First off, the new Seth Rogen-James Franco film “The Interview” looks like a hoot. It’s a comedic-thriller set in North Korea, in which two talk show hosts are co-opted by the CIA in a plot to kill Kim Jong Un. When I saw the trailer last weekend my first thought was “why didn’t I think of that?”
But what I admire most is the brilliance of the marketing whiz who thought to get the Guardian UK to report that the hermit kingdom’s Supreme Leader has “condemned” the movie. It’s a headline made for Twitter and Facebook. Never mind that Kim Jong Un hasn’t said anything at all about the movie and probably isn’t aware of it. Instead, the Guardian quotes an “unofficial mouthpiece” for the Pyongyang regime, Kim Myong-chol, who was born and lives in Japan. He said some pointed things about the irony of a movie like this, but even he didn’t condemn it.
Great work getting mileage out of a rumor. Now that one credible source has “reported” on this you’ll see 100s of other outlets repeat the news.
Can’t wait to see the movie. 
The Original Spin 