Apparently, all publicity is not good publicity if you're one of the fine and Moral corporate types at Anheuser-Busch. It seems as though their trademark product, the mediocre but perfectly acceptable Budweiser, is prominently featured in the new film Flight, which is about a functional alcoholic named Denzel Washington who flies planes for a living, or something along those lines. One of Washington's self-destructive beverages of choice is Budweiser, a fact which has the company all in a tizzy because, you see, despite spending hundreds of millions a year to push Bud on anyone who watches any sort of sporting event, Anheuser-Busch is all about responsible boozing.

The company is so upset that their product, which is designed to get you drunk, is associated with a drunk that they're asking Paramount Studios to remove or blur any Budweiser image in all future and digital versions of the film.

Said Rob McCarthy, vice president of Bud:

"We would never condone the misuse of our products, and have a long history of promoting responsible drinking and preventing drunk driving," McCarthy wrote. "We have asked the studio to obscure the Budweiser trademark in current digital copies of the movie and on all subsequent adaptations of the film, including DVD, On Demand, streaming and additional prints not yet distributed to theaters."

Of course, this won't happen; courts have long ruled that brand names can be featured in movies without corporate approval. But what a noble effort on Budweiser's behalf to distance themselves from a fictional story that uses their product in a realistic way. It's much better to control Bud's image in calculated ways, like, say, in a commercial that shows people throwing an impromptu parade because they're legally allowed to drink again.

By the way, Budweiser's newest product, the heavily marketed Bud Light Platinum, is different from regular old Bud Light in exactly one way; with 6% alcohol, it will get you drunker faster than the original (and regular Budweiser, for that matter). It's also worth noting that I bought Bud Light Platinum at a deli a few weeks ago and that shit was $14 for a six pack, so I recommend sticking to your traditional Bud heavies.

Also, don't fly planes drunk.

[Image via AP]