January 10, 2003
WorldNetDaily.com
[SNIP]
"Huffington says she has turned in her 13-mile- per-gallon Lincoln Navigator SUV for a hybrid gas and electric Toyota Prius that gets 52 miles per gallon, but she still makes her home in a 9,000-square-foot estate in the elite Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
"She admitted to radio talk show host Sean Hannity on Tuesday that she travels in private jets, though she told another WABC radio host in New York yesterday, Curtis Sliwa, that she does it at the "sacrifice" of frequent flier miles.
[SNIP]"Howard Becker of Becker Automotive Design, Inc., told WorldNetDaily that, to no one's surprise, Hollywood celebrities, including some leading environmental activists, are inclined toward vehicles with "more powerful engines."
"Becker said he could not discuss his many celebrity clients, but his website includes a list of customers.
"Celebrities who have ordered custom-built SUV or truck-based limousines along with Fonda and Eisner are Barbra Streisand, Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Taylor, Jerry Seinfeld, Charlie Sheen, Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Ben Affleck, Adam Sandler, Michael Jackson, Michael Douglas and Eddie Murphy.
"A lot of what we do here is meant to be subtle on the outside so [the celebrities] don't draw attention," Becker said. "Inside, many of the vehicles have all the luxuries and amenities that are part of their current state in life."
"Streisand's publicist was unavailable for comment, but the actress and political activist has been known, at least in the past, to travel about town in a 45-foot, fully equipped motor home that gets about six to eight miles per gallon. She has told people close to her that the massive vehicle is necessary, even for short trips, in order to avoid germs at public restrooms.
"Goldberg and Affleck are among the "legions of Hollywood celebrities" who have "hopped into the truck du jour," the Cadillac Escalade, the Los Angeles Times said Nov. 24, helping "rekindle interest in a luxury brand that has lost its luster in recent years."