Where’s the Silverstone ad? Houston may have a beef with it

Mystery solved: Alicia Silverstone is too hot for Houston.

The 30-year-old actress set off a firestorm of interest – and controversy – by posing nude in a television commercial on behalf of PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Silverstone, a well-known animal rights activists and environmentalist, is shown swimming in a pool naked and talking about the beauty of a vegetarian lifestyle. As she emerges from the pool, her carefully placed limbs and some fancy camera work leave it all to the imagination.

But it was too saucy for Texas.

PETA aimed to debut the 30-second spot in Texas on Wednesday night on channels including FoodTV and E! But a spokesman said the animal-rights organization learned at the last minute that the content didn’t make it past the censors at Comcast Spotlight, the advertising and sales division of Comcast Cable.

That led to some speculation about why the ad wouldn’t fly in Cattle Country. (You may recall that the Lone Star State’s beef barons took Oprah Winfrey to task for allegedly backhanding their industry. The O prevailed.)

But Dana Runnells, a Comcast spokeswoman, said it had nothing to do with the message. It was all about the medium. “It was rejected because it did not meet our guidelines … no nudity, no matter the advertiser.” She noted noted that Comcast has carried PETA ads in the past.

PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said he was disappointed by the decision, although the flap has no doubt fueled the spike in traffic to the PETA website this week. “It’s increasingly hard to get serious news into the media,” he said. “We’re increasingly working with our many celebrity supporters to put a lighthearted or fluffy spin on an issue.”

PETA chose Houston as the place to first air the commercial because it often ranks high on the list of cities with unhealthy eating habits.

rene.lynch@latimes.com