HOTTER IN HOLLYWOOD

MINI Effort = Maximum Fun Hot Wheels by G. Charles Wright

On Sunday, September 21st the MINIskirts will be out in full force for a MINI Cooper rally from Calabasas to Malibu and then on to Santa Monica. The MINIskirts are a mostly all-girl MINI Cooper car club. They raise money for the Komen foundation and just generally have fun. More info can be found at www.theminiskirts.com

If you are a MINI Cooper owner, I cannot recommend this rally enough. You will have a blast. Everyone who attends is great. Chief Skirt, Victoria Hanseroth does an outstanding job with these rallies.

Maximum Minis Hot Wheels by G. Charles Wright

This weekend, Friday--Sunday, August 1-3 is the Los Angeles leg of the MINI TAKES THE STATES tour. Stops have been made in Boston, Miami, Chicago and now LA. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena will come alive with thousands of MINI Cooper owners and enthusiasts, with some proceeds benefiting charity. I'll be there with my club, THE MINIskirts on Saturday and I hope to see you there too! We're motoring in a giant MINI Cooper caravan from UCLA to the Rose Bowl on Saturday morning, so don't miss it!!!!

www.miniusa.com

www.theminiskirts.com

Racy Ride A Celebrity Must-Have Hot Wheels by Kathleen Newlove

If you're watching season two of Courtney Cox-Arquette's DIRT, you're already drooling over her sleek new sportscar. If you can't get enough of the Audi R8, be sure to catch the Jon Favreau directed "Iron Man" with Gwyneth Paltrow & Robert Downey Jr.

The Audi R8 is available to few but coveted by many, retailing fully loaded at $130K. Only 200 of this multiple award winning dream machine were brought to the US this year and they are sold out for the next 3 years! It has more star names on the waiting list than a certain famous call-girl's little black book - Seal & Heidi Klum were the first lucky celebs to buy one, followed by Donald Trump, Jay Leno, Elton John and Ty Pennington.

Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Ben Affleck, Justin Timberlake, Josh Duhamel, Keanu Reeves, Adrian Brody, Hugh Grant, Kevin Costner and producer Mark Burnett are just a few of Hollywood's elite who have been loaned the R8 for a short period of time and are hoping to get on the waiting list.

Karl Lagerfeld was the first person privileged enough to photograph it.

According to Car & Driver magazine, the R8 out-handles the Porsche and the Aston Martin on the race track. It also competes in the same category as Ferrari and Lamborghini, but with their Quattro all-wheel drive system, it can even perform well in the mountains – perfect for turning heads at Sundance next year.

Audi by Lagerfeld

+Kathleen Newlove

Even Meryl Streep is on the Waiting List! Hot Wheels by Kathleen Newlove

Already Hot in San Fran and NYC... LA gettin' Smarter

In Hollywood, it used to be that less was never more and bigger was always better unless you were talking about dress sizes. Then something bizarre happened...

Do you remember how gaga we all were for the Mini Cooper once Madonna started jetting around town in one? Well move over Mini, it’s time to get smart - the SMART CAR phenomenon all those snazzy Europeans have been keeping from us for almost 15 years (remember Tom Hanks & Audrey Tautou in The DaVinci Code zipping around Paris in one?) has finally come to the United States.

As Seen in the Pink Panther with Steve Martin

With gas prices now up to $4 per gallon in some areas, it’s time to break up the abusive SUV love affair and cozy up to city driving fuel efficiency that even the 5-seat Toyota Prius can’t beat. Added to that, the Smart ForTwo starting at just over $11,000 can park its 98.4 inches length nose-in where conventionally sized cars have to parallel park. No longer will you have to submit to paying the Sunset Strip valets $25 on a Friday night – you can park anywhere, the world is your oyster!

SMART Stars: Fergie and Robbie Williams

+ Knewlove Blog

Yukon Have It All... Hot & Green by Baylen and Leslie Thomas

Indulge me if you will.

Dear Paris,
You strange, haunting creature. I hear you've ordered a Yukon Hybrid as a gift to yourself for your 27th birthday. I totally respect your righteous effort. But a GMC Yukon Hybrid? Really? Um, why?

I love hybrids. Luv 'em. Prius, even Civic. 60 mpg city driving. But the Yukon gets, what, 20 mpg city driving? Hey, why not. That's up about 20 mpg from what it was.

But what does that do for the environment? For our foreign oil dependency? For your wallet? Scratch that. Were you perhaps misguidedly trying to support that great pillar of American ingenuity General Motors? The company that smashed their successful EV1 electric car (Literally. Rent Who Killed the Electric Car? in favor of the ridiculous gas-guzzling Hummer? Why not just buy a regular SUV and say you'll only drive it half as much? I don't get it. I can't figure it out, Paris. You mystify me.

Love,
The Greenie Beanie

PS Happy Birthday

Deus Ex Roadster Hot & Green by Leslie and Baylen Thomas

We have seen the future and its name is the Tesla Roadster (Begin dramatic music now). Actually, we haven't seen it yet (Stop dramatic music). But you can this coming week at the Los Angeles Auto Show, November 16th to 25th. If you have any interest in the future of humanity on Earth and you happen to be loaded, you must buy one of these incredible 100% electric cars (and they come in such great colors too)!
Zero to 60 in less than 4 seconds. A top speed of 125 miles an hour. A 245 mile range (expectedly), and only a 3.5 hour full recharge time.

George Clooney and Matt Damon apparently have their down payments in, and according to www.ecorazzi.com, Red Hot Chili Pepper's Michael 'Flea' Balzary was able to snag a test drive. "The thing is awesome!" he says. "It drove like nothing I have ever been in before, made my Porsche feel like a golf cart!"

Oh, how we wish we were a Flea.

+Check out the Mahalo Daily clip and watch Veronica Belmont's test drive!

Saturn's New StarHot Wheels by Michael Medico

CariDee

I know it's been a while since "America's Next Top Model" winner CariDee presented the new Saturn Sky at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last year, however, these sleek, sexy roadsters are just now popping up everywhere in Hollywood- turning heads and sporting around hotties all over town. I saw one today and had to look three times to believe it was a Saturn. It's one sexy car that looks even better once you find out they start at around $25,500. Go get you one.

Darryl "DMC" McDaniels

The Hottest "Saving" Live-Auction ItemHot in Hollywood Benefit by Calen Ouelette

The HOT trend in Hollywood is hybrid and the Prius is on fire! With more and more industry awareness focused on the issue of global warming, celebrites are making an effort to reduce emissions and shout the message of saving the earth. In doing so, many hot names including Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and (of course) Leonardo DiCaprio are opting for hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius, instead of those usual "high-profile", flashy SUVs. And now, here's a cool way you too can frolic like an A-list celebrity in your own Toyota Prius: This year's Hot in Hollywood Benefit will be auctioning off a 2007 Toyota Prius with proceeds benefiting local AIDS/HIV charities - a double WIN... with the combo of Hot in Hollywood and the Prius you can contribute to a better environment and to saving lives! And yes, you get to choose the color, Jeesh!

The American Muscle CarHot Wheels by Steve Maisel

Given all of the technological advances and the thousands of options, my mind wanders to compare the cars of today with those from my favorite era – cars introduced during the 60’s and early 70’s known as the American Muscle Car.

Ever since I was a child, I loved one of the more cherished American Muscle Cars -the Ford Mustang. That dream came true when I purchased my first car at 15 years old. I paid $300.00 for a 1968 Mustang Coupe. I loved that car and became fascinated with everything Mustang. Eventually, I purchased a 1989 Mustang GT. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that car too, but honestly, it didn’t hold the same kind magic that the original Mustangs did. I found that the automakers had lost touch with true magic of the original American Muscle Car.

All photos provided by Steve Maisel

In 1998, however, something happened. The Volkswagen Beatle was reintroduced. The Beatle had been discontinued in the late 70’s. But Suddenly, this car captured America’s attention because it started a revolution in car design. Cars that were completely new but captured the very essence and spirit of its predecessor came known to be “retro”. After the VW Beatle, BMW introduced the new Mini-Cooper in 2001 based on the original first introduced in 1959.

The trend continued when Ford introduced the 2002 Thunderbird. It’s styling cues included elements of the 1955 – 1957 model, as well as, the 1961 & 1962 models. You can imagine my excitement when Ford announced plans for the nineth generation of the Mustang. After over 40 years, the Mustang returned to its roots when the 2005 Mustang was introduced. Whether you are a car enthusiast or not, you immediately recognize this car is everything Mustang. The car’s styling is based from the 1967-68 pony car. My love affair with this Mustang was renewed. At last, Ford got it right and the retro revolution was in full swing. Now Chevrolet and Chrysler have each announced plans to release their new retro muscle cars, the Camero and the Challenger, respectively.

I purchased the new Mustang GT and it has brought back all the excitement of driving a true American Muscle Car. The Retro Revolution in Car Design is HOTER than ever.