Is Hollywood driving Prius success?

Hybrid success is purely because of Hollywood?

GM's Bob Lutz, just a few years ago, claimed that GM could have beat Toyota to the Prius hybrid car by spending just a fraction of one year's marketing budget on such a plan. Instead, GM spent that money marketing a new line of large SUVs.

But who cares?

Instead, Fortune's Sue Callaway wants us to believe that the only reason hybrid cars are popular is because of a hidden hybrid PR coup in Hollywood. So, if you bought a hybrid, apparently, then you are a Hollywood-wannabe, Sue seems to imply.

While I don't doubt that some have bought hybrids because of some Hollywood-influence, is it really so hard for hybrid critics to understand that many whom buy hybrids are incredibly committed to issues such as global warming and foreign oil dependency? Sure such a purchase accomplishes little on a global scale, other than send a message and invest in the future.

Still, what message are gas-guzzlers sending? In what future does gas-guzzling invest?

How about the hidden PR coup that has enabled automakers to spend billions marketing the most extreme foreign-oil dependency-increasing gas-guzzlers - despite 9/11 and two wars in Iraq - because of profit, at the expense of U.S. soldiers and U.S. National Security. Now that's a real coup.