Lea Michele Poses With Ponies and Bieber Smiles for PETA

Much like American Idol this season, PETA seems to be aiming to impress Beliebers and Gleeks. And why not? It seems that teens are where it’s at. Just take True Grit‘s Hailee Steinfeld, the adorable teen who showed up on the Golden Globes red carpet this past Sunday looking delicious in a prim but fresh Prabal Gurung number. (Rumor has it she’s up for the role of Katniss Everdeen in the silver screen adaptation of The Hunger Games—dream casting I support wholeheartedly.) She was standing not-so-far from the Biebs himself, who was hawking his biographical concert film, Never Say Never. The two presented the award for Best Animated Film, a coupling that prompted Toy Story 3‘s director to muse, “Were you two even born when the first Toy Story came out?”

Point. But a bit of gossip to segue. Allegedly, post-audition on the Paramount lot, Miss Steinfeld approached Lea Michele (who was dressed in Rachel Berry regalia) and timidly offered her salutations. Only to be snubbed by the Glee goddess herself! Eeps! Not the first time Lea has been accused of diva-like behavior. Seems like someone’s sourpuss is in need of a PR coup.

Which is why her second PETA ad comes at an opportune time. Posing with a white horse, Michele looks serene and lovely, like a perfect Disney princess. A tinge out of character, so what’s the deal? Equus revival? (Nah, DanRad is moving on to How to Succeed in a Business Without Really Trying! Have you seen him sing the periodic table? That HP’s a doozy.)

Apparently, Michele is against those horse-drawn carriages in Central Park. In a video (below) for the pet-friendly org, Michele is seen crying on cue, with images of the horse’s too-tight stalls in the background. She says the stalls aren’t kept clean and they’re too small to sleep in, which means that even after a long workday these critters sleep standing! I always thought those rides were romantic, but nothing kills the mood like a pony in pain. Take a peek. At least she’s milking it for an excellent cause.

Trim This Tree

After watching the Glee Christmas special Tuesday night, I’d love to say, “Baby, it’s cold outside!” The awesome twosome known as Kurt and Blaine—have we come up with any Brangelina or Bennifer name for these two yet?—made my heart grow three sizes with their rendition. But alas! Just like in Gleeville, Ohio, it’s unseasonably warm in the City.

"Say, what's in this drink?"

Speaking of warm places, let’s talk Cali for a sec. Surfer Nation, if Mother Nature’s snowless Christmases have you in a funk, forgetting to remind you to pick up your holiday plant of choice, allow me to suggest renting a tree. The fine people over at The Living Christmas Co. have come up with the fab concept of potted Christmas trees (yes, it’s been done before, but not without so pretty a website to lure you in!). Inspired by the number of trees taken from California for Christmas each year, these dudes brought together tree tenders and delivery boys to bring you the Blue Cedar of your caroling dreams—with the agreement that you’ll give it back come King’s Day. This way, the tree can go back in the ground, patiently waiting for the next Charlie Brown to give it a holiday home.

Presumably for parents, this means less pine needles all over your carpet, trampled over numerous times by those monkeys you call your kids, since these trees stay alive—so fresh, so fine. California gets to keep its trees and your vacuum gets to take a break—everyone wins!

Yuletime Tidings to All, The Green Gamine

Lea Michele Would Rather Strip For Gentlemen

Terry Richardson/GQ

I love this picture of Lea Michele and Dianna Agron. Much more than the now-infamous GQ cover shot of the Glee stars (eh, cliché much?). Only slightly more than the stampede of Louboutin stilettos the songstresses sport throughout the rest of the racy shoot with Terry Richardson. Lea’s hot pink heels on the cover are scrumptious.

Particularly, I love the expression on Lea’s face. It screams, quite literally, “Eat this, Streisand! That Funny Girl revival is MINE!” However, in the midst of all that tomfoolery, she perhaps forgot the statement she released following her tame shoot for PETA, the anti-fur organization also infamous for its near-naked ads of starlets—in the name of activism, of course.

The sometimes wide-eyed starlet, who loves to flaunt herself as a long-distance monogamist and a lover of red velvet vegan cupcakes, scoffed at the sexy shots and said, “I don’t know how they got me to do half the stuff I did!” She best be covering her tracks, considering that just months before she rather piously told the press, “I don’t think we need to see a billboard of me naked to know I am anti-fur.

Although I agree with the girl—I mean, we all get the metaphor, but does a gorge woman in her skivvies real embody the anti-fur sentiment best?—it seems a little hypocritical to then bare it all to fulfill the fantasies of rumored pedo/perv Richardson, who shot these girls in an overused school setting in the name of…what exactly? At least PETA has a purpose.

Then again, this stunt is kind of in keeping with Lea’s two-faced overachiever, Rachel Berry, on Glee. Perhaps this was the former Broadway star’s tiptoe into method acting. Or TPTB are casting a revival of Jekyll and Hyde, reinvented with a female lead. Damn, I just did a 180 and convinced myself that this was a skillful move on Lea’s part. You’re a sly fox, Berry.

Do you think the shots are racy? Fitting (they do play high school students, after all)? Blasé, like me? And what of Lea’s PETA ad? Sex sells, sweetie. If you’re going to unbutton up, do it for our furry friends.

XO, The Green Gamine