Dave Gee: Life from Right Field

It's just a few days now till Valentine's Day... but that's not the only big thing happening on February 14 ;-)

That's also the day the 2007 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue comes out (in the United States... other countries may have to wait a little longer for their copies!)

This is the 43rd Annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, and there's the usual hype (and of course controversy) about it this year.

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue was first published in 1964. The magazine's biggest selling swimsuit issue was the 25th Anniversary Edition in 1989, featuring Kathy Ireland on the cover. New Zealand's own Rachel Hunter featured on last year's cover, alongside other all-star past cover models like Elle Macpherson.
One difference in these modern times is that US fans can download their favourite models onto their cellphones. SI Mobile offers cell phone wallpapers, taken straight from the Swimsuit edition photo shoots. ($1.99 each, available for all the major carriers)

All the big name supermodels are there (over 50 to choose from), including Victoria's Secret model Heidi Klum, Ana Beatriz Barros, and tennis star Maria Sharapova... plus Aussie model and 3-time cover girl Elle Macpherson. (The SI Mobile site also offers downloadable video clips from the photos shoots, and animated screensavers.)