"Jackson's Career Is Toast"...12 eBay Jacko toast and Pop Tart auctions

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=796&e=1&u=/eo/20050615/en_celeb_eo/16755

A day after his stunning acquittal on all charges in a Santa Maria, California, courtroom, there was no grand comeback scheme forthcoming from Michael Jackson. There was no mad rush for recordings from a suddenly forgiving public. There was, however, a lot of toast.

Tuesday on eBay, there were more than a dozen auctions touting pieces of dried bread (and even two pop tarts) with etchings of either Jackson's face or "Not Guilty." The pages drew lots of gawkers. But even with opening bids as low as a penny, serious bidders were in short supply.

"If you compare the Michael Jackson brand to other products, at the end of the day, what people are looking for is that brand to deliver that product successfully," said Mike Swenson, president of the Kansas City-based public relations firm, Barkley Evergreen & Partners.

Starting at age 11, Michael Jackson's brand produced hit music. Starting at age 35, when he first was accused of molestation, his brand produced scandal. And starting at age 45, when he was fingerprinted, booked and hit with a 10-count indictment, his brand produced unseemly courtroom drama.