The Girls Next Door

Like many young American women, Kendra Wilkinson loves the food at Olive Garden. However, unlike the majority of these women, Kendra is a Playboy Playmate, girlfriend to Hugh Hefner, and star of the reality show The Girls Next Door. On the series, she expresses her profound love for the Italian chain's artichoke dip and unlimited breadsticks. She's not a spokesperson for the brand, and her public, undying love is not returned. Rumor has it the officials at Olive Garden would like her to stop inadvertently promoting the restaurant. They've worked hard to craft their family-friendly image, and a Playboy playmate doesn't exactly fit into that picture. Although many brands welcome a celebrity's endorsement, if the celebrity doesn't match the brand's image, problems can arise.

I think it's an interesting topic, and wonder what you have to say about the matter. Can an unwanted spokesperson ruin a restaurant's reputation?

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Brett Ratner's doing what now?
Brett Ratner has signed on to direct a biopic all about Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Ratner is known for directing mostly action movies like Rush Hour, so he's probably just the "man's man" for the job.

Ratner says:
"'Hef came from a puritanical upbringing and reinvented himself to be the godfather of the sexual revolution,' Ratner told Daily Variety. 'He also used his magazine to advocate civil rights and free speech, and put James Brown on his show 'Playboy After Dark' when they didn't put black performers on national television. He broke all kinds of taboos, especially in sexuality.'"

Why I care:
Having started a confusing love affair with the E! series "The Girls Next Door," I have acquired this intense fascination with Hugh Hefner. Where there was once vague annoyance toward the man who's made millions exploiting women's bodies, there is now a strange curiosity.

Why?
He's super old. He has three girlfriends around whom he behaves like an affectionate, sometimes confused grandpa. Every so often he'll talk about "his girls" with great fondness, and he makes comments like "I'm in a really good place right now... This is the best time of my life." I have to wonder if he is referring to the fact that his current situation — living with his three main girls — is really like a family situation in which he can play daddy, sugar daddy and granddaddy at any given time. And yet, to some people he's still a sex symbol. I'm not interested in reliving Hefner's successes photographing naked ladies, but I am interested to see how he went from that to this wrinkled old man with a reality TV show. I look forward to this movie.

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Every Friday in the Highlight Reel, I round up the week's best, funniest, strangest, and most embarrassing moments in television for your amusement.

• Dr. Boogie — who got cut from "Shear Genius" this week — talks his way, cuts hair his way, and apparently cries his way too. After seeing a cute message of encouragement from his son, Boogie said: "I just boo-hooed, and tears just ran out my nose."
• "I'm just glad you taste like hot dogs." — Homer Simpson, after Bart was released from the grip of evil on the "24 Minutes" episode of "The Simpsons."
• On "The Girls Next Door" this week, Hef and the girls celebrated Hef's 81st birthday in Las Vegas with a photo signing, where Bridget mused, "It's an unexplainable experience on how many lives we've affected and how many people look up to us as role models... People know who we are and we're not just a blonde chick, we're people now!"
• This is a photo of Joel Bernabel from the first audition episode of "So You Think You Can Dance." This is a photo of Jemaine Clement from Eagle vs. Shark and "Flight of the Conchords." Coincidence? I think not.
• And now, like your favorite shows, the Highlight Reel will be on hiatus until the fall. But don't worry — as "Brothers & Sisters" taught us this week, not all finales have to be sad.
  

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Every Friday, we'll round up the week's best, funniest, strangest, and most embarrassing moments in television for your amusement.

• MTV’s new reality show, "24/7," centers around a group of conveniently diverse guy “friends” who are trying to make it in L.A. My favorite moment: Flaky musician Cipes swears by the power of infusing one’s food with “good vibes." Tenderly touching his water glass, he says: “I’m doing affirmations on my water… You should write ‘I love you’ on your water because it changes the molecules on your water. It helps." Helps with what? Apparently, with getting a late-night reality show on MTV.
• In this week's final "Gilmore Girls" before the hiatus, Kirk is selling wrapping paper in competition with the town's middle school kids:
  

  Miss Patty: I already bought my wrapping paper from the kids from the Stars Hollow Middle School.
  Kirk: Well, then you got ripped off... Those kids are gouging you.

• This week, Regis grilled Derek Jeter about his male relationships, though he took the subject to a whole new, kinda creepy place. -Best Week Ever

For the rest of this week's highlights, read more