive back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas down Interstate 15 happens just about as often as you’d think it might. Taking only fourwary hours +/- overall, a good number of LA people take advantage of the glittery proximity to refresh their brains — or whatever — with some regularity.

This particular return trip, however, has always taken on a very thoughtful tenor. I have been driving back home after an AEE convention (AEE 2023, case in point currently) for more than three decades now. You do something 30+ times and it can become rather rote, honestly. Sure in the early days they were called “AVN” conventions, but they have always featured an aspect truly unique in the adult industry, as they tailor the event pretty much exclusively to FANS of the genre.

Imitators have sprung up, come and gone, only to reemerge as some variation, but for decades everyone has been chasing the AVN prominence in its ability to speak to the fan. That part has never changed. You can set up your conventions with money as the primary factor, or you can seek to be “industry” king with your insider seminars, but both of those goals get in the way of making something truly a fan experience. Despite industry waxes and wanes, AVN has maintained its master of that last part.

So as I was making this most recent drive a month or so ago, that feeling of optimism came upon me rather suddenly. This show demonstrated continued fan commitment, sure, but it also showed up even more importantly for the future of the movie/scene industry going forward. Something in the AEE 2023 had brought back feelings I was convinced had been pretty much dying for a decade or more.

Credit where due, a brief discussion with a person much more versed in the state of the current business brought a lot of things into focus. You see, there had not been a real, in-person, fan convention for three years, so AEE 2023 had a lot to live up to, and a lot could have gone wrong. This insider told me that 40% of the people exhibiting at the show this year were there for their very first time. That represents a significant amount of new blood — pardon the expression — into an event which had been fairly locked up for a very long time.

As the Pandemic raged and shut everything down, a huge number of people of all sorts suddenly got into the “content creation” business. You don’t even have to worry about supply chain issues and quarantine rules if you carry your “product” with you into the shower every morning and you live in intimate ones and twos (mostly) anyway. This vast collection of old and new savvy descended upon the AEE 2023 and turned into … well, basically a darned good time.

Rather than being filled with angry old white men bemoaning how it used to be in the “good old days” for example, you found instead a bunch of happy young people talking about how good these days are for them. Amidst a small handful of production companies and distributors, you had the almost mind-boggling array of niche represented by the cam model companies. You even had the largest modeling agencies on hand to allow their clients a chance to interact with fans (and keep an eye out for new potential talent, let’s be honest).

Yet it was the nuance of all the smaller (so far) ventures in the “normal” booths that really worked to put a hope for the future into the psyche. Over the course of the four days, it would be safe to assume that I spoke with someone at every single booth in the place, most of them more than once. They were all happy, proud, and practically bursting with the potential they see, and this mood somehow wormed its way into my old, jaded, and having “seen it all” mentality. I learned a few things this time around, but foremost among them was that I had decidedly NOT seen it all before.

Before you become alarmed, rest assured that the AEE 2023 convention did in fact happen in full color. For some reason the Art Department thought that this artsy black and white display would be better. In fairness, one can be a bit overwhelmed with all the colors in the room, but mostly we just posted the shots this way because one does not squabble with the Penthouse Art Department without really measuring one’s commitment to the current cause. Artists can be touchy, y’know?

At any given AEE convention, you will see basically three kinds of folks seeking stardom. You’ll have your well-established stars, somewhat over the thrill, perhaps, but still generally very happy to be talking to fans — because that’s why they got into the business to begin with, after all. You’ll also have your climbing fast stars, generally noted by perhaps slightly shorter lines, but lines populated with the generally thrilled folks that feel like they’re getting in on the ground floor of something good. And then you’ll have your brand-new stars, often wandering about with a boyfriend or some such in tow, who’s filming basically everything. This last group often looks like their faces may literally split from the big smiles, but you can just feel the dreams washing off them.

The best thing about AVN conventions? You get to meet and talk to all three of these groups, and many, many people in each one. Now we still had those three groups at the AEE 2023, but they covered the substantially expanded niches in the genre — which was a wonderful surprise. It was big enough that you could spend a lot of time there (days, in our case), but small enough that you could still get to the people you really wanted to see.

Perhaps better than that, you could get to people that you didn’t know you wanted to see, until you saw them. And then you could go back and see them the next day. … If you think about it, a person would probably not have much of a cam career if they went about all surly and such, but the genuine interest in meeting all the new people wandering past those cam model booths was almost heartwarming to witness. I have no idea how the companies chose them, if the models paid their own way, or if they got some other compensation at all. I can tell you that they fit into the AVN Fan First model extremely well.

In the three years that had transpired between the “mostly production and distribution companies” — with the clear sponsorship significance of MyFreeCams on display — and this year, AVN used some magic potion and blended a new genuinely happy potion for the fans. The industry has changed, absolutely. Somehow, some way, I think the AEE 2023 changed with it. (I personally remember a very important company owner telling people that this newfangled DVD thing was never going to replace VHS. True story.) Pretty amazing, this coming from someone not very used to being amazed anymore.

Movie production companies have been trekking their wares — and their stars — out to Vegas since the beginning. As the industry changed from retail sales of physical goods, though, it started to seem like folks were going to the Vegas show primarily to complain about how great things were before, almost like they felt like they were failing currently. This time around, people on the floor seemed genuinely happy to be there and equally happy to be chatting with whomever walked by.

The refreshing difference in the AEE 2023 really made all the, well, difference. It was back to the wild, fun, slightly hedonistic, but most definitively carpe diem vibe that made the event one we all looked forward to year after year. … Looks like we’ll be dialing up that excitement again.

We could not possibly go into detail regarding every conversation we had at this show, but we promised to link to each of the interesting people we met over the course of the AEE 2023, and in no particular order, we plan on keeping that promise. … Without further ado, then, consider this much ado about something …. Alison Rey, Anneli Adolfsson, Brenna McKenna, Drinks with Frenemies, Geeky and Kinky, Hazel Paige, Kenna James, Nyssa Nevers, Stephanie Love … (Please also consider the caveat that we could not link to a good many helpful and friendly people because of the overtly explicit nature of their landing pages at the time of this publication.)

Upon review, some of the higher-ups questioned our use of the black-and-white — not to mention blurry (Gasp!) — imagery to convey our visual interpretation of the in reality quite colorful event. Because we wish to soothe the savage beasts — and, y’know, keep getting paid — we have added a full color addendum conveying a great deal in two simple shots. In the first you will see what will be a very common view should you attend this wonderfully fun confluence of flesh in 2024. While some may see only two technologically advanced and captivated women waiting to sign autographs, you should actually see, “HEY! Look! No line!” … As for the second shot, suffice it to say that everyone knowledgeable in modern Penthouse will recognize the resident savage beast, even when not fully illuminated. As you can see regardless, it’s not like he needs to carry a big stick no matter how softly he walks.

AEE 2023 - Just a Ray o' Sunshine, Our Leader

Finally, should you wish to check out some more images in a decidedly less artsy, but equally illustrative in a different way, we’ll guide you to Buzzfeed — and then to the uniquely talented Roger Kisby who provided the insights. People really do have fun at these shows.

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