Australia- COURT one day, top 40 the next.
At least that's the transition Queensland's self-styled Hugh Hefner is hoping to make after watching the company with which he's associated hauled before the Brisbane Magistrate's Court yesterday.
Steven Parrella heard charges brought by the Office of Fair Trading against Parrella Enterprises which accused its Naughty But Nice store at Kedron of selling a prohibited publication and an objectionable film in 2001. But Mr Parrella was already planning his next venture yesterday - a foray into the Australian music charts.
"Basically we've got a chain of adult stores, we've got a publishing company as well and now we're going into the music industry," he said.
The single already had been penned by an artist who had written for Kylie Minogue and Delta Goodrem, and was tentatively set for release in December.
Mr Parrella had created his own version of the Playboy mansion at Chapel Hill in Brisbane's west which he has dubbed the Platinum Girls Resort.
The $2.5 million party pad comes complete with a Playboy-style grotto and also hosts monthly photo shoots for his Platinum Girls adult magazine.
"The recording that we will be doing will be done all at the resort, with the girls, with the models, and myself and then we'll have a bit of fun," he said.
"We'll create a controversial music video and I'm sure it will be banned by Queensland censors and not banned in other states."
Earlier yesterday, the court was told that Fair Trading inspectors laid the charges against Parrella Enterprises after spending $79.95 on a video and two magazines including one titled The Very Best of High Society.
Magistrate Noel Nunan adjourned the case until November.
Outside court, Mr Parrella said he was prepared to do what he had to to lobby the government to relax its censorship laws.
"If at the end of the day, worst-case scenario, I have to not pay a fine and go to jail to prove a point, then that's something we're going to consider," he said.
