Ava Regina (was Hef Rex)

[Donna Tavoso]

You can't replace an icon, stop trying.  No matter how we hate it, no
one can truly succeed him, because he is in fact irreplaceable.  No
Playmate, no editor can be that person.  For me, it is the ultimate
act of disrepect to Hef to imply that Ava (who I know and repect) or
any Playmate can viewed as his successor, no matter what title you put
on it.

I also don't think, and I know I'll take a hit for this, that it is
appropriate for Playmate (unless one day there is one who is qualified
to be the editor of the magazine) to be the person who speaks about
the magazine or Playboy philosophy or any Playboy related topic.  That
job belongs to the editor, whoever he (or she) is at that time and
Christie Hefner.  The same goes with a Playmate who has never worked
in publishing having input on the content or the Playmate selection
for the magazine.

This doesn't mean the magazine or the Playboy lifestyle dies without
Hef -- the idea of selecting one or a group of Playmates to act as
hostesses or mistresses of the Mansion is a very good one.  However, I
think just one would be a mistake; it should be more of a revolving
group because I think it would be impossible to find one Playmate who
could do it and appeal to a wide enough group of people.

One other consideration, there is a very good chance that Hef's sons
will be the ones who eventually live in the Mansion (yes, I know they
are too young now, but hopefully we still have a good deal of time
left before Hef leaves us).  And to my mind, they may be the best
people to keep the legacy alive, along with the Playmates, providing
it is something they want and have the talent to do.

Donna