Paris ad 'too hot for TV'
2005-05-25 09:00
New York - A United States hamburger chain's raunchy advert starring hotel heiress and socialite Paris Hilton has raised temperatures among fans and family watchdog groups alike.
The ad features a skimpy black swimsuit-clad Hilton soaping and washing down a Bentley limousine - and herself - while a sultry version of Cole Porter's I Love Paris plays in the background.
The spot ends with the blonde heiress biting into a Carl's Jr spicy BBQ burger, before fading into her trademark slogan That's Hot.
The Los Angeles-based Parents Television Council thinks it's far too hot for network television and has denounced the ad as "soft-core porn".
The group plans to lobby the regulatory Federal Communications Commission to have the advert pulled off the air.
'A mixed blessing'
So far, the only response from Carl's Jr has been a statement crowing how an even-raunchier internet-only version of the ad was so popular the site crashed under the number of viewers.
"It was a mixed blessing," said Brad Haley, executive vice president of marketing for Carl's Jr.
"We wanted to create a Paris Hilton site that would attract visitors, and we certainly achieved that objective," said Haley.
"Unfortunately, we just weren't prepared for the influx of traffic, and disappointed a number of visitors.
"It turned out Paris was too hot for our servers," he added.
The super-wealthy Hilton, an aspiring actress, is no stranger to controversy.
In 2003, she became a tabloid superstar when a video surfaced on the internet of her enjoying a "sex romp" with a former boyfriend.
Men's magazine Playboy named her "Sex Star of the Year" for 2004.