Fake Reviewer Rumbled

"Another Winner!”, he said of dire Rob Schneider comedy The Animal. “This year’s hottest star!” he gushed over A Knight’s Tale star Heath Ledger. David Manning has been one of the most effusive supporters of Sony Pictures’ recent films; a critic who is vastly knowledgeable, sharply observant and entirely fictional. After drawing a number of glowing poster quotes from the elusive movie critic, Sony Pictures has been forced to raise its guilty hand and admit that the man who wrote such praise was completely fabricated. A shrewd Newsweek reporter uncovered the scam, forcing Sony Pictures to ‘fess up when he queried the credibility of the gushing comments. Somewhat embarrassed at being caught with its hand in the proverbial cookie jar, Sony Pictures has been quick to condemn the whole affair. “It was a case of incredibly bad judgement,” a Sony spokeswoman told Ananova. "We're taking all the steps necessary to determine who's been responsible and will act appropriately." The infamous critic has provided positive ‘opinions’ on a number of titles including last year’s Hollow Man and the preposterously bad Vertical Limit. Manning was listed on posters as a reporter for The Ridgefield Press, a small newspaper from Connecticut. The publication has claimed they were unaware that their name was being misused.