None of this diminishes my utmost respect for Mary J. Blige as one of the top R&B singers of all time, and she is one amazing live performer. However, I still do not understand in what world Mary J. Blige believed that singing the praises of crispy chicken snack wraps from the #3 fast food burger chain would enhance her image or that of black people in general, if that was her concern. Burger King and Mary J. Blige are now both basically saying things were screwed up, and the "real" commercial that was planned would be a masterful humor-filled ad.
Burger King has officially apologized to Mary J. Blige and her fans saying, "we would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final." They claim overlooked final approvals and licensing issues are to blame for the embarrassing commercial. For her part, Mary J. Blige says she signed on for something much better than what we've seen. She says, "I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence. Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip, so I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you're a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw to go out." If publicity was what both parties wanted, they have it now. However, I'm not sure how much of it is really going to sell crispy chicken snack wraps.
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