Apple gets asterisk happy

Photo: Getty Images

Though Apple recently pledged $100,000 to defeating Prop 8 (whoo-hoo!), the company apparently has a bit of a problem with dykes. And pussy. And Johnny Cash. And anything toasty.

While iTunes has always asterisked potentially offensive entries in its database, recently the UK version of the music retailer went on a censoring binge that blanked out hundreds of inoffensive song titles and artist names. The Dick Van Dyke song from Mary Poppins was changed to "The D**k Van D**e" song. Danny Kaye's innocent little tune "I Thought I Saw a Pussy Cat" became "I Thought I Saw a P***y Cat." Stranger yet, Johnny Cash and Johnny Mathis had their first names reduced to "J*****y" and Avril Lavigne's "Hot" read "H*t."

An Apple spokesperson claimed a "database glitch" occurred during a check for explicit references and that the problem should be fixed sometime soon. In the meantime, why not download D**k Hyman's (or should that be H****n's?) jazz classic "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?"

-- NOAH MICHELSON

Previously > Apple unveils 3G capabilities

Comments

[Christopher King]

Oh, my. That's funny.
Almost as good as when MSN Messenger's Santa bot started saying inappropriate things a year ago to children.

[Noah]

Oh my god. I never heard about that. What was it saying?