IAN AT BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY FUNDRAISER IN LAFAYETTE

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Ian Somerhalder posted a sweet photo of himself and a dog at a kissing booth at the Best Friends Animal Society’s annual Strut Your Mutt fundraiser on Saturday (September 22). The Vampire Diaries star is teaming up with the charity – held in Lafayette, Louisiana – to try to raise $150,000 for a project which will go to abused animals and a teaching facility for kids who have bullied others.

He Tweeted: “Whoa! Struttin’Mutt! He needs a home! Please adopt Raj! I’ve kissed every – ok almost every inch of him;)Whoa! Struttin’Mutt! He needs a home! Please adopt Raj! I’ve kissed every – ok almost every inch of him”

“I really believe in Best Friends Animal Society and their mission of ‘No More Homeless Pets,” said Ian in a press release. “Their passion for helping pets really inspired me to work towards building an animal sanctuary through the ISF. Our sanctuary will be a safe place for all types of awesome creatures, including abused and abandoned pets.”

As for fans of The Vampire Diaries – The CW series premieres on October 11.

IAN SOMERHALDER COVERS ESSENTIAL HOMME SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012!

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Taking a break from his busy “Vampire Diaries” schedule, Ian Somerhalder garnered himself a little added exposure by covering the September/October 2012 issue of Essential Homme magazine.

Looking handsome as ever, the 33-year-old actor donned an Armani Exchange cardigan for the Matthew Lyn shot front page while talking about everything from acting to rumors that he wants the lead role in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” film adaptation.

On the challenges of being an actor:
“Much of life is like a television show. You have ups and downs. You never know where it’s going to go. And yes, it’s iffy as an actor, because you’re at the mercy of the writers’ imaginations. You’re ultimately subjected to exactly what they want and you have to deal with it.”

On taking his young audience seriously:
“If you empower a 15-year-old kid, or a 17-year-old kid who turns 18 in October, who can vote in November – if you empower that young person to understand what’s going on in the world around them, how certain politics and environmental implications are going to not serve them very well later on in life – are going to affect the way that they grow up and their children grow up – you affect that young person. They become empowered, and an empowered young person is the coolest thing in the world. And untimely, that’s where change comes in.”

On rumors that he’s pursuing the lead in “Fifty Shades of Grey:”
“I think it could be a very interesting job.”

IAN SOMERHALDER AT COMIC-CON 2012!

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Ian and the rest of the cast of The Vampire Diaries were at Comic-Con this past weekend, I have added photos of Ian this past weekend in to the photo gallery.

The Vampire Diaries Comic-Con Panel – July 14, 2012

Maxim FX And Fox Home Entertainment Comic-Con Party – July 15, 2012

Entertainment Weekly’s Comic-Con Celebration – July 15, 2012

IAN SOMERHALDER AUCTIONING OFF A LUNCH DATE FOR CHARITY

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Ian is auctioning off a lunch date in Atlanta via Charitybuzz. All proceeds will benefit the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, which is in the process of building an animal sanctuary.

“A big component of ISF is not just habitat or species conservation, it’s animal protection and youth education,” the actor tells EW exclusively. “There are too many animals that are abused, mistreated, and abandoned. They’ve been ostracized, they have behavioral issues, and they’re starving. It’s just unbelievable what we’ve done to the animals, and I think that’s why this is so important.”

The auction is currently live and will run through July 18, and it will help fund the acquisition of land that Somerhalder has his eye on. The plan, he says, is to make this haven a reality “very soon.” And the big goal is to make the sanctuary a place of co-rehabilitation — benefiting both animals and troubled youth.

“If we can give animals a home, we can also take the youth of our country and our world — kids who have behavioral issues, bullying other kids, and halting the progression of those around them — and bring them together to learn compassion from one another. If you have compassion for an animal, then you’ll ultimately have compassion for another human being,” he says. “I’m so tired of the lack of compassion in our world and watching kids grow up in it. I think it’s an amazing opportunity for us to show that having compassion for one another — and all furry, scaled, or feathered creatures — is the only way we can progress.”

To his prospective bidders, Somerhalder adds: “Honestly, all I can say is thank you. I appreciate you and your generosity…. I will try not to bore you to tears.”

IAN SOMERHALDER ON POPSUGAR’S 100 LIST OF 2012!

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Ian made the list of PopSugar’s 100 List of 2012 for the second time in a row!

Ian has continued advocating for various causes. He frequently tweets about his efforts to help save animals and the environment, and he formed the Ian Somerhalder Foundation to address those issues. Ian even spoke before Congress last July to discuss ways to help animals.

IAN SOMERHALDER IS ‘IN PURSUIT OF AN IDEA THAT MATTERS’

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Ian Somerhalder is working with Ketel One and GQ for the “A Gentleman’s Call: In Pursuit of an Idea that Matters”!

The program, a nationwide search that champions the lifestyle of the modern gentleman, is inviting hopeful participants to present an idea or inspiration that will raise society’s behavioral bar.

For more info, check out AGentlemansCall.com!

IAN SOMERHALDER NAMED U.N. AMBASSADOR

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Ian Somerhalder has sealed his green credentials by becoming a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.

A longtime campaigner for eco-friendly initiatives, will help host World Environment Day on June 5th, 2012 as his first official task in his new role.

He will join supermodel Gisele Bundchen and actor Don Cheadle – who are also Goodwill Ambassadors for the U.N. – in encouraging fans to get involved in environmental activities, such as neighbourhood clean-ups, walking to work or planting trees.

In a video promoting Wed, Somerhalder says, “When you do your part for the environment, everyone wins.”