Written by Michelle Kretzer
PETA recently grabbed Telly Awards for our raucous "Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom out of Me" cautionary tale, narrated by Kevin Nealon, and Elisabetta Canalis' edgy public service announcement about leaving dogs in hot cars.
Even though IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud has a hot car and a dog, he won't be mixing the two. He is fostering Hufflepuff, a dog from an Indianapolis animal shelter who is looking for a home. And the pup likely won't be Pagenaud's last—he says that he intends to continue fostering for the shelter. PETA sent the pair some congratulatory toys and treats.
Speaking of treats, joining model Jourdan Dunn on a recent segment of her popular Internet cooking series, Well Dunn, was fellow model Karlie Kloss. Together, they whipped up a delectable-looking veggie curry and Karlie's famous vegan cookies (she sells them to raise money for school lunches).
Still hungry? Some lucky person will get to dine on Jared Leto's favorite vegan pancakes after catching some z's in the vegan Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman's bed. The band is hosting a contest called "The Sleepover," in which fans can win a trip to see the "lab" where the guys create their music, and one fan will even get to cuddle up under Leto's comforter and break some cruelty-free bread.
In other music news, Paul McCartney kicks off the North American leg of his "Out There" tour on Saturday in Orlando, Florida, complete with a PETA information table and animal-friendly concert rider.
Like Paul, Constance Marie loves to be animal-friendly in everything that she does. So of course, she's raising her daughter, Luna, to be a healthy vegetarian and an animal advocate, just like Mom.
Paul, Constance, and oodles of other celebrities have been keeping their fans up to date on all their animal-friendly fabulousness on Twitter:
The Twitterverse is also abuzz with the news that Arrested Development will be back on May 26 on Netflix. To tide us over, here's some David Cross hilarity:
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Nickelodeon star Daniella Monet unveiled her new ad for peta2—in which she encourages young people to let fish off the hook by not eating them—at a star-studded reception at the wildly popular all-vegan Sublime restaurant in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Sunday.
In an interview that can be viewed on peta2.com, Monet explains why she went vegetarian at the age of 5: "I went to a dude ranch with my family, and I asked a lot of questions. And I got answers that I probably needed to hear." As for people who say that they're "vegetarian" but still eat fish? "Fish aren't veggies," she says. "Fish have feelings, too, and fish are trying to live a life as well." She adds, "You don't need fish. Let the fish swim with the mermaids."
Monet also presented 12-year-old Rose McCoy—a lifelong vegan and animal rights defender—with the Nanci Alexander Activist Award, named for the owner of Sublime and a longtime PETA member. Among Rose's many accomplishments, she has spoken (remember—she's 12) at a McDonald's annual meeting and at New York City Council meetings, has formed an animal rights club, and donates a portion of her cat-sitting money to PETA's spay/neuter mobile clinics.
Also in attendance were Mexican soap star Pablo Azar, who showed off his dramatic new anti-circus PETA ad, and NY Ink star Ami James, who did likewise with a new ad starring himself and his adorable dog, Bella.
Among other stars lending glamour to the festivities was model and TV host Elisabetta Canalis, a vocal animal advocate who would rather go naked than wear fur and who memorably locked herself in a sweltering car last summer to illustrate the need to protect dogs from the heat.
It's officially summer—the season of cookouts, parks, and beaches. Many of us enjoy taking our dogs along for summer fun, which is fantastic, except when people forget that dogs' bodies aren't nearly as well equipped as ours are to handle the soaring mercury and think that leaving their dogs alone in a hot car "for just a minute" will be OK.
Photo: Jeremy Cowart for WeissArtists/www.jeremycowart.com Hair and makeup: Neil Robison for the David Agency
If we think we're roasting in shorts and a T-shirt, then think about what it would feel like to be wearing a heavy fur coat—not to mention that the only way that dogs can cool themselves is by panting or sweating a small amount through their paw pads. For dogs, sitting in a hot car for a few minutes is far more than simply miserable—it is often deadly. That's why Elisabetta Canalis is partnering with PETA on a new public service announcement urging guardians never to leave dogs in hot cars:
Dogs can sustain brain damage or heatstroke in just 15 minutes—about the same amount of time that it takes to pop into the store for beer and sunscreen. And that's not just on a scorcher of a day either. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car with the windows cracked can soar to between 100 and 120 in just minutes.
If you're out this summer and spot a dog inside a parked car, have the owner of the vehicle paged. If you can't locate the owner quickly, then call 911 right away. If the dog appears restless, excessively thirsty, or lethargic; is panting heavily or vomiting; or has a dark tongue, Fido most likely has heatstroke, and you should take steps to get the dog out of the car immediately, offer him water to drink, pour tepid water over his head and torso, and call a veterinarian for advice.
Let's make sure that the dog days of summer are doggone safe for dogs.
Last night, the Stand-Up for Animals PETA benefit show at the famous Comedy Store on L.A.'s Sunset Strip was funnier than a barrel of animatronic monkeys.
Bill Maher, Jane Lynch, Carol Leifer, Jeffrey Ross, Marc Maron, and host Fred Willard—in other words, some of the most talented comedians in the world—came together to raise money for PETA and kept the packed house laughing until the audience's sides hurt.
Guests included Pink, Carey Hart, Olivia Munn, Cloris Leachman, Jorja Fox, Christian Serratos, Renee Olstead, Elisabetta Canalis, Emily Osment, and Moby, many of whom tried valiantly not to do spit takes with The Comedy Store's delicious vegan snacks while laughing at Jeffrey Ross' hysterical poem to his cat or Carol Leifer's explanation that she had to go vegan because being a Jewish lesbian wasn't enough.
Bill Maher quipped, "Before PETA was around, you know, you could f-ck with animals any way, anybody, anytime, anywhere, and now you can't. That's a pretty big change in the world. That's a big achievement. … Animals will not be ignored. They're the Glenn Close of species."
And with all the funds raised by the end of the night, PETA can make sure that animal abusers won't be laughing for long.
Internationally renowned primatologist and animal rights activist Dr. Jane Goodall is being honored by the Tournament of Roses as the grand marshal of the 2013 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. The timing of the honor couldn't be better, as Chimpanzee, a film she helped make, has been popular with moviegoers and Congress is currently considering the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would ban invasive experiments on chimpanzees.
Fellow great ape defender Anjelica Huston is working to end fur farming in Ireland, where she grew up. Writing to Ireland's minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Anjelica, who used to wear fur but ditched it after she learned about the cruelty inherent in the industry, urged him to "follow through on the commitment to add Ireland to the growing list of countries – including Northern Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, and Great Britain – that have banned the cruel practice of fur farming."
Taraji P. Henson and Elisabetta Canalis strutted their fur-free stuff this week. Taraji gave animal advocates a howling good time with her box-office–topping film Think Like a Man, and Elisabetta gave her advocacy some Italian flair, tweeting a lovely message in Italian encouraging fans to read the 20th anniversary edition of Free the Animals.
Sophia Bush wants to free animals from military trauma training. She tweeted the link to PETA's video exposé showing goats who were mutilated, writing, "I support our troops. But I cannot in good conscience support 'training' exercises like these. This cruelty must stop."
Other celebs were all a-twitter for animals this week, too:
It looks like former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley took former President Bill Clinton's advice and went vegetarian, dropping some unwanted pounds in the process.
Another famous Chicagoan, Derrick Rose, introduced his new basketball shoe, the adiZero Rose 2, and the Chicago Bulls point guard is making bulls very happy—his shoes are completely leather-free.
A cobra—Cobra Starship frontman and vegetarian hottie Gabe Saporta—made the list of the 50 Most Beautiful Latinos in Hollywood, along with PETA buddies Penélope Cruz, Eva Mendes, Vida Guerra, Roselyn Sanchez, and Ana Ortiz.
Written by PETA
Get ready to tap your feet—the two-hour season premiere of Dancing With the Stars airs tonight on ABC, and as usual, PETA pals are strutting their animal-friendly stuff.
Just a week after she unveiled her "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ad, Elisabetta Canalis will make her Dancing debut, and she's rumored to be the early favorite. When asked if Elisabetta's PETA ad would help in the competition, her partner Val Chmerkovskiy said, "I don't know if it will help us, but I do hope it helps PETA. Before I found out that Elisabetta was involved with PETA, I was astounded how conscious she was about animal cruelty and how passionate she was about helping animals involved in any sort of mistreatment."
Fellow animal advocate Ricki Lake could be a serious contender too. She proved she has determination when she was arrested after storming Karl Lagerfeld's showroom to demand that the designer stop using fur. And spay-and-neuter advocate Metta World Peace (aka: "Ron Artest") might put his fancy footwork to good use off the court and pull off an upset.
Elisabetta, Ricki, and Metta World Peace are in good company. Previous DWTS rosters read like the guest list at a PETA fundraiser. Pamela Anderson, Cloris Leachman, Steve-O, Joanna Krupa, Kelly Osbourne, Lance Bass, Jennie Garth, Audrina Patridge, Belinda Carlisle, Holly Madison, Mario, Shanna Moakler, Karina Smirnoff, and even judge Carrie Ann Inaba all know that the most important steps you take are those that help animals.
Good luck, Elisabetta, Ricki, and Ron! We'll be rooting (and voting) for you.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Temperatures in Los Angeles were normal this afternoon, but on Rodeo Drive, it was positively steamy as Elisabetta Canalis unveiled her "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ad to an enthusiastic crowd, getting the fall shopping season off to an animal-friendly start.
Elisabetta explained why she wanted to go nude to protest fur, saying, "That is what is required to keep people's attention on such a brutal practice. … These poor animals are electrocuted, skinned alive, drowned, and bludgeoned just for the sake of fashion."
The Italian model and actor wants her furry home country to go faux, too, so PETA is placing billboards and posters of the ad throughout the fashion capital, Milan.
Want Elisabetta's bella look? Leave fur on its rightful owner.
Brosnan. Pierce Brosnan. He's doing some not-so-covert work to save whales. True Blood star Kristin Bauer is also lobbying for protection for whales, in addition to speaking out against animal testing, circuses, zoos, fur …
The normally furry Kate Moss is in Vogue (literally and figuratively) and looking fauxtastic for a change in a creation from Donna Salyer’s Fabulous-Furs. (Here’s hoping faux fur grows on Moss like, ahem, moss.) And the always fur-free Elisabetta Canalis will soon be showing off her fox-free foxtrot.
As she trotted around visiting animal shelters, Glee star Ashley Fink fell in love multiple times, of course. And self-confessed kitty-cuddler Michael C. Hall knows exactly how she feels. Eric McCormack is so caught up in puppy love, it even inspired his new TV role.
After gaining weight for her new movie, it was Jessica Chastain's respect for animals that ensured that she didn't need much help taking it off. And the health benefits of animal-free fare will definitely be useful for WNBA champ Kara Lawson, the newest vegetarian on the block.
For up to the minute info on what we’re up to, follow us on Twitter!
Italian model, actor, and George Clooney's leading lady Elisabetta Canalis has just shot a new anti-fur ad for PETA, which she calls "the best reason why I got naked in my life."
Canalis says that her opposition to cruelty to animals started when she was very young. "I was a kid, a little girl, and was watching TV at home and they showed a documentary. And in the documentary I saw how they killed little animals, like electrocuting them, drowning them, bludgeoning them. I was shocked because I was a little girl, but by that moment I thought that I would never, never, never wear fur in my life."
Canalis' ad is slated to launch in the fall, but you can catch a sneak peak in this behind-the-scenes video from her PETA photo shoot.
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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