People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have fired off a letter to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club yesterday in an effort to try and convince the folks who hold the annual Groundhog Day unveiling of Punxsutawney Phil to use a robotic groundhog instead of the real little groundhog. PETA claims that the groundhog day tradition of putting Punxsutawney Phil on display is cruel:

The animal rights group PETA says Punxsutawney Phil is being badly treated by the crowds and noise at the annual Groundhog Day festival on Feb. 2 and should be replaced with a robotic groundhog . Gemma Vaughan, Animals in Entertainment specialist for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said in a letter to organizers of the annual spectacle in Punxsutawney, PA, that groundhogs, which are normally shy and spend much of their time in burrows, “become stressed when they are exposed to large, screaming crowds; flashing lights from perhaps hundreds of cameras; and human handling.” Vaughan suggests using “animatronic animals” instead. Bill Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, said in response that Phil is “being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania.” He notes that Phil is kept in a climate-controlled environment and is inspected annually by the state Department of Agriculture, the Associated Press reports. Deeley suggests PETA is looking for publicity.

Yes, I would agree that PETA is merely using this opportunity to garner a little publicity for themselves. While I think a robotic groundhog would be pretty cool (especially if it shot lasers from it’s eyeballs), I am pretty certain that Punxsutawney Phil is prolly treated fairly well (tho, it’s disheartening to hear that he may be treated “better than the average child in Pennsylvania”). After the jump, read the full letter sent by PETA calling for the humane creation of an animatronic groundhog …

Fur lover and R&B singer Kelis posted a blogpost on her official MySpace profile this week altering her fans to the fact that she received a critical letter, personally addressed to her, from the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. As you might imagine, PETA took great issue with Kelis‘s penchant for openly wearing and proclaiming her love for fur and decided that she needed a stern talking-to to try and get her to change her ways. Kelis, instead, responded to the PETA letter with an official statement of her own. Here is the full text of Kelis‘s response to PETA regarding her decision to wear animal fur:

Good morning all!

Ok, so you’re gonna love this. The other day I got a personalized letter from PETA! Lol so after some thought I’ve decided to write one back. Goes a little something like this:

There is no humane way to kill anything, let me start there. It’s unfortunate but it’s part of life. With that being said, I would eat pterodactyl if you found some and you told me it was meaty and delicious. And after doing a very minimal amount of research……. I found out that the founder Ingrid Newkirk is completely batty. I had a feeling but she far exceeded my expectations. I mean certifiably insane! Lol this chicks will is nuts, google it – it’s a riot! Beyond the fact that I think she’s a diabetic, which means she needs insulin, which is taken from lab pigs (I know this because my sister happens to be in veterinary school), which would be completely hypocritical. It’s like don’t abuse animals unless it can help me.

I feel very strongly about a lot of things such as the sweatshops that spin cotton and the blood on their hands. Btw it’s not just the look of fur. It’s warm as hell and feels glorious, ever rubbed faux fur on your body? Nothing luxurious about that. Then the letter proceeded to name artist and designers who don’t wear real fur. Great! More for me! I don’t judge them, don’t judge me.

The rest of Kelis‘s letter to PETA continues after the jump …

Bethenny Frankel, one of the stars of Bravo TV‘s The Real Housewives of New York City who ironically is not a housewife at all, is featured in the new anti-fur ad campaign for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Bethenny was on hand to unveil her new poster in NYC in person:

Commuters passing through New York’s Times Square will get a surprising welcome upon seeing a giant billboard plastered with an image of a nude Bethenny Frankel. The “Real Housewives of New York” star bared all for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ newest “I’d Rather go Naked” campaign, in which the reformed fur wearer posed au naturel in front of the Manhattan skyline. Though her slim figure is on display, Frankel was actually pregnant at the time of the September photo shoot shot by celebrity photographer Joseph Cultice atop a luxury high-rise building in the lower East Side. The reality star, now three months pregnant with her first child with fiancé Jason Hoppy, says she changed her fur-wearing ways after encountering a PETA protester holding a “skinned animal.” “It made me sick. I felt disgusting,” she told the animal rights organization. “I’m cleaning out my closets — trim, everything. I’m a really big animal lover. I don’t see any reason for cruelty.” The natural foods chef and reality star, 39, will return for the third season of “Housewives” as well as star in her own upcoming Bravo series.

Bethenny looks good … it’s hard to believe that she is even pregs in this photo. She must’ve been, like, a day pregnant when she posed for this photo. After the jump, check out Bethenny‘s full-size PETA poster which, you can imagine, is semi-NSFW …

Christian Serratos, who plays the bespectacled and mousy Angela in the Twilight films, is featured in a new anti-fur ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In their latest, I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur campaign, Serratos sheds her mousy Twilight image in order to inspire folks to not wear fur … behold:

As one of the stars of the Twilight Saga, Christian Serratos is used to working with vampires and the nonliving—but she would never wear anything dead. Christian strips down for PETA in the name of animals and is telling her fans, “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.” Each year millions of animals are killed for their fur. Rabbits, foxes, minks, dogs, cats, chinchillas, and other animals are bludgeoned, strangled, drowned, poisoned, stomped to death, or electrocuted, or they have their necks broken, all in the name of fashion. Many are even skinned alive. In the wild, animals can suffer for days in steel-jaw traps before they are killed. Animals raised on fur farms spend their whole miserable existence in tiny, wire cages where they are exposed to all weather extremes. Christian, who also posed for PETA’s “Save the Seals” celebrity ad series, told us, “I’ve always been opposed to slaughtering, eating, wearing carcass.” Check out behind-the-scenes footage from Christian’s photo shoot and find out what else she has to say about animal rights.

Um, wow. I had a very hard time recognizing Serratos in this photo. She looks so … different in the Twilight films. After the jump, check out the uncensored NSFW version of this image and watch a short video of Christian Serratos declaring her distaste for animal cruelty …

Jamie Bamber, who plays Lee Apollo Adama in the excellent Sci-Fi Network series Battlestar Galactica, is the latest celeb tapped by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to strip down in support of animal rights. Bamber is featured in PETA‘s new campaign which asserts, Bare Skin NOT Bearskin and showcases Bamber‘s bearlike skin … behold:

If you’re reading this, I’ve managed to pick my jaw up, wipe the drool from my keyboard and actually post this blog. The utterly, utterly gorgeous Jamie Bamber, who plays DS Matt Devlin in the new Apollo in the new ITV1 drama Law and Order, and Battlestar Galactica and is soon to star in upcoming UK series Law and Order, has stripped off for our newest Unbearable Cruelty ad to demand justice for bears. Jamie’s beauty is clearly not only skin deep, as you’ll see in the great interview with the man himself below. Talk about a hunk with a heart! The British actor certainly isn’t afraid of standing up for the Canadian bears who are cruelly shot for the Queen’s guards’ caps – go Jamie! He does, of course, join fellow Battlestar pal Tricia Helfer – aka Six – who starred in our gorgeous ‘Angels for Animals’ ad last year.

Sweet Lord Almighty … Jamie Bamber is one fine lookin’ man. Whether or not you agree with PETA‘s politics, you’ve got to agree that they have MIGHTY FINE taste in spokespeople. MMM, MMM, MMMM. After the jump, watch video of Jamie Bamber speaking out on his support of this new campaign by PETA (in his adorable British accent) …

It would seem that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has not eased up on their crusade against Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen‘s love of wearing fur. The twins are protested against by the animal rights group at public events but it appears that that is no longer enough. The twins’ star (along with that of Sharon Stone) on the Hollywood Walk of Fame has been defaced with the epithet FUR HAGS! … behold:

Stars of actresses Sharon Stone, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen on the Hollywood Walk of Fame have been smudged with the words “FUR HAGS!” by anti-fur campaigners. While Stone’s star, received in November 1995, was smeared with “OLD FUR HAG!”, the actress twins’ shared marker bared the words “FUR HAGS!”, reports the Daily Express. Many other celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Socialite Khloe Kardashian have previously found themselves at the centre of controversies for wearing fur. Activists supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have been on their feet to discourage the use of fur and protest against the torture inflicted on animals under the name of fashion. And it has been commonplace to observe anti-fur demonstrations outside the A-listers’ signings and public appearances.

In addition to referring to the Olsens as Fur Hags, the animal rights group also refers to them as the Trollsen Twins … going so far as to set up a website where folks can play dress up with ghastly cartoon-versions of the girls on the site:

It is NOT absolutely certain that PETA had anything at all to do with the defacement of these stars on the Walk of Fame but, judging by the term FUR HAGS!, it’s likely. At the very least, the grafitti was done by a PETA/animal rights sympathizer … or mebbe just a hater.

[Source, Source]

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were on hand for an in-store booksigning at Borders book store in Westwood, CA last night signing copies of their new book Influence for the waiting throngs of fans. Unfortch for the twins, their fans weren’t the only folks who showed up for last night’s in-store appearance. A group of protesters from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals came out for the event to protest the girls’ love of fur. Here are a couple pics of the Olsens trying to make their getaway and some of the protesters displaying their signs:

Man, PETA is showing no signs that they have any plans to let the Olsen twins off the hook for their love of fur. It’s been a few months since PETA launched their Meet the Trollsen Twins website and it looks like the anti-Olsen campaign is still going strong. I understand that the twins were targeted at their NYC in-store appearance a couple of weeks ago as well. Now, I’m not the biggest fan of the Olsens (well, I’m not much of a fan at all) but even I feel bad that the little munchkins are bearing the brunt of this anti-fur campaign alone. Meh, I’m sure I’ll get over it, tho.

[Photo credit: X17, INFdaily]