With a name like The Zookeeper you know there’s bound to be trouble!

The film starring Rosario Dawson, Adam Sandler, Cher and Sylvester Stallone has contracted the company Birds & Animals Unlimited to supply their animals for the shoot…and PETA is not happy.

Turns out Birds & Animals Unlimited have received TONS of violations from the USDA and have quite the reputation.

To help mend the situation, PETA has written a letter to the stars of the film saying: “Exotic animals used as involuntary ‘actors’ are routinely subjected to rigorous and abusive training methods to coerce them into performing acts that are stressful, uncomfortable, confusing and even painful.”

The answer: PETA suggests using computer generated imagery. What do you think? Should The Zookeeper take advantage of technology or is using animals for entertainment not a big deal? Speak now or forever hold your peace!

The Animal Rescue Fund has teamed up with Nestlé Purina PetCare Company to bring you the 2009 Celebrity Pet Calendar. The calendar is jam-packed with famous A-listers like Barbara Walters, Adam Sandler and Paige Davis who have all donated their time to help raise money for this great organization.

Calendars will begin shipping the week of October 5th and pre-orders are available RIGHT NOW. So stop by ARF.net and get that special someone in your life a gift that will last all year!

The Giving Back Fund recently released their Giving Back 30 for 2007, a list of the top 30 celebrities who, according to public records, made the largest donations that year. At the top of the list was Oprah Winfrey, who donated a whopping $50,200,000 last year to education, health care and other humanitarian needs.

I know Oprahs’ got her haters (Hello, meat industry! Hello, Roseanne!) but I love the woman (though maybe not her TV show so much…) and I think she really does try to make this world a more sustainable place. She’s one of the most influential people for a good reason, and I think she often uses that position for good causes, too.

Other notables on the list include Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (naturally), Adam Sandler, and… Rush Limbaugh? You can see the whole list here.

Leona Lewis

The Elephant Foundation was started by David Niederhoffer after he watched his grandfather suffer with the disease and decided to take action. To raise money, David has celebrities pose with a stuffed elephant and sign an Elephant Project card which is then auctioned off.  The winner of the auction receives an 8×10 of their chose star, a signed card and the stuffed animal. So far Hollywood hotshots like Zac Efron, Adam Sandler, Julie Andrews, and MANY more have donated their time to help raise over 11,000 dollars for the foundation. 

The Summer 2008 round of Elephant Project auctions began yesterday with five to six auctions going live each day until Sunday, July 27th. So hurry on over to ElephantProject.org and bid, bid, bid! 

via: justjared.com

Joining the actor was Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Alexander, George Lopez, Ray Romano, and Adam Sandler (among others) anteing up the $5,000 entry fee to compete. All of the money raised in the Texas Hold’em tournament will go to Not On Our Watch, which benefits victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan. Said Jason Alexander, ”All the tournaments I’ve ever won have been for charity. When there’s no actual money for me, I’m very good.”

According to sources, Damon exited the tournament early — with Affleck, considered the more seasoned poker player, bowing out later in the day. Organizers ask the two final winners to donate as least half their winnings to Not On Our Watch. Last year, both finalists pledged 100%. 

In other words, now that the precedent has been set, if the final two don’t follow suit they’ll look like insensitive bastards. 

via AP

After an only mildly successful stint as the host of the Oscars, Stewart is putting on his master of ceremonies hat (it’s blue with feathers) once again for the second Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education.

The celebrity infused fundraiser will help raise money for schools and educational programs for autistic children and adults. The last benefit was held in October of 2006 and raised more than $2.6 billion. THAT IS NOT A TYPO PEOPLE!!! 2.6 BILLION!!!!! [Ed note: Actually, that is a typo. $2.6 billion? The sourced article was a bit too generous, though we'd love to believe it true. Actual amount was $2.5 million.]

This year the Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education will take place on April 13th at the Beacon Theater in New York and will also air live on Comedy Central at 8 pm EST. You can expect performances by Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman and Amy Poehler. And appearances by Jonah Hill, Matthew Broderick, Kevin James, Rosie O’Donnell and Susie Essman.

Can’t afford to attend the event live (like me)? Don’t have cable (like me)? No worries! This year you can download the show on iTunes and xBox Live Marketplace for $1.99…with all of the proceeds going to charity, of course.

To find out more about Night of Too Many Stars: An Overbooked Benefit for Autism Education visit ComedyCentral.com. Break a leg, Jon!