KEY POINTS:
Russell Crowe is lucky the rugby league club he owns isn't Manly - because the one-time macho man's man, who throws cellphones and brawls with Eric Watson, has axed cheerleaders from his South Sydney Rabbitohs club.
Hold the phone (as they say in rugby league commentary boxes), this
is the same Russell Crowe who married blonde actress Danielle Spencer, who looks like a cheerleader? The same old Rusty who wore a skirt and tank top in Gladiator?
Turns out Spencer and other fans complained about the cheer squad and Crowe has replaced them with drummers. Crowe explained his out-with-hooters-in-with-drummers policy. Research, Crowe said, showed fans were uncomfortable going to games with girls on the sidelines dressed in skimpy dance costumes. "It makes women uncomfortable and it makes blokes who take their son to the football also uncomfortable," Crowe told Australian media. "We've talked to a lot of people and everyone sees it as being progressive."
Crowe said the missus liked the idea of a percussion band. "She likes the fact that game day entertainment will be multi-sex," he said.
Cheer girl Ashleigh Francis said the cheer squad had only ever tried to add glamour to the Rabbitohs games.
"Children at the games were constantly approaching us and asking for autographs and photos, and little girls would even ask if they were old enough to be cheergirls too," she told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
Spencer isn't the only one to have noticed the increasingly raunchy moves by cheerleaders. Believe me, Danielle, we've noticed.
Someone has to draw the line at what is acceptable family entertainment but does that mean you have to sack hard-working dancers? Couldn't they have just toned down the moves and worn burqas instead?
I am in favour of burqa-clad cheerleaders, like they have in the Middle East, offering more wholesome dance moves such as the gay gordons.
Last year the Blues cheerleaders' outfits were extremely skimpy. They may have been saving material and therefore the environment but this year it was pleasing for some to see they had covered up more with the addition of long socks. While it could be argued some of their routines would only have been raunchier if they removed the crash pads from the goalposts for pole-dancing, they haven't done that yet and that's a positive sign. The Warriors, of course, had drummers and cheerleaders coexisting on the same stage. But Crowe's move is bold and could yet earn him praise or a tinny of Fosters to the back of the scone.
Crowe was born in Wellington, moved to Australia aged 4, back to New Zealand at 14, was in Neighbours by 25 and turns 43 in April. And still it's hard to tell what his natural state is. One day he's throwing a cellphone at a hotel concierge, the next he's banning camel toes at the Rabbitohs.
If he wants to know if his idea is working, he may want to grab the ground microphone and ask: "Are you not entertained?" That'll work.
Bonus for Chiefs
The Chiefs' incredible record of honourable bonus-point losses continued with their last-minute defeat at the hands of the Hurricanes on Friday night. The Chiefs' first two games of the season have ended in bonus-point defeats. Last year the Chiefs managed three such losses and a draw. But 2007 could be a record season for the Hamilton-based Super 14 team.
On the bright side for the Chiefs, Hurricanes flanker Serge Lilo looks an excellent prospect and chances are they won't have to play him again this season.
Beijing gets in line
Today marks the start of Beijing's monthly "voluntarily wait in line" day, so why not do the same at the hot bread shop this morning? The initiative is on the 11th of every month as Beijing tries to eradicate queue-jumping before next year's Olympics.
The campaign will be launched in the fashionable Wangfujing shopping district under the slogan: "It's civilised to queue, it's glorious to be polite." Slogans vary in other districts. Haidian's is "I am a member of the queue", which isn't as glorious.
Orderly queues are a rare sight in Beijing but Capital Ethic Development Office director Zhang Huiguang is out to change that. "We are hoping to enlist all the citizens of Beijing to be missionaries of civilisation," she said.
However, Zhang is hoping the missionaries position themselves behind each other to form a great wall, if you will.
Moaning and mowing
Michael Campbell and other golfers complained the course for the Malaysian Open was unfair because the rough was too rough.
Many likened the course to Pinehurst No 2 in North Carolina, where Campbell won the 2005 US Open.
Cambo admitted he lost three balls during the Pro-Am and almost gave up finding his second shot on the 18th before finally recovering his ball all but completely buried.
These pro golfers might like to try negotiating the sheep, sheep droppings and fences at Piopio Golf Course.
A tip for the cosseted millionaires: Long rough means you have to hit the ball straight, just as sheep dung on your balls means a glove is a good idea.
