• Ryan Gosling: Chick Magnet & More Celeb News

    Written by Michelle Kretzer

    There isn't a chick alive who doesn't love Ryan Gosling, from the ones he woos in theaters (guilty) to the ones he helps on factory farms. He was spotted saving the latter recently by eating vegan at Los Angeles' Flore Vegan Cuisine.

    Since animals aren't normally allowed to go to concert venues, Jay Sean invited them into his living room. The rapper performed an online Stageit show from his home and donated all the proceeds to PETA's "Angels for Animals" program, which provides neglected, chained dogs with doghouses, toys, and lightweight tie-outs.

    On a slightly larger screen, Bones is set to air another animal rights–themed show. Vegan star Emily Deschanel says she loves hearing from fans that the Bones episode on chicken farming made them stop eating chickens, and now the Fox thriller is tackling the exotic-animal smuggling trade

    Fran Drescher is hopping on the vegan train as well, telling RadarOnline about some of her delicious recipes: "Lately, I have been eating vegan and gluten-free, so I have been making delicious kale soup and gluten-free pasta with sautéed arugula, garlic, olive oil and pesto. I also like my recipe for white bean hummus, as well as a good simple field and micro green salad with my special house dressing of olive oil, lemon, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. I like to add raw veggies to it, like peas, corn, carrots, and zucchini."

    James Cameron is growing vegan. The director just purchased 2,500 acres of rural land in New Zealand, and part of his property includes a former dairy farm. The government is requiring Cameron to continue to farm on part of the land, and the director, who grabbed a PETA Proggy Award for Avatarsaid that since he and his family are striving for a more plant-based diet, they will likely grow crops

    Cameron is no stranger to awards, and neither is our friend Kate del Castillo, who snapped up several of Telemundo's nominations for its inaugural Premios Tu Mundo Awards.


    Set design: Jack Guy|Hair and makeup: Eric Ferrell for Dion Peronneau Agency|Styling: Shiffy for Aim Artists

    Other celebs were busy representing animals in the Twitterverse this week:

    To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter

  • No Apes in New ‘Planet of the Apes’

    Written by PETA

    Yes, you read that right. The upcoming movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the eagerly anticipated sequel to Planet of the Apes, has done the original one better. Unlike Planet of the Apes, no great apes were used in the production of the sequel—it relies entirely on computer-generated imagery (CGI). As seen in the just-released trailer, the movie’s lead ape character is actually actor Andy Serkis, who, through the magic of CGI and motion-capture technology, is turned into the chimpanzee leader, Caesar.
     

    A riveting image from The Rise of the Planet of the Apes.                  © 20th Century Fox

     
    The spectacular digital effects are courtesy of Weta Digital, the Oscar-winning team behind Avatar, Lord of the Rings, and King Kong (whose director, Peter Jackson, earned a Proggy from PETA).

    Chimpanzees and other great apes used for entertainment are torn away from their mothers as babies and physically and psychologically abused during training. When they reach adolescence and become too strong to control, they are often dumped at miserable roadside zoos, as was the fate of Chubbs, one of the chimpanzees used in the Tim Burton-directed Planet of the Apes.
     

    Chubbs went from Hollywood to hellhole.

     
    Rise of the Planet of the Apes
    has a new director, Rupert Wyatt, who wanted to make the point that in this age of advanced realistic CGI technology, there is no need to use great apes in films. Here’s hoping that other studios will take note.

    You’ll definitely want to see Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It sounds like a great contender for another Oscar for Weta, and perhaps a PETA Proggy Award too.
     

    Written by Michelle Sherrow

  • Michelle Rodriguez: Set to Save Whales--and Pigs

    Written by PETA

    ANTIBES, FRANCE - MAY 20: Michelle Rodriguez arrives at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS 2010 benefit gala at the Hotel du Cap on May 20, 2010 in Antibes, France. (Photo by Francois Durand/Getty Images)

     

    Since signing up to join the vegan crew of Sea Shepherd, Avatar star Michelle Rodriguez has decided to chuck chicken—and other dead animals—from her plate. Here's her logic: "[Y]ou can't be a hypocrite; you can't be sitting there trying to save animals and then killing them. That's just weird." Word.

    Written by Karin Bennett

  • James Cameron Wins Proggy for 'Avatar'

    Written by PETA

    awn / CC
    Avatar

     

    1/26 Update: You can call me soothsayer. Avatar has sunk Titanic and is now the highest-grossing movie of all time!

    Confession: While I was watching Avatar, I found myself mumbling, "I want to go to there," as I grabbed at the three-dimensional floating mountains in front of me. But the best films are those that entertain while also sparking important conversations, and Avatar is certainly one of those films. Through a mastery of CGI and an unparalleled script, Cameron beautifully shows that all nature is interconnected and that all beings—no matter their species or race—deserve to be treated with kindness, respect, and dignity.

    For making a film with an overarching message of decency, understanding, and compassion—as well as breathtakingly beautiful CGI that heralds a new era in filmmaking (one that we hope marks the coming end of the use of live animals in entertainment)—we have awarded James Cameron our 2010 Proggy Award for Outstanding Feature Film.

    Avatar has already become the second-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide (the number one blockbuster of all time is Titanic), truly making Cameron the "King of the World." My prediction: Cameron will beat his own global box-office record with Avatar (and pick up an Oscar or 10 on the way) long before I'm done learning to speak Na'vi.

    Written by Logan Scherer

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If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2. 

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