Written by Michelle Sherrow
Rihanna got busted by the fashion police for wearing a dress made of crocodile. Kelly Osbourne rocked for crocs by proclaiming that she's not down with people wearing crocodile skins.
Over on one of our other favorite shows, Ellen, Carrie Underwood dished about how her hubby, hockey player Mike Fisher, is getting cozy with vegan cuisine. And since Ellen DeGeneres gave Underwood Vegan Cooking for Carnivores by her chef, Roberto Martin, we're betting things will really be heating up in the couple's kitchen.
Ellen, Portia de Rossi, and Roberto also veganized the Rachael Ray Show. While Roberto and Portia cooked, Ellen quipped that cheese is so heavy that if you skip it, "there is more room for cocktails!"
In the Philippines for a performance, outspoken vegetarian Morrissey (a few chords from Meat Is Murder, anyone?), urged President Benigno Aquino III to send Manila Zoo's lone elephant, Mali, who has spent the last 35 years imprisoned, to a sanctuary that PETA has secured for her in the U.S.
Captivating actor Marion Cotillard is also against holding animals captive. On the orca training scenes that appear in her upcoming film, Rust and Bone, she said, "I've always had a repulsion going in a place where animals are in captivity."
Of course, celebrities were also tweeting for animals this week, including Jonah Hill and Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino:
To keep up with what the stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Beloved actor Michael Clarke Duncan from The Green Mile is keeping his mile-high frame in shape with a green vegetarian diet. The star of the new show The Finder is also a huge animal lover!
Our pal Russell Simmons tweeted about the letter that we sent to his pal Dr. Dre regarding his ear atrocities, while Ashley Judd was busy asking her Twitter followers not to patronize circuses:
The Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act has a new ally—Harry's Law. A recent episode tackled the issue of whether apes could be defined as persons under the law, with Kathy Bates' character arguing, "Apes are a lot less inhuman than we would like to think....There's a qualitative shift happening in the way we view the animal world, especially when it comes to apes."
Carrie Underwood always views the animal world as deserving protection. When she spotted an injured dog on the highway, she pulled over, bundled up the dog, and gently loaded her into the car. After the animal received emergency veterinary care, Underwood took the dog to her house to recover and cried when she had to say goodbye after finding the pup an adoptive home.
Underwood was PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian of 2005, and plenty of other sexy stars have turned heads to change hearts. Check out the Mirror's ranking of PETA and our affiliates' top naked celebrity ads.
Written by PETA
When they aren't starring on screen or on stage, many of the nominees in this year's Teen Choice Awards are starring in ads for PETA! There are heaps of hotties with hearts of gold and vegetarians vying for votes this year, so we hope that you'll encourage the animal-friendly teens in your life to cast their vote for compassion in every category. Here are our picks:
Adele Choice Music: Female Artist
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan, DirectorChoice Movie: Drama
Justin Bieber Choice Music: Male ArtistChoice TV: Villain, CSIChoice Male Hottie Choice Twit (for Twitter presence)Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon: Male
Russell Brand, Arthur Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Ellen DeGeneresChoice Twit (for Twitter presence)Choice Comedian
Emily Deschanel, BonesChoice TV Actress: Drama
Lady Gaga Choice Music: Female Artist
Anne Hathaway, RioChoice Animated Movie: Voice
Eva Mendes, The Other Guys Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Mila Kunis Choice Female Hottie
Jane Lynch, Glee Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star
Renee Olstead, The Secret Life of the American Teenager Choice TV Show: Drama
Jared Padalecki, Supernatural Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Grace Park, Hawaii Five-O Choice TV Show: ActionChoice TV Actress: Action
Audrina Patridge, Audrina Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star
Katy Perry Choice Music: Female Artist
Kellie Pickler Choice Music: Female Country Artist
Maggie Q, Nikita Choice TV Show: ActionChoice TV Actress: Action
Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck Choice TV Actress: Action
Carrie Underwood Choice Music: Female Country Artist
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids Choice Movie: ComedyChoice Movie Actress: ComedyChoice Movie: Hissy Fit
Glee Cast Choice Music: Group Choice TV Show: Comedy
Khloe & Lamar Choice TV: Reality Show
Linkin Park Choice Music: Rock Group
Modern Family Choice TV Show: Comedy
OneRepublic Choice Music: Rock Group
Country songbird Carrie Underwood told the Australian talk show The Circle that she's now vegan. While promoting her album Play On down under, the Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity alum told listeners that she is "kind of lactose-intolerant" and that she had cut all dairy products from her diet.
With Carrie and fellow Sexiest Vegetarian winners Kellie Pickler, and Shania Twain all singing the praises of vegging out, will other country artists soon follow suit? Perhaps we'll turn on the radio and hear a slow, twangy ballad about love lost and tofu found?
American Idol season seven runner-up Kristy Lee Cook is doing anything she can to get her "15 Minutes of Shame." In her new television show on Versus (formerly the Outdoor Life Network), Kristy is traveling around the country shooting animals. It sounds like she must have had those tired old defenses of hunting hammered into her as a kid, because she isn't embarrassed to float the incredibly old saw that hunters somehow help animals … by killing them while they're in the woods with their families minding their own business.
We hope Kristy will realize that her quest for fame would be better served by following in the footsteps of two of her fellow Idol alums-turned-country-stars. Vegetarian and Idol winner Carrie Underwood, for instance, has won five Grammy Awards and had 13 straight number one singles, while Kellie Pickler—our 2009 Sexiest Vegetarian winner—sold more than 800,000 copies of her debut album. And sensational Simon Cowell condemns fur, promotes spaying and neutering, and shot a public service announcement urging people not to leave dogs in hot cars.
Now is the time for Kristy to use her powerful voice as a weapon and hang up her gun collection for good.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Ellen playing sweet to Simon's tart was reason enough to watch this season of American Idol, but ever since the Top 24 were revealed, we've also been tuning in to support vegetarian contestant Michelle Delamor, who easily made it through last night's vote to become one of the Top 10 ladies.
We haven't "Fallin'" this hard for an Idol hopeful since compassionate country star Carrie Underwood's now-iconic performance of "Alone."
Written by Logan Scherer
If you're left scratching your head after reading this blog's title, allow me to translate: That friendly greeting is Kiswahili for "What's the news?" The response, "Ujima," is today's Kwanzaa value.
Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days during the week between Christmas and New Year's. Each day is marked by a do-gooding ideal called by its Kiswahili name. Today is day three, Ujima, which means collective work and responsibility. (Saturday and Sunday were Unity and Self-Determination, marked by the "unifying determination" of my family to nab the last bit of Grandma's famous holiday sweet potatoes!) The idea of Ujima is to take on the problems of our neighbors and work together to solve them. In the spirit of this lovely holiday, we thought it apropos to focus on how to help those who can't help themselves.
Please be encouraged to take action anytime you see an animal in distress. Volunteer at your local animal shelter to give animals in need a bit of holiday cheer, or call the authorities about that dog in your neighborhood who is chained outside without proper shelter in this unforgiving weather. And of course, always remember to make sure that the animal companions you're lucky enough to share your home with are given proper care and all the cuddles they can handle!
Another Kwanzaa tradition is to pay respect to someone of African heritage who has contributed something significant to society. Today, I choose the generous Richard Pryor for his unending efforts to stop the abuse of animals. Who do you pick?
Joyous Kwanzaa everyone!
Written by Missy Lane
When I hear "Christmas spectacular," I think snow, lights, and a tree—really, it doesn't take much to make me happy. For the twisted folks at Loro Parque in Spain, however, it's apparently not Christmas without some animal exploitation. Wholesome and heartwarming? Yeah, right.
There was nothing festive about the death of a captive orca's trainer during the rehearsal for the zoo's Christmas performance. The whale hit the trainer, who drowned after being underwater for several minutes.
Freedom must've been first on this orca's Christmas wish list. Orcas swim up to 100 miles a day in the open ocean, so confining them to tanks in theme parks is like confining a person to a bathtub. Captured from their ocean homes by boats that chase orca pods to shallow waters so that the animals can be surrounded with nets that are gradually closed and lifted onto the boats, some orcas die from shock or stress. Others slowly succumb to pneumonia when water enters their lungs through their blowholes. After they are torn away from their homes and families, these animals are then forced to learn circus-style tricks from trainers who withhold food and isolate animals who refuse to perform.
At the top of my New Year's wish list? A PETA theme park in which the only "animals" forced to perform are the animatronic kind.
When we think of our nation's capital, freedom and justice immediately come to mind. But there's nothing just about the fur industry, in which millions of animals are skinned alive each year. That's why, as a boost to PETA's "Make D.C. Fur-Free" campaign, we're launching a "Fur-Free and Fabulous" ad blitz from the streets to the subway, starting with a van wrapped in this alluring ad:
Elegant, dazzling, and vogue, these stars are sure to stop traffic with their compassionate fashion. We're turning roads into runways to showcase the impeccable, cruelty-free style sensibilities of chic celebrities from Carrie Underwood to Michelle Obama and from Tyra Banks to Oprah Winfrey. And the commuting runway won't be just above ground—we're also going subterranean with our new ad, spreading the anti-fur message throughout the Metro. Fashion show on the subway? Yes. We. Can.
Want to cast your vote for cruelty-free fashion? Take our pledge to make D.C. fur-free, and if you know people who insist on draping themselves in the skins of dead animals, consider stuffing their stockings with this video narrated by the fabulous Tim Gunn.
If you're still not sure what to get your honey this Valentine's Day, take a hint from Carrie Underwood. The four-time Grammy winner and Sexiest Vegetarian Alive veteran recently spilled the beans on what would make her toes curl this Valentine's Day.
Some candles, decorations, good conversation, and a piping-hot home-cooked vegetarian meal are all this songbird needs to get in the lovey-dovey mood. She doesn't mention her favorite dish, but I personally fancy a hearty meatless shepherd's pie with extra mashed potatoes. I'm just sayin'.
Guys, if you want to capture a girl's heart, take Carrie's advice and aim straight for the stomach. You can't go wrong with reputed aphrodisiacs such as stuffed pumpkin, followed by chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert.
But if your culinary skills end at microwave popcorn, don't despair. You can surprise your sweetie with one of these no-hassle delights, which are sure to make a lasting impression.
Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky
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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