The name just exudes glamour, beauty, and charm. One of todays top models, making her on-screen debut this Friday in Three Hot Babes, the eagerly anticipated film by Jean Jean Bonn (Three Hot Chicks ) starring Matt Keeply, the hot actor of 1998, August seem to be one of the luckiest girls around. "It's true I've been very lucky," she says at the interview, "But I've had my share of troubles. Like, I'm still in Pre-Algabra. And I'm not in the class with all the fine guys anymore."

August (which is really her middle name; Dupree is her legal surname, but "I changed it 'cause August is prettier"), despite being one of the most in demand models, a fresh new face in theaters, and a serious party person, has never even thought about dropping out of high school. "How could I leave? I'd never see Stan!" She emphatically said in Seventeen last fall. Stan is, of course, Stan Spinrad, the guy she dated and talked about constantly back in October. But things have changed since then: "He's still fine, so I like him, but not as much as other guys...Hollywood was filled with fine guys!" She says with a smile at this interview.

We were sitting by her lake estate, she with a bowl of popcorn, myself with a Summer August trademark: a cranberry pickle. "You've gotta try one," she said with a giggle. She looked radiant popping the kernels in her mouth. You could easily see why she's so popular in her profession. With her thick, just-past-the-shoulder, blonde hair, the deeply tanned skin, and her eyes, one clear green, the other crystal blue ("Why do you think there're all those pictures of me winking?" she laughs) it's no wonder she has come so far- and in so little time.

A year ago nobody had ever heard the name of Summer August, but now it looks like they will never forget it. She's modeled for almost all the premiere designers, been on the cover of dozens of magazines, and now with her foray into Hollywood, it would seem August's fate is sealed- as the front-runner of glamour, that is.

Summer didn't seem the natural choice for a super-model a few years back, said one of her friends. "I mean she was pretty and all, but her hair was too curly, and, and she lived in Wakulla County! " her long time friend continued. Wakulla County, it seems, is the "Hick-ville" closest to Tallahassee, where she moved to when she was 13. "It's not like is a really bad place or anything," her pal added, "but it's not where you think of the next Nikki Taylor or Cindy Crawford coming from."

August's childhood seems to have been a happy one "All we [Summer and her older brother Ira] did as kids was swim and swing." Her parents, Jamie and Robert Dupree, lived on a house boat with their children before moving to the Wakulla estate and finally their luxurious lake-side manor. "I love my house," August said, "but it's freezing in the winter! I really need to get my waterbed heater fixed, it's only, like, $30 bucks, but I always forget."

Summer seemed to have no idea how funny she sounded, considering that her pay checks are now always in seven-digits. "Oh, that," she said, after being reminded that she was a multimillionare, "It's great being rich; I never go to school in anything less than an evening gown."

But it's clear that fortune and fame hasn't ruined her, she is still the same carefree, wild-hearted girl she used to be before the fateful day she met Jac DuJoix, the man (and agent) that made her who she is today. She still acts like an almost over-zealous teen, full of plans, dreams, and a little bit of rebellion ("I'd like to pierce my belly button," she whispered, "but my mom would kill me, so don't tell her, okay?").

When the subject of her new movie was brought up August beamed with delight. "It was so cool making it. Matt Keeply was way hot, and a really awesome person. He's taking me to the premiere this week. I can't wait! I never get tired of limos!...And Jean [Jean Bonn, the director] was great! He let me do anything I wanted to, and like, he gave me a car! It's only a Jeep, but I'd always kinda wanted one so it was cool. And it this beautiful color, deep turquoise with a leather interior."

Keeply seemed to have as great, if not greater, an opinion of Summer as she had of him. "She's really fun- and open," Keeply told a reporter, "I love when people are open, not shy, y'know? I think she's got a lot of...youthful charm. She's very hip."

As to all the rumors about her she says most aren't actuate. "Like the time the Enquire said my diet was mostly Big Macs. That is so not true! Big Macs are gross! I only eat Whoppers!" While some (including myself) might find it hard to believe she keeps her body looking great with Whoppers and popcorn, the results speak for themselves. "I'm very athletic," Summer explained, "I play soccer for two hours five days a week, plus swimming and water-skiing in the summer."

All that exercise pays off, as seen in the belly dancing scene of Three Hot Babes. "That day of the shoot was total deja vu. At least I didn't have a marble in my belly button that time." When asked about the story behind that comment, August just rolled her eyes and said "It was a long time ago," before becoming resolutely silent on the subject.

Summer opened up again, however, as soon as the topic switched. "Plans for the future?" She pondered, "I want to keep modeling, and probably acting, and I still think I'd like to become a doctor someday."

Well, I for one, am sure this talented, happy-go-lucky girl can to whatever she wants. A rare blend of beauty, charm, and determination, Summer August's star is sure to shine for years to come.