Courteney, Penelope, Mya to Add Fizz

By Stephen M. Silverman

Thursday January 09, 2003 12:00 PM EST

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Pepsi had Madonna, Britney and now Beyonce -- so now Coke is borrowing a few tips from its rival and plugging Penelope Cruz, Courteney Cox and Mya into its advertising.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Coca-Cola is introducing a new ad campaign "with a lineup seemingly torn straight from the pages of PEOPLE magazine."

Hey, thanks!

According to the paper, "Friends" star Cox, 38, is shown in one commercial pouring a Coke for her husband, actor David Arquette, 31. In another, Cruz, 28, is guzzling the soft drink (apparently without the aid of her reputed squeeze, Tom Cruise, 40). She also burps.

Meanwhile, singer and "Chicago" costar Mya, 23, delivers a hip-hop rendition of Eddie Harris's "Compared to What."

"By showing celebrities in real-life situations," the Journal reports, "Coke hopes to drive home the point that its brand still deserves to be an integral part of people's everyday lives."

The slogan, which is also to be featured in a new print-ad campaign, will be "Coca-Cola Real," which echoes the drink's classic "The Real Thing" tagline.

The first 90-second commercial (the one starring Mya) is due to be aired Monday during the American Music Awards on ABC.