True Blood’s

Moyer recently sat down with the New Zealand Herald to talk about his new network mini-series Ice — which takes place in the year 2020 as the world is being ravaged by the effects of climate change and the dawn of a new ice age. Picture New York City being threatened by massive icebergs and you get the picture. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Has playing this part altered your views of climate change at all?
I’ve been aware of it for quite a long time. Once you’ve got children you start thinking about what they’re going to live with, and their children once you’ve gone, and so I suppose, if anything, it’s just cemented my views in looking after everything.

In what ways do you look after the earth then? Do you recycle?
Yeah, I’m pretty obsessive about it actually and I have been for quite a while in a very boring way. I think what we need to do is be more exciting about our recycling because I think everyone thinks of it as a chore instead of something that is possibly saving the world.

For True Blood fans, you’ll be happy to hear that Moyer leaves for the States this week to start filming the third season of the hit HBO series. Check out the full interview here.

- Quite a loaded quote (pun totally intended) by Aerosmith’s Joe Perry in Outdoor Living magazine. Here at Razz we are definitely NOT fans of hunting, but what are your thoughts? Do you think hunting your meat is more responsible than getting it from a slaughterhouse, or is killing, killing. Voice your opinion and be heard!

America’s Best Dance Crew’s Layla Kayleigh is sick of cosmetic companies testing on animals and she wants you to know about it. That’s why the television star has teamed up with PETA for a sexy, new advertisement.  Kayleigh says “It really takes such a small thing to make such big impact, you know, and I feel like the more people get involved, the more it can make a difference.” To learn how you can make a difference visit CaringConsumer.com!

I’m not an omnivore, I just play one on TV.

At least that’s the case for True Blood actress Michelle Forbes who plays evil lady Maryann Forbes on the hit show.

Forbes recently sat down with BlackBookMag.com to discuss her character, her diet and her personal belief system. She said:

“I do believe that she’s a character that’s all about perspective. If you think that this is an immortal being. She’s been around since the beginning of time. She’s lived in certain periods of our humanity, where there were people who would sit and watch other men tear each other apart for sport. Children were sacrificed. It’s not unheard of in history. In her mind, she’s seen it all. I think what’s great about the storyline is that it challenges our belief system. You and I can sit here in 2009 and say it’s outrageous that someone would sacrifice humans. My belief system, as a vegetarian, can’t believe that animals are being sacrificed. I stand by that in Maryann’s mind, there’s nothing malevolent. She has a different way of looking at the world.”

We’re pretty big True Blood fans here at the Razz and happy to see that all those human hearts Maryanne eats are probably soy-based. What CAN’T you do with mock meat?

Check out the whole interview at BlackBookMag.com.

First we had her discussing her naked gardening tendencies this morning — and now we have a few more quotes from her interview in the September issue of Health magazine. The 32-year-old actress chats up her vegan lifestyle, the possibility of kids (next year?), and why a plant-based diet will make you feel more “juicy”.  Some highlights:

On her new book “The Kind Diet”, and how choosing the right foods can help you feel more sensuous:

“You can hear your needs and desires more clearly. You’re just more juicy—there’s just this lightness that happens. …Once you’re informed, then you can be really gentle and kind to yourself, but giving yourself all the fights life has to offer – like mental clarity and vitality – all while making the planet better”

On some gardening advice for Michelle Obama:

“Compost, for sure. We have a badass compost. I bought a baby bag of worms eight years ago and put it in the compost, and now there are bazillions of them. And it’s like the dirt is so delicious, you could eat it!”

On her vegan diet being a lifestyle:

“It’s weird to be 32 now and feel and look younger… Right after I first made the switch to a plant-based diet, people were literally telling me, ‘What have you done? You’re sparkling.’”

To read the full interview, jump here.

Paul Watson, the famed captain of the Sea Shepherd Society, recently sat down with Treehugger Radio and gave a really great interview. We encourage you to hit the entire conversation here, but below are some highlights:

How the public’s reactions to Sea Shepherd’s actions affect the group:

“Well, we’re really not too concerned about what people think about us because our clients happen to be whales and sharks and sea turtles and fish. So you know, we do what we do, and people either like it, or they don’t like it. They either like it passionately or they dislike us intensely. What we do out there is simply go out and intervene against illegal activities. We aren’t a protest group. What we are is an interventionist group. And we’ve never hurt anybody, but we’re quite aggressive.”

On the legality (or lack thereof) of the Japanese whale hunts:

“The Japanese say that they kill whales for scientific research, but nobody buys that argument. In fact, last month, New Scientist magazine rejected their science, saying that it had no validity. It’s all a commercial meat market—it’s all for sushi restaurants in Japan. A very small percentage of Japanese people eat it, but that’s enough to have a market. It brings in, if they’re successful, about $250-300 million a year. And we’ve managed to negate those profits for the last three years.”

On Sea Shepherd being labeled a “terrorist group” by some:

“We’re an extremely non-violent organization—33 years without causing a single injury, without sustaining any injuries, without being convicted of a crime. We’re not terrorists, we’re not criminals. Those are just labels. In fact, it doesn’t matter whether you’re saving whales or running for President of the United States these days, if people don’t like you they’re going to call you a terrorist. It’s become the most favored catch phrase of all time.”

For the full two-page interview, jump here.

Putting aside the fact that Brad Pitt isn’t even eligible to run for Mayor of New Orleans (you must be a resident for five years, he’s got almost four under his belt), a growing chorus of supporters nevertheless have been campaigning on the actor’s behalf; going so far as to even sell an incredible amount of “Brad Pitt for Mayor” tees.

During an interview with media-buddy Ann Curry on NBC’s Today show — which took place in one of the green homes the actor built through his Make It Right org — Pitt put the rumors to rest after the reporter asked him if he would serve as acting Mayor if called upon.

“Yeah, yeah,” he joked.

But then Pitt went on to say that his liberal stance would most likely be his undoing — despite the fact that he’s been one of the main drivers of rebuilding in New Orleans’ especially hard-hit Lower-9th Ward. “I’m running on the gay marriage, no religion, legalization and taxation of marijuana platform,” Brad said. “I don’t have a chance!”

When pressed by Ann, Brad said again. “I don’t have a chance,” he explained. “It’s not what I do best.”

Truly a platform I can get behind. Now where do I get one of those t-shirts? Check out the full video below:

Rachael Leigh Cook

The actress sported eco-friendly fashions for the cover and is looking forward to her new compost heap at home.

About being green she says “It’s the right thing to do. I’m consistently surprised to see people who want to tempt fate with their beliefs about the myth of global warming. That’s really terrifying to me. So I think I have to overcompensate for some people who aren’t with the program.”

One major highlight of the trip was getting a chance to sit down with vegan superstar Ginnifer Goodwin.

As many of you might remember, just a few months back we gave Ginnifer a spot on our Top 5 Vegan Celebrities of 2009 list…and man does she deserve it. Brimming with passion and full of lively energy, Ginnifer is truly a warrior for the cause.

Check out the interview below and see why we’re proud to call her one of our favs!

Ecorazzi: I know that you’re a new vegan. I’d love to hear about what inspired you to choose this lifestyle.

Ginnifer Goodwin: Well the seed was planted in 2007 when my beloved, healthy dog Scout was tragically killed by my vet. This was, of course, deemed an accident even though I had plenty of proof that malpractice had occurred. So I hired the most esteemed lawyer specializing in animal rights that I could find. We really just hoped that by making the veterinarian take responsibility we could establish some sort of standards so that nothing like this ever happened again.

But it’s funny, that experience really wasn’t what caused me to make the connection. It was something much smaller.

A year later I was pouring milk in my coffee and all of a sudden I actually took in what it was I was drinking and I was truly disgusted. Then I started to think about all the things I ate, wore and used in my life that I had NEVER educated myself about.

I always had this romantic idea that animals were raised like how they were on my grandmother’s farm growing up. Basically I was just really, really uneducated and very naive about how animals are treated in our society. So I decided it was time that I should learn about what I was contributing to. If I didn’t need those foods to be healthy than I didn’t see why I should be taking lives away.

I started studying nutrition and found out that we really don’t need animal products to be healthy and that it’s extremely easy to find alternatives. In talking with friends and family I’ve noticed that what most people believe about nutrition comes from some kind of social conditioning and not from actually having read the research.

And while I was reading about healthy foods, I learned about factory farming and just knew right then that there would never be a day when I would support any of those industries again.

E: You mentioned talking to your friends and family about veganism, which oddly enough was the topic of my next question. How have people reacted to your new lifestyle?

GG: I’ve gotten mixed responses. First let me say that two of my four parents have actually gone vegan, which I think is shocking and out of character for traditional southern parents. But they saw the impact it had on my life and it just sort of happened.

For the most part I only talk about veganism when I’m invited to because I believe that it’s such a strong personal choice. I feel like it’s more effective to introduce people to this lifestyle when they can set the pace about what they want to learn. So I wait until people ask me questions. I do find that there are people who, when I say I’m vegan, automatically assume that I think I’m superior or more compassionate than they are. And I find an immediate judgment from them. With those people I’ve noticed that just by saying I’m vegan can lead to a knee-jerk justification on their part. Sometimes I’ve had a reaction like, “ Oh you don’t eat animal products? You know that broccoli screams, right?”

For the most part the biggest thing people say is, “ Oh my God! That would be so hard! How do you do it?” That reaction is really what propelled me into trying to learn more about activism and how to become a better activist. Because I feel like it’s sort of the biggest myth about this lifestyle. I’ve only found the opposite. It really is truly one of the easiest things I’ve ever done, especially in 2009 when we have so many options out there. I guess I found that eliminating all the cruelty in my life was not only easy, but also very practical and reasonable.

There are a lot of myths that this lifestyle is a struggle, but it’s actually very cool and I think we just need a few people out there going, “Yeah, this is really cool and it’s really easy.” That’s what motivated me into action.

E: I know you’ve mentioned before about your love of Riblets. Is there another vegan product out there that you can’t get enough of?

GG: Have you tried the Daiya cheese?

E: Umm…it’s AMAZING!

GG: I’m obsessed! I got some recently and ate it on everything. Like I’m probably eating dangerous quantities of it. You should probably never eat one thing to this extend! Oh, and I have to say that I’m also very excited about Gardein.

[Editor note: They served Gardein at the TAFA Conference and it was, for lack of a better word, incredible!]

E: Now I always end with the same question for all the famous vegetarians I interview. If you had the chance to meet one person who you’ve found specifically instrumental in the vegetarian community – dead or alive, past or present – who would it be and why?

GG: I have to say that the person who’s inspired me the most is the person who’s responsible for me aligning myself so closely with the Humane Society. I could listen to and read all day the words of Wayne Pacelle. Anyone who listens to Wayne, no matter where they stand on the issues, has no choice but to respect the reasonable and practical ways he wants to change the world. They’re very attainable. He’s always clear and his tactics are never punishing. I really respect that he’s not trying to use the Humane Society as a way to make the whole world live like him. He is just trying to make the world better for animals. And I find the way he goes about it to be just very classy and respectful.

A big thank you to Ginnifer Goodwin for taking time out of her busy schedule to sit down and chat with us! To learn more about the work that continues to inspire Ginnifer, visit HSUS.org! And don’t forget to tune into Big Love every week on HBO.

Interestingly, she doesn’t talk at all about the entertainment industry, which is a shame. The good side is that it suggests that all of her incredible work has made it clear that she’s a strong, knowledgeable voice for the environment and not “just a celebrity.”

Check out the full article at Politico.com.

Photo credit: PR Photos