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SYDNEY (AFP) - Santas in Australia's largest city have been told not to use Father Christmas's traditional "ho ho ho" greeting because it may be offensive to women, it was reported Thursday.
Sydney's Santa Clauses have instead been instructed to say "ha ha ha" instead, the Daily Telegraph reported.
One disgruntled Santa told the newspaper a recruitment firm warned him not to use "ho ho ho" because it could frighten children and was too close to "ho", a US slang term for prostitute.
"Gimme a break," said Julie Gale, who runs the campaign against sexualising children called Kids Free 2B Kids.
"We are talking about little kids who do not understand that "ho, ho, ho" has any other connotation and nor should they," she told the Telegraph.
"Leave Santa alone."
A local spokesman for the US-based Westaff recruitment firm said it was "misleading" to say the company had banned Santa's traditional greeting and it was being left up to the discretion of the individual Santa himself.
Pop star Madonna is close to leaving her long-time Warner Bros. Records label for a wide-ranging $120 million deal with concert promotion firm Live Nation Inc., a source familiar with the talks said on Wednesday.
The story was first reported on the Wall Street Journal's Web site, which said Madonna would receive a mix of cash and stock in exchange for allowing Live Nation to distribute three studio albums, promote concert tours, sell merchandise and license her name.
Such a deal is virtually unprecedented, but may become more common as struggling record labels and other players in the music industry seek to shore up revenues by going into business with musical acts, rather than just taking fees for selling their albums or concert tickets.
A Live Nation spokesman declined comment. A source familiar with Warner confirmed the basic details of the report.
The 49-year-old singer has recorded for the Warner Music Group Corp.-owned label her entire career, stretching back to her 1983 self-titled debut album.
She still owes Warner Music a new studio CD and a greatest-hits package, a label spokeswoman said in August, when speculation of a tie-up with Live Nation first surfaced. Her last album, "Confessions on a Dance Floor," came out in 2005.
Live Nation's diversification from promoting concerts to entering complex business partnerships with music stars is a sign of the times in the ailing music industry.
As the traditional recorded-music industry fights a losing battle against Internet piracy and other forms of entertainment, the labels are eyeing other revenue streams, such as artists' touring and merchandising revenues. Ancillary players, such as concert promoters, talent managers and ticketing companies, also are in the hunt for such deals.
Warner Music reportedly sought to retain Madonna with a similar arrangement. In an unusual move, the company partnered with Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, the parent of TicketMaster, to try to counter Live Nation's proposal, the Wall Street Journal said.
The paper, quoting people briefed on the Live Nation deal, said the package includes a general advance of $17.5 million and advance payments for three albums of $50 to $60 million. (Album advances are generally recouped from sales income.)
Live Nation also is expected to pay $50 million in cash and stock for the right to promote Madonna's concert tours. Although she does not tour much, she is a popular draw. She ranked No. 4 on trade publication Pollstar's list of the top acts in 2006, with North American ticket sales of $86 million.
Reuters
I cannot believe that sagging has now become a world wide issue. If sagging was placed on a list of truely important world problems to resolve it wouldn't even be a tiny spec of dust.
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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A naked intruder broke into Nicolas Cage's waterfront home near Los Angeles, and put on one of his leather jackets before he was confronted by the actor, police said on Tuesday.
No one was hurt in the incident, which happened early on Monday in Newport Beach, an upscale community 45 miles south of Los Angeles. Cage, who was at home with his wife and child, asked the intruder to remove the jacket, escorted him outside and called a security guard.
Robert Dennis Furo Jr., 45, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a first-degree burglary charge. He was ordered back to court on October 10 for a pretrial hearing.
Newport Beach police Lt. Craig Fox said Furo was "apparently" naked, and not known to Cage. There was no sign of a break-in, and he did not know what led Furo to Cage's home.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Cage paid $25 million for the property in 2005.
