Jalopnik: Celebrities

Jackie Chan Shows Us The Joy Of Minivan Hoonage: Volkswagen Caddy

Murilee Martin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:45:00 EDT

The sequence is pretty straightforward: A China-market VW Caddy Panel Van rolls off its carrier and- driverless- drives away going against the flow of traffc, sowing chaos and death in its wake. Jackie Chan leaps from another VW onto a truck, commandeers a motorcycle, and... well, you just need to watch the ad. Our only disappointment is the lack of the traditional Chan outtakes at the end.

Russell Simmons Hits SoHo: Maybach Owner, Obama Supporter

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:40:00 EDT

One of our New York City tipsters and regular friend of the site, was minding his own business, strolling down Broadway, when he came across a rather imposing Maybach surrounded by rather imposing bodyguards. Our hero was eventually shooed away by one particularly massive fellow, but not before he confirmed it was the carriage of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. Elbowing his way back in momentarily, he managed to take a photo of the rear — seems Mr. Simmons isn't afraid to declare his love of Obama by way of bumper sticker. Is that even legal on a Maybach?

We See One Problem With Your Getaway Vehicle, Mr. Rampage

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Ultimate Fighting Championship Champ Quinton "Rampage" Jackson lived up to his nickname in Orange County Tuesday when he took his camouflage-covered Ford F-250 on a wild Grand Theft Auto-type run through the city, until being pulled over and arrested at gunpoint by local police. How'd they find Jackson? There's a life-sized photo of him on the side of his getaway truck. That, and the UFC champ twice drove on the sidewalk, swerved across lanes and ran through several red lights. Surprisingly, there was no evidence of drug or alcohol usage. Maybe they should test him for bull steroids. [Deadspin, Photo Credit: TMZ]

Jerry Seinfeld's Turquoise Porsche On eBay, What's The Deal With Yellow Seatbelts?

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT

A one-of-a-kind 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo S owned by Jerry Seinfeld just went on eBay, and it's the perfect gift for that Porsche fan who also loves observational humor. What makes this Porsche so unique? Other than making it through Seinfeld's ownership unrolled, it's the only one of its kind with the "Blue Turquoise" paint job and yellow seatbelts to match the yellow brake calipers. The seller claims "Some Porsche collectors view this 'S' as the ultimate one of the production run." We can't verify that claim, but if you have $209,000 it can be yours today. Vehicle description below.

Jerry Seinfeld Porsche Vehicle Description This 1997 Porsche 911 Turbo 'S' is the only one ever produced in the unique BLUE TURQUOISE color. The car was special ordered by Jerry Seinfeld and flown over to CA when the car was completed - this $4K charge is on the copy of the window sticker. I also have the certificate of authenticity and copies of some service records. Vin # - WPOAC2991VS375741. I also have a copy of the Jerry's original title.
Jerry put 7,839 miles on the car before he sold it on 4/14/05 and it has been in the hands of several collectors since that time. He had the special phone console installed at the dealer in Los Angeles as well as European springs added - everything else in 100% stock condition.

The car has zero flaws and I just had the car service at the local dealership here in Atlanta. The special ordered yellow seat belts are a beautiful blend w/ the stock 'S' brake calipers and is simply a breath taking Porsche. The car also features the carbon fiber steering wheel as well as the carbon fiber backed heated sport seats.

I am condensing my collection and it must go. Some Porsche collectors view this 'S' has the ultimate one of the production run.

[eBay Motors via Motive Formus]

2009 VW Gol Ad Budget Shot All To Hell In Explosive Ad Staring Gisele, Stallone

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

What do a rocket-launching black helicopter, a phalanx of black Humvees, Gisele Bundchen and Sylvester Stallone have in common? Aside from high price tags, they're all in on the pitch for the new VW Gol. No, not Golf. Gol. The made-for-Brazil Gol is built on the Polo platform and runs a 1.0 or 1.6-liter inline four, which, as you can see in this video, is more than capable of outrunning Humvees and helicopter gunships alike — all while toting John Rambo to his next Botox treatment. While all that is happening, Ms. Bündchen is making a sales pitch in Portuguese. Guess V-Dub decided to blow the whole ad budget on one commercial. (Hat tip to Michael Adams!)

Adam Carolla: Top Gear For "Real Gearheads"

Matt Hardigree — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Adam Carolla, car guy, comedian and now, the new host of the US-Spec version of Top Gear, took a break from show-prep to talk to Popular Mechanics about the new NBC show. PopMech manages to get Carolla to reveal a lot about the show, including answers on why the ZR1 isn't top on his list of cars to review, his issues with Transformers (Shh, don't tell Wert!) and a denial of the assertion they can't diss the cars. Basically Carolla says it'll be exactly like the British version. Pop Mech also name-drops Jalopnik in a question about his style. Question and answer back-n-forth below the jump.

PM: As I mentioned, the Internet geeks are already pumped up about the show—my buddies at Jalopnik are already calling you the "proto-Clarkson," and I'm sure fans of your radio show and accompanying blog have been hammering you about which rides you're pulling out of that stacked garage of yours and onto set. But Top Gear in the UK is kind of an online phenomenon in this country to begin with—it's gotten bigger on YouTube than some of your old Man Show tricks. What do you make of that, and are you as into the, well, insane stunts of the original as we are?
AC: You know, it's funny. I like cars more than I like stunts. The stunts are cool, but I would much rather just see ... I was just watching a rerun and Jeremy had that Aston Martin DBS in the Aston Martin Racing Green and he was turning some hot laps with that thing on an Air Force base they have over there in the UK. For me, as a viewer, in terms of just pure eye candy, I like watching that more than I like them turning a car into an amphibious landing craft or something. That's all well and good, and there's a place for it, but for me it's really about the cars.

There's a ton in this interview, including answers to many of our questions and the possibility of a drive of the BMW M1 Concept. Jeez, hope they get an interior built for it first. Surf on over to PopularMechanics.com for the full scoop. [Popular Mechanics]

Princeton Transformers 2 Video Reveals Speeding Astra, Sweet Pursuit GKart Camera

Travis Hudson — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen is filming some kind of chase scene this week on the set of Princeton University featuring the Saturn Astra we saw on set last week. These videos, caught by some intrepid students, indicate the Astra appears to be damaged, so one could suggest it's probably not a Transformer and rather the daily driver for a character other than Shia LaBeouf's. We mean, why would he want to cheat on his beloved Bumblebee? Also caught on film is a scene of Shia running around carrying books and talking on a cell phone and seemingly running from giant fake robots. You know, like every other student in the world. But if there's one car we want more than the Camaro, it's got to be the little Shelly Ward-created Pursuit GKart Camera. That go-cart-on-coke looks a lot more fun than the Astra. [Transformers Live]

Who Is Adam Carolla?

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:03:26 EDT

As part of our coverage of the announcement of the Top Gear USA pilot, we've put together a special feature on each of the three co-hosts. Believe it or not, Adam Carolla might actually know something about cars. Good thing, especially since he's going to be one of a trio of Top Gear USA hosts. Will his unenthusiastic enthusiasm help carry Top Gear to new and more 'merican heights, like Steve Carrell did with The Office? To better answer that question we look to his curriculum vitae below the jump.

First of all, he's named Carolla not Corolla. Let's get that out of the way. With a face for radio, Carolla started his career by doing lots of the local variety, plus some comedy on the side. His big break came when he was offered a spot co-hosting the call-in sex advice show Loveline, which I listened to on headphones underneath my covers, grasping to understand what sex meant. Rarely during the show did I ever hear Carolla actually talk about sex, instead he seemed to just rant about whatever was on his mind. That's a good sign...

His big television break came along with The Man Show on Comedy Central, which he started and co-hosted with his friend Jimmy Kimmel. If you saw one episode, you saw them all. If you never saw an episode it went like this: boobs, drinks, boobs, misogyny, boobs, drinks, belch...boobs on trampolines.

After The Man Show met what many might call a timely demise, he went on to host Too Late With Adam Carolla, a late night show actually worse than Colin Quinn's late night show. It lasted one season. Luckily, Carolla kept his bridges with Comedy Central unburned as he's stayed involved with the network via his talented voice work as Spanky Ham on Drawn Together. And by talented, we mean it's a show so bad it's actually worse when you watch it drunk. We kid, we're just happy Comedy Central found that sweet spot demographic of people who think South Park is too tame.

His most successful recent venture has been his eponymous radio show, which has run in major west coast markets since late 2005. Cars are a topic of discussion on the show and he has, by most accounts, come-off as though he's not only interested in the topic but well-versed enough to carry on in-depth conversation on most topics related to the automotive world.

But even if we couldn't verify how much he knows, we can certainly verify the guy has good taste in cars. As evidence of this we can look at his own garage, which has included vehicles ranging from a 1978 Datsun Pickup, to a far more sporting E30 BMW M3. Additional cars from the Carolla lineup include a Nissan 300ZX driven by Paul Newman in the 84 SCCA National Championship and a BRE-Replica Datsun 510. Nice.

But we're guessing he's there to fill the "funny" slot on the show — the proto-Clarkson if you will. Let's just hope he can talk about cars better than he can Fox Trot:

Richard Hammond Has The World's Greatest Life

Ray Wert — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:54:44 EDT

After watching this promo video for his new book, we want Top Gear host Richard Hammond's life. Is that so wrong? Not to say our life's shabby. No, not by any sense of the imagination. And while we'd certainly love to shoot a rocket-car down a runway, we'd like to do it without it almost killing us. Still, how amazing would it be to have Top Gear dog?

P. Diddy Involved In Very Expensive Fender Bender

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Looks like Sean Combs went and got into a little bit of a multi-vehicle accident, resulting in some very high-priced steel getting bent out of shape in the process. At the very least, a Rolls Royce Phantom and a ~~Mercedes Benz~~ Maybach were involved, along with a few, ahem, lesser vehicles. And... that's about it as far as the details currently available. Seems pretty low-speed, so other than the Diddster looking at some lofty repair bills, nobody is worse for the wear. [TMZ]

Pharrell Forgoes Jalopnik Sponsorship, Saves Enzos On His Own

Travis Hudson — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Pharrell, we're sorry the Gawker shop is closed...

...we'd have liked you to wear one of our now limited-edition collectible "Save The Enzos" shirts rather than have to make your own Enzo shirt. Feel free to drop a Jalopnik logo on there to let folks know where you snagged the idea from. But, we are happy to see you're doing the noble deed of trying to save this endangered species of rare automotive exotica. More celebs should be doing their part — where's George Clooney's outrage, or Angelina Jolie attempting to adopt one for herself or even Bono trying to organize a concert on the Enzo's behalf? We mean, come on — these Enzos aren't going to save themselves. Pharrell, kudos to you for doing your part. [Yahoo]

Caption This Celebrity-Infused Challenger Picture: Snoop Dogg Edition

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EDT

Snoop has claimed, in the past, that "[I] drive my own cars, and wear my own clothes." So Snoop, we have to ask, is that Challenger yours? The people have a right to know. [RLD]

Caption This Celebrity-Infused Challenger Picture: Luke Wilson Edition

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:10:00 EDT

We love Luke Wilson in a way that only a heterosexual dude can love another dude, so we're going to fill this space with a Rushmore quote. "They're OR scrubs." O R they? [ RLD]

Caption This Celebrity-Infused Challenger Picture: Rob Lowe Edition

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:50:00 EDT

Hey, remember when you were on the wildly successful The West Wing and then left to do The Lyon's Den, which no one ever watched? Well, now you get to drive Challengers with David Spade! [ RLD]

Caption This Celebrity-Infused Challenger Picture: Audrina Patridge Edition

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:30:00 EDT

We're told there's this show called The Hills on MTV. We're also told she stars in it. We think it's a show about sexy geologists. We've no idea whether any of those claims are true. [ RLD]

Caption This Celebrity-Infused Challenger Picture: David Spade Edition

Matt Hardigree — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:10:00 EDT

Oh David Spade, if only we could go back in time to the 90's and Weekend Update so you could make fun of yourself so our commenters won't have to in the comments below. [Flickr via RLD]

Brian Williams Launches Into Bizarre Racing Tangent After Obama's Speech

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

After Obama's victory speech last night you'd expect the pundits to discuss meaning, rhetoric and intent. Instead, NBC's Brian Williams launched into a discussion of short track racing in rural Montana. Ignore, if you can, that Brian Williams is apparently an aficionado of a form of racing that makes NASCAR look like the symphony, and try and focus on the fact that Brian Williams would "give anything" to have a focus group of those people to see how they would vote. Although we'd hoped to leave the term "NASCAR Dads" behind after last cycle, are dirt trackers this year's Evangelicals? If that's the case, how come none (neither?) of the candidates are hitting up tonight's NASCAR Prelude to the Dream race? [MSNBC]

Matt Damon To Save World Again, This Time With Tesla Roadster

Wes Siler — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Everyone's favorite Film Actors Guild member, Matt Damon, was spotted yesterday driving a baby blue Tesla Roadster. Just like the common people, Damon's been unable to purchase a Tesla yet, the company is still sorting out nagging quality issues and ramping up for full production. Tellingly, Damon's tester was only capable of operating in high gear, leaving the actor a bit nonplussed with its off-the-line performance, but says, "the 30-60 acceleration is like nothing else."

[via Autofiends]

Lewis Hamilton Does Los Angeles In A Techart Porsche

Matt Hardigree — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:20:00 EDT

Having been banned from driving in France, other than when he's winning at Monaco, F1 phenom Lewis Hamilton set his sights on Los Angeles, where the girls are pretty and the cars are fast. Or is it the other way around? Either way, Mr. Hamilton is apparently in town and driving around the city in a loaner Techart 997 hardtop. Since this is Los Angeles, we're a bit surprised it wasn't a Techart 997 Cabrio, but we're sure no one is complaining. The folks over at Autofiends are worried he'll get pulled over and, because he's not Junior, won't be recognized. Our advice? Just tell the cops you're Alfonso Ribeiro. [Autofiends]

Ironhide Spotted With Can-Am Spyder, Motorcycle

Travis Hudson — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:20:00 EDT

More details regarding everyone's favorite movie sequel trickle in by the day. We know that filming is set to begin next week in the Philadelphia area and Ironhide, better known as the GMC Topkick, was spotted en route to the location for filming. The interesting item to note is what was being hauled along with Ironhide. A motorcycle was spotted in the bed of the truck as well as a Can-Am Spyder being hauled alongside. We could get all excited speculating about whether the motorcycle and Can-Am Spyder are miniature Transformers, but they're probably just props or stunt vehicles for the less robotic stars of Transformers 2. Click through for more details about the first shoot next week.

Rumors suggest that the first shoot next week will take place in Bethlehem, Penn., and the set is outfitted to look like a Chinese city. It will feature a new concept car not seen in the first movie as well as two Blackhawk helicopters. A car hauler was also seen around the set with two Saturns and five unidentified Chinese cop cars.

[TFW2005; Transformers Live]

Are You Worthy Of Alice Cooper's Studebaker Avanti?

Murilee Martin — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Maybe you passed up Jenna Jameson's Lamborghini, and Lindsay Lohan's SL65 left you cold. Well, forget about those pseudo-celebs' cars, because we've found Alice Cooper's Studebaker for sale! Avanti purists might come after you with the nearest blunt instrument when they see the modern Corvette 350 under the hood... wait, is there such a thing as an Avanti purist? Not only do you get an updated suspension and drivetrain, you get a genuine autographed Alice Cooper guitar! [eBay Motors]

Agent Provocateur Mini Clubman Gets Naughtier In The Presence Of Kim Cattrall

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Those pictures we showed you of the Agent Provocateur Mini Clubman merely suggested naughtiness with their stocking-themed paint job and expressions like "You're Going Down." At the "Life Ball" event this weekend, which raises money for AIDS-related causes, the Mini Clubman was on hand and things went from the suggestion of naughtiness to the real deal. In the gallery immediately below there are an assortment of press shots of the car and live shots of the reveal. Below the jump are the not-quite-safe-for-work press shots.

Also, Kim Cattrall showed up at the event. We'd point out that Ms. Cattrall not only did Nissan commercials that were too sexy for New Zealand but also repped for the Mercedes GLK before showing up at this BMW-sponsored event. Said a jealous Dr. Z, "No wonder she keeps getting all the most Whore-ish parts."

[Source: BMW]

Up-Front Page Up, Top Gear USA Not Cancelled?

Ray Wert — Fri, 16 May 2008 08:40:00 EDT

So despite the fact NBC "cancelled" their up-fronts this year, they still managed to put together some kind of lame event (we hear it was like a carnival or something) to drum up support for their prime-time lineup across the NBC Universal network-o-sphere. As part of that "alternative up-front", they've got a page up on NBC Universal's web site that pretty clearly shows they're soliciting advertisements for a "Top Gear"-like show. While certainly no proof "Gear" hasn't been cancelled, the news we got yesterday wasn't proof it had been cancelled either.

Whatever. We're not holding our breath either way. If it happens, we'll watch. If it doesn't, at least we'll always have Jeremy, Richard, James and Stiggie. What we do know is they're certainly taking their sweet time making this thing official.

But all this is separate from the bigger issue and emblematic for why we're curious to see what happens to "Gear." The reason Top Gear UK works is because it's on the BBC and therefore not wholly dependent on advertising of the automotive variety. To have the show out there at the up-fronts pointing to a "Featured "after market" accessory of the week" indicates — well, we're not sure what it indicates, but we'll be watching. [NBC Universal via Final Gear, Gumball144]

NBC Kills U.S. Top Gear?

Mark Arnold — Thu, 15 May 2008 10:20:00 EDT

With NBC announcing its upcoming program schedule, there's one omission that we found particularly interesting. Yes, it seems that the rainbow-peacock's version of the beloved BBC hit show Top Gear is nowhere to be found. While that's not to say that the show may not somehow show up at a later date, right now it looks like Gear is gone. Considering that this is the same network giving a green light to the new Knight Rider series based on the terrible made-for-TV movie, we're thinking that the planned 'merican-spec Top Gear must have really been a catastrophe.

Frankly though, we're not too surprised. After Jay Leno officially took himself out of the equation, we were skeptical about the potential success of the proposed show. Besides, doesn't NBC realize that Top Gear fans the world over just ~~download~~ magically summon the British episodes on our computers?
[NBC, Dark Horizons via autoblog]

Sir Paul McCartney Horrified His LS600h Flown To UK, Challenges Lexus To A Joust

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 14 May 2008 13:40:00 EDT

Sir Paul McCartney better hope that the carbon emissions you take aren't equal to the emissions you make as his Lexus LS600hL was flown to him by Lexus, as opposed to merely putting it on a boat. According to reports, the Lexus hybrid flagship, which was a gift to singer/vegan activist, made the 7,000-mile trip on a Korean Air flight. This resulted in a carbon footprint of 38,050 kilograms, as opposed to just 397 kilograms if transported by ship. The director of CO2Balance.com claimed the trip was the equivalent of the car driving around the earth six times. Oops.

To his credit, McCartney apparently wasn't aware that this was how it was going to get there and will be "horrified" as soon as he finds out. Even the company that provided the freight handling of the car was surprised, saying "Everyone was shocked. The carbon footprint was enormous." This goes to show, everything with Paul McCartney is better when Wings aren't involved. (h/t to Jack K)) [Telegraph]

Robert Rauschenberg, BMW Car Artist, Dead At 83

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 14 May 2008 07:45:00 EDT

Contemporary American artist Robert Rauschenberg joined Pimp C and Janis Joplin on the list of artists from Port Arthur, Texas that we're sad to not have with us anymore. Though better known for any number of artistic accolades and pieces, we'll always remember Rauschenberg as the guy who designed the cover to Speaking in Tongues and, more importantly, the sixth BMW art car, a BMW 635 CSi. A departure from previous art cars, Rauschenberg's BMW stretched the concept of the car as a canvas by making it an actual canvas for works from Ingres, Bronzino as well as his own photographs. Additionally, this car was the first to incorporate the wheels into the design in such a strong manner. The product is both unique and thoroughly modern with an approach as timeless as the 6-series BMW itself. You can see a bit of the process in the video above, as well as Rauschenberg himself, who seems to be taking a break from his day job as the manager of a Foot Locker. [Source: WaPo]

Jerrari, When A Ferrari And A Jeep Make A Baby

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 12 May 2008 17:20:00 EDT

When Enzo Ferrari turned down Bill Harrah's request for a 4x4 Ferrari, Harrah did what any wealthy car collector would, thumbed his nose at Maranello and built his own. Taking a 1969 Jeep Wagoneer and mating it with a Ferrari 365 GT, the Jerrari was born. While its original 4.4L V12 is long gone in favor of a far more reliable 350 V8, the weirdly attractive bodywork and handsome interior are still all there. Not only is it in impeccable shape, it's up for auction on eBay.

Yes indeed, one of the two ever built is going against the block and at the moment of writing, fetching a positively reasonable $8,100. Sure there are over six days left before the winner is declared, and it is out in LA so all those red meat loving, SUV driving wackos will be all over it, but still — Ferrari SUV. Cool. [eBay Listing] (Thanks for the tip mtdrv)

Nick Bollea, Son Of The Hulkster, To Serve 8 Months Without You Know What

Travis Hudson — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:05:00 EDT

Nick Bollea was sentenced to eight months in prison on charges of reckless driving from a street racing incident that left his 1998 Toyota Supra wrapped around a tree and a passenger critically injured. The jail time begins immediately and Bollea will also have five years of probation and a suspended license for three years. Bollea is the son of the Hulkster, who was also in attendance of the hearing dressed in black, head-to-toe (including his signature stocking cap). The lawsuit is still pending. [Sun-Sentinel]

Tim Robbins Really Doesn't Like Car Alarms

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 09 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Let's say you're Tim Robbins for a minute (we know, only in your dreams), and in your latest movie play a guy living in New York City whose wife plays the cello and a car alarm goes off. That would be enough to make you spin out and become a bizarre anti-car alarm vigilante calling himself the "Rectifier," right? Well, maybe not. But that's the premise of a new movie called "Noise" (why not "The Rectifier"). If you're frustrated by the agonies of the occasional car alarm and find yourself fantasizing about vandalizing unattended cars whose alarms are going off, this movie has your name written all over it. Make the jump for a nice little preview.

[Filmdrunk]

Bollea Expected To Let Judge Decides His P***y Fate

Travis Hudson — Fri, 09 May 2008 12:15:00 EDT

The ongoing trial of Nick Bollea, son of the Hulkster, previous owner of a ~~P***y Magnet~~ 1998 Toyota Supra, street racer and driver during a wreck that left another individual critically injured, has taken another turn that could be dastardly for the son of the Hulkster. Bollea originally plead not guilty to felony charges of reckless driving involving serious bodily injury, but is expected to withdraw the plea and likely plea guilty or no contest to the charges and put his fate in the hands of the judge with a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The passenger at the time of the wreck, John Graziano, is still bed-ridden and is in the process of filing a lawsuit against the Bollea family. [TBO] (Image)

American Idol Ruins Johnny Cash Song With Help From A Fake KITT Mustang

Mark Arnold — Thu, 08 May 2008 09:20:00 EDT

If you thought the GT500KR in the Knight Rider made-for-TV movie was a disgusting piece of product placement, you ain't seen nothin' yet. What could be worse? How about the four remaining contestants in American Idol massacring Johnny Cash's song Ring Of Fire? What makes it extra terrible was the so-called "music video" which involved the Idols bullfighting with a Mustang which was apparently the cousin of KITT. Feel free to watch the clip with your sound turned off— we don't want to scar you.
[americanidol.com]

DMX Busted For Doing 114 MPH In A 1966 Chevy Nova II

Matt Hardigree — Wed, 07 May 2008 23:08:00 EDT

Rapper DMX was arrested on Wednesday stemming from a speeding incident in January on Arizona's Loop 101. Normally, a celebrity caught speeding wouldn't merit much in the way of newsworthiness but this story has a few interesting details. First, DMX was arrested and charged with multiple crimes including speeding, reckless driving, endangerment and driving on a suspended license. Second, he was driving more than 114 mph at one point when recorded by cameras. Third, he was in a 1966 Chevy Nova II. A Yellow 1966 Chevy Nova II. And how did they ever deduce that it was DMX driving? Other than the images of DMX driving the car, there was one other little giveaway.

it seems that DMX likes people to know which yellow Chevy Nova II is his, so he had "DMX" put on his front windshield in big yellow letters. Or maybe it was because he'd always go into parking lots, and forget which yellow Nova II was his. No word on who the female in the car is, but we're presuming she was a bit disappointed that DMX didn't show up in a Lamborghini. [AP via Fox News, TMZ]

Lindsay Lohan Poster Girl For Breathalyzer Ignition Interlocks

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 05 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

You know you've made it as a hard partying celeb when yours face is chosen by paranoid delusional persons as that of drunk driving goddess incarnate. Lindsay Lohan is just so lucky. Her 2007 DUI mugshot is featured prominently as the example of those kinds of people who need an in-car breathalyzer ignition interlock, versus you know, the regular drinky-drivers. It's all part of a newspaper ad from the confusing folks at Interlock Facts who want to make sure those dastardly "anti-alcohol activists" don't get to put a breathalyzer in your car. We hate to break it to you "Interlock Facts", but on the list of things to be paranoid about, this one is pretty damn far down. We do give you points for your mean-spirited ads though. Full spot below the fold.

Paid for by the American Beverage Institute, eh? Why would they care?

Kobe Bryant Jumps Over Aston Martin?

Mark Arnold — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 10:20:00 EDT

Say what you will about Kobe Bryant, you can't deny the guy has some serious jumping capability, or "mad hops" as they say. But can he really jump over an Aston Martin DB9 Volante? More importantly, did he actually jump over it, or was it all a slickly edited fake? We're skeptics, but what do you think?
[kb24.com]

Cars 2 Coming In 2012... In 3D

Travis Hudson — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:30:00 EDT

Alright, I know you thought there was a limit to the movies we could go fan-boy on, but Cars was a fantastic movie and the upcoming sequel deserves a mention. Lightning McQueen and his crew of badass cars will be coming back in 2012, and in 3D to boot. So load up the kids, get ready for a nauseating movie that'll force you to wear funny glasses and prepare for a sequel that will further introduce children to the trials and tribulations of animated stock car racing. [PC Advisor] (Thanks, SwatLax)

Like Tina, It Sure Ain't Built For Speed: 1990 Plymouth Acclaim

Murilee Martin — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT

While the ol' Chrysler K platform (or, in this case, its AA cousin) was getting a bit long of tooth by 1990, Chrysler was still able to slather plenty of Virtually Velour™, Simu-Leather™, and Petroleo-Wood™ all over the interior, then pay Tina Turner to reference some Willie Dixon:

Some folks built like this, some folks built like that
But the way I'm built, you shouldn't call me fat
Because I'm built for comfort, I ain't built for speed
But I got everything all the good girls need

And, now that we've got that song on our minds, let's hear what Herr Schenker has to contribute to the discussion:

Iron Man Takes To Flight For The First Time And We Already Know About The Cobra-Destroying Let-Down At The End

Ray Wert — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 16:00:00 EDT

We believe we can fly, we believe we can touch the sky. We think about it every night and day, we want to spread our wings and fly away. We believe that like Iron Man, we can soar...and...well, like the man of iron does in this first clip of his first flight in the movie hitting theaters next month, crash the hell back down to earth into a Cobra replica. [via Gizmodo]

The Truth About Cars Rolled By Jerry Seinfeld

Matt Hardigree — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:20:00 EDT

Remember when the AP reported that Jerry Seinfeld rolled his 1967 Fiat BTM because of faulty brakes. They were almost right, except Seinfeld's car didn't roll but rather just "sort of fell over on its side." And Seinfeld's mystery Fiat was not a Dino coupe, but rather a a sexy Fiat 500. Mystery solved.

That's what we get for trusting the New York Times, which has posted a piece on the new Fiat 500 as some sort of journalistic penance. This is a fun game, we wonder what he'll safely crash next.

[Automobile, Photo: Wikipedia]

Ratchet, Ironhide Spotted; Transformers 2 Filming In Arizona?

Travis Hudson — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Today's daily Transformers 2 update comes with more spotted Autobots and rumors of a filming location. Photographed in the Culver City, Calif. is this truck loaded up with Ironhide and Ratchet. This is the third Transformer spotting we've seen over the past week. Last Friday we saw twin Barricades, yesterday we caught glimpse of Optimus Prime and now we have Ratchet and Ironhide. My keen eye also noticed that all of the spotted Transformers are being hauled around from seemingly the same truck and trailer. That's one hell of a lucky truck driver.

The second tidbit of news comes by way of the Sedona, Ariz. film commission that is reporting multiple production inquiries for Transformers 2. Given the geographic nature of Arizona, it's not that shocking to hear Michael Bay and company looking to the Sedona to film the sequel. At least there is plenty of room for overly epic and amazing Transformers fight scenes. [Superhero Hype; Sedona Film Commission via TFW2005]

You Can't Buy Jenna Jameson, But You Can Buy Her Car!

Murilee Martin — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Missed out on Lindsay Lohan's Mercedes? Not to worry! If you've got a spare $182,900 rattling around in your piggy bank, you can buy Jenna Jameson's 2002 Lamborghini Murcielago! This little Italian cream puff has less than 12K miles on the clock- no doubt just to church on Sundays- and owning it will tell the world... well, we're not quite sure what message you're sending out when you're driving the Queen of Porn's former ride. But owning this car in 50 years will be like having Mickey Cohen's armored Cadillac today, so you figure it's a good "notorious celebrity" investment! [eBay Motors]