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So Necessary: 55K Crocodile skin backpack from the Olsen Twins. Yes.  »

This edition of So Necessary is brought to you by the Olsen twins. This backpack the two young women just unveiled is priced at $55,000 and made from the skin of Nile crocodiles. How rude indeed. 

It may surprise you to hear that animals bred specifically to be skinned for accessories aren’t generally treated very humanely. Shocker, I know. But need a reminder? I have one for you (warning: this gets the coveted graphic as fuck rating):

Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com!

For those not watching the movie—and I don’t blame you—it’s the usual stuff: torture, animals being skinned alive, blatant cruelty and inhumanity. But obvi this bag is totes worth it. And I didn’t even address the prescription meds decorating it. How completely out-of-the-box! No really, it’s truly, truly outrageous. Good job Olsens, I dub thee scumbags. 

Via Ecorazzi

The Vegansaurus Top 15 vegan celebrities!  »

LA Weekly just posted their top 10 vegan celebrities, which got me wondering why they should have all the fun. As many of you pointed out, a few of those celebs aren’t even vegan anymore (Alec and Olivia, I’m looking at you.) So … drum roll, please … we at Vegansaurus have put together our own top 10 list, only it contains 15 of our favorite vegan celebs! What do you think? Does this make you love us more? Hate us? Feel nothing? Ha! I bet you can’t stop reading anyway!

In no particular order (I’m very sensitive myself and do not want these beautiful specimens of veganism to feel jilted), I present you with…THE VEGANSAURUS TOP 15 VEGAN CELEBRITIES! 

The first two are the winners of a little poll we conducted around the first of year, asking you about your favorite vegan musicians. You guys went totally bonkers for


1. Moby! This guy has been vegan for what feels like forever, which roughly translates to about 18 years. He’s co-owned a vegan cafe and co-written a book, all the while working as a recording artist, hot dang! I went to a BBQ he hosted at SXSW last year, which was pretty fantastic, and maybe one of my favorite meals from 2011. Keep doing you, Moby; keep doing you. 

2. Ted Leo! Now, don’t get upset, but I don’t know much about this guy. That doesn’t matter, however, because you, our lovely readers, LOVE this guy. You couldn’t hold back your devotion in our poll! Please, feel free to school me about Ted Leo in the comments, I will not mind. According to this interview, he loves Millennium (holla!). Maybe us S.F.-dwellers will run into him there. Jealous?

And now for our picks:

3. Bill Clinton! Need I say more? The Vegan Fox (formerly Slick Willy, right?) is on Team Vegan, hurrah!

4. Fiona Apple! Angst sounds so sweet mixed with a vegan diet. My Tumblr and Twitter feeds are still filled with people going nuts about her new album, and that dropped like four months ago! Has anyone seen one of her epic onstage meltdowns? I’m not hating—I have epic meltdowns every day of my life, as witnessed by my friends, family, roommates and co-workers.

5. Alicia Silverstone. She videotaped herself feeding her kid like a goddamn bird, which grossed out pretty much everyone who saw it. I still shudder, thinking about it. In other news, she loves Food For Lovers queso, wrote a pretty awesome vegan lifestyle book, and STARRED IN CLUELESS (not to mention those Aerosmith videos).

6. Woody Harrelson. Raw vegans tend to be pretty sexy (hey Sarah E. Brown, I’m winking at YOU), and he especially did not disappoint while kicking undead ass in the movie Zombieland! Looks like he even got his hands on some vegan Twinkies for a scene in said movie. HEY WOODY, I MAKE THOSE FOR A LIVING!

7. Tony Kanal, the bassist for No Doubt! This one’s for me and my girl Tashina, the biggest No Doubt fans you may ever meet. Don’t hate, celebrate! Gwen Stefani was just photographed leaving a vegan restaurant in L.A.; maybe that was Tony’s influence? (Though I hear Gavin’s a longtime vegetarian.)

8. Joaquin Phoenix! He narrated Earthlings! He’s totally crazy (by which I mean a crazy-talented actor)! Isa Chandra Moskowitz has made eggrolls for him!

9. Emily Deschanel! She’s so beautiful and articulate, and her penetrating stare scares the shit out of me! She weathered a vegan pregnancy AND LIVED TO TALK ABOUT IT! Take that, everyone who says it’s not possible! Ha!

10. Scott Jurek, because vegan athletes/authors are superstars! Read all about Rachel’s love for Scott here! To quote the post, “Scott Jurek could basically kick your ass any day of the week, including days where he hasn’t slept the night before, has a broken ankle, and already ran 75 miles.” Dang.

11. Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres! They are so great about making veganism look fun and accessible. There is so much to love about this superstar couple and the work they do for animals. Too bad about the restaurant deal falling through, but yay for vegan dog food!

12. Erykah Badu! She’s every vegan jazz musician’s No. 1 crush, or maybe that’s just my old roommate Jeremy. Remember when she busted onto the scene with “On and On” then sent everyone into a flurry  with her video for “Window Seat”? This “Queen of Neo-Soul” is truly an inspiration when it comes to forward thinking politics and raising her vegan family!

13. Alanis Morisette! I had a co-worker at the Chicago Diner who thought the lyrics to You Oughta Know were “… and the cross-eyed bear that you gave to me”. HA! Now you’ll always sing that, instead of the right words, JUST LIKE ME! It’s a curse I bestow on you. Also, Alanis is quite lovely, and wasn’t she great on Weeds? Oh yes, and of course You Can’t Do That on Television!

14. Russell Simmons! Man, do you follow this guy on Twitter? He’s like a guru for people who don’t believe in gurus (me)! And seriously, wasn’t the best part of Kimora Lee Simmons’ show when he came on and moderated the crazy? Our Megan is always covering Russell’s vegan moves here on Vegansaurus, so I’ll just direct you to one of my favorite posts of hers, also featuring Martha Stewart! Keep giving us your vegan recipes, Russell! Keep giving us your wisdom!

15. Thom Yorke! OBVIOUSLY, right?! Most everyone’s favorite band has been Radiohead at some point, hasn’t it? He ate at Café Gratitude once, when I was working in the Central Kitchen of Scandal. Everyone went nuts, as to be expected. I’m never around when the celebs come to the restaurants I work at and it’s not fair, because I just love them so much! Actually, scratch that—M.C. Hammer came into Source recently (and I didn’t recognize him without his signature pants).

Honorable Mention:

Brad Pitt! I was shocked to find out he’s vegan. On second thought, it made sense. He would just quietly be vegan, helping to rebuild New Orleans, raising a family, and avoiding Jennifer Aniston’s rabid fan base of haters.

Guest Post: R&B superstar Usher is eating vegan! And he wants Justin Bieber to join him!  »

It’s always a big deal when someone famous comes out of the vegan closet. Us normal, everyday vegans celebrate it, and our omnivorous friends think, “Hey, maybe they aren’t so weird after all.” Maybe that last part isn’t always true but we all know we’re the LESS weird ones. And our count just went up by one, as Usher Raymond IV announced he is maintaining a vegan diet. My first thoughts? “Yeah!” [Ed. note: That’s the jam].

I have a sneaking suspicion that he and his 18-pack abs will still be gyrating under unzipped leather coats for the foreseeable future, but a small victory is a small victory. Usher saying he eats vegan has led to speculation that he’s getting his main man Justin Bieber to also gravitate to a plant-based diet, so he’ll have more energy fighting off 12-year-old girls in international airports. The Biebs going vegan will be huge for P.R. in the pro-vegan community, especially when accounting for the 8-to-14-year-old girl demographic. If I see a flock of Bielibers running toward a chrome Fisker in the parking lot of Native Foods Cafe, you bet your animal-loving ass I’m going to ask for a high five. I just better not have to wait any longer for my reuben.

There is more than handful of famous vegans. It’s tough to say who is in it for moral reasons and who just claims it as they get out of a Prius on the red carpet. Natalie Portman for example, isn’t all vegan all the time. But we beggars can’t be choosers, I guess. If veganism gets a little shine here and there from a celebrity trying to better their lives, who am I to complain? We got Billy Clinton to look as good as ever since his vegan transition. I was contemplating buying women’s underwear Wednesday night just so I could throw some at the TV. Lucky for the rest of us dudes, Usher can’t get any prettier. Right?

Let’s hope that Ursher’s selling skills are as good as his sit-up skills and we can mark down more artists in the famous-V column. He reportedly feels great and “loves” eating out at fancy New York city restaurants. Not the best-ringing endorsement to potential or on-the-fence vegans, since people of all diets can eat out in fancy New York restaurants. But we’ll take it! Hopefully Usher will make a Billboard chart-topping single where he serenades an unsuspecting woman on where he gets his protein. I’ll buy that record.

Andrew E. Irons is a blogger from Long Beach, Calif. He co-created and contributes to Rhode Island-based hip-hop website The Echo Chamber Blog under the pseudonym Verbal Spacey. You can track his daily diatribes by following him on Twitter.

Guest Post: Rosie O’Donnell Announces She’s Vegan On Twitter!  »

For those of you living in the middle of nowhere Arizona eating raw vegan food, meditating and not checking Twitter on your phone every ten minutes, I feel you: I lived that way for a couple years! I assume your main source of information is Vegansaurus, so we’ll just break it down for you: the awe-inspiring Rosie O’Donnell recently suffered a heart attack and has since gone vegan! 

Yesterday Rosie O’Donnell tweeted:  ”nine days later - nine pounds lost - eating a plant based diet #likebillclintonhttp://pic.twitter.com/8ItILfpl.

Some debate ensued as to whether she really was outing herself as vegan. I tweeted the news that she was vegan and a few people chirped that she’s not. I apologized for the misinformation, and, lo and behold, @Rosie tweeted me:

@Rosie: @QueerVeganFood - yes i am

The vegan-lesbian tribe is getting so full these days! Yay! Since coming out as vegan, Rosie has received a barrage of vegan-positive tweets, Facebook posts, and messages across the far reaches of the Internets. Let’s keep spreading the veggie love and supporting her heart-healthy journey to an ethical, plant-based diet!

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

Please welcome new vegans Michelle Pfeiffer and Larry Hagman!  »

I’m on the celebrity beat this week because your regular vegan celebrity news correspondent is on vacation, like a fancy lady! Come back soon, Jenny! Come back soon so I don’t confuse Sharon Stone with Michelle Pfeiffer again, like an idiot.

So, celebrity news: First, Sharon Stone Michelle Pfeiffer announced last week on CNN that a CNN program, “The Last Heart Attack,” and reading a book called Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease, inspired her to adopt a vegan diet because she doesn’t want to die of heart disease related to the consumption of animal products. This is like how I’ve started intermittent standing at my desk because I don’t want to die of sitting. Stars, they’re just like us! Ms. Sharon Stone Michelle Pfeiffer says she’s also working on getting her husband, David E. Kelley, to eat vegan as well, which shouldn’t be too hard. Who could say not to that glorious creature?

Next, Larry Hagman turned to a vegan diet after being diagnosed with cancer last year; he says he’s now cancer-free, and healthy enough to work again, reprising his role as J.R. Ewing on TNT’s new Dallas. Which means nothing to me, as a person who grew up in a General Hospital household, but some people are excited about/dubious of/irritated by this thing. Larry here has said that he plans to eat fish and eggs again, which is too bad, but eliminating milk is a big and good deal. Cow’s milk is a terrible, harmful industry! Stay off the teat, Larry.

We’re always happy to have new members of team vegan. OK, maybe not jerks, but observing a vegan diet can mitigate from general personal awfulness. The point is, famous people going vegan, hooray! Welcome to the club, celebrities! We promise not to ask for your autograph (unless you want us to), and to share our vegan secrets. Now, what are you bringing to the potluck?

[Michelle Pfeiffer photo by JeremyChristopher via Flickr; Paris Match covers via Patrick Peccatte]

Check out this cake! Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s the vegan carrot cake that Pink bought to celebrate her daughter’s first birthday! Vegan baked goods, for the win! That is some beautiful handiwork, from Jamaica’s Cakes in Los Angeles.

Join our team, Pink! You know I’ve been saving you a seat for awhile now, starting with when you called Kayne out, not once, but twice, for being a total fucking idiot.

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor go vegan! Let’s hope it sticks!   »

In news that I know you are all anxiously awaiting, another celebrity couple tries out veganism! This time, it’s Zoolander and Melody from Hey Dude! Just kidding you guys, I don’t seriously live in a world where actors are the characters they play. (Yes I do.)

Christine Taylor talks all about the transition here. Regarding her kids, she says they are having a harder time with the switch, and explains “My daughter loves veggies but doesn’t love fruit. My son loves fruit and doesn’t love veggies.” That’s so funny, because you know who else like veggies but doesn’t like fruit? Sarah! I just don’t get it. I even love the kind of fruit that everyone has a problem with—berries with little seeds! All the fruit for me, all the time! (except papaya, I don’t like that one. [Ed. note: WORD.])

Christine Taylor is also the spokesperson for Nourish body care products. I looked into Nourish, and it sounds like an awesome company—vegan and organic! I saw that the products are sold at Whole Foods, so I hopped, skipped, and jumped on over to the store across the street in search of body lotion. Sadly, the Upper Haight Whole Foods only carries Nourish body wash, and I prefer bar soap. Lavender mint lotion, you will be mine—I bet it’s at Rainbow!

xoxo,
Your Vegan Celebrity Correspondent

[photo via Ecorazzi]

Meredith Vieira is vegan because she “didn’t want to be a hypocrite anymore”  »

Meredith Vieira, onetime ringmaster of The View and current Lady About Television, has been vegan for going on two months! Good job, Meredith!

She discussed it on an episode of ABC’s The Chew, which is, um, an eating talk show? D-list celebrities talking with their mouths full? Not entirely sure. But ol’ Meredith was on the May 2 episode, and Mario Batali made her vegan fritto misto, which you can make too thanks to the magic of TV on the internet:

[Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com!]

Ecorazzi brings us the money quote:

I’ve done a lot of stories on the way food is, you know, processed in this country—animals—and it’s very disturbing. And so that was part—I didn’t want to be a hypocrite anymore, and also health reasons.

Our advice to you, Meredith, is to work those celebrity-chef connections and middling star power to eat as deliciously as possible all the time. Show off how well vegans eat, influence some fence-sitters not to be hypocrites, too!

Lady Gaga has a new meat dress; I’m torn between disgust and indifference  »

Yes, this is Lady Gaga’s new meat dress. I find it disgusting but I’m also like, um, it’s no worse than a leather dress. Then again, leather is made of animals but it’s kind of hush-hush; people like to pretend it comes from a tree, whereas this dress is a celebration of killing animals. Then again-again, maybe it’s better to stick it in their faces, like yeah, this is totally gross, but it’s no different than your leather dress.

Those giant meat things around her, those are fake, right? They look fake but I don’t know, meat looks crazy. If they were real, I’d be like eff you to effing hell. 

God! I hate everybody! Why can’t they just stop torturing animals? They get mad AT ME for being vocal about my veganism, and I’m like, OK, what’s something that actually upsets you? How about sex trafficking? What if sex trafficking was in your face every waking hour and everyone you know and love isn’t just compliant, they are standing in a line leading out of the brothel eagerly awaiting their turn. Fuck.