Al Gore has done it.

The former Vice-President passed the one million mark in Twitter followers earlier this morning; placing him in such fine company as Ashton Kutcher, Oprah, John Mayer, and Britney Spears.

Gore was in a sprint to the finish against none other than gossip blogger Perez Hilton — who, as of this writing, was about 11,000 away from a million. The regularly reserved tweeter, Gore broke out with “So close to 1,000,000 followers. Help put me over the top.” last night and then gushed “Wow 1,000,000 followers, thank you.” after reaching the milestone. We’re expecting the next tweet to be something like “@PerezHilton, how do u like them apples beyotch?”

Congrats to @algore! If you would like to help propel us to .010% of Gore’s following, please jump here to drfit with Ecorazzi through the Twitterverse.

Back in late November, we bemoaned Al Gore’s lack of Twitter updates compared to the massive following he had with just over 22,000 people. Since then, his popularity has absolutely exploded — rising to over 183,000 followers with only 12 updates. That’s about 23,000 followers per update since November!

The people are flocking, but they’re obviously not along for the ride because the former Vice-President has a lot to say!

This meteoric rise in popularity places Gore in the Top Ten on Twitter — alongside such folks as Britney Spears, Barack Obama, and The NY Times.

As I said before, I really hope Gore takes advantage of this massive following to point out green ideas, products, websites, or initiatives. I’m not expecting him to Tweet everyday, but such power in the social networking world can definitely be used for good!

(You can follow Ecorazzi’s twitter page — and help us reach Gore’s number by the time we’re 90 — here.)

You might remember earlier this year when PETA and the HSUS got a bit angry at Britney Spears after she used real animals in her music video Circus. Well good news, ya’ll. The Circus tour will be totally animal-free.

In an ”EXCLUSIVE: STAGE DESIGN ANNOUNCEMENT,” Brit’s tour designer said: 

“We’ve taken the idea of a traditional ‘big-top circus’ and given it a Britney Spears twist. This circus is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. It’s sexy, fun, explosive, and full of surprises. … While avoiding such traditional circus elements as live animals, we’ve created something innovative and exciting using contortionists, dancers, lighting, fire, and other special effects.”

Good deal! So are you more inclined to see Brit-Brit’s new tour now that it will be animal-free? Chime in and share your thoughts!!

“In order to force elephants to perform silly tricks like those in the music video, trainers shock the animals with electric prods or gouge sharp, steel-tipped bull hooks into the most sensitive parts of the elephants’ bodies,” PETA’s press release reads. They then went on to single out the trainers of the elephants saying,”Gary and Kari Johnson … have gone so far as to defend the use of cruel electric prods on elephants.”

Now, the Johnsons are fighting back — insisting that not only do they care deeply about the welfare of their animals, but that an American Humane Association rep was on hand to ensure such treatment. From the article,

“My husband, Gary, and I do indeed have a long history with elephants. Our love of and infatuation with elephants started for both of us in our teens, 37 years ago. To say we care about elephant welfare is an understatement,” Kari Johnson wrote in a statement to MTV News. “Have Trunk Will Travel has never issued a written endorsement, nor does it condone using electrical devices to discipline and control elephants except in situations where elephant or human safety is at risk. PETA very conveniently used a sentence out of context from a USDA request for public comments regarding policies on elephants in 2000.”

“The American Humane Association monitors animal action in film and television. A representative was on the set of the Britney Spears ‘Circus’ video with our elephants, Tai and Kitty, to ensure their safety and welfare,” Johnson wrote. “Britney, the director, producers and the entire crew were respectful of the elephants’ needs and comfort and a pleasure to work with.”

“As Britney is such a victim of the paparazzi and always complaining and crying about how she hates to be held up in her guarded house and can’t feel free, she of all people should be able to relate to the horror that captive animals go through when they’re used for entertainment… Animals are ripped away from their mothers at a young age, kept in chains, and prodded with electric shock devices to make them perform. That doesn’t sound so voluntary to me.”

But there’s more! PETA has set up an online form that lets people write to Britney (care of her manager, Larry Rudolph), urging the star to leave animals out of her future music videos, concerts, television performances, and promotions. Will Brit Brit listen? Only time will tell!!

To share your thoughts with Britney, visit PETA’s website.

Earlier this month, Ecorazzi examined Britney Spears’ new music video — in which she used live elephants and lions — and projected that PETA might have a few choice words for the starlet.

No word from PETA yet, but last week President of the Humane Society of the United States, Wayne Pacelle published a blog addressing the issue. In the post, Pacelle says:

“Yesterday, blog reader Teri Travis brought a related issue to my attention—the use of elephants and lions in Britney Spears’ new video for her single “Circus.” If it’s extremely difficult to meet the needs of elephants and other wild animals in zoos, it’s impossible in entertainment, with the methods used to train animals and the cramped quarters they have when traveling and on location. We understand Britney Spears is embarking on a circus-themed tour in March that may include animals. We have seen time and time again dangerous wild animals attack human performers and audience members—even trained professionals like Roy Horn. We urge Britney Spears not to use wild animals for her own safety, the safety of her crew and audience, as well as for the sake of the animals.”

Check out the whole entry on the HSUS website! And don’t forget to always, always, always avoid entertainment that makes its money by exploiting animals. Fingers crossed that Brit will calm down her animalistic tendencies.

It goes without saying that PETA is not a fan of the circus. We’ve seen PSAs from the animal rights organization with celebrities like Lena Headey and Steve-O — as well as ad campaigns featuring Bollywood stars. So, as I found myself somehow watching Britney Spears’ new ‘Circus’ video this morning, I couldn’t help but visualize PETA ready to pounce.

As one would expect, the video features Brit with a whip getting all sexed up in the center ring of the big top — with dancers, fireworks, lions, and elephants all dancing around. I’m pretty sure these weren’t the animatronic elephants PETA wanted to donate to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus awhile back. From PETA’s anti-circuses site:

“The fact is, animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade.”

I’ve rarely seen PETA sqaunder an opportunity to educate people through pop culture events — so it will be surprising if we don’t see some kind of tie-in with Brit’s latest release. Jump here to check out the video for yourself.

We said goodbye to Paul Newman, who passed away at the age of 83 on Saturday. (The above photo is of Newman and Mario Andretti in 2004.)

If forced to go on an all-liquid blood diet, a revealing 38% of you would choose to drain humans over forest critters or artificial sources. Of course, we suspect our wording of “Republican humans” probably had more to do with it.

The Leo Rumor Mill went into overdrive. Not only is DiCaprio potentially hooking up with Matthew Modine and Ed Begley Jr. on a green conference for Hollywood, but he may also follow up to his documentary The 11th Hour with a new eco-film. His rumored partner? None other business mogul T. Boone Pickens.

Britney Spears encouraged folks to buy a semi-nude painting of herself for charity, while Philip Seymour Hoffman decided that the best way to bike is while smoking.

The battle against Armani’s broken promise to PETA and decision to include fur in his fall collection heated up. The animal rights org added Gillian Anderson to the team and sent a letter to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes urging them not to dress Suri in Armani’s dead animal skins.

Stephen Spielberg joined Brad Pitt in donating $100K to fight Proposition 8; which seeks to ban gay marriage in California and overturn the earlier Supreme Court ruling.

87% of you agreed that there is no place for fur in sustainable fashion — or anywhere for that matter. The vote came in response to a Japanese designer who dubbed her fall collection of fur-trimmed capes and boleros as “Eco Harmony”. Eek!

Robert De Niro’s popular sushi restaurant Nobu decided to give people the option of ordering endangered fish — rather than just remove it from the menu.

Heather Mills quieted critics (for now) by spending time cooking up a vegan BBQ for kids and donating $1 million in veggie food products to the children of Hunts Point in the South Bronx.

Photo credit: Trevor Kent/INFGoff.com

-Britney Spears talking about her new protein-filled diet to OK Magazine. Doctor Atkins would be so proud.

Looking quite well, smiling for photographers, and mingling with other celebrities, she attended the Generation Rescue benefit fundraiser.

Generation Rescue follows a mission to “continue to discover and share the truth with families about the potential cause of their child’s Neurological Disorders so they can focus on effective treatments.”

The event was hosted by Jim Carrey and girlfriend, Jenny McCarthy.

Other celebrities to attend include Hugh Hefner, Holly Madison and his other two girlfriends, as well as Charlie Sheen and his wife, Brooke Mueller.

To read more and view pictures, visit celebrity-gossip.net