Voting is going on right now (yes, NOW!) to decide which man and woman will be crowned PETA’s Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity of 2008 (Oprah not an option)!!!  HUGE news here.  Here’s your chance to tell the world which vegetarians really rev your biodiesel engine.  From the website:

Being “green,” living healthy, embracing compassion, and looking fabulous are all the rage in Tinseltown right now, and more and more celebrities are figuring out that the best way to make all these things a part of their daily lives is to go vegetarian!

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I woke up today and checked Google Trends and was quite surprised to see the name of a folk singer that I quite enjoy in the top 10. I was a little worried that he had died - but then realized that unless it was murder, not enough folks know about Devendra Barnhart to care if he actually died (or care enough to make the top 10 Google searches).I looked at the stories surrounding him and soon realized he was dating Natalie Portman and pictures were on the internet…

It’s a little sad to me that folks only care about who he is because he’s dating Natalie Portman.

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Check out People.com for actress Natalie Portman’s 30-second public-service announcement encouraging people to get out and vote. In the video Portman says “voting is our most powerful weapon.”

Right on Natalie!

Portman’s non-partisan PSA focuses on the importance of participating in the democratic process. In conjunction with the new documentary Chicago 10, about protesters at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, the PSA directs viewers to our site, Takepart.com. So and join Takepart’s network and voice your political views and concerns on the forum.

Following Time Magazine’s look at whether movies can make a difference, The New York Times Magazine explored the power of celebrity this Sunday. In their “money issue” they look at how celebrities can be essential in non-profits and other organizations getting money to help their causes:

In 2004, Natalie Portman, then a 22-year-old fresh from college, went to Capitol Hill to talk to Congress on behalf of the Foundation for International Community Assistance, or Finca, a microfinance organization for which she served as “ambassador.” She found herself wondering what she was doing there, but her colleagues assured her: “We got the meetings because of you.” For lawmakers, Natalie Portman was not simply a young woman — she was the beautiful Padmé from “Star Wars.” “And I was like, ‘That seems totally nuts to me,’ ” Portman told me recently. It’s the way it works, I guess. I’m not particularly proud that in our country I can get a meeting with a representative more easily than the head of a nonprofit can.” [NY TIMES]

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Natalie Portman, actress extraordinare and vegan fashionista, can add more points to the cookie jar from me for being a supporter of one of my favorite social action organizations - Kiva! Kiva and GOOD Magazine hosted an event in NYC this week for over 350 people to bring awareness to Kiva’s mission to link up micro-lenders with micro-borrowers. They were joined by Portman, Adam Baruchowitz from Heeb Magazine, and documentary filmmaker Lee Hirsch.

Check out GOOD Magazine’s article about the event here, and to find out how to become a micro-lender for Kiva.

The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Don’t miss these excellent posts on some very engaging and thoughtful topics - from going green at the office to Julian Beever to dystopian film telling us to take action now. Check out our most popular articles of the week on a variety of subjects, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Katoucha’s Body Found: Model Helped African Women Escape Mutiliation

Julian Beever Brings Art to New Orleans Sidewalks

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Nicole:

Heath Ledger Nick Drake Video for “Black Eyed Dog” Hits Web

Top 10 Ways to Go Green in the Office

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Giulia:

Crate & Barrel Goes Green

The Black Comedy Project

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Gina:

Top 10 Dystopian Future Films Telling Us to Take Action Now

Going to “The Edge of Heaven” with Fatih Akin

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Kerry:

Sustainable Songstrees Sue West’s Rural Revival

No Impact Home A Hit At Ecobuild Exhibition

There is an entire genre of film out there that examines the darker side of humanity and what the future looks like if that darker side continues to thrive. It seems to me that these films offer us a great opportunity to turn a negative into a positive and thus I present you with the Top 10 Dystopian Future Films Telling Us to Act Now!

The films below are the best of the dystopian bunch, each one offering us a great cinema experience as well as insight on how to make the world better today!

1. Metropolis : My # 1 dystopian adventure is also the oldest. Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent, Metropolis, is about a society in 2026 (so soon!) that is split is two, with the rich living above ground and the workers below. When one of the elite goes underground, he falls in love and those above use technology to keep their delicate class system in order. The story’s simple and the messages it provides are abundant.

So & give a home (above ground ) to those who need it.

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Natalie Portman’s starting the new year off on the right foot by launching a line of vegan footwear in collaboration with Té Casan. The shoes will be available for pre-order on January 15th, and 5% of profits will go to charity. Natalie, a vegetarian, is what you might call a closet vegan; though she doesn’t adhere to a vegan diet, the actress won’t wear clothes or accessories made of leather.