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'''Vince Offer''' is a writer, director, and comedian. Vince, whose father is Israeli, is also the owner of two |
'''Vince Offer''' is a writer, director, and comedian. Vince, whose father is Israeli, is also the owner of two [[as-seen-on-TV]] products: ShamWow! absorbent towels and the SlapChop food chopper. Offer is actually his first name.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnbc.com/id/28880253?__source=RSS |title=First Interview with Vince from ShamWow! |date=2008-01-27 |agency=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> |
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Revision as of 19:16, 28 January 2009
Vince Offer is a writer, director, and comedian. Vince, whose father is Israeli, is also the owner of two as-seen-on-TV products: ShamWow! absorbent towels and the SlapChop food chopper. Offer is actually his first name.[1]
Underground Comedy Movie
In 1999 Offer released the Underground Comedy Movie to scathing reviews. Lawrence Van Gelder of the New York Times described the movie as "a series of sketches built around subjects like masturbation, defecation, alienation, urination, necrophilia, voyeurism, casual brutality and mockery of the unfortunate." He added that Offer "makes the common mistake of equating the recognition of comic potential for comedy itself. For the successful, talent bridges the gap, but here it is absent."[2] DVDs of the film were marketed via television infomercial.
The film also generated several lawsuits. Offer filed a copyright-infringement suit against Peter and Bobby Farrelly and Twentieth Century Fox, claiming that 14 scenes in There's Something About Mary were taken from his own film. The Farrelly brothers responded, "We've never heard of him, we've never heard of his movie, and it's all a bunch of baloney."[3] In addition, Offer sued Anna Nicole Smith for breach of contract, alleging that Smith had agreed to appear in Underground Comedy Movie but backed out, claiming it would hurt her career.[4]
In 2004, Offer, an ex-Scientologist, sued the Church of Scientology, alleging it had declared him a criminal and had urged its members to "write false and malicious reports against him." Offer claimed that the church's action against him caused him to lose a successful business, as many of his employees were Scientologists who quit upon learning of the church's actions. His attorney was Ford Greene.[5]
ShamWow! commercial
Offer, who appeared on infomercials for his movie, is featured as a spokesman in a commercial for ShamWow! absorbent towels, a product he owns, that began airing in the spring of 2008. Offer's work on the ad received some comment in the media. Slate.com's Seth Stevenson praised Offer for his "impressive and subtle mastery of the pitchman's art" (with lines such as "you know the Germans always make good stuff"), and wondered if Offer's "abrasive manner might also mark a unique, new strategy in the annals of pitchdom." Stevenson compared Offer to earlier, "more upbeat" television pitchmen like Billy Mays and the Home Shopping Network hosts and concluded that Offer's "smooth-talking condescension" was more suited to the present zeitgeist than the "earnest fervor" of spokesmen like Mays and Ron Popeil.[6]
SlapChop commercial
In December of 2008, Offer, who had previously sold kitchen utensils at swap meets,[6] appeared in another infomercial for the kitchen utensil SlapChop, another product he owns. The commercial includes the infamous tag line, "you're gonna love my nuts!"
External links
References
- ^ "First Interview with Vince from ShamWow!". CNBC. 2008-01-27.
- ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (1999-05-28). "FILM REVIEW; 15 Minutes (Count 'Em) Of Infamy". The New York Times. New York City, New York. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
- ^ Dave Karger, Suna Chang. Monitor: Celebrity News for October 16, 1998, Entertainment Weekly online.
- ^ Bollywoodsargam, retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ "Filmmaker Sues Church of Scientology". PR Newswire. 2004-05-11.
- ^ a b Stevenson, Seth (2008-05-13). "Salesjerk; Meet the next great TV pitchman". Slate. The Slate Group. Retrieved 2008-12-15.