If peta2 Bloggers Picked 2009's Sexiest Vegetarian Winners May 19, 2009

Posted by Patricia at May 19, 2009 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBack

I'm sure you're all well aware that peta2's fifth annual World's Sexiest Vegetarian poll is under way, and I know you've all voted and told your friends to vote too, no? We thought you'd like to know who would win if some of the peta2 bloggers picked this year's winners, so without further ado ...

Y'all know by now that my Davey Havok gets my vote every year for the dudes, and he will again this year. He's so yummy and talented and amazing. Oh, Davey. For the ladies, I'm going with a new addition to this year's list ... the lovely Kellie Pickler! She's super pretty and from what I've seen she seems like a sweet person who genuinely cares about animals. Go Davey and Kellie!

For the dudes I have to go with Gabe from Cobra Starship, he had me at "Snakes on a Plane". For the ladies, Ginnifer Goodwin by a mile. She's always been my favorite on "Big Love"!—Ashleigh

Girl: My pick is Leona Lewis. She is beautiful, talented, and vegetarian—a triple threat!
Boy: My pick is Jason Schwartzman. He's an actor, singer, and damn sexy. Nough said.—Lara

For the dudes, I'm gonna go with Casey Affleck (my favorite of the Affleck brothers!). For the ladies, I'm going with Kellie Pickler—OK, so maybe I'm a bit biased because she hearts PETA's Vegan College Cookbook!—Marta

I would consider myself somewhat of an "Arrested Development" enthusiast, and therefore I have to give the title for the ladies to Portia de Rossi. I will say though that Alicia Silverstone came in a very close second. "Clueless" is one of my fave movies. Although there are quite a few fellas deserving of the title, I have to stay true and throw my fangs up for my homeboy Gabe Saporta.—Megan

I'm rooting for Mindy from Lydia because her band is really good, and she's got an amazing voice. Mindy used to be on the peta2 Street Team, too! For guys, let's say Hrishikesh from The One AM Radio. Gotta support my brown brother.—Pulin

Hmm ... for girls, I'd have to say Alison Mosshart of the Kills. Now guys, this is a bit harder—mostly because I can't decide whether or not to vote for Davey Havok or Fran Mark—possibly my two favorite men in the entire universe, or give someone new a chance. This year is extra tough considering I've just fallen in love with Dillinger Escape Plan and Liam Wilson's on the list—and just about everyone from Most Precious Blood made the cut! Sigh, what is a girl to do.—Rachel

Oh decisions, decisions. Seeing Radiohead perform live—during a thunderstorm—was one of the best concert experiences I've ever had, and their veggie-powered lead singer Thom Yorke played no small role in that. I think I will give him my much-coveted vote this year to return the favor. As for the ladies—I was just about to pull the lever for the ever-entertaining Ellen, but that was before I saw that Olivia Wilde (aka Dr. Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on "House") is VEGAN! With her in the running it's clear that nobody else stands a chance, but if she inspires the next generation of TV viewers and fictional doctors to join her in not eating animals it'll all be worth it. Like musical chairs with too many chairs—everybody wins!—Ryan

For the ladies, my vote is with Shannon Elizabeth. I know what you're thinking—I just like her name—well, you're wrong! Shannon is a great example of a sexy girl who still brings the laughs. Does anyone remember "American Pie"? Not to mention, Shannon is an advocate for shelter animals, and I can't think of anything sexier than compassion! For the men, it's a toss up. I want to say Morrissey, but that would be really cliché because I'm the token girl with a Smiths tattoo. While I will always have an undying love for Moz, my real vote is with the man who wrote a little song called "Clavicle" about yours truly (HA, I WISH!), Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio. Oh, I feel so creepy, but it's a good creepy. A really, really, really good creepy.—Shan

My picks for this year's winners are Carrie Underwood and Mos Def. I recently saw Carrie perform on TV, and her body's insane (plus I gotta rep for all the country fans out there)! As for Mos Def, he's one funny mofo. And nothing's sexier than a guy who can make you laugh. Did I mention I can't wait for his new album to drop next month!?!—Tiffany

So who will it be? The poll closes at the end of May so you had better get voting if you want your favorite sexy veg celebs to be crowned this year's winners!

Our Chat with Simon Cowell May 14, 2009

Posted by Patricia at May 14, 2009 5:39 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 7 ) | TrackBack
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If you're like me and pretty much everyone else in the country, you're gearing up for next week's American Idol season finale. I have a feeling it's gonna be super close so I won't even try to predict a winner.

Anyway, we recently chatted with our good friend Simon Cowell, who may be tough on singers but is a big softie when it comes to animals. He's anti-fur, promotes spaying and neutering, and even recorded a TV PSA to remind everyone why dogs should never be left in cars in warm weather.

Simon had so many great things to say that I'm not going to waste any more of your time, I'll just let you get right to his interview.

Do you think it's important to adopt a dog or cat rather than buying one from a pet store?
Well, I mean, if I was buying a dog, I wouldn't buy it from a pet shop, I'd go to a rescue shelter. Or I'd go to a friend who couldn't take care. ... It's not where the dog came from, it's the dog. ... I get really annoyed when people start telling me about the make and the model of their dog like [for] a car. ... A dog is a dog, no matter what background they've got. ... Often, the mutts, the strays have got more personality than a highly bred pedigree.

Why do you think some people are obsessed with buying purebred dogs? They are plagued with physical issues, and some breeds are so popular that folks can't tell their own dogs apart from their neighbors' dogs.
Well, I think the fashion accessory thing has become quite the thing here. You've got the rap and pop stars carrying around the highly bred dogs .... They think it'd be embarrassing to be seen carrying a mutt ... when actually it would be endearing—people would think they cared more about the dog than their image. The other thing which is a problem, as you know, is they'll make movies about, you know, Chihuahuas, and thousands of people will go out and buy Chihuahuas like in the movie.

Right. And we're concerned that the same thing might happen now with the first family. What do you think about their Portuguese water dog?
I think we've got to be balanced on this. I think—on a positive note, I think it's nice that they have made an issue of buying a dog for the kids. What I think would be great would be if they also took in a shelter dog, just from anywhere, to balance it. I'll even pay for the dog food!

The Westminster and Crufts dog shows are always controversial because they promote purebred animals when so many mutts are dying in animal shelters. What do you think of these shows?
Well, again, I have two thoughts about them, because I think the vast majority of people who go and watch something like Crufts or who are involved are animal lovers, not animal haters. The problem (in the U.K. at least) is that we have elitism in the dog world, which does bother me, for who's to say what makes the perfect dog? The fact that these judges are saying that a bulldog who can't breathe properly is the proper way to breed a dog—that's just insane! Because, in their warped minds, that's what a dog should look like. I've got a show called Britain's Got Talent, where we have crazy dog acts, and I like those dog shows better. The dogs are having a blast, obviously having a great time.

We see a lot of dogs chained outside like bicycles, for life. What is your message to people who do that?
That's disgraceful. The awful thing about what that person doesn't realize is that in the dog's mind, as he's being chained up ... that dog has put his trust in the person who's chaining him. That dog would give up his life nine times out of 10 for the person who's chaining him up. ... For a dog, under those circumstances, just to be left alone, starving to death, lonely and thirsty, is about as low as a person can go. You've got to have a really warped, disgusting personality to want to do something like that. That really disgusts me.

What makes you angriest when someone is cruel to an animal?
I think the fact that they get an enjoyment out of it. I think the disrespect—a dog's sole purpose in life is to guard you, and it's your responsibility, and the dog will give up his life for you—would literally die for you—is unbelievable! It shows a really ... like Michael Vick. He should never, ever be publicly supported again. Ever. If people really knew the gory details of what he was doing .... They think it was just a dogfight, but what do you do after the fights? The way they kill the maimed dogs ....

Right. And it came out last winter that Vick even threw his family pets into the fighting ring.
That's not a human being—that's a sadist.

As you know, your image is posted on our mobile spay-and-neuter clinic, which rides around in low-income, rural areas of Virginia and North Carolina. People cheer when they see you on the van, and they bring their dogs out for their vaccinations. Thank you for that. Can you send some words to people who are having a hard time putting food on the table about why they shouldn't forget their dogs in these tough economic times?
Well, I think that a life is a life, and I totally respect the fact that it's very easy for pampered celebrities like me to lecture, and sometimes I despise people like me because we don't do enough. But I can tell you that if you give an animal kindness, it will come back to you a thousand times over. ... You get so much out of it, I cannot tell you. And for us, certainly, I am always willing to do—if I can help you financially, I will do that. If you need a donation anytime, we'll set it up straight away. Never hesitate calling me about that.

Did you know that several of your American Idol graduates have gone on to help animals? Carrie Underwood, Reuben Studdard, and Kellie Pickler are, for example, all vegetarians and are all on PETA's "sexiest vegetarian" list. If you know someone is good with animals, does that make you more inclined to be kind to them after they perform?
Well, funny enough, there's normally something that connects me to them. Certainly with Carrie, the second she walked in, I sensed a real kindness about her, and I think it's part of her appeal. And to me, it just shows that you're a nicer person. So I'm not surprised to hear all of that, to be honest with you. I'll do more to encourage it. We'll put it on the questionnaire!

Kellie Pickler Goes Vegetarian for the Animals! October 29, 2008

Posted by Patricia at October 29, 2008 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBack
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Taking a cue from her pal, fellow country superstar and former Sexiest Vegetarian Alive, Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler has stopped eating animals! Oh, and we had a little part to play in her decision, too, dontcha know.

The former American Idol contestant, red-hot country sensation, and reformed rare steak lover recently told People Magazine that she first decided to give up meat for health reasons, but then one night she was randomly Googling (which always leads to cool finds!) and came across one of Pamela Anderson's TV ads, which lead her to our many videos. Our wonderful Pam strikes again!

"One night I couldn't sleep and I was up just Googling random stuff and I'm like, 'Hmmm, PETA.' I saw all the videos and I just thought it was horrible. It's animal cruelty. A lot of it has to do with knowing what happens to the animals and it really bothered me and so I will not eat meat."

It's been five months and Kellie, who says she used to eat rare steak all of the time, is not looking back. And with good friends like Carrie for support, we see a long, healthy, meat-free future for Kellie, who incidentally is getting my vote for World's Sexiest Vegetarian of 2009!

xox
Patricia

P.S. Which peta2 video has had the biggest impact on you or someone you know, and why? Comment below—we love hearing from you!