This e-mail pitch has been going around (with all the identifying information that I've stripped out), and I'm just not sure what to make of it. A "celebrity film critic" is "representing [yellow tail] Reserve wine" and wants to talk about movie-and-wine pairings... and the Oscars:
As you prepare your content for the Oscars, I'm wondering if you're available for an interview with celebrity film critic Ben Lyons? Ben is available for interviews... for either phone or Skype interviews. If you prefer Skype, we can record it and provide back to you as a YouTube video.
During the interview, Ben can discuss his Oscar picks, as well as Oscar party planning tips. He is representing [yellow tail] Reserve wine and can also discuss suggested movie and wine pairings. Appreciate your feedback. We only have a few slots left for the day, so I appreciate it if you could get back to me as soon as possible.
Who has accepted this remarkable interview opportunity? I googled "ben lyons" and "movie and wine" and learned that WPIX, former employer of Ben Lyons and Lyons Sr. (Jeffrey), did -- just last September, which is either seven months after the Oscars or five before, depending on how you're counting.
"Something tells me that if I wasn't here you guys would be drinking [yellow tail] Reserve anyway," said Ben Lyons at the top of the segment.
He's "teamed up" with reserveyournight.com and, while you might prefer to ponder which [yellow tail] Reserve Petite Syrah offers a tannic finish to accompany Sean Penn's 1995 "The Crossing Guard," young Lions offers the following recommendation for a Date Night Movie Pick on the wpix.com web site, pairing (trio-ing?) Chesapeake Bay Pasta Chicken with the vintage 1993 Ivan Reitman comedy "Dave" and another select [yellow tail] fermented grape beverage:
Looking for a lighter movie/date night idea? Try picking up a bottle of [yellow tail] Reserve Pinot Grigio and popping in one of my favorite Netflix rentals: "Dave." The light, fruity wine and romantic comedy makes a perfect pairing for a perfect night.
In "Dave," Kevin Kline plays two rolls.
Stop right there. Sounds delicious!
12 Comments
"Film expert" Ben Lyons?
Jim, you post the best jokes on this here blog!
There's a [yellow tail] Reserve? How much does it cost, $13? "To bring to that slightly classier cheap hipster party."
(Also: How awkward is it to add a capped word to a lowercased and bracketed proper name?)
What I need is someone to recommend liquor and movie pairings. Should I watch "The Battleship Potemikin" while I pound shots of vodka?
I wonder if they allow bartering. Like, could you also throw in Ben Mankiewicz and just make it a bottle of Sutter Home white zinfindel? How about taking a few bucks off for Gene Shalit and a carafe of Manischewitz?
I'm curious what a true cineaste would pick. I'd personally go with Manohla Dargis and perhaps a '86 Chateau d'Yquem. Now THAT would be classy.
I don't know what's more disgusting, Lyons on the Red Carpet... or the rolls.
I'll take Armond White and a sheet of yellow blotter LSD.
Will he actually get some takers? Please say no. Incidentally, that wine tastes like Hawaiian punch.
This ad is designed to appeal to hipsters and evil critics and would surely get a chuckle out of Noah Baumbach.
Also, Diet Mountain Dew is BETTER THAN Pinot Grigio.
If he pairs "Silence of the Lambs" with Chianti and thinks he's clever, I'm going to bite his face off.
Not meaning to be an elitist (the worst thing you can be in America today), just a guy who knows what he likes. Yellow Tail is to wine what Coors is to beer. Formulaic, boring, mass produced, and consumed by people who don't know any better and can't be troubled to find out. Which makes it a perfect pairing with Ben Lyons, because that's precisely his position relative to real film criticism.
I disagree, Yellow Tail is more what Foster's is to beer, inexpensive, Australian, and gets you drunk.
Oh man, how lame, who would want anything to do with this?!
Oh wait, it looks like somebody took the bait: http://www.popeater.com/2011/02/25/ben-lyons-oscars-video/
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