KFC and Lifetime are teaming up for a Mario Lopez mini-movie and Twitter is losing it: 'This can't be real'
At last, here’s a thriller where murder really is most fowl. Lifetime and KFC are marrying their brands for the all-new mini-movie called A Recipe for Seduction, starring none other than Saved by the Bell’s Mario Lopez as a sexy Latin Colonel Sanders.
Premiering Dec. 13 on Lifetime, and then available to stream throughout the holiday season on all Lifetime apps and VOD platforms, the 15-minute film is a lovingly plated homage to the network’s menu of cheesy melodramas.
“Let’s face it, we could all use a little distraction this holiday season,” KFC U.S. CMO Andrea Zahumensky, says in statement to Yahoo Entertainment. “So why not fill some of your time at home with a suspenseful drama and the comfort of our world-famous fried chicken?” (Watch the trailer above.)
Billed as Lifetime and KFC’s first foray into branded custom mid-form content, A Recipe for Seduction finds Lopez’s strapping Sanders catching the eye of wealthy heiress Jessica, who is equally attracted to his physique and his grand plans to shake-up the way fried chicken is prepared and consumed. “He has a secret recipe that’s going to change the world,” she boasts. Her feelings don’t sit well with Jessica’s scheming mother or shady would-be fiancé, who launch a campaign of their own to oust Sanders from their kitchen... and their lives.
“Lifetime is the perfect holiday home to bring this spicy, unexpected tale to life,” says David DeSocio, A+E Networks EVP of ad sales marketing and partnerships. “With a wink to the unique sensibilities celebrated in Lifetime movies, this co-production spotlights each brand’s POV and marries them in a fun and authentic way.” Uber Eats is joining in the branding fun: the food ordering and delivery service is offering six free extra crispy tenders on KFC purchases of $20 or more through their online platform.
Based on the Twitter reaction to A Recipe for Seduction, KFC may be busier than usual this holiday season.
Is this real? This can't be real. https://t.co/3VRSk3LckG
— Melissa (@sagastaki) December 7, 2020
After 15 seconds of deliberation, this is now a Mario Lopez as Colonel Sanders fan acct pic.twitter.com/Z6FrxUs4zn
— Razzball (@Razzball) December 7, 2020
I for one applaud KFC for still trying to turn the face of their company into a sex symbol. pic.twitter.com/p8z3IpKQUH
— julia alexander (@loudmouthjulia) December 7, 2020
This is the first Lifetime movie I've ever been interested in. @kfc @lifetimetv https://t.co/UtZmkBpIHs
— Terence (@TOPolk) December 7, 2020
and y'all still wanna judge me for a being a diehard Lifetime Movie Club subscriber https://t.co/7wX2CB02kw
— candied yams (@yayayamie) December 7, 2020
I’m busy next Sunday https://t.co/ClVwujmIYf
— connor (@connormick) December 7, 2020
I feel like this movie can only be either the dumbest or the best thing I will ever see. And yes, I WILL see it, and yes, it will be before it occurs to me to bother with Mank. -H https://t.co/pxiUKv3qOl
— Heather & Jessica (@fuggirls) December 7, 2020
But there are those who aren’t too keen on smelling what KFC and Lifetime are cooking.
Why is this a real thing??? This is the exact moment I became convinced we were in a simulation 😂👽
A Recipe for Seduction | Premieres December 13th | Presented by Kentucky... https://t.co/ZU4Vg3Affa via @YouTube— Cherrae Sci-Fi Bae 🛸 (@ActorOnTheEdge) December 7, 2020
is a mini-movie.....a commercial
— Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) December 7, 2020
So it’s basically a long commercial....? I don’t like it. 😖 https://t.co/V5cMDXh9FG
— B (@Brie__yonce) December 7, 2020
A Recipe for Seduction is the Iron Man of fast food franchised narrative love stories.
The MCU has a new contender in a fight for the greatest crossover of all time!
Can't wait for Taco Bell: Italian-Mexican War to figure out if I'm on Team Personal Pan or Team Nacho Supreme https://t.co/WmL4kWtKi3— John Vechey (@johnvechey) December 7, 2020
BREAKING: @lifetimetv announces collaboration lineup with the fast food industry.
2020 - A Recipe for Seduction @kfc
2021 - A Little Frosty, Never Frozen @Wendys
2022 - I Said I'll Have It My Way @BurgerKing
2023 - You Put the Ick in Chick @ChickfilA https://t.co/htBs3rMNk6— Douglas E. Fresh? (@dstorbe) December 7, 2020
One thing’s for sure: A Recipe for Seduction is the biggest cinematic platform for a fast-food icon since Ronald McDonald appeared in the legendarily awful ’80s kids movie Mac and Me. And if this mini-movie is as ridiculous as that famous disaster, it’ll be something to savor.
A Recipe for Seduction premieres Dec. 13 on Lifetime.
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