ecorazzi.com :: the latest in green gossip

June 9th 2009

Ecorazzi Announces Our Top 5 Vegan Celebrities Of 2009

Filed under: animals, food & drink, green and famous — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 3:19 pm

I’m not gonna lie — vegan celebrities are probably on my mind a bit more than the average person. It just sort of comes with the job. 

I often find myself turning to friends in movies and whispering, “Pssst…notice in that scene how (insert vegan celebrity) didn’t really eat that sandwich. Yeah, it’s totally cause he’s VEG.”  Or I’ll see a well-known vegan artist on the cover of a magazine and manically skim the article for any words that start with the letter “v.” The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.   

Yesterday while walking home from a swanky event, I found myself trying to come up with the Top 5 Vegan Celebrities of 2009. Within a few minutes I made my picks and had already asked my Facebook friends (ps. why aren’t we Facebook friends?) to weigh in. And so, for your reading enjoyment, here are Ecorazzi’s Top 5 Vegan Celebrities of 2009!

Counting down…

  Click here to find out the winners!

April 14th 2009

Razzi Snap: DWTS Gilles Marini To Add Heat To Universal’s Eco Fair

Filed under: donations, green and famous, honors — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 4:15 pm

Attention ladies: If you plan on attending Universal Studio’s “Eco-Fair” this coming Sunday and feel a little flushed, don’t blame it on Global Warming. Chances are, Dancing with the Stars’ front runner Gilles Marini is the culprit. The actor will will sign autographs, greet fans and maybe shake it a bit when he makes a special guest appearance at Universal Studios Hollywood’s free Eco-Fair on Sunday, April 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Besides drooling over Marini, guests can also take rides on electric bicycles, discover how an engine-less SUV can zoom to astonishing speeds and see just how quickly cookies bake in a solar powered oven.

Ellen DeGeneres is cleaning our her closet and throwing the stuff up on eBay — with all the money raised going towards the Humane Society of the United States. “I’m auctioning off a bunch of clothes on eBay that I’ve worn on my show or to awards shows,” she writes. “Twenty-five items each week. If you’re the winning bidder, you could actually have the shirt that I wore when Chris Matthews groped me. Or, the outfit I wore when I won an Emmy. I’m even gonna ask celebrity guests to donate things too. I want you to have the shirt off my back…and it’s all for a great cause.” [Read more...]

The youth division of PETA has honored Miley Cyrus with a Compassionate Citizen Award for adopting one of the birds that featured in her new film Hannah Montana: The Movie, and making sure the other poultry co-stars found good homes as well. “Miley’s heart is as big as her smile,” said PETA’s Dan Shannon. “We hope that her act of compassion will inspire her fans to be kind to animals too.”[Read more...]

April 5th 2009

The HSUS 23rd Genesis Awards: Stars Come Out to Support Ending the Canadian Seal Hunt

Our exclusive video interviews from the event coming next week...

Filed under: animals, events: la, honors — anna @ 9:38 am

In true HSUS style, the stars shone brightly at the 23rd Genesis Awards last week in Beverly Hills. Dedicated to ending the Canadian Seal Hunt, the GAs also presented the Wyler Award to Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, for their leadership in making news on behalf of animals. The award, named after Genesis Awards founder and former Broadway headliner Gretchen Wyler, has previously been awarded to Hayden Panettiere and Sir Paul McCartney.

The usual suspects were out in full force and included Razz faves Constance Marie, who having recently given birth to a baby girl, couldn’t help but extol the virtues of veganism; the oh-so-beautiful Emily Deschanel; James Cromwell, Wendie Malick; Jennifer Coolidge; Esai Morales; Corey Feldman; and Jillian Reynolds, who reminded us to get our dogs from shelters and not pet stores. Other celebs lending their support included Gabrielle Anwar, Matt Grant, Joe Mantegna, and Victoria Stilwell.

Gorgeous ANTM judge, Nigel Barker, made hearts flutter as he strolled the red carpet, but was all business when it came to ending the Canadian Seal Hunt. “I’ve always been interested in marine biology so the Humane Society approached me last year to take over the Save the Seals Campaign from Sir Paul McCartney, and I’m very happy to do that.” And by the way, he LOVES the Razz!

Oakland Raiders star, Jarrod Cooper, was emphatic about animal shelters and volunteering. When asked if he was going to become a spokesman, Jarrod replied, “Well I’m thinking about just beating people up who don’t spay and neuter their dogs!” And that he would also be the first to whoop Michael Vick’s behind when he got out of jail! He was joking, of course!

Michael Vartan is also an impassioned supporter, especially against the atrocities committed in China. “In 2009 it absolutely shocks me that we haven’t gone to that next level in human consciousness. Events like this really help.” Heather Mills (who despite recent media reports is not the spokesperson for a new vegetarian menu at Burger King) has actively used her celebrity to campaign against the skinning of dogs and cats in China, and has just had the ban supported and passed by 27 countries. Way to go, Heather — and Burger King, if you’re listening, she’s open to the idea!

March 31st 2009

Joaquin Phoenix Narrates New Audiobook Version Of “Earthlings”

Filed under: animals, film-tv, movies — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 9:49 am

Much has been said about Earthlings — the stunning documentary about how dependent human beings are on animals. Ellen DeGeneres credits the film with making her go vegan, but acknowledges, “I don’t know if people will actually sit through it, but if they could, it would be amazing. It’s hard to watch.”

Obviously, there’s a great deal of graphic visuals showing animals suffering — something that’s deterred many from taking a look. It’s the unfortunate reality for some that ignorance is bliss — and Earthlings does an amazing job of pulling back the curtain on day-to-day practices that some people would rather not know about.

In an effort to reach out to those who might want to hear the message, but not necessarily see the images, the producers have released a new audiobook of the film adapted from the original feature-length film. It’s once more narrated by Joaquin Phoenix and features music by Moby. “Releasing Earthlings as an audiobook allows us to present this sensitive issue in a way that educates its audience without alienating or overwhelming them,” said Earthlings executive producer Babak Cyrus Razi. “We understand that the film’s shocking images are not suited for all viewers, so the audiobook is ideal for anyone who has been hesitant to see the film, or as a way for animal activists or pet owners to introduce their friends and family to animal rights, vegan lifestyles and the exploitation of animals for profit.”

Want to grab it? The audiobook is available for immediate download at the official site for $13.97 or preorder a two-CD set for $19.99. Alternatively, check out our recent interview with Earthlings director Shaun Monson here.

March 21st 2009

Portia De Rossi Apologizes For Marrying Ellen DeGeneres

Filed under: campaigns, video — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 8:06 pm

On Jimmy Kimmel Live last night, Portia De Rossi appeared in a humorous mock-PSA apologizing to all those she has offended by falling in love and marrying Ellen DeGeneres. The clip focuses on some ridiculous Prop 8 supporters (including a poor Labrador pup) and comes as the California Supreme Court is in the midst of deciding the future of gay marriage in the state. Check it out below:

March 17th 2009

Ellen DeGeneres And Portia de Rossi To Be Future Farmers?

Filed under: animals, buildings and construction, cars-houses — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 4:25 pm

Like other celebrities before them, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have dreams to leave the hustle and bustle of LA and retire to a quiet farm life.

In a recent interview, de Rossi was asked what she and her wife might do once the camera stop rolling. “It’s our dream that we’ll end up in a sweet country town on a farm,” she said. “I love horses and riding and love animals and Ellen loves animals,” she says. “It would be lovely for us. It’s what we’re going to do when we’re not working anymore.”

“I’d rank my career as a good, healthy third of my life,” she added. “It’s important, and without this third, I wouldn’t feel whole. But it’s not important for me to be engaged in it 12 months of the year. I need to find my projects and I need to feel like I’m being challenged and I need to feel creative. But when this is over, I’ll be just as happy to ride my horses and paint.”

Source

March 16th 2009

Exclusive: HSUS President Wayne Pacelle Gears Up For Star-Studded Genesis Awards

Filed under: animals, ecorazzi exclusive, events, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 10:42 am

You don’t have to be one of the 10 million members of the Humane Society of the United States to recognize the name Wayne Pacelle — the President and CEO of the nation’s largest animal organization.

Under Pacelle’s direction, the HSUS has achieved massive victories for animals throughout the world and will celebrate some of those triumphs on March 28th at the 23rd annual Genesis Awards. Ecorazzi recently had the chance to sit down with El Presidente and pick his brain. Check out the interview below! 

Ecorazzi: You’ve been involved with the HSUS for 15 years. How did you first become interested in animal welfare issues?

Wayne Pacelle: You know I think I was genetically programmed to advocate for animals. It was always a very powerful emotional feeling that we should not misuse our power in our relationship with other animals. I never imagined it as a profession, but my volunteer work led to employment and here I am at the HSUS and it’s a real privilege to be able to work for the nation’s largest animal protection group.

E: The HSUS just announced that JCPenney agreed to go fur-free. Tell me about how your organization played a part in that.

WP: We did a major set of investigations into some really troubling aspects of the fur industry. One was we looked in China and found that millions of dogs and cats were being killed for their fur and it was finding it’s way into fur trim. So that decreased confidence in fur trim. A lot of people had thought, “No big deal it’s just a little bit of fur,” but when we brought up that dog and cat fur was being used it suddenly became much more radioactive from a moral perspective.

Then we also did an investigation into the killing of these Raccoon Dogs – which are canine type wild animals that are used in fur production in China as well as Finland and some other countries. We saw some really inhumane killing methods and brought that to the attention of JCPenney and other major retailers. I really think that information was decisive in JCPenney deciding to forgo the use of fur.

Click here to continue reading Ecorazzi’s exclusive interview with Wayne Pacelle!

February 24th 2009

House Star Olivia Wilde Is TOTALLY VEGAN!!!

Filed under: green and famous — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 12:39 pm

Ellen DeGeneres (one of my all time favorite vegans) recently welcomed House star Oliva Wilde to her show and discussed something we here at Ecorazzi simply love…veganism!!

On the show, Wilde chatted about Prop 2, being a princess and competitive eating. 

You see Oliva is one hell of a competitive eater and once ate 33 pancakes in 20 minutes. I’m sorry…WHAT??? In fact, Olivia challenged Ellen to a vegan eating contest, to which Ellen said:

“But you fill up more with vegan stuff, don’t you find? So you can’t eat as much.”

Check out the whole interview below and welcome Olivia to the VEG club! We’re thrilled to have you, chica!!

via: vegetarianstar.com

February 11th 2009

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi To Be Honored By HSUS

Filed under: animals, campaigns, honors — Michael Andre d'Estries @ 2:03 pm

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi will be honored at the he Humane Society of the United States’ 23rd Genesis Awards for their efforts on behalf of animals!

The duo, who have been active on the vegan scene — as well as their incredible support for Proposition 2, will receive The Wyler Award, one of The Humane Society of the United States’ most prestigious honors. The honor is bestowed to a celebrity or public figure who has made news on behalf of animals, and is named after the late Genesis Awards founder Gretchen Wyler, the Broadway headliner and animal activist. From the release,

“Ellen and Portia stand up for their beliefs, and they have had a major impact in spreading the message about animal protection,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States. “They had a particularly significant role in helping to pass Proposition 2, and they helped make the case to the people of California and to the rest of the nation that all animals deserve humane treatment, including animals raised for food.”

The host of her own hit talk show, the multi-Emmy-winning The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Ellen has used her distinctive comic and compassionate voice to raise awareness of many issues of humanitarian, environmental and animal welfare concern. Portia, who shares those values, has appeared in many socially significant TV series, including FX’s Nip/Tuck, Fox’s Arrested Development and Ally McBeal, and she will soon be seen in ABC’s Better Off Ted.

Past honorees of this award have included Sir Paul McCartney and Hayden Panettiere. Congrats to the two of them on the honor — and we applaud their work on behalf of animal welfare and legislation.

The Genesis Awards take place on Saturday, March 28, 2009. For more information on the event, jump here.

Photo: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi at the 35th Annual People’s Choice Awards, January 7, 2009. Credit: PR Photos

February 6th 2009

The Green Quote: Ellen DeGeneres Continues To Speak Out On Veganism

Filed under: food & drink, interviews — Michael Parrish DuDell @ 11:35 am

“We eat really clean. I stopped eating meat first, and when I stopped earting dairy – which was hard, because I loved cheese - I lost the most weight. I eat a lot of vegetables. I saw the cages in a disturbing documentary Earthlings, and could no longer participate. We love animals.”

- Ellen DeGeneres continuing to speak out on why both herself and Portia de Rossi went vegan. Obviously we are beyond excited to have Ellen and Portia on Team VEG and pumped that she’s promoting one of our favorite documentaries, Earthlings! Welcome to the club, you guys!

via: timesoftheinternet.com
photo credit: prphotos.com