NEW YORK (CAP) - Following in the wake of his deeply emotional and highly successful ads for Democratic candidates who support stem cell research, a spokesman for Michael J. Fox has confirmed that the actor will next weave up to the microphone for Budweiser.
"Michael has always been a fan of the King of Beers, so it was only natural that he'd jump, or something close to a jump, at this opportunity," said the spokesperson. "He will not be doing any ads with those big horses though. Large horses make Michael very nervous, and I think it goes without saying that you don't want to see Michael very nervous."
While specifics have yet to be ironed out, Budweiser is reportedly going to be giving $10 million to a variety of Parkinson's research groups in exchange for an unspecified number of ads that will be filmed over the next two years. Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with the disease in 1991.
For its part, Budweiser is thrilled.
"We saw him in those stem cell ads - the emotion, the honesty - and we immediately said That's our boy!" said Budweiser Marketing Analyst Roy Daniels.
As to what ads he would come up with since the Clydesdales were out of the picture, Daniels didn't see it being an issue.
"Sure it would have been nice if the Clydesdales were involved. Perhaps a nice holiday commercial, everyone in a big snow globe, yay here's Michael, that sort of thing. We do all kinds of commercials though, so it won't be a problem."
This will be Budweiser's first celeb-pairing since the notorious pre-rehab Rush Limbaugh commercial shoot back in 2003. Roy Daniels would not comment on the SPCA or Trojan Inc. lawsuits that are still pending over that incident, but did note that the Michigan Swine Bureau dropped its suit back in July.
- Rich Gray
Contributing Writer