So Variety has a story in Monday's editions about an ad HBO is placing ... in Variety!

The ad purports to promote the fictional movie Cleaver, a mob-themed horror movie that was a plot point in last week's installment of The Sopranos.

First, it was "Entourage's" mythical "Aquaman," which broke "Spider-Man's" box office record before the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel came along and did it in real life. Now it's "Cleaver," the mob-inspired slasher movie, receiving the full-page ad and mock doc treatment.

HBO has again playfully tweaked the movie establishment by running a Daily Variety ad for "Cleaver" -- the movie-within-the-show produced by Tony Soprano subordinate Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli) -- as well as a bogus "HBO First Look" about the making of the fictitious movie.

The Variety ad department wants to know: Who's next?

(Here, by the way, is the "mockumentary." So, we guess the whole plan worked ...)