Lindsay Lohan Playboy issue a sell out

Lohan's Marilyn Monroe-inspired cover initially failed to impress

Lindsay Lohan's hotly anticipated Playboy cover initially failed to impress, but latest reports say issue is now flying off the shelves.

LINDSAY LOHAN CAREER IN PICTURES

When pictures of Playboy magazine's February cover star Lindsay Lohan were leaked online earlier this month, critics were quick to criticise the shoot as 'boring' and 'unimaginative'.

With siren red lips and a smouldering stare the wild child turned blonde bombshell in the raunchy Marilyn Monroe inspired shoot, for which she was reportedly paid $1 million dollars, but many said the highly anticipated cover was a disapointment.

'Despite Playboy's hype, there was nothing particularly shocking or new about this shoot,' said adult blog editor Lux Alptraum to FoxNews.com

'While these shots may have been slightly closer to full frontal than Lindsay's previous shots, they weren't actually full frontal; there was also nothing particularly new about Lindsay dressing up as Marilyn Monroe.'

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But according to TMZ, the issue is now selling out across the USA, with shops in major cities like New York and LA ordering additional copies due to the increased demand.

The gamble to have the troubled starlet on the cover appears to have paid off for Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who revealed he was unsure whether to have LiLo at all.

'I kind of had mixed emotions about it initially, and then it turned into something bigger than life,' Hefner told E! news in an new interview.

'I wasn't quite sure where she was at in her life, obviously. It depends on whether it's Tuesday or Thursday'.

Hugh also revealed that he had to order a reshoot after the first set of images were unflattering and un-polished.

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'The pictorial and the concept for the pictorial came from me,' Hefner revealed. 'She had done semi-nudes before. I wanted to do something that would be memorable.

'What is more natural, since she is a huge fan of Marilyn Monroe, than do something that is a tribute to the red-velvet Tom Kelley photo shot of Marilyn Monroe that was our very first Playmate?'

Hugh wasn't the only one with reservations about Lindsay appearing on the cover.

Playmate of the Year 2010 Hope Dworaczyk also said she thinks the shoot was a bit of a let down, reluctantly telling photographers: 'I saw that spread... and I was not impressed.'

The added: 'I just feel like if I would have known I was doing a Playboy shoot, I would have worked out more maybe.'

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LINDSAY LOHAN CAREER IN PICTURES