Is Steve McQueen the coolest dead guy around or what?

Absolut Vodka is the latest corporate giant to milk the cash cow that is the corpse of Steve McQueen. He'll be featured in a new television advertisement in which he'll be termed the "Absolut Man."

His 1980 death notwithstanding, McQueen has been seen shilling the last couple years for Tag Heuer, the new Ford Mustang and The Gap, among others. He's still the king of cool somehow despite the fact that Sheryl Crow sang a song about him.

So why do companies bring out the dead, rather than find someone who is cool and still alive? Dunno.

Maybe it's easier to work with a soulless company that reps a dead guy than with an actual live person -- ironic given McQueen's reputation as such a tough guy to work with.

Plus, if you went with cool and alive, you might end up with somebody like Russell Crowe or Colin Farrell, and the last thing you want is your compensated celebrity endorser unable to make a photo shoot because of court-ordered community service or some pesky rehab.

Whatever. Attention Absolut: If you want someone cool, alive, and unlikely to end up in rehab, then the NaturalBlog is available. E-mail for an 8x10 glossy.