Written by Michelle Kretzer
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.
Written by PETA
Harry Morton, owner of popular Mexican eatery Pink Taco, had reason to be pink in the face following the public outrage generated over the restaurant's decision to paint a donkey pink and tie her to the sign of his establishment at a busy shopping mall for hours in the blazing Los Angeles heat as part of a Cinco de Mayo marketing promo. PETA compadres including Pink, Stephanie Pratt, Lo Bosworth, and Lea Michele tweeted their disgust at the restaurant’s promotion. PETA immediately wrote to Morton, reminding him of a pledge that he made to PETA back in 2008, when he used the same stunt at the restaurant’s opening.
PETA has received the following statement from Morton, reaffirming his pledge never to use animals in promotions again: “…Pink Taco has agreed not to use animals at our events and promotions and we are looking forward to…discussing how we can work together in the future.”
We hope that this time his pledge is sincere. The message that nobody accepts animal exploitation has been made loud and clear thanks to PETA’s awesome supporters who acted quickly and gave a voice to Pinky the donkey. Together, we make a difference!
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Celebrities took to Twitter yesterday to make a huge splash for seals. We asked compassionate celebrity supporters to tweet a message to their fans telling them that the Canadian commercial seal slaughter had begun and including a link to our "It's Time to End the Seal Slaughter" donation page. So many of them responded that our Twitter page looked like an A-list party.
Supporters who spoke up for seals who are bludgeoned and sometimes skinned alive for their fur include Ellen Degeneres, who also posted it on her blog, Pink, Sophia Bush, Daniella Monet, Jayde Nicole, Lea Michele, Vida Guerra, Alicia Silverstone, Dave Navarro, Stephanie Pratt, The Veronicas, Bill Maher, Ian Somerhalder, Diablo Cody, Sasha Grey, and, of course, Honorary PETA Director Pamela Anderson.
Get in on the action! Tweet this link to your Twitter followers: http://bit.ly/gNMLOJ. Or go to our donation page to help stop Canada's barbaric seal slaughter.
PETA's party for New York Fashion Week was a smashing success, even by Fashion Week standards. Hosted by Project Runway's Tim Gunn and Olivia Munn, the celebrity guests included Taraji P. Henson, Joan Jett, reality stars Lo Bosworth and Stephanie Pratt, and fashion designers Todd Oldham, John Bartlett, and Marc Bouwer, plus many others. They all partied at Stella McCartney's chic New York City boutique while listening to tunes spun by DJ Lady Bunny and munching on delicious vegan hors d'oeuvres.
Tim, looking dashing as always, screened the riveting anti-fur video that he narrated for PETA and spoke about how killing animals for their fur is never in fashion. "I'm on a campaign to get as many fashion designers as possible to stop using it," said Gunn. "I'd just like to sit with them and have a talk and ask, 'Is it really necessary?'" And when Tim Gunn talks about fashion, people listen.
Henson, the latest beauty to bare it all for animals, unveiled her sexy new ad and told the party attendees that she stopped wearing fur after channel-surfing and coming across the "I Am an Animal" documentary about PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. What she saw changed her entire perspective on fur, and she resolved to help others see the light."You don't have to kill an animal because you want to be hot and fly," she said. And she promised the crowd to keep on pushing to get fur off the streets.
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
When it comes to all things animal-friendly, as they say, "There's an app for that." PETA's new "Be Nice to Bunnies" iPhone app featuring sexy Stephanie Pratt is the essential guide for cruelty-free shoppers. And there are oodles of other apps out there to help us with everything from finding a tasty vegan meal on the road to picking the perfect dog park. So after downloading Pratt's buntastic app, check out PETA's favorite animal-friendly apps for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Happy apping!
Stephanie Pratt, star of MTV's The Hills, bared her own buns for the cover of PETA's new "Be Nice to Bunnies" iPhone app, a searchable database designed by Hot Frog Creative that makes it a snap for shoppers to find cruelty-free products while they're on the go. The racy cover was deemed too risqué by Apple, though (it's OK to shed a tear) so we had to replace it with a PG version. Now the only place to see the controversial ad is here.
Want to know why Stephanie only wears fake fur and products that weren't tested on animals? Watch our exclusive interview with the future (fur-free) designer:
You can also enter to win some of Stephanie's favorite cruelty-free products. We love her—and we'd love it if you'd take her advice and follow PETA on Twitter.
Written by Heather Moore
I have a Twitter account so that I can follow the wisdom of elders, see what the guru of good taste has to say, and, of course, try to keep up with PETA.
I'm just one of 52,710 (and counting) who rely on PETA's tweets for news, events, and updates. That's no small feat, considering that PETA has its paws in anything and everything that's related to animal protection. Now, PETA followers, including some well-known tweeters, are nominating PETA to receive the "Shorty Award" for best nonprofit organization. Some examples:
PamelaDAnderson: I nominate @peta 4 a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because PETA has inspired (more than any organization) so many people to help animals
stephaniepratt (from MTV's The Hills): I nominate @peta 4 a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because they save countless animals http://ow.ly/Ufwx -vote for them!!! Xo
Joel Bartlett: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because they will do whatever it takes.
Maria Burgos: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because I love all the animals in the world,specially my lil bunny :)
Web Hosting: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because...I am vegan and PETA is the best AR group in the world!
Sarah Wright: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because eating meat just for pure enjoyment is inhumane & ridiculous
Izzy Rios: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because....they show the world what they dont want to see.
Yasmina: I nominate @peta for a Shorty Award in #nonprofit because... they have to be #1. I love PETA
I'm going to nominate PETA for a Shorty Award as soon as I finish this post. If you don't already have a Twitter account, now might be the time to sign up. All it takes is 140 characters of your time.
Written by Karin Bennett
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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