Tyrese is already a Grammy-nominated R&B singer-songwriter and a rapper, an actor, a bestselling author, a television producer, and a model, and now he's adding "animal advocate" to his résumé. He posted this breathtaking picture of an orca in his or her ocean home on Instagram, with the caption "Shows me [that] certain animals shouldn't be in captivity …."

© StarMaxInc.com

The image was seen by Tyrese's half-million followers and became one of the day's most popular photos. Something tells me Tyrese will be checking out Blackfish, the highly anticipated documentary about the plight of captive orcas, including Tilikum, the imprisoned orca at SeaWorld who was kidnapped from his ocean home at the age of 2 and has since spent his life relegated to a small concrete tank.

In other Hollywood news:

• Tom Hardy is set to host a documentary that will expose wildlife poaching in Africa. The special, tentatively named Poaching Wars With Tom Hardy, was his own idea to help endangered wildlife.
• Fur-free Project Runway is getting even more animal-friendly, with vegetarian PETA supporter Alyssa Milano slated to host season 3 of Project Runway All Stars. 
• Vegan powerhouse Portia de Rossi is giving her healthy eating habits full credit for her fresh, youthful appearance.
• Animals got a new little advocate this week: Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum welcomed their first child, Everly, into the world. 
• After reading about an Ohio man who kept an alligator prisoner in his basement for 15 years and neglected and abused him, Kristen Bell is pushing for the abuser to face cruelty-to-animals charges.
• Michael Jaynes' insightful book Elephants Among Us, the true story of two majestic elephants who were kept captive and forced to perform, is set to release later this summer. PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk calls the book "on a par with Black Beauty and Old Yeller." Watch for it on Amazon.  
• Randall (the honey badger guy) called a vet's office that was advertising free declawing services and gave the cat-cutters a smack-down of honey-badger proportions (and, of course, turned it into a hilarious YouTube video). 

And Randall and other shining stars filled the Twitterverse with sweet tweets for animals this week:

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

Happy New Year! Yes, already—at least in places where the Lunar New Year is observed, including China. To join our Chinese friends in celebrating the start of the Year of the Snake, we're featuring one of PETA's most memorable snake-themed ads, in which lovely actor, dancer, and producer Jenna Dewan-Tatum exposes the distinctly not-so-lovely side of the exotic-skins trade. 

Jenna—who is preparing to deliver her very first bundle of joy with husband Channing Tatum—recently appeared in American Horror Story: Asylum. But what happens to animals killed for their skins is every bit as gruesome as anything perpetrated by that show's mad scientist or serial killers. Snakes have their bodies cut open from one end to the other and their skin ripped off before being tossed aside to struggle and thrash in pain for hours or even days until they die. Most alligators used for accessories are raised in filthy tanks until they are stabbed or beaten to death.

What You Can Do

Millions of snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and other reptiles are violently killed every year so that their skins can be torn from their bodies to make wallets, belts, boots, and handbags. Don't buy into this cruel rip-off—instead, choose accessories made from chic, cruelty-free materials such as fake snake, mock croc, and pleather. You'll look (and feel) better knowing that you got the glam—without stealing someone else's skin. 

As a vegan, Jessica Chastain has famously said, "I don't want to torture anything in my life." And shooting disturbing torture scenes for the upcoming film Zero Dark Thirty, which details the hunt for and takedown of Osama bin Laden, was understandably rough on the actor. But Jessica revealed how she and director Kathryn Bigelow got through it: "During the week that we were filming the interrogations, we sent each other videos of animals being rescued. It was so emotional for me because I rescue dogs and so does she. That's the kind of stuff that was going on behind the scenes. Like, this is not our lives, we are not these characters, there's a place that is waiting for us."

Many of us have experienced how an animal's love can get us through tough times. Anjelica Huston believes it's high time for us to return the favor and help heal the wounds of chimpanzees who have been confined to laboratories and experimented on. She penned an impassioned article urging everyone to support the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would free all federally owned chimpanzees and retire them to peaceful, spacious sanctuaries.

Paul McCartney is advocating for turkeys to be freed from the fate of ending up as holiday centerpieces. The legendary musician and animal advocate posed for a new "Say No, Thanks to Turkey" Thanksgiving ad for PETA and reposted it on his Facebook page as a reminder before Christmas.

And scores of other celebrities shared animal-friendly reminders with their Twitter followers:

Congratulations are in order for one of our favorite compassionate couples: Jenna Dewan-Tatum and Channing Tatum are expecting their first bundle of joy. With parents like that, we know that their child will be beautiful inside and out.

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

Jenna Dewan-Tatum makes a ravishing reptile! The sultry star (and wife of smokin' hot actor Channing Tatum) recently shed her clothes and transformed into a snake for a new PETA ad exposing the cruelty of the exotic-skins industry. Find out why the alluring actor leaves wildlife out of her wardrobe in this exclusive behind-the-scenes interview:

While we're on the subject of fabulous fake snakes, we're giving away a pleather python bag from Melie Bianco and an Energy Muse bracelet—designed by Jenna herself specifically for this campaign and modeled by Jenna below.

Jenna Dewan Tatum shown wearing three layered Energy Muse Power bracelets. / © David Heisler Photography

After you enter to win this prize pack, tweet @jennaldewan and let Jenna know how this campaign has convinced you to show some love to snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and other reptiles by pledging to purge your closet of any exotic skins.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth