it's an ad, ad, ad, ad, world

By Todd Stadler · Friday, May 18, 2001 10:32am

What is to be made of this CNN story, found under the stunning headline "Model Niki Taylor Taken Off Respirator, Asks For Soft Drink":

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Model Niki Taylor has made "significant improvements" and has been taken off a respirator, her doctor told reporters Thursday.

Word of her improvement comes nearly three weeks after a car accident in Atlanta left her in critical condition.

The first word spoken by the model since the April 29 crash was "Coke," said her manager, Lou Taylor (no relation). Her doctor rejected the request for the soft drink, saying she was not ready yet.

I'm not so much appalled by the prominence given celebrity nonevents as the detailed coverage given to the fact that 'the first word spoken by the model since the April 29 crash was "Coke."'

Am I so jaded that I expect advertising to come from everywhere, or is it really just a coincidence that this story takes place in Atlanta, Georgia, home to Coke HQ?

Might Niki, unable to model because of the crash, have picked up some extra money by saying the right word when the press was around?

If not, with the line continually getting blurrier between reality and entertainment, and with the continuing increase in product placement, it's only a matter of time before something like this happens."