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!

As we’ve mentioned before, the film features the dramatic reading of letters and documents written by various characters in America’s history, both known and unknown, but the readings are performed by familiar faces like Josh Brolin, Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen, Morgan Freeman, Rosario Dawson and Marisa Tomei, among many others. The film also features a variety of musical performances including Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Jackson Browne and John Legend.

Damon has taken on the task of reading the Declaration of Independence. How does he plan to make it interesting? “You just read it,” the actor-writer-producer told a panel audience yesterday. “Seriously. It is an incredible document. I think people either forget about it or have been taught it too early in their lives. It’s a document worth reading and rereading every single year because it’s the principles in that document that we should be loyal to and fight for and struggle for, rather than whichever government is in power.”

Damon does so much good work internationally, and it’s terrific to see him come home and gather people to together to tell these important stories.

The film will air on The History Channel later this year so in the meantime check out ThePeopleSpeak.com. It’s hard not be moved by Zinn’s vision of democracy in America brought to life.

Photo: PR Photos

Some green Hollywood celebrities are jumping on board a new campaign from the Environmental Media Association to help introduce organic gardening in LA schools. According to the EMA, the organization and Yes To Inc. will directly support a number of school gardens through funding and celebrity mentoring from members of EMA’s Young Hollywood Board.

“I grew up with community gardens in my neighborhood, so I know how important they can be for kids. I am very excited to be supporting the Environmental Media Association’s new project to support organic gardens in LA schools,” EMA Board Member Rosario Dawson told Access Hollywood.

The actress will be joined by Amy Smart, Nicole Richie, Maroon 5, Lance Bass, Matthew Rhys, Olivia Wilde and Maria Menounos. “Organic gardens are so important, especially in urban areas where many students would otherwise never see any greenery,” Bass, 30, told PEOPLE. “I hope that the Environmental Media Association’s support will help them to grow and flourish in Los Angeles.”

School have been on the receiving end of a number of green projects this year — including Global Green’s “Green Schools Initiative“. Great to see young people getting involved in organic projects like this one.

When people think of the word “hybrid”, for most, the Toyota Prius is the first image that pops into their heads. No other eco car has become more a symbol of the modern day green movement — and Hollywood has been a large part of that success. As discussed previously, Toyota made a very wise move by approaching celebrities and getting them into the vehicle before others. Now, with the 2010 next-generation version of the car, they’re hoping for a repeat blockbuster. All they need are some high-profile actors and actresses behind the wheel.

So while the Academy Awards may not be all flashy green this year, Toyota is hoping that eco-concious celebs will hit the red carpet — and introduce the world — to its new incarnation of the iconic hybrid. It’s teamed up with Econation — a company that provides green alternatives to taxis, limos and buses — to chauffeur folks to the red carpet this Sunday. A press release yesterday hinted that such names as Tom Hanks, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rosario Dawson, and Adrien Grenier may be participants.

We’ve no doubt that DiCaprio will choose some form of green transportation. He’s probably the most consistent in going this route for awards shows and other events. For the Golden Globes, he arrived in a black Prius; likewise, at the opening of a new Armani store in NYC this week, he took a hybrid limousine.

Of course, the Prius won’t be the only option available for green Hollywood. Luxury car-maker Audi is loaning some of its new diesel-powered Q7 TDIs to select nominees as well.

All will be revealed on Oscar night — so stay tuned to the Razz as we keep an eye on arrivals this Sunday!

Woody Harrelson, showing a sweetness we haven’t seen from him in years, plays an unflappable seller of frozen steaks. (The movie has a strong vegetarian agenda: Harrelson’s character doesn’t eat his own product, Dawson’s eats no meat at all, and the word “vegan” is prominently shown behind Smith on a hospital chalkboard.)

Subliminal veggie messages in a movie that deals with life-or-death choices? Interesting angle. Check out a clip from the movie after the jump — where we see that even Rosario Dawson’s character’s dog is vegetarian!

Last night, celebs rolled up in hybrid cars and wore eco-friendly fashion down the red carpet at the 18th annual Environmental Media Awards. Some of the stars seen at the Ebell Theatre included Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Rosario Dawson, Nicole Richie, Joel Madden, Lance Bass, Maria Bello, Amy Smart and Wilmer Valderrama.

Actress Amy Smart, who was dressed in a lovely eco-friendly black gown, says she’s been inspired to go green in her own life. “Once we all realized that there’s been so much destruction and pollution — especially once Al Gore came out with An Inconvenient Truth, and then realizing that the last 8 years, the Bush administration hasn’t done anything about it — it’s now become everyone’s responsibility. I don’t care how much money you make, I don’t care where you live — it’s really easy to be green. You can find products at grocery stores everywhere, now.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus talked about her hybrid car, the solar panels she has installed in her home and her happiness over the outcome of the election. “I think we all know now that the environmental movement is here to stay. And that global warming is real. And I’m so thrilled that we have president elect Barack Obama who does believe that global warming is a true issue,” she said.

It’s awesome how so many celebrities are realizing how much power they have to inspire people to do the right thing. As former N-Syncer Lance Bass told USA Today, they feel like they have a responsibility to take action because the world is watching.

Indeed, we are watching – and proud to see how much good is being done!

Photo credit: Jessica Jacobs

Rosario Dawson

Here’s how it works: simply logon to TripAdvisor.com/Causes and vote on which organization you’d like to support. On November 9th, your votes will be tallied and the million smackers will be split between Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children.

Also, make sure you visit YouTube.com/TripAdvisor to watch what Rosario Dawson has to say about the More Than Footprints campaign.

Talk about commitment — she is turning down acting roles after her latest film finishes shooting to focus on the Fall push for voter awareness. It’s not like she isn’t getting good offers either. She’ll be starring in Eagle Eye with Shia LaBoeuf and Seven Pounds with the blockbuster-king himself, Will Smith.

If you’re not registered yet, visit Voto Latino right now to register…Right now.

via: celebitchy.com

We love green bag thursday — mainly because we’ve never had one before. Nevertheless, we feel you can’t have too many eco-friendly reuseable bags just waiting to be forgotten in the back of you car. So, we’ve teamed up with ASOLUT to hook up two lucky readers with Rosario Dawson’s inspired green design. The bag is a partnership between ABSOLUT and the the Environmental Media Association to raise funds and bring awareness on climate change. You can find out more information on the campaign here.

What do you have to do to win? Well first, you have to be 21 to enter. Second, just leave a comment on the different ways you’ve avoided using plastic bags in your life. Winners will be chosen at random. Good luck!

[UPDATE] We have our winners! Erin and Rebecca were both randomly selected. If you aren’t one of these two, don’t worry — we have another great contest brewing behind the scenes. Thanks for the awesome comments!