Big Bucks For Big Celebs In Ads Abroad

(CBS)  Even celebrities have gigs on the side -- but theirs are overseas.

When they're not walking down the red carpet, many stars are gracing the small screen -- and picking up some hefty, easy cash.

CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reported on The Early Show Wednesday that celebs have found a "cheesy" way to make extra green by appearing in commercials that won't be seen in America.

The work pays well, and it's a reminder of their fame, according to British writer Quentin Letts, who says, "They love being busy, and when the casting directors stop calling, perhaps the idea (hits them), 'Oh, just fit a little advert in, remind ourselves that somebody, somebody, loves us." '

Brad Pitt has pushed cell phones in Japan. Kevin Costner has taken to the skies with Turkish Airlines.

George Clooney has been promoting the car company, Fiat. In the commercial, he's lying down in the vehicle, while a model locks him inside.

Snoop Dogg, too, has taken a turn in ads, playing a German folk singer for Vybemobile.

In another ad, Tommy Lee Jones plays table tennis to promote Japanese coffee, while Keifer Sutherland has capitalized on his "24" image in a beverage commercial, jumping over hordes of people in a subway car.

MacVicar reports that Japan has been a longtime hotspot for celebrities seeking work in advertising, but stars are now flocking to Brazil, because a strong currency has eased the cost of celebrity endorsement on ad-makers. Sarah Jessica Parker was paid just over a half-million dollars for promoting a Brazil shopping mall.

And it's not just actors in commercials overseas.

Henry Kissinger pushed The Economist magazine. And even the former leader of the Soviet Union, Michail Gorbachev, has tgried his hand in advertising, selling pricey handbags, in exchange for a large donation to his foundation promoting a better world.