Verizon: Come to our party or we’ll shoot this dog.

You’ll be standing in line for the new LG VX 9400 multimedia and TV phone plus some kind of music kit with 2GB memory card for only $99, right? That’s why all of the New York area Verizon stores will be open late on Friday night in anticipation of the hordes who will be beating down their doors hunting for a phone that is only slightly better than a Conair landline sitting next to a TV playing reruns of SportsCenter.

Yes, friends, this is how the big boys play dirty. While AT&T stores will be pushing away hordes of fanbois, Verizon is launching a PR offensive to talk down the iPhone on multiple fronts. Interestingly enough we haven’t heard from Sprint or T-Mo on this topic, potentially because they probably know when to shut the hell up and start getting cooler phones.

The iPhone has stolen Verizon’s spotlight. Solution, beg for PR. [GadgetTell]