Now here's a way for cash-strapped small towns to pick up some cash in these turbulent economic times.
"Super Size Me" director Morgan Spurlock and his production company, have purchased the naming rights to the city of Altoona, Pennsylvania, to promote his upcoming film "POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold." Beginning on April 27, and effective for 60 days, the town of 46,000 will be known as — take a deep breath, now — POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pennsylvania. (Hopefully the U.S. Postal Service can adjust to the change.)
The name switch will be commemorated with a ceremony at City Hall on the 27th, followed by a screening of Spurlock's latest big-screen offering, which — surprise — deals with the ever-increasing scrooge of product placement. The movie, which was financed entirely via sponsorship deals that Spurlock struck up during the filming of the project, will receive a limited release from Sony Pictures Classics on April 22, with screens being added in the following weeks.
Spurlock said of the naming-rights purchase, “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the shifting tide of business in America." He chose Altoona, he said, because it stands as "a shining example of struggling cities across America."
Proceeds from the deal will go to the Altoona Police Department. Or, rather, the POM Wonderful Presents the Greatest Movie Ever Sold Police Department.
