The Center for Science in the Public Interest has filed a suit in Washington Superior Court to block the sale of Sparks -- one of MillerCoors' fastest-growing brands -- because it says the brand poses health risks, uses unapproved additives and employs marketing that appeals to underage drinkers. "We do not comment on current litigation, but it is important to note that the Federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has approved all product formulations and labels for Sparks," MillerCoors says in a statement. "MillerCoors is trying to hook teens and tweens on a dangerous drink," says …

General Motors has problems on many fronts but the G8 -- a powerful sedan that is supposed to re-energize the Pontiac brand -- illustrates one problem that's often overlooked: The automaker's lineup contains many vehicles that deliver little bang for the buck. A few months ago, GM flooded the airwaves with commercials introducing the G8, but the ad blitz hasn't had much impact. In August, GM's 2,712 U.S. Pontiac dealers sold only 1,915 G8s. Mark LaNeve, GM's top marketing executive in North America, says the additional costs of offering slower-selling models are "really very incremental" because most share parts …

Altria Group, the parent company of Philip Morris USA and the nation's top cigarette maker, has agreed to pay $10.4 billion to acquire Stamford, Conn.-based UST, the top manufacturer of moist smokeless tobacco. "Altria is buying two tremendous brands in Skoal and Copenhagen, which it can drop quite profitably into its own distribution network," says Thomas Russo, of Gardner Russo & Gardner, which owns shares in both companies. Cigarette consumption is declining at about 3 to 4% a year, says Michael E. Szymanczyk, Altria's chairman and CEO, but smokeless tobacco volume has been growing about 7% for two years. …

The 99 Cents Only Stores certainly got its buck's worth of publicity. After weeks of speculation in the media fueled by the chain's announcing that it was reevaluating its long-standing pricing strategy, it now says that its new top price will be 99.99 cents -- or essentially $1 plus tax at the cash register. CEO Eric Schiffer says the new strategy will allow the chain to remain loyal to the number 99 while helping offset "the increased costs of doing business." The retailer has no plans to change its name or logo. Its first-ever increase since its founding in …

Regis McKenna, who opened his public relations firm in 1970, is a Silicon Valley wise man -- a counselor, confessor, mentor and marketer. He was famously in on the ground floor of Intel and Apple and has left his fingerprints on dozens of other success stories. McKenna remembers his first meeting, in 1977, with Steve Jobs, who favored long hair and sandals and was pitching a personal computer. McKenna suggested Jobs and partner Steve Wozniak go see venture capitalist Don Valentine. "Valentine basically called me up and said, 'Why did you send me these renegades from the human race?' …

Procter & Gamble will announce today that it is selling its Noxzema facial cleanser brand, which it has owned since 1989, to Alberto-Culver. Based in Melrose Park, Ill., Alberto-Culver was founded in 1955 and bills itself as the fourth-largest hair-care products maker in the U.S. and the second largest in the United Kingdom. Its brands include Alberto VO5, TRESemme and Soft and Beautiful. The sale fits a broad strategy of P&G shedding underperforming brands to focus on higher-margin ones. But perhaps nowhere across P&G's businesses is the strategy more evident than in its beauty unit, which includes skin- and …