Fun Facts

Playboy Magazine has always been surrounded by controversies. The very nature of the magazine attracts scandals, speculations, and publicity. From Hefner’s conquests to magazine’s playmates, the activities and lives of the people associated with the magazine has fascinated, shocked, and ignited the imagination of men throughout the world.

But the name “Playboy” which has now been associated with bunnies, black ties, and stars wasn’t supposed to be named thus. In fact, the magazine’s original title was supposed to be Stag Party. Hefner only changed it at almost the last minute when the Stag Magazine threatened with a lawsuit if they use this name. So Hefner and Playboy’s co-founder Eldon Sellers choose the name Playboy instead. It was named after the Playboy Automobile Company where Seller’s mother hand worked.

The first issue of Playboy Magazine was released in December 1953. It didn’t contain any date as the founders were unsure about how sales will turn out. As it was, the issue was actually sold out within weeks. It had Marilyn Monroe as the centerfold. Circulation of the first issue was pegged at around 54,000. Right now, near mint condition editions of the first issue can sell at $5,000 or more in the marketplace.

Ever since the first success of the magazine, endless scandals had appeared since then. Whether these rumors contained a grain of truth or not, nobody can deny that it is always entertaining to hear them. For example, in the 1950’s to the late 1970’s, the “P” in the Playboy logo contains stars around the letter. Some people claimed that this was the rating Hefner gave the Playmate according to the number he slept with her, her attractiveness, and how great she was in the bedroom. However, the stars were actually an indication of the regional advertising region of that printing.

Aside from controversies surrounding the centerfold and Hefner, Playboy is also notable for its Q-A style discussion with influential individuals of the time. For example, Playboy had featured an interview with Martin Luther King, Yoko Ono, and Malcolm X among others. Jimmy Carter has also been quoted by Playboy as saying “I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times”. These interviews reflect the pop culture and the perspectives of different eras.

There are now many editions of Playboy around the world. The magazine has licensed publishers from other countries to adapt Playboy to the local culture and preference. But seldom has there been a success story as large as that of the original.

Hollywood

Everywhere you look in Hollywood, there are new personalities are coming “out” everyday. Whether in real life or in television shows, being gay has never been as accepted or been as popular. In the “Goode Family”, there is a lesbian couple. In “Dirty Sexy Money”, there is a transsexual who’s having an affair with one of the main characters. And in “Mad Men”, Salvatore Romano marries a woman while pining for a male colleague.

Clearly, the message is, “if you’re gay then the time to come out is now.” Hiding in the closet is no longer tolerated. Some people who display gay tendencies but don’t want to be gay are being forced to admit that they are gay. But is this type of culture really healthy? Is today’s society actually encouraging people to become gay? What if a gay person wants to stop his “gayness”? Should the media deny him this right?

People are being encouraged to accept themselves as they “really” are. In fact, countless people have observed that they have never seen so many gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgender individuals in their life.

Hollywood has done much to make gays and lesbians accepted in everyday American life. Even as fictional gay characters are promoting “gayness”, real life gay individuals such as Neil Patrick Harris, Ellen DeGeneres, and Lindsay Lohan are promoting this way of life.

From a certain perspective, it would seem that the media is inadvertently promoting gays and lesbians. In fact, this campaign has been going on for years that people cannot help but listen. Gay rights are now one of the hottest topics in Hollywood and even at the courts.

Hollywood can say that what it wants. No, everyone has their own freedom of choice, they’re either gay or they aren’t gay. However, instead of focusing too much attention of gay couples and scandals, it would have been better for them to encourage men to claim their masculinity and for females to claim their femininity.

After all, despite everything else, if a male has been born a male, he ought to have some masculine characteristics inside him. Instead of coercing his feminine side to come out, encouraging “gay” individuals to become more masculine might be better for him and for society. The same is true for females. Instead of telling them that being “masculine” is right, Hollywood should encourage women to claim their femininity or not interfere at all.

Hollywood

Hollywood always has its fair share of screwed up actors and actresses who don’t know any other way to spend money but on alcohol, drugs, and sex. These sorts of scandals no longer shock us but there are certain controversies that still manage to astonish our cynical palate.

As long as there are celebrities, there will be scandals. And as Paris Hilton’s love movie shows, audiences do not discriminate when it comes to these shockers. So here are some of the top 5 Hollywood scandals so far:

1. Rob Lowe – long before Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson got busy, Rob Lowe rocked the Hollywood sexy scene. The then-25 year old invited two girls, one of them was 16, over to his hotel. After their carnal act was captured on video, Lowe went to the bathroom while the girls left with the tape and money. A part of the video was leaked and sparked frenzy. The actor settled with the teenager to avoid charges. His career virtually bounced back and he landed ropes on the “West Wing” and became part of Governor Schwarzenegger’s staff.

2. Hugh Grant – before he hooked up with Divine Brown in 1995, Grant was known as a stammering charmer his characters were projected. He was also known to be intensely devoted to Elizabeth Hurley. But this image disappeared when he was discovered with Brown. When the police told Brown who her client was, she demanded “Who the hell is Hugh Grant?” Soon, everybody knew about them and Grant responded with “I did a bad thing and there you have it.”

3. Winona Ryder – after being caught with felony, the Oscar nominated actress made the headlines. The actress did not escape charges; she was sentenced to three years probation, $10,000 in fines, and 480 hours worth of community service. Her career had been downhill since.

4. Paris Hilton – would this list be complete without the Pink Princess? Paris Hilton’s video was downloaded by millions of curious fans across the world. But if Hilton released the movie to make her career leap, it soared. She has been the object of tabloids to fashion magazine ever since.

5. Woody Allen – after his affair with longtime partner Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter was discovered, scandals after scandal hit Hollywood in 1993. Allen and Farrow fought for custody battle and Allen got what he wanted. He married Soon-Yi in 1997.  But his career was never the same after that.

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