Written by PETA
Darn my dyslexia! Make that: A vegetarian is going to appear on NBC's The Apprentice. Brainy Brandy Kuentzel went from corporate law to cupcakes—and now the vegetarian animal rights supporter is ready to vie for the top spot next to Donald Trump.
Will The Donald comb over Brandy's animal-friendly views in the boardroom? Will Brandy convince him to tell his own Trump Steaks, "You're fired"? Answers are coming soon: The new season starts September 16.
Written by Karin Bennett
Congrats to PETA pals Kyra Sedgwick, Jane Lynch, and Edie Falco for their well-deserved Emmy wins last night. Another big winner was HBO's Temple Grandin, a film about the life of an extraordinary person who has helped reduce the suffering of millions of animals and advocated for autism education. Helping animals is its own reward, but winning a gold statue has to feel good, too!
Written by Jeff Mackey
How would you celebrate your 58th birthday? If you're the indefatigable Chrissie Hynde, you would start a new band (JP, Chrissie & the Fairground Boys), put out a new album (Fidelity!), and develop a new eco-friendly clothing line (Fairground Luck).
Coming from Chrissie, the clothing line will of course feature T-shirts, skinny jeans, pleather jackets, handbags, and boots with a rocker-chick vibe and will be 100 percent vegan.
"Like most women, I love fashion and clothes," Hynde told Women's Wear Daily. "Everybody will be able to find everything they love in a nonleather version. Fashion should be fun."
No word on when Fairground Luck clothing will be appearing in a shopping mall near you, but Fidelity! hits online stores today, and we have a couple of copies available for some lucky PETA Files readers. Post a comment below telling us why you think Chrissie is the coolest, rockingest, sassiest animal defender ever to pick up a guitar, and the two comments that make us want to run out and protest with Chrissie will win the CDs.
The contest ends on August 27, 2010, and we'll select the winners on August 30, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!
Written by Alisa Mullins
Did you catch The O'Reilly Factor last night? Well, here's your chance to marvel at the spot on things Bill O'Reilly said in regard to yesterday's attempted escape—and subsequent murder—of a bull during a Spanish bullfight. This quote is just too good not to share.
"Again, there is simply no reason to have bullfights. It is blood sport. Spain and the other countries that do it should knock it off. They are pinheads for allowing it."
Written by Shawna Flavell
Reading Edward O. Wilson's novel Anthill has given Joan Rivers a new respect for ants. Here's what she told People magazine:
"Those poor ants work 24/7! And when they fight other ant colonies, to look bigger they stand on pebbles. 'I'll show you—I'm getting up on this grain of sand.' … They work their whole lives; it's so sad. Now I don't throw my sandwiches away; I put them on the streets. Let the ants have a little break. The other day I had half a hot dog, and I put it in a tree. This woman said, 'You're littering,' and I said, 'I'm feeding the ants!'"
Joan may be on to something here. In her honor, I am going to refrain from cleaning my kitchen counter*.
*Just kidding, Mom.
According to The Smoking Gun Lady Gaga's caught in a new romance, and this one ain't so bad. The website got its hands on Gaga's latest concert rider, and the newest addition to it is a request for Yves vegan hot dogs. Maybe she’s trying to do right by Miss Piggy after wearing her boyfriend as a coat.
Is that a real fur vest being worn by dog rescuer Shelly Bookwalter on Last Chance Highway, Animal Planet's great new show about a trucking company that transports homeless dogs in the South to new homes in the North?
Inquiring minds need to know, and the word we received from an Animal Planet rep is that Shelly's furs are faux. Phew, we knew it had to be so. After all, if you wouldn't wear a dog, you wouldn't wear a fox, would you?
It's a boy girl kitty! Nicole Richie's household recently grew by one when a stray cat showed up on the celebutante's doorstep. "[S]he was so skinny and I could tell she was starving. I couldn't resist," wrote Richie on her blog. After a nice square meal, the kitty, now called Tabitha, was "as happy as Benji Madden in a sorority house."
Congratulations, Nicole, on helping a homeless kitty girl find a place to call home and being rewarded with a furry bundle of purring perfection. Tabitha's cute—but is she the cutest cat in the whole wide world? Readers, you make the call.
In the new movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which opens tomorrow, former Superman Brandon Routh plays a superhero once again. This time, his character is a "ninth-level vegan," which means that he has the power of telekinesis. As his character puts it, his power stems from the fact that his brain isn't "filled up with curds and whey." (I think I must be only a sixth-level vegan because my only superpower is the ability to make vegan chocolate disappear.)
In real life, Routh has another superpower—the ability to make a killer vegan breakfast. "I love pancakes," Routh told Maxim magazine. "I think the vegan ones I make are as good [as] or better than the ones with eggs, butter, and milk."
We're going to be sure to hit Brandon up for his recipe, but in the meantime, you can give these a try.
Not long ago, we told you that celebrity chef Mario Batali was introducing special "Meatless Mondays" options at all of his 14 restaurants. Well, thanks to Freep.com, we get to meat meet up with Mario for a progress report: He says that he feels better as his diet becomes increasingly veggie-heavy. And he predicts that environmental concerns will prompt others to embrace a vegetarian diet. Oh—and he reveals that his own vegetarian cookbook is in the works.
Could Batali be channeling vegan chef Tal Ronnen? I'd love to think so, but one thing's for certain: Both Chef Mario and Chef Tal are inspiring countless flesh-loving foodies to think outside the T-bone.
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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