Jay Leno’s Green Car Challenge finally kicked off last week — and, as we mentioned earlier — Drew Barrymore was the first celebrity to give the track a shot. The basic idea is to get around the 40,000 sq. ft. course in an all-electric Ford Focus as fast a time as possible; all the while avoiding some obstacles like cardboard cut-outs of Al Gore and Ed Begley Jr. (We’re serious. We wish we weren’t.)

Have a look below to see how Drew did!

On tonight’s Jay Leno Show, Drew Barrymore becomes the first celebrity to get behind the wheel of a tricked-out, track-ready, all-electric Ford Focus. It’s all part of the new “Green Car Challenge” segment which pits celebrities against each other in a bid to record the fastest times. The Leno crew even built a specially-designed racetrack outside the studio to handle the vehicles.

And standard cars, these are not. From Automobilemag:

In addition to swapping out powertrains, Ford put in Recaro racing seats complete with five-point harnesses to hold the celebrities in place and installed a full roll cage to keep them safe should they manage to roll the vehicle. Ford also swapped out the rear springs to deal with the extra heft of the batteries. Incredibly, the engineers only needed six-weeks to build Leno’s electric Focus.

A roll cage? Whoa. Who want to bet the legal sign-off on this race is a few pages thick? The engineers were probably thinking something like, “Let’s say Gary Busey gets behind the wheel of this car…”

The Jay Leno Show rolls this evening at 10PM EST.

via Treehugger

– Jay Leno talking about his new Green Car Challenge set to appear on the new Jay Leno Show September 14th.

“At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won’t be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.”

Other famous people against Prop 8 include Melissa Etheridge, Harvey Fierstein, and James Franco.

Harland Williams is also apparently against Prop 8, as he recently revealed that he voted for the Jolly Green Giant, whom he believes is gay. Check out the video here!

Before the march, Barrymore took a moment to speak to the crowd about her thoughts on Prop 8. She said: “People who I love are being affected by this — people who have defined who I am. This can not happen. We have to change this. This is so wrong. With all my heart I could not feel more passionate about this.”

Check out the video below to hear all of Drew’s thoughts!

“‘I have seen with my own eyes what a difference a simple cup of nutritious porridge can make in a child’s life,’ said Drew Barrymore. ‘It helps them learn, stay healthy and sets them on track for a bright future. I urge everyone — everywhere — to help WFP ‘Fill the Cup’ for hungry children, and make hunger history.’”

The donation kicks off WFP’s challenge to America to help feed 10 million children for a year. They are seeking $3 billion — just 25 cents a day — to feed 59 million hungry school children in developing countries worldwide for a year. Last year, the organization fed more than 20 million school children with a daily cup of porridge, rice or beans.

To make a donation, please click here.

The event was intended to raise money for Raising Malawi and UNICEF.  However, some members of media are claiming that this star-studded gala was more about promoting the Kabbalah Centre and the new Gucci store than spotlighting charity. Indeed, CEO of Gucci, Mark Lee, footed the bill for the evening and described it as “a celebration of the fashion house’s new store.” Still, both Madonna and Gucci say the new store had nothing to do with the real purpose of the evening: raising money for charity.

Celebrities like Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Demi Moore, Drew Barrymore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gwen Stefani and Jennifer Lopez shelled out 10,000 dollars a plate for the gourmet dinner (not veg… in case you care). There was also a silent auction with prizes like: a private soccer game with David Beckam, and dance classes with Madonna. At the end of the evening, the gala raised about 3.7 million dollars which will be split evenly between Raising Malawi and UNICEF.

Here’s what I think: Sure, Gucci was probably wildly excited to get all that great exposure. Sure, Madonna probably had some Kabbalah pamphlets or leaflets or scroll papers or whatever they use on hand at the event. I understand that people are frustrated because it was held at the U.N (which should be a non-biased forum), but it’s not like they were tying the guests up in Gucci scarves and making them chant, Like A Virgin. All they were doing was raising money for a couple great charities-which does generally require some sort of corporate sponsorship. So I say, “You famous people better rock on with your bad, charity-loving selves.”  GO TEAM FAMOUS!!!!!!!!