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Centerfold of attention

While Playboy was busy snooping around LSU last month for models for an upcoming “Girls of the SEC” spread, Baker-born Tyran Richard was already starring in the current issue. Richard, 24, holds a criminal justice degree from Southeastern in Hammond and posed for Playboy to help pay off her student loans. “When Playboy contacted her,” says her mom, Donna Richard, “she was on a shoot, so she immediately called me to see how I felt about it and if I would support her. I told her she wasn’t getting any younger, to go for it,” her mom said. “She can pursue law school in the future.”

Another Baton Rougean hits Hollywood

Dmitry Lipkin is the creator and executive producer of the new TV show, The Riches, on FX. And like a few other up-and-coming Hollywood names before him, he attended Baton Rouge Magnet High School. Friends said Lipkin moved from Russia to Baton Rouge when he was 10 years old. “Used to gesture with his hands a lot,” says one former classmate. The Riches stars British comedian Eddy Izzard and actress Minnie Driver.

B.R.’s news boom

WBRZ and WAFB have long been the two main competitors in local TV news. Then this year, NBC’s WVLA launched news programming. Now, a Fox News Louisiana affiliate, WGMB (Cable Channel 6), is airing a 9 p.m. newscast, an hour earlier than the others. Why this influx of new news? “Baton Rouge is growing, and with the hurricane recovery, there’s a lot to be reported,” says Lisa Lundy, assistant professor at LSU’s Manship School of Mass Communication.

Local photograph makes Ellen show

Jessica Edwards of Baton Rouge posted a Mardi Gras snapshot on Ellen DeGeneres’ Web site, and the picture made it onto the TV show. Of her photo, which included Edwards’ friend, Katherine Pyburn, on someone’s shoulders, DeGeneres said: “Jessica Edwards in Baton Rouge, Louisiana ... Alright, this is really smart. You know they shut down the streets during Mardi Gras, if you ever go in the French Quarter, you can’t drive. So she got herself a designated walker. She’s pointing to the next bar, she’s like, ‘Get me over there.’ ”