The list reads like a Who’s Who of A-list celebrities: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Victoria Beckham, Swizz Beatz, will.i.am. But it's not a concert bill.

Instead, it's a list of stars who have recently agreed to serve as creative directors for brands — a trend that seems to blur the lines between star bling and business acumen.

Bud Light Platinum is the latest, announcing this week that it's inked deal with Justin Timberlake “to provide creative, musical and cultural curation for the brand.” The collaboration is to debut at Sunday’s 55th Grammy Awards via an ad, "Platinum Night," which features his latest single, "Suit & Tie." "Bud Light Platinum brings a refined, discerning aesthetic to beer that plays well with what I'm doing," Timberlake stated in a press release.Continue reading...

Whether Beyonce actually dared to lip-sync the National Anthem during President Obama's second inauguration, one thing is clear: The controversy has landed her back in the headlines, if not as disgraced as Lance Armstrong and Manti Te'o.

Beyonce stands a major chance at public redemption with her Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, to be sponsored by Pepsi, and by the continued unfolding of her $50-million endorsement relationship with the soft-drink brand. There's also an upcoming HBO documentary about her life.Continue reading...

Apple launches Mountain Lion OS and fires pre-trial salvo including $2.5 billion damage claim at Samsung while reporting cooling iPhone sales soft earnings report.

New York Yankees look to leverage Ichiro Suzuki's personal brand.

Skype founders break up as eavesdropping concerns arise.

American Airlines ready to evaluate merger possibilities.

Ann Taylor brings back Kate Hudson for fall campaign.

Canon cuts full-year outlook.

Caterpillar begins to wear down some unionists in strike.Continue reading...

PepsiCo and Twitter today announced a global music partnership, boosting Pepsi's music-based "Live for Now" marketing platform with Twitter campaigns to drive awareness and traffic to Pepsi's Live for Now music ambassadors such as Katy Perry.

The year-long deal between PepsiCo and Twitter includes a weekly music-oriented video series (watch episode one above) offering an overview of the artists (such as Katy Perry), music and music news trending that week on Twitter. Also on offer: Free music downloads (starting at 1pm ET today), plus weekly tweets from @pepsi about current music and free downloads from the Amazon.com MP3 Store to consumers who follow @pepsi and include the hashtag #PepsiMusicNOW. 

The partnership will also help spread the word about Pepsi's pop-up U.S. concert series this summer and fall. They will be announced first on Twitter and streamed live through Pepsi’s Twitter page and on PepsiPulse.com to fans everywhere.Continue reading...

Pepsi today debuts "Now in the Moment," the beverage giant's new commercial starring Nicki Minaj, as part of its global "Live for Now" campaign. Check out the 60-second and 90-second extended versions below, with more on the brand's biggest global campaign to date, a team effort by the Omnicom network of agencies.Continue reading...

Pepsi has announced an exclusive global partnership with Michael Jackson’s Estate as part of its new "Live for Now" campaign, PepsiCo’s global platform to re-engage teens via pop music and culture influencers including Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry, whose upcoming movie the brand is sponsoring.

The deal coincides with brand's legacy with the King of Pop and the 25th anniversary of Jackson's multi-platinum Bad album (released August 31, 1987) and record-breaking tour, and Pepsi and Sony Music will share new mixes, as well as one billion — that's right, billion — special edition Michael Jackson Bad 25 Pepsi limited edition cans with an iconic silhouette of Jackson, as you can see below.Continue reading...

Kicking off this week's Brand Bites, model Bar Refaeli's new under.me lingerie line campaign channels an iconic cheeky tennis poster.

PETA take note: the Sierra Club's new "Coal Will Say Anything" campaign shows how it's done.Continue reading...

Adidas releases spot featuring David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Derrick Rose, and Katy Perry, whose single ("Part of Me") is the featured soundtrack.

Apple products can now be found in half of all U.S. households.

Charles Barkley cross-dresses in new Weight Watchers campaign.

Facebook stops secondary market trading ahead of May IPO.

Jeremy Lin meets with ESPN employee fired over racist headline.

JetBlue's unhinged pilot charged with a criminal complaint.

Netflix appears to follow through with Qwikster plan after all.

News Corp. said to plan sports network to rival ESPN.Continue reading...