And now, Michael Jackson's final product endorsement

One of the more unusual (the term is relative) factoids to emerge from yesterday's memorial service for Michael Jackson in Los Angeles proves that, for some of us, top-of-the-line brands matter until the very end-in this case, our conveyance to the pearly gates. The general media made much of the fact that the casket of the deceased pop king was a 24-karat gold model widely reported to be "custom made." Alas, branding novices, the truth is that The Promethean—the top-of-the-line model of Indiana's Batesville Casket Co.—can be had by anyone willing to plunk down the $25,000 it costs to have one. When you call, just ask for model no. Z94-665-LH. Be prepared to specify your choice of velvet interior-lining color: Dark Green, Shasta Lily, Blue Onyx, or Spitfire Red (the Jackson family chose the blue.) The casket (pictured here) is continuously welded bronze that's plated in 14- (sorry, not 24) karat gold, and features a fully adjustable mattress. Batesville's been having a fine fiscal year-its second-quarter 2008 revenues were up 5.6 percent to $191.4 million-though not, apparently, because of a surging demand for Prometheans. "The increased revenue was favorably impacted by a more typical pneumonia and influenza season," according to a press release.

—Posted by Robert Klara