For a critic whose short career was marked by questionable taste -- he loved ''Hollow Man'' and ''A Knight's Tale'' -- Dave Manning of Connecticut's Ridgefield Press won't soon be forgotten. He was just exposed as a phony, a total fabrication by Sony Pictures, which ran ads quoting his raves for Sony fare like ''The Animal'': ''Another winner!'' (Moans Mark Schumann, a real critic published in the Press: ''We can't even get a press kit.'') A Sony rep cops to ''very bad judgment'' and vows ''action will be taken'' against the unnamed culprit. Thus inspired, we asked veteran critics -- and one faker -- to review the studio's latest drama. Can you spot the bogus blurb?
A. ''Heroic! A fake quote whore takes the pressure off real junketeers!''
--ROGER EBERT, Chicago Sun-Times
B. ''I never heard of him!… And I enjoyed 'The Animal'!''
--TIM WASSBERG, Inside Reel
C. ''It's the feel-duped story of the year!''
--RICHARD ROEPER, Chicago Sun-Times
D. ''I laughed and I cried! The whole ordeal...is simply shocking!''
--RYAN WALKER, Philadelphia News
E. ''The whole system is sick and twisted!''
--GARY COGILL, WFAA-TV Dallas
(Answer: D.)
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