Aretha Franklin sang at the annual Rockefeller Center tree-lighting ceremony last night. I'm sure I wasn't the only one who got chills from her appearance—but not because of her singing … oh, no. My skin crawled because the Queen of Soul Cold wore this:

You may recall that Franklin was voted PETA's Fugliest Fur Hag in 2008. The hideousness she wore last night suggests that the face of fur wants to lock in first place for the upcoming 2009 vote. Can one of her "people" please explain to her—very slowly so she's sure to comprehend—that she does not want to be voted the world's most heinous person again? Pretty please?

Written by Karin Bennett

The naked gold guy who reigns over Rockefeller Center's skating rink made way today for a naked gold medal champ, Tai Babilonia, who bared all this afternoon for PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.

Click here to see images of the event.

Tai is urging shoppers to cross fur off their wish lists. "Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean we should be cold inside," she says. "There are many more warm things to wear nowadays than fur." Indeed, whether your style is sporty or super-glam, you can find fauxfillment here.

She joins a long list of huge-hearted big names—including actor Eva Mendes, Dancing With the Stars' Karina Smirnoff, and Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October—who have taken off all their clothes for PETA campaigns and drawn attention to the cruel killing of millions of animals for their fur.

Tai's action will surely motivate many people, including cold medalist Oksana Baiul, to forgo fur forever.

Written by Karin Bennett