Poor Bob Guccione.  The Penthouse publisher and Caligula auteur had his Connecticut mansion seized last week and its contents put up for auction.  One of the items sold off was the golden calve below.  Leftover set dressing from Caligula, possibly, but still—how often does life reward you with on-the-nose symbolism like that?!  No stranger to Foster Kane-like ostentation, The Penthouser was also apparently fond of marble commodes and whale teeth.

Long on the losing side of the print vs. internet wars, Guccione is, though, donating the auction’s proceeds to Green Demolitions, an oddly-named non-profit that supports programs for people recovering from various addictions.  And for those of you still with me here on the “irony train,” yes, on the list of Green Demolitions’ treatable addictions, sexual addiction is listed 5th.
 

 
In the Huffington Post: Guccione’s Strangest Auction Items

In the NYT: On The Block, A Glimpse Of The Lifestyle Of Bob Guccione