nj / CC

If you're a New Yorker, you've definitely heard about the fare hikes and service cuts that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) just approved in their 2009 budget. You may have also heard about the man arrested for attempting to mimic the Bush shoe-throwing incident with MTA chief Elliot Sander as a target. People aren't happy about the changes, and that's why PETA is ready to step in and offer our services—no shoes necessary! We propose that the MTA begin advertising over the loudspeakers between subway stops, and we'll even be the first customers. PETA's ads would feature the voices of pro-vegetarian advocates Casey Affleck, Kevin Nealon, and Forrest Whitaker.

Listen to the three PSA's now:
Forest Whitaker
Casey Affleck
Kevin Nealon

Casey Affleck's testimonial on why he's a vegetarian would be the perfect way to increase revenue for the MTA! I know I'd like to hear the voice of a sexy vegetarian like Casey on my morning commute. And hey, it might even encourage them to do something about the speaker quality while they're at it. Can anyone actually understand what they're saying?

Side note: Research shows that vegetarians actually have stronger immune systems than meat eaters, which is always a plus when you're smushed into a little subway car with a hundred coughing strangers. Hopefully, the MTA will consider our offer, for the sake of animals, commuters, and the $2 MetroCard.

Posted by Lianne Turner

Honestly, I’m a sucker for pretty much any crime drama. As long as there’s gunplay, a car chase or two, and maybe a bit of double-crossing, I’ll watch the damn thing. But from everything I’ve seen, Gone Baby Gone looks like it’s a cut above. The reviews have been stellar, and all indications are that this is going to be something special.

I mention all this because Gone Baby Gone (which comes out today) is set to establish my boy Casey Affleck as one of Hollywood’s elite leading men, and the value of having someone as well-spoken, thoughtful, and passionate about animal rights as he is in the public eye is pretty much inestimable. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the video Casey made for us about why he’s vegan. There are no car chases or anything, but it’s extremely compelling stuff.

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In a bizarre move for a network that prides itself on shocking viewers, Fox Television’s New York affiliate has banned a paid PETA ad—narrated by Ocean’s 13 star Casey Affleck—despite the fact that the ad has been accepted to run on other networks in Los Angeles and in Affleck’s hometown of Boston. We wanted to run the ad during none other than Gordon Ramsay’s Hell’s Kitchen in a bid to show his viewers what happens to animals before they’re turned into ingredients in his kitchen.

Remember when this version of the ad was rejected a couple of months ago for being too graphic? Well, since then, we’ve toned down the factory farm and slaughter scenes in a big way, which worked in LA and Boston. Could the Fox rejection in New York have anything to do with this PETA UK protest of Ramsay’s promotion of horse meat?

Hey, I say if the animal-hating Ramsay gets an hour to promote ways to slice and dice animals, viewers deserve at least 30 seconds of the animals’ side of the story. Here’s the toned down version so you can judge for yourself . . .

And on a lighter note, yes, I will be first in line for the 9 o’clock showing of Ocean’s 13 tonight . . .

Casey Affleck is the man. Love his acting, love his attitude, love his beautiful wife, love everything about the guy. And since the indie flick Lonesome Jim and blockbusters Ocean’s 11 and 12 are a few of my favorite movies ever, I was psyched to hear that he’d shot a new “Veg Testimonial” ad for PETA.

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We loved the ad so much we wanted to run it all over the place including Casey’s hometown of Boston, but the networks weren’t having it. First, we tried to show Food Network viewers what happens to animals before they’re fried, filleted, and fricasseed on TV, but advertising execs didn’t have the stomach for it. Then we went for E!, MTV, the TVGuide Channel and all eight broadcast stations in Boston. Ad execs said the scenes of animals in factory farms and slaughterhouses as Affleck explains why he is a vegetarian were “too graphic.” Whatever. It is 2007 after all, so we can get as much mileage out of the ad online as we could on TV anyway.

Check out the full feature, including an interview with Casey on the set, where he says, “When people ask me why I don’t eat meat or any other animal products, I say, ‘Because they’re unhealthy, and they’re the product of a violent and inhumane industry,’” Did I just hear an “amen” from the choir or what? I told you he was awesome.

Anyway, we’ll all be hearing a lot more from my boy in the next few months. He’s already wrapped on Ocean’s Thirteen, as well as his brother Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Gone, Baby, Gone, and personally, I’m most excited to see him in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford with Brad Pitt. He’s got a big year coming up . . .