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.

The word on Twitter is that celebs are rejoicing over Ringling's being slapped with the largest penalty in circus history for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Other celebs are buzzing about going postal.

Chuck star Yvonne Strahovski gave dogs in animal shelters something to rejoice over, discussing her "Always Adopt, Never Buy" campaign with PETA in the winter issue of Modern Dog magazine and urging readers to hop on the adoption train. As if that weren't enough, she then asked them to think about where fur comes from.

Morrissey and his bandmates left little doubt over what they think of fur when the band donned PETA shirts with a, ahem, choice message at a show in L.A.

Wearing fur is such a faux pas that designers are hard-pressed to find celebs willing to look like a permutation of Bigfoot. Reigning Sexiest Vegetarian Kristen Wiig says she will "never wear fur," and cruelty-free fashion designer Stella McCartney snagged the Red Carpet Award at the British Fashion Awards for her fur- and leather-free designs.

This week, animals lost a great advocate when comedian Patrice O'Neal passed away. "I am … [an] extreme animal lover," he once said. "I get sick when I see animals suffering." Farewell, friend.

Could be because it’s almost the first day of summer. Nah, it’s definitely PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities of 2011 contest. Voting has begun to help us narrow down the 100 male and female nominees to our top five in each group who make our little veggie-loving hearts skip a beet beat.
 

 
So, which hunk of Bocacake gets your vote? Bill Clinton or a Beatle? Joaquin’s sexy smile or Jared Leto and those baby blues?  Could it be a bi-coastal competition of funny man Russell Brand against easy-on-the-eyes Casey Affleck?

And which veggie vixen will walk away with the top prize? Will it be the battle of the A-team, Aimee and Anne? Or could it all come down to the Kristens – Wiig and Bell? Maybe the inventor of sexy, Pamela Anderson, will stage a coup?
 

Let us know who you think we should name the finalists! This year, for the first time, voting will take place on Twitter using the hash tag #sexyvegceleb, but you can also use the voting page. Let us know who you think we should pick by June 17 and stay tuned for the swoon-worthy finalists. 
 

Written by Michelle Sherrow

In honor of William and Kate's wedding, PETA is sending the royal couple "something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue."  

We chose some favorite movies and a book that each have an important message about compassion for animals. For "something old," we've chosen three classics: Disney's family anti-fur film 101 Dalmatians; Bambi, with its anti-hunting message; and the classic about the suffering of horses, Black Beauty. For "something new," we're sending the dolphin-hunting industry exposé The Cove.  

We're letting the couple indefinitely "borrow" from PETA's library a signed first-edition copy of the seminal animal rights book Animal Liberation by Peter Singer.

© Starmax

Finally, we included two films that may make William and Kate "blue," but that have touched the hearts of countless viewers and inspired them to make simple changes in their lives that have a big impact on animals. They are PETA's slaughterhouse exposé Glass Walls, narrated by Sir Paul McCartney, and the documentary I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA.

We hope the couple finds these gifts illuminating, inspiring, and even challenging—much as marriage can be.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

PETA U.S. staffers aren't the only ones who are excited that the coming year marks 10 years of activism by PETA India. Just in time for PETA India's birthday, Sir Paul McCartney has sent a letter to India's prime minister asking him to declare January 12—the day of PETA India's inauguration—an annual "meat-free day" across the country.

Sir Paul narrated PETA's hard-hitting "Glass Walls" video, which shows how chickens and turkeys are confined to filthy sheds by the tens of thousands and forced to live in their own waste and how pigs on factory farms remain conscious while their throats are cut. "Were it shown in every school, the next generation would grow up vegetarian, I have no doubt," says Sir Paul.

If you're not already vegan, why not make 2011 the year that you "come together" with PETA and Sir Paul by giving animal-based foods the boot?

Written by Paula Moore

I'm such a map geek that I study the road atlas for fun. But I was equal parts intrigued and disturbed by the latest map that I laid eyes on: Food & Water Watch's Factory Farm Map. This interactive online map shows which areas of the U.S. have the most animal factories, and it also allows you to filter the results by the types of animals who are raised and killed for their flesh, milk, or eggs.

Wherever they are, factory farms lead to animal suffering, environmental destruction, and a lower quality of life for everyone. We can help keep factory farms out of our communities by showing our friends and families the many benefits of going vegan and why everyone would be vegetarian if slaughterhouses had glass walls.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys.

Live and let die live: So goes Sir Paul McCartney's new hit … against NASA's pricey plan to bankroll the zapping of dozens of squirrel monkeys in cruel radiation experiments.

While his animal rights efforts are legendary, many people may not know that Paul also has a ton of space cred. It's true: He's an enthusiastic supporter of space exploration who has performed for the crew of STS-114 and worked with NASA to beam Beatles music into space.

In his letter to the space agency, Paul writes, "I believe NASA has the ingenuity to investigate the health effects of space travel without confining and experimenting on animals as was done in the old days. It would be terribly disappointing if in our zeal to explore new frontiers and to learn about the fascinating universe where we live we began to regress in our treatment of the animals with whom we share this planet."

Surely the rocker's support of our campaign against NASA's proposed radiation experiments will cause public disapproval of the research to skyrocket. Sir Paul joins other stars and the "ex-s" (as in ex-engineer and experts) who have criticized NASA's misguided plan. Please join them by speaking out too.

Written by Karin Bennett

After finding out that a McDonald's restaurant in his hometown of Liverpool had plastered the walls with photos of him and the rest of the Fab Four, Sir Paul McCartney—who is known by all (except maybe the marooned fighter pilot on Gilligan's Island) as being a longtime and outspoken vegetarian—was less than glad all over.

Refusing to let it be, McCartney urged his fans to boycott the fast-food behemoth. Surprisingly, the notoriously tone-deaf purveyor of patties seems to have gotten the message, and the photos have reportedly gotten back to where they once belonged.

Maybe next McDonald's will agree to make improvements in the way chickens are killed for its restaurants. I'm sure Sir Paul wouldn't object to Meat-Free Mondays at McDonald's, either—or better yet, meatless meals eight days a week.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Last night, longtime PETA booster Sir Paul McCartney rocked the White House. He sang "Michelle" to the first lady, and played to a packed crowd of celebs (including fellow PETA pal Emmylou Harris). To cap it all off, President Obama presented him with the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

Of course, Sir Paul rocks on and off the stage. All about living la vida vegetarían, he's been a driving force behind the international "Meat-Free Monday" campaign. He's also urged Giorgio Armani to go fur-free, gone after KFC, and drummed up support for a worldwide boycott of McDonald's.

So congratulations, Sir Paul, and thanks for everything that you do for animals!

Via Vegetarian Star

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

metro.co / CC

In an effort to push forward Sir Paul McCartney's plan for "Meat-Free Mondays," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk has written to U.S. President Barack Obama urging him to help turn the White House into a "green" house by adopting the global initiative.

In her letter, Ingrid points out that "on October 5, 1947, in the first televised White House address, President Truman asked Americans to refrain from eating meat on Tuesdays and poultry on Thursdays to help stockpile grain for starving people in Europe. Today, the number of starving people in the world is on a par with the number of obese people in the U.S., and a restriction on meat and dairy-product intake could help tip those scales for the better."

It's enough to persuade even Bob Geldof that he does like Mondays.

Written by Alisa Mullins