That'll Do, DirecTV ...

Remember when Fred Astaire danced with a Dirt Devil? It was jolting but effective advertising. Reliable, durable and unique, just like the vacuum he waltzed with. It also conjured memories of a bygone era where Astaire and Ginger Rogers would dance to songs that make your grandparents get that wistful look in their eyes about the good ol' days.

Fast forward to 2009 and we've clearly reached the 'anything goes' era. DirecTV has premiered a new advertisement that resurrects the late Chris Farley who died from a drug overdose in 1997. It's a spoof-ish reenactment of a scene from his hit movie "Tommy Boy" co-starring David Spade who reprises his role in the commercial.

DirecTV has fun concepts with their ads that break the fourth wall while reenacting popular movie scenes, but what's up with using the dead celebs — especially ones that evoke such sad memories?

Here's the ad:

No doubt it's a creative concept, but is DirecTV crossing into some creepy territory? What do they gain by resurrecting the image of a man who served as the poster child for the excesses of Hollywood?

This isn't the first time DirecTV has brought back the dead. In late 2008, they used Poltergeist for an ad. It featured the late Heather O'Rourke trapped in her youth as soon to be ghostnapped Carol Anne Freeling. In the ad, with her hands pressed firmly against the TV screen declaring the arrival of ghosts, her movie dad Craig T. Nelson cracked wise and touted the benefits of switching to the satellite service.

Eeesh! That just gave me a chill ... What do you think? Morbid or Genius?