Yeah, I'd Like to Reiterate My Prediction

This girl's on the cover in 2011.

Handicapping the 2011 Cover Girl Candidates, Part Six: My Prediction

Your 2011 Swimsuit Cover Girl: Julie Henderson
When Julie Henderson made her debut in 2007, she began a yearlong stint as my favorite SI model.
Maybe it was the tousled hair, the smirk, the squint, the somewhat elongated nose, or simply the fact that she was posing on a college football practice field:
…but she struck me as very girl-next-door. (Well, next door to Russell Simmons.)

That led to a stellar 2008:(Why oh why are there not more photos of her in this suit?)
…a very pretty 2009:
…and a gorgeous 2010:
She also markets herself well. She has a very active Twitter account, interacting regularly with MJ Day, and they tweet and retweet each other constantly. And a couple quotes from this video sound like she’s on a job interview.

“What would you say are your driving goals, Miss Henderson?”

A goal of mine wasn’t ever to be, like, on the cover of Vogue or anything. Mine was Sports Illustrated, like, I was like, ‘I have to be in that issue.’

“Where do you see yourself in three years, Miss Henderson?”

My goal is to get into the 50th anniversary issue. That’s like three more years. That would be a good run, seven years. But, who knows?

She also acted as a gofer to MJ Day last year “This job requires a lot of flexibility, Miss Henderson. Give me an example of a situation where you've stepped up and taken initiative.”

I assured her I was very much willing to be her slave for the day—no funny business.

And even this year, the only identifiable pics I can recall that MJ Day has tweeted from the 2011 shoot (so far) have been of Julie. Will February’s cover bring us Miss Henderson hooking her thumbs into this red-n-white polka-dotted bikini bottom?
Anyway, my point is, Julie is not only drop-dead gorgeous, but she also expresses a lot of passion for the magazine. I think she’s the safest bet.

Somebody put this girl on a cover.

Handicapping the 2011 Cover Girl Candidates, Part Five

First Runner Up: Brooklyn Decker
I have already sung the praises of Brooklyn Decker. But what the heck, how about one more shot of her hips?
Anyway, the point is: does she have what it takes to repeat? Here’s a roster of the girls who have made the cover two or more consecutive years in my lifetime:

Christie Brinkley, 1979-1980-1981

Paulina Porizkova, 1984-1985

Elle Macpherson, 1986-1987-1988

Tyra Banks, 1996-1997

What do those names have in common? They all belong in the Oxford English Dictionary under the definition of “supermodel.” They’re all celebrities in their own right, above and beyond the cover. They have their own movie appearances, their own blogging gigs on the Huffington Post, their own lingerie lines, their own modeling-based TV shows.

There’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg thing going on. Did their stardom net them consecutive covers, or did the consecutive covers launch them into stardom? But the point is, are there SI models today who have that kid of pull?

Frankly, I think Brooklyn does. Or at least, she’s come closest since 1997, when the last repeat cover girl* donned her bikini (the first time).

I almost predicted Brooklyn as the 2011 cover girl, but I have a hunch SI is going to opt for variety instead of repetition.

*I feel the need to mention Carolyn Murphy, who technically graced the cover in 2005 and 2006. The caveat, of course, is that 2006 featured eight previous cover girls, and it’s almost a given that they’d invite the girl from just 365 days earlier to reveal herself again. For my money, Carolyn has the least star power of the 2006 girls.

But I like her. Down-to-earth, all-American, catlike. Plus, I’m a sucker for a blonde in a red bikini, so let’s take a look at her solo cover.