This One's a Layup - Dr. J. and Dr. Pepper

Julius Erving, or Dr. J, is featured in a new spot for Dr Pepper in a $35 million ad campaign that launched Monday. "Scientific tests have proven that when you drink Dr Pepper slowly, the 23 flavors taste even better," the basketball great says in one TV spot. "I get it 'cause half my life has been in slow motion." Dr. J is seen in slow motion making an amazing shot: landing an ice cube in a glass. And Dr. J isn't the only fictional doctor at work for the beverage. Kelsey Grammer, known for his role as Dr. Frasier Crane in "Frasier," is shown dishing out advice on his radio talk show, saying: "Slower is better: Trust me, I'm a doctor."

He Can Write and Swim - Phelps Nabs $1.6 Million Book Deal

EVEN before landing back in the US, Olympic swimming champ Michael Phelps, winner of eight gold medals in Beijing and the man being hailed as the greatest Olympian of all time, was converting his fame into a big pool of Yankee dollars.

Phelps snagged an estimated $1.6 million advance from the Free Press imprint of Simon & Schuster for his latest book, to be called "Built to Succeed."

Waxman Literary Agency, working with Phelps' long-time talent manager Peter Carlisle of Octagon, brokered the deal, which had a $1 million floor price just to get into the hunt.

At least a half-dozen major publishers took a look before Dominick Anfuso, editorial director of Free Press, landed the deal.

In the book, which is being called an "inspirational memoir," the publisher said that Phelps will reveal the secrets of his success, and give a behind-the-scenes look at his approach to training, competition and winning.

The narrative thread is expected to be the eight final swims of the 2008 games.

Grab A Cold One with Jessica Simpson

Simpson, 27, is now the face of Stampede Light Plus, a beer made by Dallas's Stampede Brewing Co., that includes vitamins, reports the Associated Press. She'll appear in store ads for the beer and will take a 15 percent stake in the brewer.

In a statement, Simpson said that as an entrepreneur, she is "always looking for ways to diversify my portfolio with good ideas and good people."

"Yes, I work out and take care of myself," she added, "but I also like a cold beer once in a while." Bottoms up!

Ty Pennington Peddles Baby Formula

Who made this decision?

Blue Light Special On Sheryl Crow Jeans

Perhaps the plethora of new celebrity inspired apparel at retailers across the country is attributable to the success of Steve & Barry's celebrity lines?


This back-to-school season will go down as the Battle of the Brands.

Kohl's launched six new lines of clothing this summer with a star-studded advertising campaign featuring celebrities from Lenny Kravitz to Hayden Panettiere. JCPenney introduced another half-dozen labels, the department store's biggest crop of new brands, with looks including urban rock and all-American. And Dillard's is chasing soccer moms with a line designed by Sheryl Crow that hit stores this month.

Ownership + Energy = Lance Armstrong's Drink Deal

GEICO Caveman Bagels Billie Jean King

The Geico Cavemen failed in their hopes of becoming TV stars, as ABC called off a series based on their adventures last fall. But the story of these misunderstood characters lives on in a pair of 30-second broadcast spots for Geico, via The Martin Agency, breaking this week.

In one TV spot, "Plane Banner," a caveman and his girlfriend—played by model and one-time Lindsay Lohan pal Lauren Hastings—plop down their umbrella and blankets on a secluded beach. "Boy, I really needed this," the caveman says as he prepares to sprawl out. Then a small plane flies over the beach with a trailing banner featuring the famous Geico ad with copy: "Saving hundreds so easy . . ." The copy alludes to older ads, which state that saving on insurance with Geico is so easy that a caveman could do it. The caveman looks disconsolately at the banner and says, "I'll be in the car."

Another spot features former tennis star Billie Jean King at a tournament in which her foe is a caveman. After a round, the two report to their respective chairs and the caveman says, "I can't believe I'm beating Billie Jean King." "You're not beating me," King replies. "In fact, you haven't even got a serve in." "You might want to take a gander at the scoreboard," the caveman says. Both look at the board, which shows he has yet to score a point. The caveman looks around the arena and realizes Geico is sponsoring the entire event. "I get it," he says with a smile to contain his anger, as he gets up to leave the court. "I quit, but I get it."

"With this new round of cavemen work, we were really trying to stick to the same formula that worked so well in the past: Geico, intentionally or not, dinging cavemen," Todd Brusnighan, senior copywriter at The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va., said in a statement. "We wanted to remind viewers that our cavemen are still out there and their struggles are still very much happening everyday."

There is no Web element to the new campaign, but a Martin Agency rep said the ads "will be on every television network and every cable network" for the next 21 months. The spots will also run during the Olympics. Some reports have said that two more cavemen ads are in production and will be released shortly, but the agency's rep declined to comment on the reports.

Geico's cavemen ads began running in 2004 and have gained pop icon status over the years. Geico spent $600 million on U.S. ads last year (excluding online) and $240 million through May, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.