Sony to Pay $1.5M Over Fake Movie Critic

[trailergod]

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/2...309392000.html

Sony Pictures Entertainment must pay $1.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing the studio of citing a fake movie critic in ads for several films.

Moviegoers who saw the films "Vertical Limit," "A Knight's Tale," "The Animal," "Hollow Man" or "The Patriot" during their original theater runs must file a claim to be eligible for a $5 per ticket reimbursement, lawyer Norman Blumenthal said Tuesday. He represented a group of filmgoers who sued Sony Pictures in 2001.

Any funds remaining after claims are satisfied would go to charity, he said.

Sony Pictures declined comment. The studio did not admit any liability under terms of the settlement.

After the dispute came to light, the studio temporarily suspended two executives and vowed to monitor its publicity and advertising more closely.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carolyn Kuhl entered a final judgment in the case last month, Blumenthal said.

The lawsuit, originally filed by two California moviegoers, claimed the ads fooled the plaintiffs into seeing "A Knight's Tale."

In one ad for the action-comedy, a critic identified as "David Manning of The Ridgefield Press" was quoted calling star Heath Ledger "this year's hottest new star!"

In an ad for "The Animal," Manning was quoted declaring, "The producing team of 'Big Daddy' has delivered another winner!"

At the time, The Ridgefield Press, a small weekly newspaper in Connecticut, did not have a movie critic named David Manning, the lawsuit said.

Some of the movies Manning praised had already received positive reviews from real critics.

heh..... i'm not surprised !!!!

[enkydu]

My wife and I still have our ticket stub for The Animal.
That's 10 bucks!! CA-CHING!

[radstar]

That's the funniest thing ever.

I have all of those ticket stubs. I'm rrrrich!

[Fed7haS]

Hmmm who the hell listens to the movie probaganda anyways? i would never go watch a movie based on some clovns quote saying stuff like "This Years Hottest yada yada yada..."

Fed7haS

[editman]

Hmmm who the hell listens to the movie probaganda anyways? i would never go watch a movie based on some clovns quote saying stuff like "This Years Hottest yada yada yada..."

Fed7haS

propaganda and clowns


Sincerely,

editman
"dumbass" movie-loving dumbass

[Matt]

ROFL. Quite frankly, if you saw 'The Animal', you only have yourself to blame.

I don't look at one critic generally, I usually a read a few reviews and see the general analysis and score at Rotten Tomatoes. Although I have ignored both of these on occassion (and payed for, like for example 'Ocean's 12').

[redbear]

i had always thought that there is just no way that these guys would endorse the movies they do, unless there was some payola involved. this just proves what i had thought.... serves them right. but it is not like they won't make up the money back the next time a movie opens up.

14

[Lestat]

Hmmm who the hell listens to the movie probaganda anyways? i would never go watch a movie based on some clovns quote saying stuff like "This Years Hottest yada yada yada..."

Fed7haS

Agreed. I have seen many movies that critics bashed and I enjoyed.

[hollyweirdoe]

thats one of the funiest things I have ever heard. Sony music just got busted for payola and had to pay 10 million for that! Why did they feel they needed a small no name critic when most of those film already had good reviews?