With every big new release comes a slew of cross-promotional gimmicks. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Crystal Skull is no exception. The Terminal proved that Steven Spielberg is practically a choreographer when it comes to product placement, but the jury's still out on whether he has managed to work Dr. Pepper into his latest film. Either way, the soda's in on the game. Dr. Pepper has a ton of contests going on now tied to the upcoming release: Any given can might take you on a vacation to Egypt, India, Jordan or Peru. You might also win a t-shirt or an iPod nano (there are twenty-three of them secretly buried in Dr. Pepper cans as you read this, like carbonated golden tickets). Chances are, the prizes won't give Indy fans the same the thrill as hearing John Williams' classic score and watching Harrison Ford duke it out all over again, so consider the possibility of a free vacation as a cinematic bonus point. Or just ignore the whole thing.

The real question isn't whether or not commercial campaigns tied to blockbusters are exploitative or asinine. What you're surely wondering is: Wouldn't Indy prefer Coca-Cola? As a matter of fact, if you go back to 1982, you'll see that was probably the case. But I suppose time changes people.

In the wake of Sacha Baron Cohen's alter-ego Borat trying to gain access to the White House, MTV has listed ten other publicity stunts for films -- including Kevin Smith's truly grovel-worthy MySpace friends-for-a-movie-credit exchange. Although probably most disturbing on the list is the 1988 film Mac and Me which was partially financed by Coca-Cola and McDonalds, and features a musical number that finds Mac dancing with Ronald McDonald. Holy hour and a half long commercial, Batman!

However, I'm reminded of several stunts that didn't make the list. Remember when Clue was released in theaters, and they featured three different endings, so people would go see it more than once? What a fiasco, as finding out which theater was showing what ending proved to be too much work. Don't forget about the "unauthorized" documentary about M. Night Shyamalan that aired on the Sci-Fi channel. It turned out to be a fake created to get more viewers in to see The Village. Of course, the most memorable publicity stunt, real or fake (the jury is still out) has been Tom Cruise jumping up and down on Oprah's couch. Although given Tom's downward slide lately, that one appears to have backfired on him as well. Of course, leave it to MTV themselves to have Steve-O going number one on the carpet at the premiere to promote Jackass: Number Two. They just seem to be getting classier, don't they?

What do you think about publicity stunts? Do they make you want to see the movie or avoid it like the plague? Do you have any personal favorites that didn't make the list?