People: Baby, you can’t fly your car
Paul McCartney has long been an outspoken advocate of environmental causes and animal rights, a vegetarian who won’t even wear leather shoes.
But now the former Beatle is being criticized for having a hybrid Japanese car flown to him in Britain, rather than having it sent by ship.
The $158,000 Lexus LS 600h, which uses a hybrid system that relies on an electric motor at low speeds, is a gift from the automaker, which sponsored McCartney’s 2005 U.S. tour.
But environmentalists quickly pointed out that the use of a cargo plane to deliver the car to England completely offset any environmental gains resulting from its use.
“It’s like driving the car 300 times around the world,” says Gary Rumbold, the director of the British branch of co2balance, which helps businesses and individuals gauge their carbon emissions footprint.
Rumbold said it would have been far less damaging to the environment in terms of carbon emitted into the atmosphere to have shipped the car by sea, because so much more cargo can be fitted on a ship than in the cargo hold of a jet.
Up in smoke
British singer Amy Winehouse will not face charges over video footage that allegedly shows her taking drugs, her spokesman says.
Police questioned the Grammy winner for nine hours last week over a January video that appears to show her smoking a pipe usually used for crack cocaine during a party at her north London home.
He’ll feel lucky tonight
Singer/actor Dwight Yoakam will set a new record tonight with his 24th appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”
Yoakam has been tied with Lyle Lovett for the show’s most musical performances with 23.
Yoakam also appeared on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” six times.
With six you get kung fu
Angelina Jolie is indeed expecting twins – and it was Jack Black who let the news slip.
During a joint “Today” show interview to promote their new animated film, “Kung Fu Panda,” Black quipped the couple will “have as many as (the) ‘Brady Bunch’ when you have these” – meaning six kids. They have four now.
“Yeah, yeah, we’ve confirmed that already,” Jolie said, adding: “Well, Jack’s just confirmed it, actually.”
Star wars: attack of the clown
Al Reynolds, the soon-to-be ex-husband of Star Jones, says he’s “been called a gigolo, a freeloader, unemployed, a sham and many other things that don’t bear repeating” since she filed for divorce in March.
Reynolds posted a 485-word Web rant on MySpace and Facebook to air his frustrations.
“If you think you are having a tough day, may I propose you walk in my shoes for a few hours,” it begins. “In my mind, it feels like ‘Dump on Al Month.’ “
The birthday bunch
Actress-singer Anna Maria Alberghetti is 72. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 72. Singer Trini Lopez is 71. Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 68. Actor Chazz Palminteri is 56. Actor David Charvet (“Melrose Place”) is 36. Actor David Krumholtz (“Numb3rs”) is 30. Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (“The Sopranos”) is 27.