Written by Jeff Mackey
How delighted was PETA when musical sensation Ricky Martin announced that he's been enjoying vegetarian meals? So much so that we've sponsored a rescued chicken in his honor at Kindred Spirits Sanctuary—just in time for The Great American Meatout today, a day when everyone is encouraged to enjoy healthful and humane vegan foods.
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Of course, we encourage folks to do that year-round, and we're jubilant when people decide to make plant-based foods a regular part of their lives—even if they haven't recently been voted Broadway's Sexiest Man Alive or sold 60 million albums worldwide.
You, too, can pay tribute to animals and help alleviate their suffering by choosing healthful, humane vegan foods. Make every day a "meatout" and order a free vegan starter kit today!
Written by Michelle Kretzer
You've watched the video of Justin Timberlake's "Veganville" skit on Saturday Night Live 20 times, posted it on Facebook, and tweeted the link. But do you have the shirt? The Passionate Vegan Personal Chef Service is offering "Bring It on Down to Veganville" shirts for everyone who can't get enough of the dancing tofu (which is pretty much everyone).
And if you're looking for some more animal-friendly awesomeness to retweet this week, might we offer a few suggestions?
Twitter founders Evan Williams and Biz Stone are getting in on the vegan action, too. The duo, along with Bill Gates, is offering financial backing to companies that are creating innovative new faux meats and nondairy products.
Will The Bachelor's Sean Lowe's bride-to-be, Catherine Giudici, be having her wedding in Veganville? We're hoping to see the vegan blogger and her beau throw a cruelty-free celebration for their televised nuptials.
And Glen Davis is making vegan magic. Well, more accurately, he's making the Magic vegan. The Orlando Magic forward made the switch for his health, and PETA sent him a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, a "Glass Walls" DVD, and some cookbooks to get him well on his way to making up his own dance ode to one of his new favorite foods: tofu.
Chef Tal Ronnen may have us all dancing in the grocery store aisles soon. Not content to rest on his laurels after opening one of L.A.'s hottest new eateries, the all-vegan restaurant Crossroads this weekend, he is now crafting his own line of vegan artisanal cheeses, Kite Hill Cheese.
Soon, we can snack on Kite Hill Cheese and crackers while we watch one of our other best buds, Tim Gunn, help the Project Runway designers "make it work." When Us Weekly interviewed him for its "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" column, of course Tim worked in a plug for animals: "I love dogs, especially mutts."
Tom Hardy loves dogs, too, as evidenced by how he's bonding with his canine costar on the set of Animal Rescue. Ecorazzi reports that "the film will not only bring up animal abuse issues, but problems surrounding pit bulls in animal shelters."
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
When rumors began swirling that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt intended to have live elephants as part of their wedding celebration, PETA wasn't buying it—after all, the couple had donated $2 million to an African wildlife sanctuary. A rep confirmed to us that Angelina and Brad have no intention of showcasing captive wild animals at their celebration and encouraged PETA to dispel the nasty rumor.
The wildlife advocates at The Body Shop have a lovely new lady on their side. Leona Lewis is bringing her spirit to the company as its new brand activist. The cruelty-free company and the cruelty-free beauty will make one harmonious pair.
Looking at blue-eyed babe Jared Leto as he rocks the stage with 30 Seconds to Mars, it’s hard to believe that he’s 41! He credits his vegan diet and plenty of sleep for still looking like he did in his Urban Legend days.
It doesn't seem like 19 years since Tia Mowry burst onto the scene in Sister, Sister, either. Now that she's vegan, maybe she'll pull another sister act and get her twin, Tamera, on the bandwagon, too.
That wagon might fill up quickly, especially following the debut of Bill Maher's riotous take on the horse-meat scandal. The comedian threw in a scathing review of the meat industry for good measure.
Woody Harrelson got nothing but great reviews for his role in The Hunger Games, and while Catching Fire won't be out until the fall, Woody's already getting two thumbs up from animal advocates for requesting all-vegan clothes and accessories for the film.
And loads more PETA-loving peeps were on fire for animals this week, too:
How tweet it is: Ricky Martin announced to fans over Twitter that he's gone vegetarian! To help the singer get his bon-bon in top form, PETA sent him a vegetarian/vegan starter kit, copies of "Glass Walls" in both English and Spanish, and a cookbook of vegan recipes for Latin food lovers, Viva Vegan.
A little birdie also told us that many other celebrities were tweeting for animals this week as well:
Maybe Ricky will start his twin sons out on the healthy veggie path, too? Emily Deschanel is doing just that with her little one, Henry: She told Mother Nature Network, "We are raising Henry vegetarian; he will be mostly vegan and always have a choice in the matter, but we will educate him about why we make the choices we do with our food."
And vegan racecar driver Leilani Münter is putting her cause célèbre on the fast track. After the success of her Cove–themed racecar last season, this year Leilani is aiming to burn rubber in a vegan-themed car that will expose 80 million NASCAR fans to the benefits of plant-based foods.
After we're done cheering for Leilani, we'll be switching the channel over to this season of Dancing With the Stars to root for our buds Andy Dick and Kellie Pickler.
And when the cameras were pointed at Russell Simmons during New York Fashion Week, they may have gotten more than they bargained for. One of animals' greatest defenders, Simmons took the opportunity to express his feelings about fur:
I did see something that hurt my heart and it has nothing to do with Max [Azria] only, it has to do with the whole industry: the use of so much fur. And my first instinct was it must be fake—because it hurt my heart. … I just wish that all the designers would reconsider because there's such great Italian fake fur, there's such great Japanese fake fur, so much beautiful fake fur.
To keep up with what Russell and all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Los Angeles' STAPLES Center will become the city's vegetarian center when Morrissey plays there March 1. The music legend has asked that no "flesh as food" be served at his shows, but fans will have plenty of festive fare, including vegan sloppy Joes, vegan sushi, and grilled veggie sandwiches, to munch on while they rock out to "Meat Is Murder." And as an extra nod to animals, Moz also required that McCruelty shutter its doors for the day.
Beyoncé took a page out of Morrissey's songbook when she wanted to drop her baby weight. Bey started eating one vegan meal a day, and she's kept it up. Maybe since she's eating fewer animals, she'll consider wearing fewer animals, too?
That's what PETA is asking the Buffalo Sabres to do. When the hockey team started awarding the "player of the game" with a fur coat, we wrote to the Sabres' owner, Terry Pegula, urging him to do away with these vile gifts as the team scrambles to reinvent itself as winners after the highly publicized firing of head coach Lindy Ruff.
Usually it's Canadian sealers that seals have to worry about, but recently two young women were caught on camera hitting and kicking seals who were resting on a California beach. People were outraged, and Ian Somerhalder, along with many others, took to Twitter to defend the seals as well as other animals:
Miley Cyrus is always full of sweet tweets, so of course, she and dad Billy Ray Cyrus were on board to compete in the Twitter for the Critters Celebrity Challenge, a Twitter competition that is raising money for several animal shelters and sanctuaries.
Soon Antonio Banderas and Melanie Griffith's household may rival Miley's in number of rescued dogs. The couple adopted two Labrador-shepherd mixes, a brother and sister. PETA helped welcome the pups to their new home with toys, treats, and a copy of Let's Have a Dog Party!
Fellow screen legend James Cromwell has also had an exciting month. He was arrested while helping PETA disrupt a meeting at the University of Wisconsin–Madison to protest the school's painful and deadly experiments on cats. Then he joined awesome animal advocate Jane Velez-Mitchell on her show to publicize the school's crimes against cats even more.
Pretty, pleasant Pia Toscano bears a striking resemblance to another PETA pal—Lea Michele—and the similarities don't stop at their lovely faces, with voices to match and rhyming monikers. Like Lea, Pia jumped at the chance to use her platform to help stop cruelty to animals.
In her debut single, "This Time," Pia bids a powerful adieu to a bad boyfriend. And she thinks it's time that everyone broke up with two businesses that are bad for animals: the fur industry and circuses.
In an exclusive interview with PETA, Pia expounded, "It was very difficult for me to watch the videos on how fur coats are made and how these animals are brutally beaten and skinned alive. There's no excuse for that." And when talk turned to the circus, she was quick to express her disgust. "I'm a performer, and I make a conscious decision every time I get up on that stage to do what I love, but these animals, they don't have a choice, they don't have a voice, and they are not choosing this lifestyle."
Since animals don't get to choose not to be forced to perform or killed for their fur, as Pia notes, it's up to us to add our voices to the ever-growing chorus of people speaking up for them.
One celeb who won't mind too much when awards season winds down? Octavia Spencer. She loves cheering for her friend Jessica Chastain, but she's getting antsy for her The Help costar to cook her some more vegan soul food like the vegan fried chicken they made on set. Jessica, one of PETA's reigning Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities, has been scooping up the nominations, so to tide Octavia over, we've sent her her own vegan soul-food cookbook. Maybe soon the friends will be comparing vegan recipes and Oscars?
They can scoop up Robin Quivers' new vegan cookbook, The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life. Or perhaps they'll take their happy reunion to Chef Tal Ronnen's new vegan restaurant and bar, Crossroads, opening in L.A.
Hilaria and Alec Baldwin are also celebrating an exciting new venture. The couple is expecting their first child in late summer. PETA is sending the vegan mom an early shower gift: a copy of Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven.
And at just 15 years old, pop prince Greyson Chance thinks it's time he gave meat-free eating a chance. When he posted to Twitter, "first day of being a vegetarian. can I do this?" his fans responded in droves with words of encouragement. We think that we know a few more folks who might be cheering Greyson on:
When animals weren't getting "tweet outs" on Twitter, they were getting major ups from Maggie Q in The Huffington Post. The Nikita star spent the majority of her interview talking about her new PETA campaign titled, "Fight Climate Change With Diet Change—Go Veg," and detailing the environmental destruction and cruelty of the meat industry. If Maggie ever decides to get out of acting, we think she's got a future in animal rights.
When one of Ricky Gervais' young fans tweeted the star with the message "my parents agreed if you retweet this they will buy my sister a dog & let you name it," Ricky agreed but with one important stipulation. "A rescue dog tho," he mandated. We would expect nothing less from the man who is a constant voice for homeless animals, urging people to adopt, never buy, and bashing greedy breeders and puppy mills. And like many compassionate celebrities, Ricky consistently uses his Twitter account to reach millions of people with animal-friendly messages.
We can always count on Ricky to get an animal rights point across while he's making people laugh. And Jon Stewart did, too, with The Daily Show's humorous coverage of Iran's launching a monkey into space: "Iran, you think the CIA is tough? You just got PETA on your ass, and those guys don't f**k around." We'd love to hear Jon's take on Funny or Die's spot-on spoof of Dodge Ram's pandering "God Made a Farmer" Super Bowl ad, "God Made a Factory Farmer."
And Waka Flocka Flame's hilarious Instagram photo had us laughing at how ridiculous people look in fur:
Happily, Beyoncé went fur-free at the Super Bowl, but she draped herself in python skin, iguana skin, and leather instead. PETA is urging the singer to take a cue from other beautiful, talented performers such as Carrie Underwood, who puts on a dynamic show in cruelty-free fashions.
And it was the epitome of a dynamic cruelty-free show when Vaute Couture designer Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart presented the first completely vegan runway show at New York Fashion Week. Celebrities are flocking to the line, which is named after "haute couture" but spelled with a "v" for vegan.
New York isn't the only city celebrating cruelty-free fashion. Across the pond, our affiliate PETA U.K. presented the first-ever Vegan Fashion Awards, with celeb judges Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews honoring animal-friendly fashion from top designers and retailers such as Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, and Topshop.
Screen legend Anjelica Huston knows what makes good TV and what doesn't. And there's no question which side of the line ads that use great apes fall on. She is urging Steak 'n Shake to pull its current TV spot that includes a forced performance by a chimpanzee. Along with a copy of her video exposé about great-ape "actors," Anjelica sent the company a long letter, saying, in part, "These chimpanzees are destined to endure a lifetime of abuse for your 30-second spot—a point that no compassionate person would find funny in the least."
The stars of Enlightened are enlightened enough to know that you don't force animals to perform—but you can ask a PETA staffer to! Star Mike White is such a big fan of PETA that he invited PETA Vice President Lisa Lange to make a guest appearance on this Sunday's episode and plug the organization. And during filming, Laura Dern thanked Lisa for what PETA is doing for animals.
Zachary Quinto knows the right way to put animals on camera: making a film starring homeless dogs that's about adopting from animal shelters instead of buying from pet stores and breeders. And Zachary's tweet about his film Dog Eat Dog was one of our paws-down favorites this week:
Anne Hathaway was a paws-down favorite at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, accepting her award in custom-made vegan Jimmy Choos.
Actor Aisha Tyler took to Twitter to talk about some vegan meals she has been enjoying, and PETA has been helping by tweeting Aisha links to tasty recipes.
And Paul McCartney gave us plenty of them to choose from with his Meat Free Monday Cookbook. He reflected on decades of meat-free eating and animal advocacy as well as how he is honoring Linda McCartney's life in a poignant piece titled, "My Life as a Vegetarian – Supporting Linda's Legacy."
Fauja Singh will be leaving quite the legacy as well. The world's oldest marathon runner has announced that he will retire this year at the ripe old age of 101. What does he say gave him his longevity and fitness? Exercise and a vegetarian diet, of course.
To keep up with what all the stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
We knew our Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity nominee Rooney Mara was meat-free, but it seems that the girl with the dragon tattoo is also the girl who bid dairy adieu. The buzz from the Sundance Film Festival is that Rooney has been noshing on vegan eats. Perhaps Casey Affleck rubbed off on her while they were filming Ain't Them Bodies Saints.
They'll both have plenty to munch on at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and the Oscars. To satisfy vegan nominees, such as Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Joaquin Phoenix, the SAG awards will offer roasted beets with blood oranges, mint, and black olives; cauliflower couscous with pomegranate salsa; and farro with kale, young broccoli, currants, and pine nuts and the Oscars menu will include vegan pizza.
Original fun girl Cyndi Lauper is also working on being a vegan fun girl and is tweeting about her progress. "I got to admit," she wrote, "my voice sounds grt frm this diet." PETA has been tweeting Cyndi some yummy recipes to try, suggesting good restaurants to stop at while she's on the road, and, of course, keeping up with all the buzz that Cyndi and other celebs are stirring up for animals on Twitter:
With the big game fast approaching, we're betting that Rooney Mara's family full of football fanatics—as well as scores of other folks—will be taking PETA's advice and serving up vegan wings on Super Bowl Sunday. What else would be appropriate while cheering on animal defender Terrell Suggs and the Ravens?
But it will be a bittersweet end to the season for us if our buddy Tony Gonzalez really is hanging up his cleats for good. Tony is reportedly considering retirement, and while we hope we get to cheer for our favorite Falcons player again, we're proud that he will go down in history as the greatest tight end in the NFL.
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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