Michael Jackson To Appear On Pepsi Cans

More than one billion cans will be imprinted with the late pop icon's image.
By Gil Kaufman

<P>More than three years after <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/jackson_michael/artist.jhtml">Michael Jackson's</a> <a href="/news/articles/1614744/michael-jackson-dies-at-50.jhtml">death</a>&#8232;, the pop icon will be at the beach, the pool, the 7-Eleven and everywhere in between this summer thanks to a new deal with PepsiCo.</P><P>According to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304746604577381792902984470.html?KEYWORDS=pepsi" target="_blank"><I>The Wall Street Journal</I></a> the #2 soda company is going back to the future with a massive campaign that will have Jackson's image imprinted on more than one billion cans of soda as part of its new global "Live For Now" marketing push.</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Remembering Michael Jackson - One Year Later" id="id:1642144" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>Nearly 30 years after Jackson first agreed to be the voice of the brand, an agreement has been reached with Jackson's estate, though reps for both sides declined to disclose the financial terms of the deal. When Jackson signed on to shill Pepsi in 1984 he was paid a then-record $5 million. A representative for the estate said the PepsiCo campaign is the first branding deal executed since Jackson died in 2009 at the age of 50.</P><P>While Jackson was handsomely paid in the 1984 deal, it was during the filming of an ad for that sponsorship that his life was forever altered. While shooting a commercial for Pepsi, a pyro effect went wrong and Jackson's hair caught fire, seriously burning his face and scalp and requiring multiple skin grafts and resulting in intense pain. It has been speculated that Jackson's addiction to pain medications may have begun after the mishap.</P><P>The new campaign is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Jackson's <I>Bad</I> album. PepsiCo will start distributing the special-edition cans in China this weekend and they will arrive in the U.S. later this month. The 16-ounce, collector's-edition can in the U.S. will feature a special download code that will link to downloads of <I>Bad</I> remixes. Though TV ads will debut in China later this month, it has not been determined yet if similar spots will air in the U.S.</P><P><a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a></p>

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Tyler Perry Studio Fire Cause 'Undetermined'

Oprah Winfrey, Gabrielle Union reach out to support Perry following blaze.
By Gil Kaufman

Tyler Perry
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

We may never know what caused the massive fire at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta on Tuesday. After putting out the blaze and examining the damage, Atlanta's fire chief said on Wednesday (May 2) afternoon that the damage was so intense that officials don't think they will be able to find the source of the blaze.

"The cause of the fire will be recorded as undetermined," Atlanta Fire Chief Kelvin J. Cochran said in a statement, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "The intensity of the fire in the area of origin consumed any evidence that would lead to a cause of ignition."

The fire damaged the exterior of one building in the center of the 30-acre, 200,000 square-foot complex, but thanks to the construction materials, it did not reach into the interior, which did, however, suffer some water damage from firefighting efforts. More than 100 firefighters responded to the blaze, which quickly grew to four alarms. The decision to escalate the call to the highest level is credited with helping to stem the spread of the flames to other buildings in the studio lot owned by Perry. No injuries were reported in the response to the emergency.

At the time of the fire, Perry was at his nearby Continental Colony Parkway complex and did not speak to reporters, instructing his employees to avoid the media as well. But late Wednesday morning a spokeswoman for the studios issued a statement from Perry praising the work of the firefighters.

"Atlanta firefighters responded immediately to a fire which damaged the backlot façade of one of the buildings at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta," it read. "We are grateful that there were no injuries, and that 99 percent of the damage is limited to the backlot facade. Mr. Perry wishes to express his heartfelt thanks to the Atlanta fire department for their professionalism in their quick response and limiting the damage."

Perry has not made a public appearance since the fire, but some of his bold-name pals have reached out to offer support. Oprah Winfrey tweeted a message on Wednesday, writing, "I think my friend and younger big brother Tyler Perry ... His back lot studio was damaged by fire last night. His attitude in the midst of it all was calm and feeling blessed no one was injured. Real grace under fire.

Several actresses who've appeared in Perry's films also reached out, including Kerry Washington ("For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf"), who said, "Sending prayers out to everybody at Tyler Perry Studios! Such a special place! XO -- I'm grateful no one was hurt!"

Gabrielle Union ("Good Deeds"), tweeted, "The fire at Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta is hurting my heart for all the hardworking people who create magic there and feed their families."

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Gmail updates: good news for globalists, bad news for drunks

Ever used Gmail's automatic message translation feature, which lets you receive and send emails without even bothering to notice the native language of your contact? If not, that's probably because it's been lurking in the Labs section along with other ideas undergoing live experimentation. As of now though, translation should be right there in front of you as a regular feature, and honestly, it brings a whole new life to foreign spam. Meanwhile, other Lab features have been sacked, such as the Old Snakey time-frittering game and also Mail Goggles, which tested your sobriety with math puzzles before letting you click 'Send' in the wee hours of the morning. Ah well, the best labs are often the least crowded.

Gmail updates: good news for globalists, bad news for drunks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 May 2012 03:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When sales exceed surveys: Could iPhone be ahead of Android in marketshare?

NPD and comScore recently released quarterly research figures over the last few days which suggested that Android was beating out iPhone in the U.S., but some digging into the numbers are showing that might not be the case.

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Obama campaign welcomes Newt Gingrich's departure with a new video bashing Mitt Romney (Washington Bureau)

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Courtney Robertson and Ben Flajnik: Still Doing the Long-Distance Relationship Thing

Los Angeles or San Francisco.

That's the debate between The Bachelor's Ben Flajnik and Courtney Robertson, who like to say they're "engaged-dating," regarding where they'll live in the future.

"It goes back and forth, back and forth," he said Saturday in Vegas, where the duo, who got engaged on the March season finale, hosted a party at PURE.

Flajnik lives in San Francisco and Napa but "loves" the Santa Monica area of Los Angeles. Courtney Robertson lives in Santa Monica and "loves" San Francisco.

Something's gotta give eventually, right?

"We most definitely talk about it," the reality star tells People. "We're trying to figure it out, see how it's going to work and when it's going to happen."

"One thing we do really well is communicate. If something's bothering me or bothering her, we try to squash the bug really quick and move on."

Though the couple got engaged on the season finale of The Bachelor, the broke up once between that taping and the After the Final Rose special.

Despite that setback and widespread public distaste for Courtney's antics all season long, the two have already beaten the odds by going strong.

It's been a whole couple of months. By Bachelor standards? Not bad.

On Saturday, the duo seemed every bit the doting couple, snuggling in their VIP booth, chatting with their friends and fans and taking pictures.

"We're still in the early stages so we're learning a lot about each other, spending as much time with each other," he said. "We're slowing acclimating our lives together and our friends together. It's just going really well."

Despite the fact Flajnik and Robertson don't live together, or even in the same city, the relationship has been "easy," he says. "It's not exactly long, long distance. We live in the same state. It's an hour flight."

Think they'll last?

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GrubHub Debuts OrderHub; A Food Delivery And Order Management Android Tablet App For Restaurants

Chicago-based startup GrubHub, a service that lets you order food for delivery or take out from local restaurants online or by mobile phone, is debuting a new tablet technology for restaurants called OrderHub. As you may know, GrubHub gives its users access to food delivery service from more than 13,000 restaurants in U.S. cities including: New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Boston, Los Angeles, and more. GrubHub is free for diners who order and pay for their meals?while restaurants pay commissions on each order processed. Restaurants that do not currently partner with GrubHub can still list their telephone numbers and menus for free. And of the 13,000 restaurant menus currently available on GrubHub, 5,000 establishments are paying GrubHub to manage and market a white-label online order and food delivery service.

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