Phantom Maelstrom

When you're career is falling apart, you're in trouble with the law, and the only time you make news these days is when you're in rehab, when you're in court, or when you show up late to your community service stint at the city morgue, there's only one thing left to do: Pose for Playboy! Those were the mocking words coming from celebrity critics, and that appears to be the strategy of 25-year-old beleaguered actress Lindsay Lohan, announcing she'd be going with after the fabled mag offered her $1 million to strip down in front of the camera a few months back.

And while the world will have to wait until the magazines releases its January/February issue on December 15, Lohan debuts her spread that day on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" — a picture of the cover was leaked online just recently. As for those "tasteful" photos Lindsay's mom Dina promised, well, so far the one we've seen has the "Mean Girls" actress nude parts covered by a bunny. Not quite the definition of tasteful, but it is sure to spark some curiosity.

Though many may see the publicity stunt as pathetic, the starlet is actually in good company, following in the naked footsteps of successful actresses Drew Barrymore, Joan Collins, Charlize Theron, Sharon Stone, and Lohan's idol Marilyn Monroe (never mind the part where the icon died of an overdose at age 36), the question now is, "Will the photo spread rejuvenate Lohan's career? Hard to say. But if not, critics say there's always Penthouse...