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Coast-to-Coast in 36 Hours Burning BioWillie

Two ad men with bladders of steel set out tonight to make the infamous Cannonball Run from midtown Manhattan to Santa Monica, California, but with more eco-panache than the many imitators and speed demons who've made similar cross-country dashes. Nik Bristow and Brian Pierce have loaded a VW Jetta TDI with jerrycans full of BioWillie biodiesel and plan to finish their carbon-neutral transcontinental drive by Wednesday morning. "We're hoping to do it in about 36 hours, not stopping once," Pierce, 36, says in a YouTube video promoting the event (see it below). "Not for gas, not for food, not for the bathroom." And why would they do that? "I know the trip sounds crazy, but it's more important now than ever," Bristow, 27, says. "We're on the cusp of a very important election where oil and energy are universal top concerns, and biodiesel is one of the cleaner, more viable fuel alternatives out there. We need to get the word out." They've got Willie Nelson in their corner, but let's hope it's a better partnership than that awful duet he sang with Julio Iglesias. And while this isn't the first time the Red Headed Stranger has been involved in transporting repurposed plants, it might well be the first time it involves condom size-charts, liquid diets and corporate sponsorships.Among the technical innovations present on this trip are a 2006 Jetta TDI they've christened Willie One. It's bone-stock and stuffed with 15 five-gallon jerrycans brimming with Nelson's own brand of 100 percent biodiesel. Even the strongest bladder would burst on a cross-country trek without a bathroom break, so the boys will be wearing Stadium Pal condom catheters and enjoying a diet (chicken broth and strawberry Jell-O, anyone?) that prevents the need for rest stops a portable urinal just can't handle. "Were not wearing astronaut diapers," Pierce told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "We're using condom catheters, so we will be ..." Bristow finishes the sentences for him: " ... free to pee in our pants."  The team originally considered Nik's Mk3 TDI Jetta as a contender for Willie One but chucked that idea. "In order to set a cross-country driving record, it's kind of important to make it across the country," Pierce says. And while the original Cannonball Run was all about unfettered speed, the Willie Runners plan to obey the speed limit. They figure they'll go through 75 gallons of biodiesel, but they're carrying 85 just to be safe. "It would be embarrassing to run out of fuel just east of L.A.," Bristow says. They figure all that extra fuel weighs about 440 pounds, and refill the fuel tank from the back seat. We haven't seen it, but apparently you can do that in a Jetta TDI. Bristow and Pierce are a pair of advertising copywriters with Fitzgerald+CO, and they're masters of New Media. They have a website, a Facebook page, loads of Youtube videos and the kind of product placement many can only dream of landing. They're also so passionate about biofuel as to be evangelical and saw a chance to merge their professional and personal passions. "It's good to be able to put your skills to work for something you personally believe in," Pierce says. You can follow their progress on this map after 10 p.m. EST Monday or watch the fun unfold on the RunCam. They plan to arrive in L.A. on Wednesday morning, at which point "I think we'll be ready to hug each other or punch each other," the guys write on their site. "We'll see which one happens first." Photo and videos courtesy -- who else? -- the guys at Willie Run. The guys explain what they're doing and why: Check out the car: Size matters: Test run:

Barr's Web site slams Pitt and Jolie

Actress Roseanne Barr arrives at the 6th annual 'TV Land Awards' held at Barker Hangar on June 8, 2008 in Santa Monica, California.