Dublin model Luiza Hogan is in line to become Hugh Hefner's next protege after landing a spot in a new reality show called Playboy Shootout.

Luiza was picked as one of the final ten contestants to take part in a new show, which will see ten beautiful models and ten photographers competing for the top prize of a centrefold shoot at Playboy's famed Studio West.

Luiza will feature in the second season of the new show, which is due to air on E! entertainment channel next year.

The leggy beauty explained how she was originally due to appear in the debut series, which is currently shooting in Malibu in LA, but had to postpone her participation in the show due to family obligations here in Dublin.

"Unfortunately I couldn't do it this time around as I had to come home for family reasons but they've promised me I can be in the next series.

"Basically they were looking for ten models and ten photographers and they're shooting it in Malibu at the moment. It sounds fantastic, I'm really sorry I can't go.

"I got to go to the Playboy mansion earlier this year to do a couple of screen tests and I met some of the girls.

"I didn't meet Hugh, unfortunately, but I could see him in the distance hanging out with his two girlfriends, the twin sisters," she added. And it seems meeting Hugh and his band of beauties isn't the first brush with celebrity Luiza has enjoyed since she took off for Hollywood two and a half years ago.

Party

The model, who is represented by BScene the Agency here in Dublin, also had the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the best known rap and hip-hop artists in the world when she was asked to work at P Diddy's world renowned White Party earlier this year.

According to Luiza: "He usually holds it in the Hamptons every year but this time he decided to have it in LA and myself and a bunch of other models were invited to go along and basically just stand around as eye-candy looking pretty.

"We were just standing there in a room full of people that were all my heroes, Little Kim was there, Ashton Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore.

"Unfortunately as I was working, I had to be really professional and couldn't run over to them and get a picture or an autograph.

"There is one clip of me on a swing at the party that was used everywhere, it can still be seen on YouTube now," she added.

Last night, saw Luiza, who's from Tallaght, step out with a host of big names when she attended the Fashion Extravaganza show in the Crowne Plaza hotel, which saw a host of celebrities take to the runway in aid of Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association and Diabetes Federation of Ireland. Among those who took part were former Miss Ireland, Sinead Noonan, Fair City's Ciara O'Callaghan and Dublin's 98 DJ, Siobhan O'Connor.

lnolan@herald.ie

- Lorna Nolan