Pop star Britney Spears follows in the footsteps of Michael Jackson and Madonna by becoming a spokesperson for Pepsi, it was announce yesterday. The 19-year-old pop star appeared at a press conference at Pepsi headquarters in Purchase, N.Y., to announce her new sponsorship deal, reported to be one of the cola company's most extensive deals ever with an entertainer (they'll also be co-sponsoring her upcoming worldwide concert tour). Spears, who was presented with a Pepsi vending machine for the game room of her new home, according to Reuters, told the crowd of hundreds of Pepsi employees and their kids, "It's such an honor," adding that the previous pop icons also crowned Pepsi pushers are "all of my heroes." Spears, who's gone multi-platinum with her sophomore CD, "Oops . . . I Did It Again," also has a lucrative sponsorship deal with the footwear company Skechers, which she signed last year. The Kentwood, La., native is a Grammy nominee for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her first Pepsi commercial is scheduled to debut during ABC's Academy Awards telecast on March 25.