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

Sasha Grey, who struck a pose in a PETA ad promoting spaying and neutering, is letting her artistic side show in her new photography collection, Neϋ Sex, which she calls a "visual mosaic" of thought-provoking artistic expression in self-portraits and photographs.  

Sasha's first photography show goes on display at a Los Angeles art gallery today, but two PETA Files readers will be able to peruse the whole collection at home anytime they want. Just tell us what you have done to promote spaying and neutering, and the two most inspiring answers will each win an autographed copy of Neü Sex.

The contest will end on May 18, 2011, with the winner chosen on May 20, 2011. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.  

Good luck!
 

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

Starting this Sunday night, HBO's Entourage gets a whole lot sexier: Adult film star and PETA supporter Sasha Grey starts her recurring role, playing herself and cozying up to Adrian Grenier's character, Vince.

With this ad, Sasha Grey has turned on countless audiences to the importance of spaying and neutering. Now's your chance to turn her on. Will you?

Written by Karin Bennett

Clubbing seals in Canada is cruel, senseless, and shameful. But clubbin' bunnies—specifically those celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Playboy Clubs all over the world—that's a reason to celebrate. After all, many Playboy Playmates have shed their bunny ears and tails for PETA's campaigns. Behold:

All right, mates: Play "Name Your Favorite Ad" in the comments section.

Written by Karin Bennett

It's a good thing that my hubby, Tim, has such a huge heart, or I would probably be in a pickle right now. You see, this year, he shares his birthday with Spay Day, which is this Tuesday, February 23. Lucky for you, that means a starry slideshow of PETA's brightest and boldest spay-and-neuter ads (versus mushy photos of Tim and me on vacation in Boulder).

Feeling inspired? Great! Tell us how you'll help animals on Spay Day.

Written by Karin Bennett

E-mail, text, and BBM all you want, but sometimes there's nothing quite as powerful as an old-school letter. Our proof: This 8-year-old's plea to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper to do something that makes a difference for animals (like ending the seal slaughter!) is enough to restore anyone's faith in snail mail. Click on the letter to read the whole thing:

Inspired to write your own missive to Harper? Do it write away!

Written by Logan Scherer

During the photo shoot for her "Save the Seals" ad, vegetarian U.S. Olympic snowboarder and charity superstar Hannah Teter said, "[W]hen I saw that PETA was involved in saving the seals, I just was like, 'YEAH!'"

Well, Hannah, you had us shouting, "YEAH!" yesterday when you took home the silver medal for women's half-pipe. With two Olympic medals under your belt, we can't think of a better person to represent our country, animals, and compassion!

Written by Logan Scherer

Adult film star Sasha Grey knows that when animals are involved, you should always say "No" to sex. That's why she's baring it all in PETA's newest ad, which the porn legend and star of Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed The Girlfriend Experience unveiled after delivering the keynote speech today at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas.

Grey is urging everyone to help curb the companion animal overpopulation crisis by spaying and neutering their dogs and cats in order to prevent pregnancies. Each year, up to 8 million dogs and cats wind up in U.S. animal shelters, and about half of them must be euthanized because of a lack of suitable homes. "I think spaying and neutering is incredibly important," said Grey. "[I]t keeps the animals out of the shelters and there's too many unwanted animals out there already." Um, I know it's only been a week, but can I make a nomination for PETA's Woman of the Year for 2010?

Written by Logan Scherer