Ricky Gervias Named PETA’s Person of the Year
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Movies, Kind Acts, Features,
Ricky Gervais has been named PETA's Person of the Year.
Animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) - has bestowed its annual honor upon the British comedian for his staunch support of animal welfare on his humorous Twitter account, which is followed by over five million loyal fans.
"Ricky Gervais makes sure that animals have their say, tweet, growl or roar on Twitter. He finds humor in most things, but cruelty to animals isn't one of them. As he says himself, 'Animals are not here for us to do as we please with. We are not their superiors, we are their equals. We are their family. Be kind to them,'" PETA's managing director Ingrid E. Newkirk said in a statement.
The 52-year-old star is a well-documented animal lover, often sharing funny pictures of furry creatures such as cats and dogs with his followers, and he has also used his considerable social media influence to promote the ethical treatment of animals. In one tongue-in-cheek tweet, the comic wrote, "We should free laboratory animals and only test cosmetics on internet trolls. They'd get the attention they crave and they'd look nicer."
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Ricky Gervais Isn’t Worried About Popularity
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Movies, Television,
The 50-year-old comedian - who is famed for his cutting remarks to celebrities while hosting the Golden Globes and his use of offensive terms - does not want to be a "national treasure" and will not tone down his work so he can be more popular.
"There's only so many nods and winks you can do to reassure people. I can't go round doing anodyne comedy and trying to become a national treasure. Nothing bores me more. I don't lose sleep over being popular; I lose sleep over knowing I did something wrong. And I don't think I've done anything wrong. I like dealing with original subjects, taboo subjects, misunderstood subjects. I like to take the audience to places it hasn't been before."
Despite sticking to his feelings on comedy, Ricky does admit he may come "unstuck" one day if he pushes things too far: "I'm not a politician, I'm trying to make people laugh. But I want them to laugh at things I find funny. I know I might come unstuck. I look at it in quite a Darwinian way: I'm going to do exactly what I want, and see if I survive."