Pepsi Brings Michael Jackson Back from the Dead

Soon, about a billion cans of Pepsi--yes, one beeeeeeelion cans--are going hit store shelves, all bearing the silhouette of Michael Jackson, hoping that this will give them a summertime edge over Coke in the cola wars.

Too soon?  That's what some marketers are saying.  "Crass," "macabre" and "over the top" are words and phrases being thrown about.

But lest we forget, Pepsi and Mikey have a history going back to the early 80s.  Remember this commercial?

This was just one of a series of spots Mikey did for the Pepsi Generation campaign.  And remember how his hair caught on fire in one of them?

It's asserted by some that the injuries suffered during the making of that commercial were so severe that Michael became hooked on powerful painkiller--a situation, it is whispered, that eventually led to the circumstances the caused his death.

Again, I ask:  too soon?