Playboy game launch party at Playboy Mansion, LA

Most of the time, the life of a wayward freelance geek journalist is fraught with stress, challenges, unpaid invoices. Well, last night wasn't one of those times. I went to the Playboy Mansion to interview Hugh Hefner, and cover the launch of a new Playboy-themed electronic game for Wired News and National Public Radio. In the game, you get to be Hef, doing hefsterly things like — oh, nailing 18 year old hotties, and managing a booming porn publication empire.

I sat down with Mr. Hefner and his gorgeous companions, and asked him if he felt the game designers had created an accurate virtual depiction of the world in which he lives. "It's pretty good, other than the fact that they gave me this giant Jay Leno chin," he said. There was much butt cleavage in effect. Beautiful women with tromp l'oeil lingerie painted on their perfectly engineered breasts served little snacks off flawlessly polished silver platters (see image at left). Oh, and in case you're wondering — there is no WiFi inside the grotto, although there is one very heavily used mattress. NPR and Wired News stories coming up.
Link to another mildly unsafe for work picture snapped during the event.