Philadelphia--Officials at the Mayor's Office of Intra-City Movement and Energy confirmed yesterday that actress/singer/bicycle enthusiast Cher suddenly negated a signed contract to be the title sponsor for the city's bike sharing program set to debut sometime during the summer of 2014. The mega-star had agreed to pay just over $300,000 annually for five years after three "very long months" of back-and-forth negotiations concluded in late August of this past year. "The deal was done and the main point of contention during negotiations was that Cher wanted her image to appear on everything--from bike tires to bike seats to bike stations to maps, you name it. Both sides finally settled on a select few photo locations at a much reduced size," said Gary Sommersby, a city official. "Then she pulls a 180 and decides she wants her image everywhere--even bike pedals and brake pads. [The city] refused and she backed out." By breaking the contract, Cher must pay an undisclosed sum of money for two years and perform during the July 4th Welcome America Festival for three years at no cost. This would have been the California resident's first foray into the "very lucrative world" of bike sharing, as the activist has made millions from her car-sharing empire. The city claims the broken deal is "simply a bump in the road" and plans to continue the search for a title sponsor immediately. Cher did not return any of the six phone calls placed seeking comment on the situation.
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