from www.gothamist.com – Ladies, as you may know, Alaskan meathead heartthrob Levi Johnston is in town, and will be disrobing somewhere in New York today or tomorrow for Playgirl magazine. Last night the hunky father of Sarah Palin’s grandson surfaced at The Box to accept a Fleshbot award for crossing over from pop culture “star” to sex star. When a reporter told him that Palin had reportedly declined to “trash” him during a soon-to-air interview with Oprah Winfrey, Johnston remarked, “She’s being smart. She knows what I got on her.” Do tell!!!

But speaking with People, the 19-year-old Johnston also stressed, “I’m a good guy and not looking only for fame and attention. I’ve been getting a bad image with the press and ain’t looking to cause trouble. I’m a good guy and a good dad.” His big plan now is to get into movies, and the Playgirl shoot is just one step toward that goal. He says, “I’ve been working hard getting ready for it and I’m just as excited to get it over with. I’m just going to show up and do my thing. It’s tomorrow and I’m going to go out there and have fun.” He added, “People won’t be disappointed. It will be tasteful.” (Actually, Levi, we’ll be much more disappointed if it is tasteful.)

According to Page Six, Playgirl had wanted to keep the photo spread “more elegant” by shooting it in the penthouse of the Hotel on Rivington, but the magazine was turned down because “their offer was well below the current rental rate. They were politely declined.” We can only assume it’s being moved to The Standard, so keep your necks craned around the High Line!