It might have looked to passersby like we were having a sleepover at the Bob Barker Building, PETA's Los Angeles office. Throngs of teens and kids came in toting blankets as well as bags full of leashes, collars, toys, and towels to donate to homeless animals at shelters run by L.A. Animal Services. But this wasn't your average blanket drive.

Some of the most compassionate young stars in Hollywood came out to support peta2 (PETA's youth division) and PETA Kids, the joint hosts of the event. Renee Olstead, Christian Serratos, Fivel Stewart, Haley Pullos, Pia Toscano, Miranda Mayo, Bret Lockett of the New York Jets, and Randall of "Honey Badger Don't Care" fame collected donations, took pictures with fans, and helped kids make buttons to take home and catnip toys for the shelters' cats. At the end of the day, we had collected more than 19 boxes full of donations and mountains of goodwill for animals.

Renee Olstead, who had the initial idea for the shelter drive, serenades the crowd with "At Last" by Etta James.

Christian Serratos helps sort donated items.

Haley Pullos greets rescued PETA pup Tyson.

Kids make catnip toys for the cats and buttons for themselves.

Bret Lockett tries out his Dancing With the Stars moves with PETA's Michelle Cho.

The kids had a blast with Randall.

Renee celebrates a successful day.

As the Discovery Channel wraps up its annual Shark Week, TOMS Shoes is making it Shark Year. The philanthropic footwear company created a pair of shark-silhouette–lined shoes, with proceeds going to protect these often misunderstood, abused animals.

If the vegan shoe fits, wear it. Former Miss World Rosanna Davison is trading her stilettos for running shoes, training for Ireland's Ironman Triathlon. She's also trading her vegetarian diet for a vegan one, and she tweeted, "I absolutely LOVE it & have never felt better! I recommend it to so many people."

Mischa Barton is raving about her vegan diet, too, noting that healthy food and regular exercise have given her the body she wants without having to count calories.

Another great way to get in shape while helping animals? Running with the PETA Pack. Jillian Michaels and Renee Olstead were among the animal-friendly celebs running to Twitter this week, with both gals encouraging everyone to start "packing":

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

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.

You won't catch Abbie Cornish in fur—or any other animal skins. When asked about her style on Twitter, Abbie responded, "I LOVE clothes … So I love so many different things. Not enough room to tweet! I dress vegan … no leather, suede or fur."

Elsewhere in the Twitterverse, we had animal adoption, a heroic rescue, and vegan chocolates.

Animal-friendly celebrities had a blast showing off their big hearts (and vegan stomachs) this week: Courtney Stodden at the beach with PETA's Vegan College Cookbook, Anne Hathaway at another fun vegan engagement party, and vegan Venus Williams chatting with CNN about the London 2012 Olympic Games.

?uestlove is on a quest to live longer. The Roots star said he is going vegan so that he can be "the first member of the hip-hop generation to live past 60."

Congrats to the animal-friendly cast of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Season five—starring our buddies Megan Park, Renee Olstead, and, new this season, Twilight's Christian Serratos—premiered to rave reviews.

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

Last night in Tinseltown, celebrities crowded onto the red carpet while photographers' flashbulbs went off like fireworks. But it wasn't the premiere of a new movie. It was the grand opening of the Bob Barker Building, PETA's new West Coast headquarters, located in L.A.'s Echo Park.

The famed game show host and animal defender extraordinaire was on hand to toast his namesake building, an expansion that will allow PETA's Communications Department to be in the midst of the many celebrities who help promote our work. peta2 is also setting up shop in the all-vegan, dog-friendly space to carry out its teen and college outreach from the entertainment and culture capital of the world. And the Marketing and International Grassroots Campaigns departments will organize PETA's international actions for animal protection from within the 82-year-old structure, now freshly renovated to be eco-friendly.

At the star-studded grand opening were Christian Serratos, Stephanie Pratt, Moby, Kate del Castillo, Sasha Grey, Renee Olstead, Fivel Stewart, Diane Warren, and the stars of Doin' It for Love. Guests enjoyed vegan food from Echo Park's own Mohawk Bend, Elf Café, and Sage Organic Vegan Bistro on the rooftop of the Bob Barker Building, which offers a picturesque view of the Hollywood sign from one side and the twinkling lights of downtown L.A. from the other.

The man of the hour, Bob Barker, told reporters, "I support a long list of organizations, but I support PETA because I think that internationally it is probably the most productive of all animal-oriented organizations. And it doesn't just try to help animals—it really produces. I think you get more for your dollar invested in PETA than you do [with] most any other organization."

Marco Antonio Regil, who hosted The Price Is Right in Mexico for many years, followed in Bob Barker's animal-friendly footsteps. Regil is vegan and, like Barker, closed his show with an animal rights message.

When they aren't starring on screen or on stage, many of the nominees in this year's Teen Choice Awards are starring in ads for PETA! There are heaps of hotties with hearts of gold and vegetarians vying for votes this year, so we hope that you'll encourage the animal-friendly teens in your life to cast their vote for compassion in every category. Here are our picks:

Adele
Choice Music: Female Artist

Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan, Director
Choice Movie: Drama

Justin Bieber
Choice Music: Male Artist
Choice TV: Villain, CSI
Choice Male Hottie
Choice Twit (for Twitter presence)
Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon: Male

Russell Brand, Arthur
Choice Movie Actor: Comedy

Ellen DeGeneres
Choice Twit (for Twitter presence)
Choice Comedian

Emily Deschanel, Bones
Choice TV Actress: Drama

Lady Gaga
Choice Music: Female Artist

Anne Hathaway, Rio
Choice Animated Movie: Voice

Eva Mendes, The Other Guys
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy

Mila Kunis
Choice Female Hottie

Jane Lynch, Glee
Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star

Renee Olstead, The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Choice TV Show: Drama

Jared Padalecki, Supernatural
Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Grace Park, Hawaii Five-O
Choice TV Show: Action
Choice TV Actress: Action

Audrina Patridge, Audrina
Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star

Katy Perry
Choice Music: Female Artist

Kellie Pickler
Choice Music: Female Country Artist

Maggie Q, Nikita
Choice TV Show: Action
Choice TV Actress: Action

Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck
Choice TV Actress: Action

Carrie Underwood
Choice Music: Female Country Artist

Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids  
Choice Movie: Comedy
Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Choice Movie: Hissy Fit

Glee Cast
Choice Music: Group
Choice TV Show: Comedy

Khloe & Lamar
Choice TV: Reality Show  

Linkin Park
Choice Music: Rock Group

Modern Family
Choice TV Show: Comedy

OneRepublic
Choice Music: Rock Group

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