Between talking about her high-profile split from Danity Kane and addressing the recent rumors about her sexual preferences, Aubrey O’Day has been all about displaying her personal life in a very public fashion lately.

But for the singer who was kicked out of the group for allegedly hogging the spotlight with her over-the-top antics, those mini-dramas pale when compared with her upcoming photo spread in the March issue of Playboy magazine.

While spokespeople for the magazine refused to confirm the shoot when news about it first broke in late November, O’Day spoke freely with MTV News about the images.

“I’ve done the cover of Playboy,” she said late in December. “You know, I think thatPlayboy for me was one of the most liberating things that I’ve done as a woman.”

Scanning the pics on her Macbook laptop while chilling in Costa Mesa, California, O’Day showed off the results of her session with photographer Markus Klinko, who has done portraits of Mariah Carey and Pamela Anderson in the past and who shot the cover of Beyoncé’s 2003 album, Dangerously In Love.

“You could never imagine how empowering it is to be nude in front of cameras and have people looking at you in that way and seeing you as beautiful,” she said. “A lot of the times I think I’m seen as a bad girl and I think that’s because I’m so open.” O’Day said she only agreed to the shoot because Klinko was involved and because they both wanted something that was “classy, iconic and truly beautiful.”

Taken amid sessions for her solo debut, O’Day said she was surprised at the negative repercussions from her earlier, revealing shoot for Complex magazine, which is reported to have played a role in Diddy’s decision to drop O’Day from the group. O’Day said she was merely playing a character in the pictures, in which she’s seen hugging (and, er, licking) a stripper pole while topless and modeling underwear in various stages of undress.

“I mean, I think a lot of the type of way I’m portrayed in the media isn’t always the way … the way I am in my heart,” O’Day said about the negative stories about her exploits in the press. “And so I think that we were able to capture that. … I think in society we tend to put ourselves in boxes and corners and restrict ourselves, and we constantly feel the need to not say this or not wear this or do that.

“Taking it all off and being nude is the most natural state that you can be in,” she continued, “and being able to feel comfortable with that and show that sex can be beautiful, comfortable … is going to be empowering for people.”

cred: MTV

Aubrey O’Day certainly doesn’t mind courting controversy, particularly with regard to her sexuality. The former Danity Kane star recently suggested that she’sbisexual, and rumors continue to fly that she posed for an upcoming issue ofPlayboy. Among many other things, she opened up about her sexuality during a recent sit-down with MTV News.

“I think it’s funny that so many people care,” O’Day said. “I mean, half the time, I don’t even know who I’m gonna love or what I’m gonna feel comfortable exposing myself to.”

The rumors about O’Day’s bisexuality started to spread after she began hitting parties with girls on her arm. And for a woman who thrives on attention, O’Day admitted that the attention does make her a bit self-conscious. “I think [the fact] that so many people are wondering along with me definitely puts pressure on my choices!” she said.

“But one thing that I have to say about me that’s really always gonna be true, whether people like it or not, is I’m just gonna be me.”

It’s a sentiment that she shared with the world on the “Making the Band” finale, after Diddy kicked her out of the group. “I’m gonna be real. I’m not gonna do anything because people want me to. I’m not gonna hide something about me.”

Now that she’s quite publicly trying to figure all this out, both professionally and personally, that openness isn’t something she plans on changing anytime soon. “I’ve never gone into an interview in my life and said that we can’t talk about something,” she said. “I’ve seen since I’ve been in this industry, probably most of the people that I’m around do that. I don’t wanna be that person. I don’t wanna be someone who can’t talk about who they are — the good and the bad.”

And as long as people understand that, she doesn’t mind being talked about.

“I just want to be real,” she said. “I think we’re missing a lot of real people, and just the idea that you can be real and be comfortable with that. I think people are scared to be who they are. And if anybody’s gonna go out there and let everybody know, ‘Be who you are. I’m OK with it. No judgment here.’ I want it to be me.”

cred: MTV

Aubrey O’Day is never one to shy away from controversy. The singer and sometime Broadway star earned the #7 slot in MTV News’ Women of 2008 list in part by posing suggestively in Complex, possibly doing the same for Playboy and getting kicked out of Danity Kane after Diddy accused her of hogging the spotlight with her over-the-top antics.

Romantically, she’s also been linked to former boss Diddy, Donnie Wahlberg and Jesse McCartney. But, now it seems O’Day is not confining herself to hooking up with famous men. Rumors began surfacing late last week that O’Day has been getting more than friendly with ladies, and in a new interview, O’Day isn’t confirming or denying the speculation about her sexuality.

“At this point in my life, I wouldn’t say one way or another what my preference is sexually,” O’Day told UsMagazine.com, addressing the rumor that at a Hollywood party last Wednesday she was referring to the girl she was with as her “girlfriend.” This was after O’Day brought another female companion with her to a party in New York City.

“The only thing I’m looking for in life is incredible passion and honest love, no matter what options are on the table,” she continued. “All I really operate on is the way I feel in my heart when it comes to love.”

In October, Diddy was the one who shocked Danity Kane fans everywhere when he booted O’Day and D.Woods out of his hugely successful girl group Danity Kane. After news broke on the “Making the Band 4″ season-three finale, O’Day famously told everyone, “I would rather be hated every damn day of my life for being real than loved for being something I’m not.”

Cred: MTV

It’s not as if you didn’t see this coming, what with her recent eye-popping photo spread in Complex magazine and her very public ousting from Danity Kane last month. It appears that Aubrey O’Day has posed for Playboy.

Citing its “spies,” TMZ reported that O’Day spent Tuesday in a Manhattan photo studio shooting a spread for the magazine with celebrity photographer Markus Klinko, who has snapped portraits of Mariah Carey and Pamela Anderson, and shot the cover of Beyoncé’s 2003 album Dangerously in Love. According to TMZ, O’Day’s Playboy shoot may feature several lion cubs.

Attempts to contact reps for both O’Day and the magazine were unsuccessful by press time.

Danity Kane fans were torn when O’Day and D. Woods were booted from the group by mastermind Sean “Diddy” Combs during the live season-three finale of “Making the Band 4.” Some agreed with Diddy that O’Day’s self-promotion was distracting from the group, while others declared her their favorite member.

In the days following O’Day’s dismissal, remaining DK members Dawn Richard and Shannon Bex both gave interviews. While Bex played nice, Richard didn’t, singling out O’Day’s Complex shoot and her risque image as the reasons she was kicked out of the group.

“We had just did a signing with Dollhouse Teen, which is for 13-, 14-year-old young girls,” Richard told UsMagazine.com. “So, we can’t do that one day and then the next day do an obnoxious cover. … [Diddy] wants the fans, and he says he can’t do that if we continue to go in the direction that we were going.”

credit: MTV

We have learned that MTV will begin shooting the next season of Making The Band in 2 weeks, however, it will be WITHOUT the 2 members of Danity Kane. Apparently, the group is said to be extremely fed up with Diddy and living out their lives in front of the MTV cameras.

The new season is following Day 26(the male group formed from the reality series) as they go out on the road and prepare to tour Europe. The season will also capture Donnie Klang a.k.a. Aubrey O’day’s former love interest, as he tours with New Kids On The Block.

The remaining girls(Dawn Richards, Aundrea Fimbres) and possibly Shannon Bex?? will have a “meeting” with Diddy on camera but that is their extent of their participation right now with no contract in place to appear in the new series. Maybe this will be the episode where Shannon tells Diddy and her fans that she quit? We hear that she has not “officially” come back to the group and though she may perform here and there with the remaining 2 group members, she did resign and no one has heard otherwise.

A mess, if there ever was one. For all their ‘potential’, I’m sure as anything that no one will be watching Making The Band 4 just to see Day26. For the sake of the group, show and whatnot, here’s hoping Danity Kane in their original form patch it up and keep it moving.

source: Livesteez

As the fallout continues from Danity Kane parting ways with Aubrey O’Day and D. Woods, speculation was rife in the blogosphere that R&B songstress Cassie would be joining the group as its new frontwoman.

And on Monday (October 27), rumors began spreading that Shannon Bex has left the group as well — leaving only Aundrea Fimbres and Dawn Richard as Danity Kane — based on information a “source” told Elvis Duran from New York radio station Z100.

Bex had said she was “shell-shocked” by O’Day and Woods’ departures.

On Monday, MTV News reached out to a rep from Atlantic Records, the group’s label, who shot down rumor #1 but did not address rumor #2.

“Cassie is not joining DK,” the rep said. “Cassie is set to release her second solo album in spring of ‘09.”

But what about the Shannon rumor? At press time, the rep had not responded to repeated queries on that issue.

Duran’s blog post reads in part: “You remember Shannon, the nice, quiet, married girl who was a great team player. Well, guess little momma has more b—s than all the rest of them! Tired of the drama, cat fights and Diddy, she hands in her microphone and tells Mr. Badboy Worldwide where to stick it!”

credit: MTV

Three years after he picked them to round out the all-girl pop group he’d been assembling, Sean “Diddy” Combs gave Aubrey O’Day and D. Woods the proverbial boot during Tuesday night’s live season-three finale of “Making the Band 4,” leaving only Aundrea Fimbres, Shannon Bex and Dawn Richard to carry on as Danity Kane. Diddy’s reason for the dismissals? Fame turned O’Day into someone he no longer recognized, he said via satellite, and D. Woods was merely guilty by association, caught up in the shrapnel of O’Day’s celebrity.

But according to Richard, it was O’Day’s image that gave Diddy pause.

“Puff did not like [O'Day's] image … where her image was going for the group,” she told UsMagazine.com “It wasn’t a personal thing,” she added, explaining that O’Day’s recent topless appearance on the cover of Complex magazine wasn’t sending the right message to the group’s fans.

“We had just did a signing with Dollhouse Teen, which is for 13, 14-year-old young girls,” Richard continued. “So, we can’t do that one day and then the next day do an obnoxious cover. … [Diddy] wants the fans, and he says he can’t do that if we can continue to go in the direction that we were going.”

While Diddy said he would work with Woods in the future, O’Day’s time is over. But the group will continue, Richard said.

“Well, Puff told me specifically that Aubrey is no longer in Danity Kane, and Danity Kane will move forward without her,” she explained, adding that Diddy hasn’t mentioned anything about replacing the two singers. “He has not said anything per that. But I think in my heart that he is going to do another show.”

If you want to see the pictures from Complex that got Aubrey O’Day kicked out of Danity Kane click here **WARNING The pictures are not for everyone and while considered art may be too sexual for some viewers**

Well I hate to put a post above our last one where so many of you guys have left responses but heres the official release statement from MTV regarding Danity Kane.  I don’t know what is going on but I think alot of people weren’t feelin Aubrey as much anymore from the comments we received.  I just hope everyone can get level headed before the next season so we can get some reunion goin or somethin!  Though this article does confirm D. Woods has moved on to other projects.

From MTV:

On Tuesday night’s live season-three finale of “Making the Band 4,” Diddy confirmed the rumors that Aubrey O’Day is no longer in Danity Kane. He also kicked out D. Woods, leaving only Aundrea Fimbres, Dawn Richard and Shannon Bex in the group he so carefully put together before our eyes four years ago.

“I would rather be hated every damn day of my life for being real than loved for being something I’m not,” O’Day defiantly told Sway on the special that aired Tuesday night.

Diddy, who spoke to the girls and the audience via satellite, had some advice for tabloid target Aubrey. “Check this out, baby girl,” Diddy said. “See, your attitude is gonna have you in a dark and lonely place. … What you need to do, at the end of the day, is humble yourself.

“I got love for Aubrey. I don’t have any beef with her,” he added. “I just want to work with the young lady that I signed, not the person that fame has made her.”

“I don’t think any of us has been happy for a long time,” admitted D.Woods, who Diddy said had gotten “caught up in the wrath” of Aubrey.

MTV News reached out to a rep for Danity Kane to see where the future of the band stands now that Aubrey and D. Woods are no longer in the group. It’s being reported that D.Woods has plans to work with another group, the Girls Club. O’Day, who recently made her Broadway debut in “Hairspray,” has not announced what she will be doing next.

“Tonight is a representation of the end of a chapter in my life; it’s not the end of the book,” O’Day said in a backstage interview before the finale. “I will do everything possible to make my mark on this industry, and Danity Kane and Puff provided me with this amazing opportunity to go out and really touch people’s hearts. I think the way that we were able to inspire people was something that I will never be able to achieve in that way again in my life.”

On Tuesday, it was also confirmed that there will be another season of “Making the Band.”

I hope you guys caught tonights episode…absoutely crazy leading up to that season finale.  Let us know what you thought of tonight episode by leaving a comment!