Written by Michelle Kretzer
It looks like DJ Pauly D is DTF—Down to Feast (on vegan food). After he watched the game-changing documentary Forks Over Knives, Pauly tweeted, "Just Watched A Movie Called 'Forks Over Knives' Basically Changed My Life!" It isn't surprising, since we know that he likes staying in great shape and looking "fresh to death." PETA sent Pauly some swag to help him get started, including Vegan Cooking for Carnivores and a vegetarian/vegan starter kit.
And model Ireland Baldwin is making her fridge as green as her namesake. After PETA tweeted that some Easter candy is made from "excretions of a beaver butthole," Ireland responded, "Well, @peta gives me another reason to commit to becoming vegan." Animal-friendly genes must run in the family: Her dad, Alec Baldwin, is a top-notch PETA supporter, and mom Kim Basinger is vegetarian.
Pauly and Ireland weren't the only ones posting sweet tweets for animals this week:
HLN's Morning Express host Robin Meade has also ditched meat. Maybe Jane Velez-Mitchell is helping her find her way to Veganville.
Vegan funny lady Ellen DeGeneres will help audiences everywhere remember that fish are friends, not food, in her upcoming Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory.
And we'll leave you this week with an "Awww": a video of Pauly D's pal—and ours—Jay Sean hanging with his dog, Tyler. Yeah, buddy!
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
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.
As ever-more people join PETA and New Yorkers for Clean, Livable & Safe Streets (NYCLASS) in calling for a ban on New York's horse-drawn carriages, Alec Baldwin is taking advocacy for horses to primetime.
© StarMaxInc.com
In an upcoming episode of 30 Rock, people across the country will hear Alec's character, Jack Donaghy, call horse-drawn carriages "rolling torture wagons for nature's most dignified creature." That's the perfect way to describe the disgusting little business that forces horses to trudge along in all weather extremes, inhaling exhaust fumes and risking becoming one of the horses who are killed or injured by cars.
Here's what Alec had to say about the upcoming episode:
"Rolling torture wagons for nature's most dignified creature." That's how my 30 Rock character Jack Donaghy describes horse-drawn carriages, and it's why I agreed to appear in a scene featuring a carriage. It reflects my personal belief that New York should join Toronto, London, and Paris in outlawing hansom cabs from city centers. I've been speaking out with PETA against the cruelty of horse-drawn carriages for decades, and I'm thrilled that Intro. 86A, the bill to replace the carriages with eco-friendly classic replica cars, has garnered so much support in the City Council. I urge New Yorkers to contact their City Council members in support of the ban and people around the country to sign NYCLASS' petition.
So make like Kenneth the page and do as Mr. Donaghy says. If you live in New York, please contact your City Council representatives and urge them to pass Intro. 86A. If you are outside New York, please sign NYCLASS' petition to ban horse-drawn carriages.
What can you buy the bride and groom who have everything? PETA found the perfect wedding present for PETA supporter Alec Baldwin and his bride, Hilaria Thomas, halfway around the world: an Indian bullock named Raja who had carried a heavy weight on his shoulders for years, pulling a cart overloaded with tons of sugarcane. Raja has now been renamed Baldwin Thomas in honor of the newlyweds, and he will spend the rest of his days relaxing at the PETA-funded Animal Rahat sanctuary in India.
When Animal Rahat veterinarians first met Baldwin Thomas, his owner had brought the aging bullock to them for medical care. But when the vets saw that the 22-year-old animal was suffering from arthritis and squamous cell carcinoma in his left eye, they convinced his owner to let him retire.
After a successful operation to remove the cancerous growth, treatment for his arthritis, and lots of TLC, Baldwin Thomas is now much healthier and much happier. And after a life spent toiling under the hot Indian sun, the bullock with the famous name is content to spend his "moment in the sun" resting in the shade.
Update: Rather than follow in Rio Rancho's compassionate footsteps, the New Mexico State Fair has decided to allow Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to perform on the state fairgrounds from June 1 to 3 despite Ringling's long history of animal abuse and the vocal opposition of many citizens. You can express your disagreement with the state fair's decision by calling the general manager of the state fair, Dan Mourning, at 505-222-9739 and politely telling him that Ringling should not be allowed to perform on the state fairgrounds. You can also follow up your call with an e-mail to Mourning.
Ringling just got its bell rung, courtesy of Rio Rancho, New Mexico. The circus was scheduled to perform in the city in June, but because of Ringling's sordid history of violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and its recent $270,000 fine from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the city refused to issue Ringling a permit to perform.
James Preston|cc by 2.0
Just last year, Rio Rancho added a provision to its animal ordinance barring any animal shows that had been fined by the USDA in the past five years or cited for violating the AWA in the last three years. Since Ringling just paid the largest fine in circus history last year and racked up 10 violations of the AWA in the past three years, it certainly didn't pass muster. PETA has sent a thank-you letter to the city.
Now Ringling is trying to haul "The Cruelest Show on Earth" to the state fairgrounds in Albuquerque. PETA is appealing to the Tingley Coliseum at the fairgrounds, detailing Ringling's long history of animal abuse and urging the venue to block the circus just as Rio Rancho has.
Call state fair officials at 505-222-9700 and politely urge them not to allow Ringling to perform. You can follow up your call with an e-mail to the general manager of the state fair, Dan Mourning.
Written by Jeff Mackey
PETA has joined Animal Defenders International in filing a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) for illegally issuing permits allowing the Ringling Bros. circus to export endangered tigers and elephants for use in its shows anywhere at any time for the next three years!
FWS has allowed incomplete permit applications from Ringling for far too long. It is illegal to export endangered animals, and the Endangered Species Act includes exceptions to this prohibition only in the most limited of circumstances. To get a permit, an application containing very specific information needs to be submitted to FWS—and as a matter of law, all this information must be made available to the public.
FWS violated this requirement in numerous ways by issuing these latest permits. First, it didn't tell the public about four of the elephants Ringling sought to export, so PETA and the public were illegally deprived of some of the information related to the applications. In addition, the permit applications to which the public was given access lacked extensive information required by law, including details about when, to where, and for how long Ringling intends to export the animals as well as specific data about Ringling's supposed conservation education activities, which it used as justification for the permit.
Because concerned citizens were denied this information—and because FWS must stop illegally rubber-stamping incomplete permit applications—PETA has filed suit.
There's no telling how much these animals will be forced to endure abroad, where, in many countries, animal protection laws are scarce and enforcement is even less common. One of the elephants FWS is allowing Ringling to export is Sarah, who tested positive for tuberculosis and was taken off the road after collapsing last year in Anaheim, California—and after the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Ringling for failing to treat her adequately for a chronic infection.
At home or abroad, Ringling is bad news for animals, which is why more and more people are speaking out against the circus's inexcusable cruelty. Help the animals abused by Ringling by adding your voice at RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.
"As a lifelong Democrat, I never thought I'd lead an effort to defend the symbol of the Republican Party," writes Alec Baldwin in a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. Baldwin is sending Vilsack the video he hosted for PETA exposing Ringling Bros.' abuse of animals and asking the USDA to take action.
Despite the fact that many states and cities have animal protection laws in place that prohibit abuse such as beating animals with steel-tipped bullhooks, forcing crippled animals to work, or keeping animals in chains, state and local laws often go unenforced, and circuses like Ringling continue their cruel business as usual. But the USDA has the power to change that.
Local laws designed to protect these animals are not being enforced because the circus skirts authorities or uses its financial clout to get them to look the other way," wrote Alec. "That's why I am writing to you and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to step up and enforce the Animal Welfare Act.
Under the Animal Welfare Act, the USDA has the power to seize all of Ringling's arthritic elephants who are forced to perform, meaning that these animals, who are beaten day after day to make them to perform painful stunts, could then be retired to sanctuaries. It would be another positive step for the USDA to take toward protecting animals from cruelty, after last year's landmark $270,000 fine levied against Ringling for animal welfare violations.
Join Alec in asking the USDA to step up in behalf of elephants once again.
Yep, you read that right.
We want to thank Kanye West for the shout-out to PETA in his new song, "Theraflu." While the aptly named tune does make us want to reach for an over-the-counter remedy as Kanye opines about his inexplicable penchant for slinging tortured dead animals across his back, the song did make #tellPETA trend on Twitter worldwide, giving us a great opportunity to educate people about the revolting cruelty of the fur industry. #TellKanye that 60 beautiful minks have to die to make one ugly coat.
Compassionate rapper Waka Flocka Flame could give Ye some pointers—his "Only Cowards Abuse Animals" PETA ad appears in this month's YRB magazine. (Last month, the mag featured Chris "The Birdman" Andersen's colorful anti-fur ad.)
The cover of the May issue of Vanity Fair features the fair face of fur foe Grace Park, looking as stunning in white as she did in her PETA "Save the Seals" ad.
Fellow seal savior Christian Serratos tweeted her support for PETA's campaign this week: "The Canadian seal slaughter has begun. Pls help @PETA stop the bloody massacre NOW!"
Mickey Rourke saved a stray dog he found on a movie set in Romania. Now Foxy has a great new home with Rourke and his other beloved pups, including Jaws, who stars with Rourke in his animal birth control ad:
Photo: Faubel Christensen
When Pamela Anderson visited Turkey and noticed that the country's streets were also teeming with strays, she went on a mission to persuade officials there to adopt an aggressive spay-and-neuter campaign.
Ryan Gosling was a savior for a woman who was almost hit by a taxi in New York City. His lifesaving heroics for people and advocacy for chickens make Ryan a heartthrob with a heart of gold.
Lance Armstrong seems to be made of steel, and now he's living strong thanks to eating mostly vegan foods.
Maybe he'll start whipping up homemade meals from the Candle Café like Christina Applegate.
A vegan eatery led to love for Alec Baldwin, who got engaged this week to Hilaria Thomas, whom he met at Pure Food and Wine.
Christina Aguilera took both her loves—her boyfriend and her son—to Cirque du Soleil, scoring herself a thank-you card from PETA for supporting a circus with only human performers.
To keep up with what your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Dancing goats, Alec Baldwin, and Etch-A-Sketch—you never know what delights you'll find on PETA's Tumblr page.
After hearing that Noel Gallagher expressed excitement about teaching his sons to "throw stuff at cows," Joan Jett called out the former Oasis frontman, stating:
"This guy is a putz! I am embarrassed he is Irish and from [the] same county as my grandparents on my father's side. Maybe if this bully wants to throw things, he should try throwing something at somebody who can fight back, like me."
We'll keep you updated on whether Gallagher decides to pick on somebody from his own species. Meanwhile, elsewhere in celebrityland, plenty of other stars are throwing their support at animals, including Alec Baldwin, who unveiled his new circus exposé for PETA at a news conference in New York City.
And Kellan Lutz revealed his PETA billboard in Los Angeles to his Twitter followers in a picture that's worthy of its own bedroom wall space.
In other vampire/werewolf news, PETA buddies Famke Janssen and Eli Roth are working together on Netflix's adaptation of the otherworldly novel Hemlock Grove. You can bet that this will be an animal-friendly set.
Photo by Andrew Southam/Weiss Artists Inc. For The Cloutier Agency: Hair by Charles Dujic Makeup by Tracy Sondern Styling by Heidi Meek Props by Darren Ransdell
And "animal-friendly" also describes the set that Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt shared while making Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Ewan told Conan O'Brien that his rescued dog Sid loved going to work with him, and he even attached a sidecar to his motorcycle for toting Sid along.
First dog Bo Obama is always right in the middle of his family's adventures. Michelle Obama told David Letterman, "He is my son. I have two girls and a boy."
Sophia Bush's US Weekly magazine list of "25 Things You Don't Know About Me" includes her rescued pit bulls Patch and Penny. Sophia has a huge heart for animals, and we hope all of her #LittleVoices join her in supporting animal adoption!
Here's something that you may not have known about Diane Keaton: In her new memoir, Then Again, she talks about being a vegetarian for the past 25 years. Join Diane in going vegetarian—order a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit here, and help save animals, protect the environment, and preserve your health.
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Geoff Blum announced that he did a vegan cleanse that helped him drop 10 pounds and recover from knee surgery. We hope his vegan adventure continues, so we're sending him a copy of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness by Robert Cheeke for tips on how to stay fit for the field on a plant-based diet.
Keep up with the latest celebrity animal news by following @PETA on Twitter.
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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