Even Dr. Pepper is Tired of Waiting for "Chinese Democracy"

The makers of Dr. Pepper are trying to cajole Axl Rose into finally releasing the famously overdue new Guns n Roses album Chinese Democracy, which has been in production for.....uh, 17 years.  The soft drink has said that if Rose drops the album in 2008, every person in the country will get a free can of Dr. Pepper.  Only two people are exempted from the offer.....former Guns players Slash and Buckethead. "It took a little patience for us to perfect Dr Pepper's special mix of 23 ingredients, so we completely understand and empathize with Axl's question for the perfect album," said a company spokesperson.

UPDATE: Axl Rose, in a comment to the New York Post's Page Six, said  "We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper . . . This came totally out of the blue."  But he added that "...some of Buckethead's performances are on our album, I'll share my Dr Pepper with him."