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Hollywood – People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Monday announced that it is protesting and calling for a boycott of bisexual MySpace star Tila Tequila’s reality show on MTV, where she will pick a suitor from ten men and ten women. “The exclusion of animals from this show is outrageous and offensive,” said PETA spokesperson Ashley Keighley. “We won’t stand for this bigotry.”
Called “A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila,” the program has drawn huge amounts of controversy since it debuted on MTV in October. Many conservative groups have attacked MTV and Tequila for the program’s casual attitude towards “sexual deviance.”
PETA, however, is the first organization to criticize “A Shot at Love” for being too sexually timid.
“Apparently Ms. Tequila doesn’t mind if she sleeps with a man or woman, younger or older, of any ethnic background,” said Keighley at a press conference. “But you’re telling me she couldn’t find a single dog, cat, sheep, goat, or other member of the animal community potentially worthy of her affection?”
PETA has long criticized broadcast and cable TV networks for underrepresenting animals on TV, noting that while non-humans make up 91% of the nation’s population, they have only 1.5% of all television roles.
“A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila” is the first specific program PETA has gone after, however, Keighley said the group’s concern started when MTV promoted Tequila’s openness to loving “anyone and everyone” and then grew when the group found out two spin-offs are being developed, neither of which will include animals.
“All we’re asking for is one reality show in which animals are considered just as worthy of love as publicity seeking reality show whores,” said Keighley. “It would do so much to promote awareness of animal rights in this country.”
Tequila said she wanted to include animals amongst the contestants she would choose from on her show, but MTV rejected the idea due to what a memo called “cultural sensitivity and legal concerns.” A spokesperson for MTV declined to comment.
Source: Dateline Hollywood
It should be noted that Gil Cunha and Ben Fritz are the editor/writers behind Dateline Hollywood, comedy writers who have done a superb job of satirizing the insanity of the entertainment industry. Their frequently hilarious parody articles are what you might expect if you combined The Onion with Entertainment Weekly. It should be noted that The Onion has frequently written their own take on PETA's all too often inept efforts.
For those who really need to know, Tila Tequila is the stage name of Tila Nguyen, an American model, entertainer, and singer residing in West Hollywood, California. She is known for her appearances in Stuff, Maxim, Time, Penthouse, her role as host of the Fuse TV show Pants-Off Dance-Off and her position as the most popular artist on MySpace (according to page views) as of April 2006. She was raised in Houston, Texas. Her MTV show A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila premiered on October 9, 2007.
Tila's Official Website, where you can join Tila's posse, view photos and videos and see why PETA is so upset with her.
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