Written by Michelle Kretzer
There isn't a chick alive who doesn't love Ryan Gosling, from the ones he woos in theaters (guilty) to the ones he helps on factory farms. He was spotted saving the latter recently by eating vegan at Los Angeles' Flore Vegan Cuisine.
Since animals aren't normally allowed to go to concert venues, Jay Sean invited them into his living room. The rapper performed an online Stageit show from his home and donated all the proceeds to PETA's "Angels for Animals" program, which provides neglected, chained dogs with doghouses, toys, and lightweight tie-outs.
On a slightly larger screen, Bones is set to air another animal rights–themed show. Vegan star Emily Deschanel says she loves hearing from fans that the Bones episode on chicken farming made them stop eating chickens, and now the Fox thriller is tackling the exotic-animal smuggling trade.
Fran Drescher is hopping on the vegan train as well, telling RadarOnline about some of her delicious recipes: "Lately, I have been eating vegan and gluten-free, so I have been making delicious kale soup and gluten-free pasta with sautéed arugula, garlic, olive oil and pesto. I also like my recipe for white bean hummus, as well as a good simple field and micro green salad with my special house dressing of olive oil, lemon, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper. I like to add raw veggies to it, like peas, corn, carrots, and zucchini."
James Cameron is growing vegan. The director just purchased 2,500 acres of rural land in New Zealand, and part of his property includes a former dairy farm. The government is requiring Cameron to continue to farm on part of the land, and the director, who grabbed a PETA Proggy Award for Avatar, said that since he and his family are striving for a more plant-based diet, they will likely grow crops.
Cameron is no stranger to awards, and neither is our friend Kate del Castillo, who snapped up several of Telemundo's nominations for its inaugural Premios Tu Mundo Awards.
Set design: Jack Guy|Hair and makeup: Eric Ferrell for Dion Peronneau Agency|Styling: Shiffy for Aim Artists
Other celebs were busy representing animals in the Twitterverse this week:
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
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
Written by Michelle Sherrow
Between the Trollsen twits and cruel reality show "celetestants", I'm soooo ready to say, "Bye-bye, '09. Hello, 2010."
We at PETA are feeling optimistic about the New Year. But before we ring it in, let's have a look at 2009's low points and our predictions for 2010's animal-friendly hot topics and trends.
Now let's all raise our glasses to compassion for all!
Written by Karin Bennett
Word on the Internet has it that Kevin Jonas—the oldest of the Jonas Brothers—and Danielle Deleasa were married this weekend (that sound you hear is the collective weeping of the world's 16-year-old girls), and the newlyweds treated their lucky guests to a vegetarian smorgasbord: According to the chef, there were "stir-fried Asian vegetables, Italian rice, risotto, pasta, and a full vegetarian station." (And that other sound is the collective sigh of the world's vegetarians who were not invited.)
I get it—with 400 invitations, mine must've gotten lost in the mail. So where are Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn when you need them? Seriously, I've still got my Gaga wig from Halloween—I totally could've crashed joined in this feast!
The party may be over, but the celebration continues—and not just in endless repeats of "Burnin' Up" on my shuffle. We're sending the newlyweds a thank-you note for making sure that they didn't forget about their vegetarian friends and family on their big day. We're also sending a wedding gift (not belated, BTW—you have three months after the wedding)—a copy of PETA's Vegan College Cookbook—because, you know, it's perfect for couples just starting out, struggling to make ends meet (wink) or for that couple who is always on the go.
Written by Logan Scherer
We know that the Boston Strangler did it. So did Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer. Like so many others, all these serial killers tortured animals before "graduating" to humans.
That link has raised suspicions about an Oklahoma teen, Nikolas Kerr, who is accused of torturing and killing a 2-month-old kitten. A witness claims that she saw Kerr set the kitten on fire, repeatedly slam the tiny animal into a piece of furniture, and swing the cat by the tail. When asked why he did it, Kerr allegedly said, "'Cause I'm a sociopath." Those actions and words have piqued the interest of prosecutors who are trying to determine the extent of Kerr's involvement in the death of a homeless man known as "Bicycle Bob."
The link between violence against animals and violence against humans is well-established: It's why PETA developed a special booklet for law enforcement officials and prosecutors. It's also why actor Julie Benz—who played the wife of a serial killer who killed animals before moving on to people on Showtime's hit show Dexter—spoke out in a PETA public service announcement. And it's why we always urge anyone who knows of a violent crime against an animal to report it to authorities, pronto.
It's not like I don't already watch Bones religiously, but I'm definitely tuning in for this week's episode, in which our intrepid heroes, Brennan and Booth, try to get to the bottom of the murder of a chicken factory farmer. The main suspects are the farmer's neighbors—who are no doubt not terribly keen about living next door to a stinky, putrid factory farm—and animal rights activists. Considering, however, that the show's star, Emily Deschanel, actually is an animal rights activist, I have a feeling we won't be dealt with too harshly.
In the past, Bones has done a great job of exposing the cruelty of dogfighting and horse slaughter, so I'm hoping that the producers will manage to squeeze in some of the factory farm and slaughterhouse footage that we sent them for this episode. It would be pretty cool for the millions of Bones fans to get a look inside a typical factory farm.
Set your DVR: "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken" airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST. In the meantime, you can get a sneak peek at the action in this slideshow:
Written by Alisa Mullins
Years later, studies are still proving what the masterminds behind PETA's "Got Beer?" campaign knew all along: Beer is better than milk.
While that pus-filled glass of milk actually depletes your bone mass, a new study shows that beer just might be the key to keeping your bones from going brittle.
So crack open a cold one while we contemplate pulling an oldie but goodie out of the PETA vault.
Written by Shawna Flavell
As a huge fan of Bones, I was giddy to learn that Emily Deschanel is an environmentalist who puts her money where her mouth is—literally—by eating a vegan diet.
We couldn't think of a better person to feature smack-dab in the middle of "Meat's Not Green" Week than Emily and, luckily, she was able to take time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions.
Here Emily is in her own words:
Do you have any animal companions? I don't have any animal companions right now. My amazing dog Snookie passed away a year ago. She was 17 years old. I miss her. She was super sweet and smart. I'm not ready for another animal in my life right now, especially because I wouldn't have the time to take proper care of them (we work 16- to 17-hour days). I look forward to the day I can bring another animal into my home. They enrich our lives so much! Of course, I would adopt!
What made you decide to go vegan? In high school, a teacher screened the documentary "Diet for a New America" based on the book of the same name. It exposes the dirty business of factory farms: the cruelty that the animals experience, the dangers of a meat-based diet to your health, and the devastating environmental impact. I decided to go vegetarian on the spot with the intention to go completely vegan when I was ready. It took me two years. I've never looked back.
What are some of your favorite vegetarian foods? I love anything Dave Anderson makes at Madeleine Bistro in Los Angeles, and I love the food at Candle 79 in New York City. I'm obsessed with cookies from Sun Flour Bakery.
I don't really cook for myself right now since my schedule is insane. I look forward to the day I can pick up my Veganomicon cookbook and go to town!! I also indulge in raw chocolate on a daily basis.
If you could make people wake up to one issue involving animals or one particular form of cruelty to animals, what would it be and what would you wish for? In my experience, the issue that is avoided the most is [raising] animals for food, specifically factory farms. Nothing makes me more upset than when someone says they don't want to know about the horrors going on. Ten billion animals every year in North America have to live and die in horrible ways; the least we can do is hear about it. I have hope, though. More and more people are going veg and vegan. Look at the popularity of Skinny Bitch and PETA as an organization and how they have changed people's minds about animals and food. It is so much better than it was almost 16 years ago when I made the switch to being vegan.
*****
Looking for a little more Deschanel? Check out her vegetarian testimonial and then click here to learn more about meat's impact on the environment.
Anyone catch Bones last night? If so, you probably saw the nice plug for vegetarian eating at the end, when Temperance “Bones” Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel, a real-life vegetarian) briefly talks about the environmental effects of meat. It was a cool little surprise.
You can watch full episodes of the show here.
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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