Fox hired a group of consultants to measure how much carbon-dioxide is released from the production of the television show, including the spectacular car chases and crashes, so they can buy offsets. They're also using B20 biodiesel fuel in trucks and generators and paying more for wind and solar power. How much does 12 hours of 24 release? Approximately 1,291 tons of carbon-dioxide.

Though the message won't be a large part of the actual show, we like the idea of Jack Bauer torturing someone in an environmentally friendly way like, maybe, making someone listen to the An Inconvenient Truth soundtrack repeatedly.

[Photo: Fox, via NYTimes]

We understand your frustration Mr. Bernero, but jeez-o-pete, lay off the campaign tactics and Red Bull for a minute and answer the kind Fox News anchor's questions. Of course, we've also heard he's a bit of a hot-head — Wert knows him from his days working for Michigan Governor Granholm in Lansing, and here's what he had to say:

My favorite Virg story is from back in 2003 when he was still in the State Senate. Virg cornered me next to one of the stairwells in the Capitol building in Lansing at some lobbyist luncheon. Virg knew I worked for the Governor, knew I was a senior staff member and decided I was a great target to bitch about some funding measure the Governor was pushing — despite the fact I wasn't in legislative affairs, nor was I going to lobby on his behalf to them. Regardless, he decided he wanted to play "hardball" with me, so he got in my face, blustering, gesturing wildly and bitching about the funding decision. The only problem is that I'm like a foot taller than him. So in order to get in my face, he needed to stand on the tips of his toes. So there we were, him bitching and yelling, pointing his finger in my face, me trying not to laugh at this little guy trying to intimidate me, when I realized that I could help him out. I stopped him in mid-sentence saying "Hold on a second," grabbed him, spun him around and stepped down one step so that I was now eye-to-eye with him, finishing with a "There, that's better — you looked like you were going to topple over. Please, continue your bitching." His face red with anger, Virg started to say something, then spun around and stalked off. I only smiled, put on my jacket and walked back over to my office in the Romney Building across the street."

[via dailykos]

We're betting that from the outside, it only looks like the bimmers' signature kidney shaped grill insert and bumper cover are damaged. Opening that hood reveals that the fox managed to plough through the grill opening, then simultaneously destroy the radiator mount, and pass through the radiator and destroy the intake system. Messy. We're betting the insurance company doesn't total this one, so we feel bad for the garage that gets the work. Hopefully they have a carnage seperator in the bottom of their work pit. If you have a weak stomach, viewing these in high resolution is less than advisable.

So you can see the kind of brilliant repartee that takes place behind the scenes, I'm including the transcript of the painstaking research we performed, in hopes that I might include a witty reference to the song in the post about the Mustang ad above. Sadly, we're forced to deprive you of said witty reference this time around:

[00:09] Murilee Martin: Hey, I need to identify a cheezball 70s rock song I've heard a million times, but can't recall the perpetrator
[00:09] Murilee Martin: it is Steve Miller? Shit, I've heard it so goddamn many times
[00:09] Murilee Martin: Peter Frampton... no...
[00:10] Davey G: Oh shit.
[00:10] Murilee Martin: Who is it?
[00:10] Murilee Martin: Goddamn it!
[00:11] Murilee Martin: It's driving me crazy
[00:11] Davey G: God, Frampton and Miller are both good guesses.
[00:11] Murilee Martin: Come on, it's one of the all-time 70s anthems
[00:11] Davey G: Now it's driving me crazy!
[00:11] Murilee Martin: It's not "Free Ride" though it sounds similar
[00:12] Davey G: Fuck, I simply can't remember.
[00:12] Murilee Martin: Hey, I'll just copy/paste our conversation on the subject
[00:12] Murilee Martin: we can get the readers to ID it
[00:12] Davey G: Totally!

So there you go, all-knowing readers. Tell us the name and artist of the song in this ad, a song we've heard so many times its notes are permanently seared into our gray matter, so that we may recover our sanity.

Congrats to the General on helping to put up the ducats necessary to pay for NBC/Fox's new GooTube competitor. That's right, GM's going to be one of the first advertisers on the new online video collaboration between the fair and balanced Fox and the peacocks at NBC. And we're glad to see it, because we think the world needs more boldly moving automakers willing to agree to buy advertising on a platform that doesn't yet exist, and will probably quickly become filled with videos of cats playing piano, ninjas and you know, other randomness. We also like that Cadberry's buying advertising on it as well, because we like the chocolate eggs and stuff. – Ray Wert

Everyone and Their Mother Teams Up to Form GooTube Competitor [Gizmodo]
Google's tactical error [Valleywag]
NBC, News Corp Team Up to Build Video Website [CNBC.com]

Related:
AdAge to GM: Pony Up, We've Got Mouths To Feed!; GM An Official Transformers Movie Partner, Rick Wagoner To Play Megatron?; GM Cutting Ad Spending, Less Johnny O'Connell?! [internal]

Yeah, we don't know German so much, so there's not much more we can tell you other than that AutoBild's got what they're claiming is a rendering of a new version of the V-Dub Lupo. The Lupo's the two-door "city car" killed by the automaker representing Deutschland back in 2005 in favor of the VW Fox. AutoBild's claiming this new Lupo will be representing starting in 2011. Anyone have a German-English dictionary we can borrow? – Ray Wert

AUTO BILD-Vorschau Kleinwagen Die feinen Kleinen [AutoBild.de]

Related:
Wii Controller Goes "Whee!": Snapping Strap Breaks Car Window At German Auto Show?; VW Representing Intelligence, Not Playing Dumb on Smart Car Rival [internal]

...this comes right after VW solidified plans for its diesel sipping BlueMotion Polo (which can drive from Britain to the south coast of France on one tank). Maybe it's a pipe dream, but with the probable high cost of importing this sub-Fox auto wouldn't it be easier to justify the expense by mating it to an uber-efficient BlueMotion diesel? We're just saying. – Matt Hardigree

VW Plans New Compact Car - Daily Auto Insider [Car and Driver]

Related:
Go Blue! Volkswagen's Diesel-Sipping Polo Gets 72 mpg [internal]

The German Car Blog procured some shots, reportedly from a Brazilian magazine, that shows a new VW Fox MPV for Brazil. The MPV will debut along with the rest of the facelifted Fox lineup. Sure, it could be a photoshopped Skoda, with a Passat rear-end grafted on, but there's something that makes us think a VW similar to this could wind up in the US market in the next couple of years. Call it intuition.

VW Fox MPV: Spy shots! [The German Car Blog]

Related:
Toyota Launches Ractis MPV in Japan [internal]

Fox has decided to broaden the Ford-centric product-placement universe of 24 and toss some Toyota in the mix. In the fifth-season "bridge" mini-movie that comes with the DVD set of season four, Kiefer Sutherland will run from or be running down baddies in an Avalon. Which we guess is sort of like a modern-day Steve McGarrett-mobile, but not nearly as badass as the top Five-Oh cop's Merc. Jeez...remember when Mercuries could be considered certifiably appropriate rides for badasses on either side of the law? Wha' happen?

Toyota Vehicles to Be Integrated into Fox's '24' [AdAge]

Related:
GM Pursues Ex-Con Homemaker Demo: Martha Shilling for Buick [Internal]