Written by Jeff Mackey
Quite a few longtime PETA friends and faves were among the celebs who told the Associated Press about their animal-oriented New Year's resolutions, including Bob Barker ("To continue urging folks to have their pets spayed and neutered—including rabbits."), Lea Michele ("I wish that [my cat] Sheila would stop going into my bathroom, taking out all my cotton balls out of the jars and spreading them all over."), and Katherine Heigl (whose dogs want her "to feed them consistently on time in the morning"), not to mention superhot Josh Duhamel and music legend Roberta Flack, whom we love all the more after hearing about their rescued animal friends.
Other pro-adoption superstars? How about George Clooney, who recently talked to Esquire about adopting his shelter mutt, Einstein? Or Charlize Theron, who wants more people to, well, be like George?
If anyone you know needs convincing that tofu scramble is the real breakfast of champions, you can remind him or her that vegan WWE superstar Daniel Bryan has been awarded the world heavyweight title. Then break a chair across his or her back just to get the point across. (PETA's lawyers would like us to note that this is a joke and that violence is never the answer.)
Not to be outdone, the UFC took to Twitter to urge fans to vote for Jake Shields for peta2's Most Animal-Friendly Athlete Libby Award.
A number of other stars offered up pro-animal tweets as well:
And the always amazing Oscar-winner and Raising Hope star Cloris Leachman raised some hope for animals abused in circuses by writing to the mayor of Orlando and asking him to protect the elephants scheduled to perform in the city with Ringling Bros.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Courtesy of Lelah Foster
Having a celebrity as the face of an animal rights campaign has helped PETA achieve huge victories. For instance, vocal protests by Sir Paul McCartney and Alicia Silverstone helped convince NASA not to blast squirrel monkeys with harmful doses of radiation. Celebrities such as Olivia Munn and Sarah Silverman have helped publicize Ringling Bros.' cruelty to animals, which recently resulted in the largest U.S. Department of Agriculture fine in circus history. And with the help of Lea Michele, the suffering of horses in New York City's carriage trade is garnering attention.
Michelle Cho, the senior manager of communications, dishes about what it's like behind the scenes of some of PETA's most visible work:
What is one of the most exciting things happening right now with PETA's work with celebrities?So many professional athletes are enthusiastic about getting involved. Tony Gonzalez, Chad Ochocinco, Chase Utley, Gilbert Arenas, Amar'e Stoudemire, Willis McGahee, Lance Briggs, Chris Andersen, and many others are allowing us to reach legions of sports fans about animal issues.
What is one of your favorite celebrity stories?When I first met Steve-O six years ago, I was interviewing him about elephant abuse that he had witnessed as a student at Ringling's clown college. I recall him saying that he didn't think vegetarianism was possible for him. Then began the phone calls inquiring about feathers, leather, wool, and even animal products in chewing gum! And just two years later, he had an "aha moment" in which he decided that he didn't want to contribute to the unnecessary suffering of animals and went vegan. He is one of the most inspirational people I've ever known, and I'm so proud to call him a dear friend.
Is Hollywood more animal-friendly than it used to be?Definitely. Thanks to the Internet, we disseminate a lot more information, and it's reaching powerful people. Major ad agencies are pledging never to use great apes, filmmakers are using computer-generated imagery rather than using live animals, and TV shows and movies are including animal rights–related storylines. The support of so many influential people in show business can only pay bigger dividends for animals in the future.
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Join the A-list party! Become a PETA member today.
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?
Written by PETA
'Tis the season for awards and accolades, and one person everyone is talking about is Glee star and PETA supporter Lea Michele. For her dedicated work with PETA to end animals' suffering, Lea was one of the Lifetime Impact Honorees at Variety magazine's annual Power of Women event. In her acceptance speech, Lea highlighted the cause closest to her heart—horse-drawn carriages. Watch her moving speech, which you can only see here on The PETA Files, and learn about her journey and activism with PETA:
Lea narrated a shocking undercover video, which has shown countless people how horses suffer when they are forced to pull heavy carriages all day long in all weather extremes on busy city streets. In the past month alone, three horses have been involved in accidents, including a horse named Charlie, who collapsed in the street and died. Lea promptly fired off a letter urging Mayor Bloomberg to end carriage rides.
An auction organized as part of the Power of Women is helping raise funds for the honorees' selected nonprofits. Check out (and bid on) the custom-designed dress Lea wore to this year's Met Gala that she donated to benefit PETA.
Written by Heather Faraid Drennan
If it seems like just last week that Mayor Bloomberg was callously dismissing the death of a horse used for New York's infamous carriage rides, that's because it was. And in the days since Bloomberg made unintentionally ironic comments like "[they] probably wouldn't be alive if they didn't have a job" (talk about a catch 22), there have been two more horse-drawn carriage "accidents." (Although what else can be expected when sensitive, easily frightened horses are forced to work 10-hour days in all weather extremes on New York City's crowded streets?)
On October 28, a horse hitched to an empty carriage became spooked and bolted straight into traffic. One witness said that the horse just missed several taxis, then crashed into a curb and fell on his side before running off again, only to become tangled in the broken carriage and harness.
The most recent incident happened during Friday's rush hour when a horse fell down in the middle of the busy street. Witnesses said the horse either collapsed on his own or because his leg became caught in the carriage when he bucked.
New York State Senator Tony Avella has renewed his call on Mayor Slayer Bloomberg to ban the barbaric carriage rides, which are a hazard to horses and to public safety. Please join him and click here to contact the mayor and New York City lawmakers now to urge them to support Intro. Bill 86, which would replace horse-drawn carriages with eco-friendly (and horse-friendly) classic cars.
It's bad enough to be forced to pull heavy carriages in all weather extremes through New York City's busy, exhaust-filled streets, but a necropsy on Charlie, the horse who collapsed and died while "working" last week, found that he also suffered from painful stomach ulcers and a cracked tooth. Charlie's death sparked renewed calls for a ban on cruel horse-drawn carriages in New York, including a letter from Glee star Lea Michele asking Mayor Michael Bloomberg to support a bill to end the rides. Bloomberg's comments on Charlie's death have been astonishingly cold-hearted: "Like everyone, eventually they die," he said. "Some die on the streets."
Charlie is the latest victim of an industry that exploits animals in order to turn a buck despite increasing opposition from the public and lawmakers. There have been countless incidents resulting in injuries to and the deaths of both horses and people when horses used for carriage rides become spooked and bolt into traffic or when carriages crash.
Whether you're a resident or a potential tourist, please tell New York City lawmakers that you support Intro. Bill 86, which would ban horse-drawn carriages and replace them with eco-friendly classic cars.
UPDATE: When Lea Michele found out about the death of yet another horse used for carriage rides in New York City, she immediately sent a letter to Mayor Michael Bloomberg asking him to support the bill that would replace the cruel carriages with eco-friendly retro cars and allow the remaining horses to go to sanctuaries.
The following was originally posted on October 24, 2011:
Yet another horse used to pull carriages in New York City has dropped dead in the street, adding one more body to a count that continues to grow. Glee's Lea Michele recently hosted a PETA video detailing the miserable lives of these horses, who are forced to haul heavy loads in all weather extremes in one of the busiest cities in the world.
Wherever you live, if you see a horse (or any animal) in distress, contact local humane authorities immediately. If you live in New York and see a horse in trouble, contact the ASPCA at 212-876-7700, extension 4450, and PETA at CIDInfo@peta.org right away.
Never take a horse-drawn carriage ride, and please let New York officials know that you support Intro. Bill 86, which would replace horse-drawn carriages with eco-friendly classic cars.
Whoa! Joey Lawrence rescued a dog from a local animal shelter while filming in Australia. He called his new family member "the most amazing little thing ever." Another shelter dog—a pit bull who was rescued from a trash chute—has inspired Newark Mayor Cory Booker to build a new state-of-the-art animal shelter. And to further fight cruelty to animals, the mayor's also a vegetarian.
The Rev. Al Sharpton has made the heavenly decision to cut meat almost completely out of his diet too. And Lady Gaga will have to cut meat out of her wardrobe when she performs for Bill Clinton at the Hollywood Bowl tomorrow. The former pres told David Letterman, "In deference to my diet, she'll be meatless that night."
Speaking of cruelty-free garb, The Veronicas sent flowers to Australian designer Rachel Gilbert to thank her for ditching fur.
And just check out what these compassionate celebs had to say to their Twitter followers:
It's here! "Hug a Vegetarian" Day has arrived, and it's the perfect time to show some love to the people who are showing love to animals. The average vegetarian saves about 100 animals every year from cruelty and abuse on factory farms. That's definitely worth a few X's and O's.
PETA's youth division, peta2, held hugging events across the country. If you didn't make it to one of the hug fests, you can still spread appreciation for people who are fighting cruelty to animals, climate change, and the obesity epidemic by posting and tweeting virtual hugs. That's what Victorious star and vegan Daniella Monet will be doing—she's ready to hug it out with one enthusiastic peta2 supporter.
© iStockphoto.com | Piotr Gatlik
Don't forget to tweet-hug your favorite vegetarian celebrities too. Will it be animal champion Lea Michele; Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity winners Russell Brand and Kristen Wiig; everyone's favorite vegan president, Bill Clinton; or funniest vegan Steve-O? What the heck, just hug 'em all.
Lea Michele is no stranger to accolades, with Golden Globe and Emmy Award nods for her role on Glee. And today, Variety magazine is honoring Lea at its third annual Power of Women luncheon for her off-screen role working with PETA as a powerful advocate for animals.
Lea Michele ©Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic
Thanks to Lea, PETA representatives will be there, too, putting our message in front of Variety's 450 guests with a booth where we will hand out vegetarian/vegan starter kits, "Glass Walls" DVDs, tote bags, and shirts.
We've been fans of Lea since back when she was conquering the Great White Way and speaking out about the unattractive side of New York—the cruel horse-drawn carriage industry.
Now that Glee has made Lea a household name, she always uses her celebrity status to promote animal rights—from denouncing fur to singing the praises of a vegan diet. Her Twitter feed is always alight with animal-friendly suggestions sent to her 1.1 million followers.
Congratulations, Lea. You inspire us to keep striving to save animals' lives every day.
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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.