Not just Sony now

[KaMiKaZE muShROom!! (F_U_N_G_U_S)]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Several Hollywood studios on Wednesday said they paid actors or got employees to appear in TV commercials featuring "man-on-the-street" praise for movies. The revelations follow Sony Pictures Entertainment's admission that it created a fake critic to promote its films and placed its workers in so-called testimonial commercials. 20th Century Fox spokeswoman Flo Grace acknowledged that similar spots for the studio's "Anna and the King" featured actors paid to praise the movie. Universal Pictures and Artisan Entertainment, meanwhile, told The Washington Post that actors posing as fans appeared in commercials for the submarine thriller "-571" and the "Blair Witch" sequel. Warner Bros. officials maintained the studio has only used real fans in testimonial ads created in-house but is investigating whether commercials it subcontracted included actors.

[Rick Santillo (Rjs)]

Is anyone surprised?

[Sheri Gordon (Sheri)]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist. Most of these commercials come out before the movie is even in theatres. Where would they average joe schmuck have even been able to SEE it? <IMG SRC="http://www.electric-ent.com/bbs/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> <BR> <BR>It's advertising.

[KaMiKaZE muShROom!! (F_U_N_G_U_S)]

well, screening ususally takes place anywhere from a month or more, to about a couple of weeks before the opening, so some of the legit commercials come from there.