Internationally renowned primatologist and animal rights activist Dr. Jane Goodall is being honored by the Tournament of Roses as the grand marshal of the 2013 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California. The timing of the honor couldn't be better, as Chimpanzee, a film she helped make, has been popular with moviegoers and Congress is currently considering the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, which would ban invasive experiments on chimpanzees.

Fellow great ape defender Anjelica Huston is working to end fur farming in Ireland, where she grew up. Writing to Ireland's minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Anjelica, who used to wear fur but ditched it after she learned about the cruelty inherent in the industry, urged him to "follow through on the commitment to add Ireland to the growing list of countries – including Northern Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, and Great Britain – that have banned the cruel practice of fur farming."

Taraji P. Henson and Elisabetta Canalis strutted their fur-free stuff this week. Taraji gave animal advocates a howling good time with her box-office–topping film Think Like a Man, and Elisabetta gave her advocacy some Italian flair, tweeting a lovely message in Italian encouraging fans to read the 20th anniversary edition of Free the Animals. 

Sophia Bush wants to free animals from military trauma training. She tweeted the link to PETA's video exposé showing goats who were mutilated, writing, "I support our troops. But I cannot in good conscience support 'training' exercises like these. This cruelty must stop."

Other celebs were all a-twitter for animals this week, too:

It looks like former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley took former President Bill Clinton's advice and went vegetarian, dropping some unwanted pounds in the process.

Another famous Chicagoan, Derrick Rose, introduced his new basketball shoe, the adiZero Rose 2, and the Chicago Bulls point guard is making bulls very happy—his shoes are completely leather-free.

A cobra—Cobra Starship frontman and vegetarian hottie Gabe Saporta—made the list of the 50 Most Beautiful Latinos in Hollywood, along with PETA buddies Penélope Cruz, Eva Mendes, Vida Guerra, Roselyn Sanchez, and Ana Ortiz.

© StarMaxinc

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?

We learned that Taraji P. Henson rocks when she proved that she'd rather go naked than wear fur by starring in a sultry PETA ad, and tonight the Oscar and Emmy-nominated actor and singer will be honored on BET's Black Girls Rock, in part for her work for animals.

Photo: Don Flood for ArtMix • Hair: Kim Kimble for Margaret Maldonado Agency • Makeup: Mylah Morales for Celestine Agency

Taraji used to wear fur, but one look at a video showing animals being skinned alive for a bit of fur trim was enough to make her clean the corpses out of her closet. In a behind-the-scenes video from the photo shoot for her PETA ad, Taraji said, "I don't think a living being should suffer for the sake of fashion, period. End of story." (I told you she rocks.)

If you're wondering what to watch tonight, why not settle in for an evening of inspiring TV and support the lovely, compassionate Ms. Henson (who can also be seen in the new hit CBS show Person of Interest). Black Girls Rock will air on BET at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (check local listings for other time zones).

Written by Heather Faraid Drennan

Ever wonder how the stars look so perfect on the red carpet? OK, good genes and personal trainers play a part, but so do the right foundation garments. One of the companies that stars' stylists love is Shibue Couture, which has donated its go-anywhere-and-stay-in-place miracle underwear for PETA to use in our nearly naked campaigns. (Taraji P. Henson wore them in her PETA anti-fur ad.)

Now, Shibue wants to give 10 PETA supporters their own stylist-in-a-box with the Shibue Stylist Kit. Whether you're prepping for the prom, a demonstration, or another day in a taffeta bridesmaid dress, Shibue will have you covered.
 

 
To enter, just tell us what animal-unfriendly activity you would rather go naked than do, and the 10 people with the most moving, animal-friendly answers will win a wardrobe-malfunction prevention kit.

The contest ends April 6, 2011, and the winner will be chosen on April 8, 2011. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.

Good luck!

Written by Michelle Sherrow