VAN'S THE MAN

MTV/MTV2/MTV Films guru Van Toffler is one of our favorite guys, but don’t hold that against him. Unflappable in the face of pressure, with a great sense of humor, Van wouldn’t be out of place drag-racing shopping carts down Broadway with his network’s Wildboyz. This Thursday night (10/7), he’ll be honored with the City of Hope’s prestigious "Spirit of Life" award, yet another example of his—and his network’s—commitment to social causes. Of course, after the following exchange, he may want to be committed to another institution, but that’s another story. Read it and sleep:

Will you get Xzibit to "pimp your ride" for the occasion?
X took one look at my 1984 Ford Tempo and deemed it "unpimpable." I was thinking that I could buy a new ride once all this City of Hope money starts to roll in…

When you're accepting the award, will you have Justin Timberlake tear off your boutonniere?
No, but I did pierce all my inappropriate body parts.

Should somebody who gives Steve-O exposure on a national television network receive something called the "Spirit of Life" award?
By "Spirit of Life," you do mean open bar, right?

Will you try to get Ron Burkle to agree to shoot an episode of Cribs at his Beverly Hills home?
Who needs his home? We can do a full episode just from his cabana.

Appetizers: buffalo wings or Chicken of the Sea tuna on saltines?
Time to update your questions.

What does getting this honor from the City of Hope mean to you?
In addition to raising money for an organization that provides support and help to millions of folks battling life-threatening diseases, I'm looking forward to a lot of people being nice to me for one night. Like you losers at HITS who tell me every other day of the year that MTV is playing all the wrong music. Lie to me for one night and tell me I've made one good decision.