The Bunny turns 50 this week.
But it's not multiplying anymore.
In fact, exactly five decades after Hugh Hefner brought the skin trade into the mainstream with the introduction of the iconic rabbit and the opening of the first Playboy clubs in Chicago, the industry is in deep trouble.
Yes, it's more more acceptable, and seen by more people that ever. The problem is, not many of them are paying for it.
(See accompanying slideshow: "Playboy's Celebrity Cover Girls.")
Thanks mostly to the tsunami of free porn online, DVD sales and rentals are in freefall, Playboy itself has been suffering through a lagging circulation and corporate shakeups -- it's so bad that Hustler founder and First Amendment defender Larry Flynt has suggested a government bailout.
So in honor of the Bunny's 50th, we respectfully and chastely provide a few suggestions to help the adult entertainment business find its mojo again.
1. IN YOUR FACE
If you’re looking for success in the entertainment industry, living by the rule of "Where Goes James Cameron, I Follow" isn't the worst idea one could have. The industry has until the last few years always been on the cutting edge of technology -- from on-demand to VHS and DVD. It's time for it to take another defining leap and embrace some real in-your-face flesh on film.
“I think that if they can get the 3D mixed with the interactive, they've got a shot,” porn star April O'Neil told TheWrap. “Eventually porn stars will be replaced by robots anyway, so why not start the process now?” As you read April’s remarks, you're already thinking of the possibilities, aren’t you?
2. ANOTHER JENNA JAMESON
Let’s be honest, there are working actors and character actors, and then there are superstars. Like Eminem with hip-hop, Andy Warhol with painting and Angelina Jolie with child care and everything else, the industry need a new superstar.
Jameson, the now-retired mother of twins, was actually able to wrap her legs around pop-culture consciousness with real name recognition that brought attention to herself and the industry. Just check out her clothed credits: mainstream movie roles, TV shows, a three-story billboard in Times Square, major advertising campaigns, late-night TV appearances, action figures and a bestselling memoir. The lady got around.
Not that there aren’t a few potential contenders. Savvy stars like Jesse Jane and Tera Patrick might be well positioned to be the next Jenna. Jane, who starred in the high-end and profitable “Pirates” porn series, has her own branded sex toys and hosts various online and TV shows, including Playboy TV's “Night Calls.” She also writes sex advice columns and has appeared as herself on HBO's “Entourage.”
Patrick has turned heads with cameos on VH1’s “Supergroup,” which starred her former husband, Biohazard bassist Evan Seinfeld. A former Ford Agency model, she's appeared in numerous videogames as well as on the cover of FHM and in rock videos; she also runs a talent agency, a subscriber-based website and her feature-making Teravision production company.
