Dancing With The Stars' former contestant and model Joanna Krupa and her model friend Katie Cleary are going after the Kardashians in a very public way: she has started an online petition to get them  to stop selling fur in their DASH stores and to also stop wearing fur completely. And let's face facts, we all know that it's Kim Kardashian that wears fur all the time. She spoke to Fox News about the reasons behind the online petition (which can be accessed here):

Fox411: Why are you petitioning the Kardashians specifically?

Joanna Krupa: Because I am fed up with them always wearing fur while being fully aware that many girls view them as a fashion inspiration, and even role models. Being a star comes with not just fame and fortune, but with awareness and responsibility. What angers me the most is that Khloe did an anti-fur PETA campaign,n so you would think if she was so against fur, she wouldn't allow it to be sold in their stores. Plus she would talk some sense into her sisters and never put it on. It actually saddens me that one now has to question the genuine motivation behind Khloe's PETA campaign.

Fox411: Dash isn't that big a store – why not target a bigger fur retailer? 

Krupa: We are going after the Kardashians as personalities and trend setters, not just their store, because they are seen wearing fur all the time. 

Fox411: Have you ever mentioned this to them personally?

Krupa: I have sent tweets to Kim in the past. But they just seem to not care about the poor animals and the tragedy they got through while being skinned alive and bleeding to death. 

Fox411: Have you heard anything from them since you started your petition?

Krupa: No not yet.

Fox411: What would happen if you saw one of them on a red carpet wearing fur?

Krupa: I would rather not see it, as I would not be able to keep myself from starting an argument with them. 

I LOVE that Joanna is doing this. While it seems that everyone is taking their shots at the Kardashians she has a very valid point about how impressionable young girls hold them up as role models. I never realized just how barbaric the fur industry is until I saw the video from Olivia Munn's anti-fur campaign for PETA. It is beyond horrific and if you do watch the video you will be haunted by how brutal these animals are treated.

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Dancing With The Stars' judge and animal activist Carrie Ann Inaba will be hosting the Humane Society of the United States' 26th Annual Genesis Awards in Los Angeles on March 24, 2012 where celebrities in the entertainment world are honored for their contribution in bringing animal issue awareness to the world. Carrie Ann is thrilled to do the gig:

“I’m honored to have been asked to host an awards show that is both a celebration and a consciousness raiser,” said Carrie Ann. “In a busy awards season, The Genesis Awards stands out as an event that has true meaning in the larger scope of things– it’s the Oscars for animals and the people in the media who give voice to their plight.”

Beverly Kaskey is the Senior Director of The Humane Society of the United States’ Hollywood outreach program and executive producer of the annual Genesis Awards and says of choosing Carrie Ann:

 “Carrie Ann is the ideal host for The Genesis Awards.  She has energy, personality, beauty, and, most of all, she really cares about the animal protection cause.  I think she’ll score a perfect 10 with our audience,” 

So far celebrities like Kaley Cuoco, Pauley Perrette, Bill Maher, and Kristin Bauer van Straten are scheduled to present at this fine awards show.

Carrie Ann is the perfect choice for this awards show. If you follow her on Twitter (@carrieanninaba) you know that she is always tweeting and re-tweeting ads for cats and dogs in shelters needing forever homes. 

To enter to win a chance to attend the event, head over to the Giveaway Facebook page for details.

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Dancing With The Stars' professional Chelsie Hightower is building a performing arts academy that will aptly be named Hightower Performing Arts Academy. Sounds like a winner already!

Chelsie caught up with genConnect at the Sundance Film Festival where she revealed she is a Utah native and this fabulous academy will be opening in Draper, Utah January 23 at its temporary location. The grand opening will take place in August:

“Singing, acting, dancing — it’s going to be epic,” Chelsie told genConnect. “I know how dancing has changed my life and I really wanted to give that back to other people.”

I wonder if this means she won't be on Dancing With The Stars anymore? Cheryl Burke also has a dance studio and continues with DWTS, so hopefully Chelsie will too.

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U.S. Army Veteran, soap opera actor and Season 13 winner of Dancing With The Stars' J.R. Martinez has landed a book deal. He apparently sold a memoir to Christine Pride at Hyperion. The book will be released in the Fall of 2012 and you can expect “triumphing over extraordinary obstacles through pure resilience'.

Martinez suffered major burns to his body when his Humvee drove over a land mine in Iraq. And while most people would lose hope having to deal with the recovery and disfiguration from the tragic accident, Martinez proved on DWTS that his outlook is every reason he is successful. His positivity was contagious!

Congratulations to all of the great things happening for him.

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Chad Ochocinco has entered a new phase of his career: marriage counseling. In addition to his football career and stint on Dancing With The Stars he wants to offer Russell Brand and Katy Perry a one-hour FREE marriage counseling lesson:

Not sure of his 'marriage counseling credentials or if he is even married for that matter, but it is really sweet of Chad. However he's interfering with my master plan to get some alone time with Russell (after he has fully grieved of course) and pop his head off with my thunder thighs and mount it above my bed. 2012 is going to be a GREAT year.

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Dancing With The Stars' professional Cheryl Burke is expanding her horizons and has a deal with Macy's to design an active-wear collection called 'Ideology' for the department store. By designing this collection, she is definitely appealing to the majority of women by addressing our issues when she sat down with StyleList:

"I feel like I am definitely curvy. I'm petite with hips. I've got boobs! I have an ass!" Even though she has a body that many admire, Burke admitted: "I'm insecure about fat bulging up. With exercise pants, the elastic is often too tight and you start seeing fat pop out. With these [Ideology exercise pants] everything is flat and nothing is coming over the waistband."

Amen sister! I now love Cheryl Burke and will worship her until the day I die. Slimming or not, black isn't always the way to go:

"I always wore black, because it's so slimming. Normally I would just wear black pants with a sports bra and a baggy t-shirt to work out." "If I feel fat in what I'm wearing, I'm not going to go out and go to the treadmill and start running. It's the worst feeling ever."

At this point I'm thinking she's in my head and reading my thoughts. Mind you this biatch don't run. That's the only difference, but isn't it the truth that if your clothes are too tight exercising is just the worst?

It isn't just dancing that keeps this profession in shape, she does jazzercise:

It has helped me stay in shape," she said, "I'm a dancer, obviously, but sometimes it's fun to be able to dance alone and listen to good music and work out at the same time. Doing jazzercise, I burn 600-700 calories an hour!"

Sign me up! Macy's had their Ideology launch last Wednesday night at the Dream Hotel in New York City but the brand won't be available until February, 2012.

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Photos: WENN