The saturated fat and cholesterol in KFC's Double Down begins clogging arteries and potentially decreasing life expectancies nationwide in just a few days. The sandwich "vilest food product created by man," consists of bacon and cheese sandwiched between two fried chicken breasts, and according to KFC, is only 540 calories—and 32 g of fat, and 1,380 mg of sodium.

With two chicken breasts, cheese, and bacon, the Double Down means quadruple the Kentucky Fried Cruelty for animals, and it could mean quadruple bypasses for consumers since the consumption of animal fats has been linked to heart disease. So as KFC debuts its artery plug on a sans bun, PETA will begin touring the country with our anti-KFC hearse, which will make its first stop in KFC's hometown, Louisville, Kentucky.

Keep your eyes peeled, the hearse could be coming to a Kentucky Fried Cruelty near you!

Written by Logan Scherer

smh.com.au / CC

Some celebrities make animal-friendly demands when they're on tour, but Madonna isn't one of them.

We already knew the Material Girl was a fur hag. Now, she's added to her animal-unfriendly rep by purchasing 110 pounds of kosher meat for the last two performances of her "Sticky and Sweet" tour in Tel Aviv.

We immediately sent her a letter explaining that most imported kosher beef sold in Israel comes from Uruguay, where cattle are often shackled and violently wrestled to the ground before having their throats cut and being hoisted into the air by their hind legs—a cruel "shackle and hoist" slaughter method that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has called "primitive" and has promised to phase out.

Instead of ordering her weight in meat, Madge would win over more fans if she gave a compassionate diet a try.

Written by Amanda Schinke

When it came time to plan their NYC wedding, Kelly Respess and Paul Kercheval knew that there was one thing that wasn't going to be a part of their special day—a horse-drawn carriage ride. In fact, they decided to take the opportunity to educate other lovebirds about how unromantic it is to be hauled around Central Park by a tired, abused horse.

Together, for better and for horses

No horses (or chickens or cows) were harmed in the making of the wedding cake.

Everything from the cake to the decoration said "neigh" to horse abuse, and leaflets describing horse-drawn carriage horrors were distributed to wedding guests as well as to tourists and reporters.

When the ceremony was over, the happy couple rode off in a classic, classy convertible.

Kelly and Paul celebrate life and love …

Written by Karin Bennett

Oof.

I imagine this is what a certain fur hag might look like on a "good" day.

PETA's "Grim Reapers" recently greeted tourists at a crowded tour-bus stop in Toronto to reveal frightening facts about Canada's shame: the cruel slaughter of baby seals for their fur. Their scary outfits didn't stop tourists from high-fiving them—and tour bus operators were eager to point out our demonstrators to their passengers.

I'm dying to know: Which fugly fur wearer does our "Grim Reaper" most remind you of?

Written by Karin Bennett

You know what I like best about the summer—besides grilling veggie dogs until they turn black?

Summer concerts!

I'm especially excited this year because The Pretenders are going on tour and PETA has first dibs on their upcoming tour dates.

To find out where you'll have a chance to see PETA pal Chrissie Hynde live and in-person this summer, keep reading—but first:

Check out the awesome, one-of-a-kind PETA T-shirt that Chrissie designed for her summer tour wardrobe.

Here's that sneak peek at a few of The Pretenders' summer dates. Enjoy! And, hey, maybe I'll see you in Central Park this August.

8/10, New York, New York
8/14, Washington, D.C.
8/18, Chicago, Illinois
8/22, Denver, Colorado
8/26, Vancouver, British Columbia
9/3, Los Angeles, California

Written by Amanda Schinke

gossipcheck / CC

After we heard about Michael Jackson's apparent desire to include exotic animals in his upcoming London concerts, my heart sank. As superfan of MJ's music since birth and also a staunch animal defender, I'd never felt so conflicted. Luckily, after PETA Europe sent a letter regarding the King of Pop, we got word that he will not be using any live animals in his concert series at London's O2 arena.

Too bad he still has a spotty past when it comes to compassion for animals. It had been widely reported that Jackson planned to ride an elephant on stage and use panthers, but subjecting animals to amplified noise, bright lights, and the fast pace of a massive concert production is cruel. Plus, his rap sheet from the not-too-distant past includes dumping his chimpanzee, Bubbles, with a Hollywood trainer. And many of the animals he left behind at Neverland Ranch ended up being sold at auction, despite repeated offers from PETA to help place them in sanctuaries. His orangutans were reportedly sold to a private owner in Connecticut, two of his alligators are languishing at the disgusting G.W. Exotic Animal Park, his giraffes in the care of a private owner in Arizona are on the verge of being evicted, and more.

Michael, it's bad, it's bad, and you know it.

We know that Michael's "Off the Wall," but his treatment of animals crosses the line to cruel and unacceptable. Hopefully, this new announcement is a sign that things are moving in a new direction. I mean, this is a man who holds the Guinness World Record for giving more to charities than any other entertainer, so you'd think he'd be generous with animals, too … but as much as I love singing "Dirty Diana" into my hairbrush, his cruelty toward animals leaves me less than "thrilled."

Written by Christine Doré

signonsandiego / CC

Unless you're a die-hard Britney Spears fan and regular visitor to her Web site, you heard it here first: The top-secret stage design plans for Britney's upcoming "Circus" tour will include no live animals.

That's right, folks, in an "EXCLUSIVE: STAGE DESIGN ANNOUNCEMENT" (seriously, that's what it's called, all caps and everything), Britney's tour designer had the following to say:

"We've taken the idea of a traditional 'big-top circus' and given it a Britney Spears twist. This circus is unlike anything you've ever seen before. It's sexy, fun, explosive, and full of surprises. … While avoiding such traditional circus elements as live animals, we've created something innovative and exciting using contortionists, dancers, lighting, fire, and other special effects." [emphasis added]

Omigaw! If I were 12, I would so be there.

You may remember that Britney ran into trouble with PETA a couple of months ago when we learned that she had used elephants and lions in her "Circus" video. We shot her a letter asking her to leave animals out of her Circus tour and—lo and behold—our wish has been granted.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Deflocked, baby. Deflocked.

Click for a larger version

To check out the archives of past strips, click here.

… Well, a number of dates. Dan Mathews' last cross-country book tour was such a big hit that he’s doing a whole new one. Sometimes I wonder whether the guy doesn’t enjoy sitting around the office and going to endless meetings as much as the rest of us do. There was a nice little piece about Dan in The Windy City Times last week, and another great one in the latest issue of Ocean Drive magazine, which, annoyingly, I can’t link to because they didn’t put it up on their website. I’m not sure I fully understand how people “read” stuff these days if it’s not on the Internet, but they presumably have some kind of system.

Anyway, here’s the schedule for Dan’s book tour in case you live in one of these cities, and even if you don’t, you can order a copy of Committed here. It’s a very funny piece of literature. And it’s got some good stuff in there about animals.