'Spartacus' star Lucy Lawless arrested in New Zealand

Lucy Lawless' general awesomeness is never in doubt, whether she's Xena or heating up "Spartacus." This week, though, Lawless has made press for a very different kind of bravery. She's in New Zealand, fearlessly protesting atop a 174-foot drilling tower on the Noble Discoverer, an oil ship in Port Taranaki.

Lawless and six other activists were charged on Monday with burglary, as they have prevented the Shell-owned ship from leaving to drill oil in the Arctic. "I've got three kids," Lawless told the AP on Friday. "My sole biological reason for being on this planet is to ensure that they can flourish, and they can't do that in a filthy, degraded environment. We need to stand up while we still can."

After four days on the tower, the seven protesters, including Lawless, were removed by police. The ship will leave the harbor in a few days now that the protesters have left.