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A new report found that celebrities and their children often inspire baby names among the rest of us. For example, pop singer and PETA supporter Pink's daughter's name, Willow, made a list of top celeb-inspired names.

With the plethora of animal-friendly celebrities out there, people who want to name their baby after someone whose heart is as big as his or her star power have many options to chose from, such as Portia, for a vegan role model who embodies cruelty-free beauty; Taraji, in honor of someone who wears her heart (but never animals) on her sleeve; and Kellan, for a boy who's not afraid to show his sensitive side, especially when it comes to helping animals.

Who knows—maybe next year's top baby names will be Lea or Steve-O or even Metta World Peace. 

Which animal-friendly stars do you think have names worthy of consideration for a new bundle of joy?

November is shaping up to be Kellan Lutz Month. First, we get to see him as Poseidon, god of the sea, in Immortals, and then as that other immortal, Emmett Cullen, in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part I. While we wait, let's enjoy a little Lutz lust with the PETA ad that he and his dog Kola did to encourage fans to find their eternal love at an animal shelter.

Photo: Colin Stark

And before he declared war on humanity as King Hyperion, fellow Immortals star Mickey Rourke and his canine buddy declared war on animal homelessness with an approach as easy as ABC: animal birth control. (Read more about Rourke and his canine companions in the paperback edition of Ingrid E. Newkirk's book One Can Make a Difference.)

Fellow Immortals stars Freida Pinto and Isabel Lucas have been doing kind things for animals, too: praising the use of computer-generated imagery to replace animals in entertainment and protesting Japanese whaling, respectively. Because even Greek gods and goddesses know that the kind acts that we perform can live forever.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

There are just two weeks to go until audiences see Kristen Stewart finally become a vampire in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part I, but last night, K-Stew told Jay Leno that even the bloodless aren't heartless—she would never wear real fur.

Leno showed what appeared to be a furry image from Kristen's W magazine photo shoot that left her fans asking a big "W": Why would she wear that? But Kristen was anxious to put the rumors to rest, saying, "That's not fur—I would never wear fur. … [People said] 'nobody does that [wear fur] anymore and look, she's willing to.' No, I'm actually not, so let's just clear that one up." 

Seems like the out-of-touch designers who still use fur are having a harder and harder time finding anyone willing to wear butchered bunnies. It's obvious that stolen skin is out and sparkly skin is in.

Before you head out to reserve your tickets for opening night, check out how Twilight stars Kellan Lutz, Christian Serratos, and Robert Pattinson are shining for animals too.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

This coming Sunday, July 31, has been dubbed "Mutts Day," and I can say from personal experience that nothing beats an adorable one-of-a-kind mutt. When you adopt a homeless mutt from a shelter, you not only gain a best buddy, you also save a life. But don't just take it from me—take it from these famous shelter-dog fans:

Of course, mutts aren't the only ones who are abandoned at shelters—it's estimated that a quarter of shelter dogs are purebreds who were dropped off after being purchased from a pet shop, puppy mill, or breeder. No matter what kind of dog you're looking for, you can find one at a shelter.

Maybe you can't buy love, but you can certainly adopt it.  

Written by Michelle Sherrow

In a protest called "massive" by a local television station, author and fitness guru Jillian Michaels led the charge alongside producer Sam Simon, Twilight's Christian Serratos, The Secret Life of the American Teenager's Renee Olstead, and hundreds of demonstrators outside the Los Angeles Staples Center to call attention to the abuse of elephants by the Ringling Bros. circus. 
  

 
Numerous elephants used by Ringling Bros. suffer crippling arthritis—a leading cause of euthanasia of captive elephants—because they don't get the freedom of movement and exercise that they need.

"Their enslavement by the circus means [elephants] spend their lives in chains and stuffy train cars with no freedom to roam, and they suffer painful, fatal ailments that come from such a stressful existence," says Michaels.

Other compassionate celebrities who supported PETA's protest via Twitter include Sophia Bush, Kellan Lutz, Alicia Witt, and Sasha Grey, among others.

Please never attend any animal circus performance, and contact PETA's Action Team to help plan your own demonstration when the circus comes to your city.
 

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

For those of us who repeatedly put Robert Pattinson's shirtless scene in New Moon on "pause" are fans of Robert Pattinson, there's a new reason to swoon. While he was filming The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn in Louisiana, the ultimate heartthrob went to the ultimate place to find a new best friend—an animal shelter—and rescued a puppy, who was traveling on a private plane with him the next day. "There is a deep connection between me and dogs," Rob noted, adding that if he could swap his human form for anything, it would be a dog. 

Rob's new pup might be scampering around the Twilight set with Kellan Lutz's pal Kola, who posed with the actor in his super-cute "Adopt, Don't Buy" ad for PETA. And they'll have plenty to talk about with Christian Serratos, who would rather go naked than wear fur.

Rob, I would love to have an "Adopt, Don't Buy" ad to hang up next to my "Sixteen Months of Robert Pattinson" calendar (hint, hint). But if you'd rather go naked than wear fur, I'm fine with that too.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

After reading the last few posts about animal homelessness, euthanasia, and hoarding, some people might be wondering what they can do to help. Perhaps a few of you have even considered starting your own animal rescue group. If so, thank you for caring so deeply, but please—help us focus attention on stemming the flow.

Think of it this way: The animal overpopulation crisis is like water flooding into a sinking ship. We don't need more people bailing; we need to fix the gaping hole in the bottom of the boat! When it comes to ending animal homelessness, the most humane and sustainable solution is to pour our time, money, and effort into having animals spayed and neutered. Preventing more animals from being born stops the problem at its source. Here are some creative ways that we can work toward a no-birth nation: 

• Consider starting a program like the one run by Michigan's Heaven Can Wait Animal Haven, which transports animals to and from local low-cost spay-and-neuter clinics.
• Start a group to raise money for free spay-and-neuter surgeries for animals in your community.
• Hold fundraisers for local spay-and-neuter clinics so that they can waive the costs for low-income individuals and at-risk animals.
• Raise funds for PETA's "Spay and Neuter Immediately, Please" (SNIP) mobile clinic. 
• Take a hands-on approach in your community by volunteering for PETA's Animal Birth Control (ABC) program.   

Another crucial component of ending animal homelessness is educating the public about why it's so important to adopt animals instead of buying them from pet shops or breeders. If you are considering adding a cat or dog to your family, your decision will literally mean life or death for an animal waiting in an animal shelter. If you choose to buy from a breeder or a pet store, an animal at the local shelter must be euthanized. Please, always choose to save a life by adopting your animal companions from animal shelters or reputable adoption groups.

PETA has teamed up with dozens of celebrities—including Justin Bieber, Yvonne Strahovski, Lance Bass, Kellan Lutz, Joanna Krupa, Audrina Patridge, Patricia Arquette, and others—for pro-adoption public service announcements (PSAs). You can help encourage people to adopt animals, never buy, by sponsoring or obtaining free placement for one of these PSAs in a newspaper or magazine.

Thank you for caring. Animals like these are counting on compassionate people like you:

Like so many other rabbits, Bobbi was acquired on a whim and surrendered after her owners discovered how much time and effort are required to care for a rabbit. PETA found Bobbi a loving home, and she now enjoys playing with three other rabbits and sleeping in a bed with her new family.

One freezing day, PETA's straw-delivery volunteers found Sunday living in filth and mud, tethered by a chain that was only a few feet long. Sunday perked up immediately after PETA's volunteers gave him a doghouse and replaced the short chain with a new, lightweight tie-out.

Julie was once trapped at the end of a chain—one of the worst punishments possible for a dog, especially a collie—but PETA's fieldworkers convinced her owners to surrender her and helped place her in a wonderful home with a family who adores her.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Great news! After PETA got word that Colombian mobile phone company Comcel planned to raffle off 200 puppies as part of a promotion, we posted an action alert on our website, and you responded in droves. Thanks to you, Comcel and its parent company, América Móvil, have agreed to give debit cards as prizes instead.

Needless to say, randomly distributing puppies is a spectacularly bad idea. Animals who are given as prizes or gifts are often abused or discarded when the novelty wears off. The lucky ones wind up in shelters (as opposed to being abandoned on the streets), where they face euthanasia because of a lack of good homes.

Which reminds me—if you are ready to open your heart and home to an animal companion, always, always, always adopt—never buy. Need more persuasion? Who could possibly resist the importuning of Twilight hunk Kellan Lutz?

Written by Michelle Sherrow

The hottest PETA celebrity ads of 2010 will warm you up faster than sitting by the fire with a big mug of vegan hot chocolate. Ready to defrost that winter chill? The top 10 ads are … 

Jenna Dewan-Tatum gets body-painted as a sexy snake to ask others to leave wildlife out of their wardrobes.


Elephants never forget … and who can forget when Olivia Munn spoke out for elephants in captivity?

A naked Dave Navarro showcases his tattoos (and more) to proclaim, "Ink, Not Mink."


Sasha Grey is calling for safe sex—for dogs and cats.


Kellan Lutz takes a bite out of the animal overpopulation crisis by posing with his rescued mutt Kola.


The stars of If I Can Dream prove that you don't need fur to keep warm. Talk about dreamy!


Stephanie Pratt bares her buns to save bunnies from painful cosmetics testing.


This steamy Married to Rock couple hits all the right notes in their rockin' ad.


Chad Ochocinco scores a touchdown for animals by baring his skin to help animals keep theirs.


Va-va-voom! Pamela Anderson reveals her body parts to help animals who are used for food.



Which one gets your vote for hottest of 2010?

Written by Lauren Gordon

If you're counting down the days until The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hits theaters, here are a few Twi "bites" to tide you over:

Team Edward or Team Jacob? We're not supposed to take sides here at PETA, but after seeing Robert Pattinson's hilarious appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's recent Twilight special—RPattz suggests that the wolf pack has been "spayed and neutered"—I'm rooting for the vampire. You know how much we like spaying and neutering.

And Edward isn't the only member of the Cullen clan speaking out for dogs. Kellan Lutz and his rescued mutt Kola posed for PETA's "Adopt, Don't Buy" ad, and in this exclusive interview, the sexy star explains why buying animals from pet shops or breeders really bites.

If you weren't one of the lucky fans who witnessed Kellan showing off his Calvins at the Eclipse premiere in Los Angeles, here's something even better: Christian Serratos (aka Bella's friend and classmate Angela Weber) in the buff.

So tell us, who should be the next Twilight star to pose for PETA?

Written by Paula Moore