playboy enterprises

A fundraiser at Los Angeles' Playboy Mansion earlier this month may have caused dozens of attendees to become ill with flu-like symptoms, respiratory problems and pneumonia, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday, citing Los Angeles public health officials.

For more than a year, adult entertainment company Playboy Enterprises has been looking for someone to save it, but in the end, its savior came from within. Last July, founder Hugh Hefner offered to take Playboy private, and Monday, the company finally announced that it has agreed to his offer.

Playboy Enterprises, which founder and major shareholder Hugh Hefner wants to take private, reports that its second-quarter loss eased as gains in its licensing business offset declines in publishing.

Playboy Enterprises (PLA) launched a website it says will be safe to browse at work. The site, thesmokingjacket.com, contains none of the nudity of the iconic magazine. Instead, it will focus on humor – original content and funny moments harvested from sources as diverse as The Daily Show...

Hugh Hefner's offer to buy all of Playboy Enterprises and take it private may look like a slam-dunk because he already owns so much of it. Not so. Some big shareholders say it's a low-ball bid, and already FriendFinder has made a higher offer.

Taking Playboy Enterprises private could put the company and its valuable brand back on a path to growth while allowing Hefner to select his successor. Says one analyst: "There's really no upside to being public for them."

Playboy Enterprises's (PLA) shares soared more than 60% after Bloomberg News reported that the pioneering adult publisher was in talks to sell itself to Iconix Brand Group (ICON), the owner of Candie's and London Fog clothing brands. The news may sit well with investors now, but if it really...