Jerusalem bans 'Sex and the City' ads

JERUSALEM, May 20 (UPI) -- Distributors of the "Sex and the City" feature movie say they have been banned from advertising in Jerusalem because the word "sex" appears in the title.

Forum Films and its publicist, Golan Advertising, said officials in the Israeli cities of Jerusalem and Petah Tikva told the outdoor advertising company Maximedia they would not allow any advertising for the movie, which is based on the popular HBO series of the same name, Haaretz reported Tuesday.

"The news was a great shock," a Forum Films spokesman said. "We have not asked to advertise nudity, or messages that may be offensive to the general public and the ultra-Orthodox community in particular. Nevertheless, this is the name of the movie. We feel that it is ridiculous to prohibit us from advertising the brand without naming it."