Pamela Anderson, Marilyn Monroe, Barbie. Holly Madison is a fan of them all, but it’s safe to say her life, and home, are more Versailles than Malibu Dream House, as Madison has quickly become the reigning queen of Planet Hollywood Resort – and some say, Las Vegas. Having moved into a Marie Antoinette-themed suite at the hotel, Madison has settled comfortably into her new residence – complete with blonde Pekinese-mix dogs Napoleon and Josephine. As she affectionately talks about them, and posts their pictures on Twitter almost weekly, one almost forgets how big of a star Madison has become in such a short time.
“The dogs want a house with a yard,” she insists. “But even after I have my house, I’m not going to give up my suite until they kick me out.” The gorgeous, yet down-to-earth star is not only in the process of “updating” her new suite, but has also been given the honor of decorating a room at the resort to be named the Holly Madison Suite. She is already thinking of decorating it in purple, black, and, of course, pink.
All in all, Madison is a fan of anything whimsical, fun and fantastical, whether it be picking up candy necklaces at Sugar Factory, seeing a new Strip show every Wednesday—her only night off—or shopping at First Friday with Mayor Oscar Goodman in tow. In contrast to the city’s gloomy economic downturn, Madison, who turns 30 on December 23, represents the purest kind of Las Vegas fun, with an over-the-top personality and cartoonish sexiness that made her former reality show “The Girls Next Door” so watchable. (With a largely female fan base, no less.) The show – which brought in record-breaking viewership for E! Entertainment – catapulted Madison out of the nameless shadow of “Hef’s No. 1 girlfriend” and into her own persona. It’s one that anyone in Las Vegas will notice, with Madison posing front and center in the plethora of eye-catching ads for “Peepshow”, in which she plays Bo Peep, a shy ingénue discovering her sexuality.
Unlike other local headliners, Madison has an easy approachability that has turned even her toughest, stereotype-loving critics into fans. She has become an adored, if unofficial, ambassador of Las Vegas and is so happy in her new home, she has no plans of relocating even after her “Peepshow” contract expires next September. “People who live here are great and it’s like a little small town, but there is everything you could want to do in a big city,” she says. “I think living here is the best kept secret in the world.”
Casting Madison in “Peepshow”, Planet Hollywood Resort’s 90-minute burlesque production show directed by Broadway big shot Jerry Mitchell, was a surprise to many. Though she was riding a new wave of fame as a contestant on the eighth season of “Dancing With the Stars”, no one expected a headlining role in a Las Vegas show to follow. Many agreed she had the sex appeal and the name to fill seats, but few thought she had any staying power – until she proved them wrong in a matter of months.
“I think nobody expected me to do well at all,” she says, “I think they thought I would do the show a couple of months and leave, and nobody would care, but “Peepshow” is a really good quality show,” she says. “I’m really glad to be a part of it and I work really hard to promote it. It’s not the Pussycat Dolls Lounge where a girl shows up and flops around drunk in a champagne glass.” The buzz and ticket sales quickly escalated as Madison took the stage six nights a week in a topless role, and both have remained steady due in large part to her own promotional efforts. She continues to spend much of her off time appearing at various nightclubs, openings and special events, rarely saying no to interviews or photos and always endorsing the city.
Locals will remember the Guinness Book of World Records’ largest bikini parade back in May, in which a tiny Madison was flanked by showgirls and nearly 300 women following her down Las Vegas Boulevard, all of them flaunting bikinis. The unique event was created to mark the official beginning of summer and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Welcome to Las Vegas sign. It made national news and spurred chatter among bloggers as photos of Madison quickly circulated around the Internet. She also chose to shoot her 2010 calendar at one of Vegas’ most treasured landmarks, the Neon Boneyard, and has volunteered at the local charity Three Square Food Bank.
Outside of Las Vegas, Madison recognizes her fans have largely come from her past affiliations, mainly “The Girls Next Door”, but come December (tentatively), she will be taking viewers with her as she lives la vida Vegas with her own E! Entertainment reality show, appropriately titled “Planet Holly”. The show will not only use Las Vegas as a backdrop, but will document Madison’s hectic schedule and new life, far removed from her cushy life with Hefner and the girls.
“I don’t like to focus so much on nightclubs and red carpets because I think that is boring and what everybody does, but I want to do things that people can relate to but at the same time be excited about,” she says. “But not like the same old things that every reality show girl in LA is doing. I don’t want to design a fake fashion line.” Serving as a legitimate co-producer, Madison’s formula will focus less on tired reality show dramas, and more on her true passions, and fun, yet relatable experiences that locals will especially enjoy watching. She and Mayor Goodman have filmed footage discussing how she can get involved with city politics to make Las Vegas a better place. (Which one of the Kardashians can say that?)
Though Madison is riding high from her own success, she admits the past year hasn’t been easy. With a well-publicized split from Playboy magnate Hugh Hefner last year, the gossip rumor mill worked overtime, speculating on where Madison would end up now that she no longer called the infamous Playboy Mansion “home”. Rumors flew that Madison had given him an ultimatum: give her the marriage and, potentially, the kids she had always wanted with him, or she was done, but Madison insists it was much simpler.
“I had been at the Mansion for seven years and I had done five seasons of “Girls Next Door” and I was working at the magazine as an editor of the Playmate features,” she says. “I’d done that for two years, and we had just finished a search for a special anniversary Playmate and I had shot five centerfolds in one month, which is a tremendous amount of work. After I had done all that, I just felt like there was nothing in Hef’s world that I could do anymore that would challenge me in any way. He has a way of living his life that is very regimented, very routine…after two years you realize that he kind of wants the same thing every month and that you’re not implementing the kind of change you want to implement. It just got to be not as much of a challenge and not as fun and we were arguing a lot about things.”
Madison is enjoying her freedom, reveling in being able to come into her own without any restrictions. “I think I have been able to go out and do things on my own, and not be in somebody else’s shadow and not be controlled by somebody else,” she says. “There were a lot of rules, and a lot of things you couldn’t do if you wanted to live there so it’s fun to be able to do whatever I want. I want to do so many things there is not enough time in the day.” She says offers had actually been pouring in for years, but despite a few brief guest spots, including appearances in “Entourage” and “The House Bunny”, Madison had to turn them down – until now.
“I always had been [getting offers] ever since “The Girls Next Door” had been on the air, but I wasn’t allowed to do that because we kind of had to be at the house all the time.” Madison was also making frequent trips out to Sin City for secret meetings about a guest appearance in MGM Grand’s “Crazy Horse Paris”. The deal ultimately didn’t pan out, but Madison says despite everything, it all worked in her favor.
“I definitely stumbled along the way. For example, I was really excited about being in “Crazy Horse” which I think is a fantastic show and I love it. But if I hadn’t had some of the personal drama I had in those last few months then I wouldn’t have been free to do “Peepshow” which I think is a better show for me, so everything works out for a reason.”
Shortly after her breakup with Hefner, Madison fell into a whirlwind relationship with illusionist Criss Angel last fall, a romance that started hot and heavy but burned out by February of 2009. Though she never mentions him by name, Madison hints of the damage she is still recovering from. “My last relationship was so bad that I don’t really trust guys anymore, and I think that is kind of sad. I don’t know what somebody would want to date me for. I just want to meet somebody who is normal and likes me for who I am and doesn’t want a trophy, or to steal from me, or use me for publicity. So I am not really anxious to rush into anything.”
She is now taking full advantage of opportunities presented to her, and says she won’t make any New Year’s resolutions because she already makes goal lists so often. “Now that I am single, it’s really easy. I used to be with different people who are very controlling and wanted me to be a certain way. Definitely when you live at the Mansion you have to be a certain way. Now that I am not with people who are controlling, I am just myself.”
Worrying about men is secondary for the blonde bombshell, who has plenty on her agenda for the future. “I’m pretty fearless, I’ve gone through some major disappointments in the last year but I definitely just keep pushing through,” she says. “If you pray for things to go the way you want, they will if you just pursue things in a positive manner.”
And not to be mistaken for simply another Strip siren, Madison has been in serious discussions with Mayor Goodman about another love of hers, something she says “people wouldn’t expect me to do,” helping with local city politics. It’s a role she has taken on not for publicity, but in connection with her love of Las Vegas. (Late night dining at The Peppermill and repeat rides on the New York-New York roller coaster are among her favorite spots.) Noting that Mayor Goodman has “a Holly Madison bobblehead” in his office, she says getting involved in the city’s affairs is “definitely something I’m excited to learn a lot about in the coming year, and I think it will be a lot of fun.”
Next up for Madison: decorating the new house she just bought off the Strip. “It’s the dream house I always wanted but never thought I would be able to afford.” With “Planet Holly” well into production and her contract at “Peepshow” officially extended into the new year, Madison says she isn’t slowing down anytime soon. “I love “Peepshow”, I can see myself staying for five years… I’m just somebody who likes to have fun and who pursues whatever I want to do and doesn’t let people tell me it’s impossible. I have a lot of things on my agenda for the future.” The future aside, Madison lives daily by her Las Vegas-appropriate motto: “Every day is a Holly-day.”
