Archive for the &;Pets&; Category
Protecting Movie IndustryDogs
June 13, 2007
Even the movie industry&;s dogs need protection from pirates. No, counterfeiters aren&;t keeping their DVD burners going day and night for dogs like Gigli, The Island, Zodiac or Basic Instinct 2.
It&;s the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) adorable black Labradors, Flo and Lucky, that need protecting. Flo and Lucky have the amazing (some might say unbelievable) ability to sniff out the polycarbonate chemicals used in making pirated DVDs (as well as all other kinds of DVD copies.)
So the always-creditable New Straits Times reports that Malaysian pirates are protecting their lairs and wares from the noble chocolate Labs with aggressive bulldogs.
Undeterred, the pair of public relations dogs have allegedly helped bust over one million pirated DVDs.
Posted in animals-in-the-news, heroic-dogs, Hollywood-dogs, Hollywood-turkeys, MondayMorningMediaQuarterback, Pets, piracy, Public Relations | Leave a Comment &;
Animal Acts and the SillySeason
May 1, 2007
Reggie, the lovable alligator dumped in a Long Beach lake by his loser owners when he got too big, is back!
This week also brought us a grizzly bear attack and aftermath. It follows the death threat against little Knut the Polar Bear and the pet food panic. Last spring, a coyote in Manhattan was a huge story, even as Californians used to real Wileys said WTF. There&;s West&;s incredible cover piece on Cheeta, 75-year old survivor of Hollywood&;s golden era. Lucky and Flo. And panda porn.
Alligators, bears, monkeys and coyotes don&;t buy papers. But people who care about them apparently do. Is reading about animals a respite from the depressing doings of humans? Do animal stories pull like Hollywood fish-out-of-water tales? Do they bring the call of the wild to sedentary urban people? Or are animals part of the reader&;s idealized family, as in this 1939 (!) shot of Cheeta with Johnny Weismuller as Tarzan and Maureen O&;Hara as Jane.
Or has what was once the summer silly season become a year-round media game of trivial pursuit?
Posted in alligators, animals-in-the-news, bears, Cheeta, Hollywood Follies, Journalism, panda-porn, Pets, Publishing, silly-season, Tarzan, Television, Wiley-coyote | Leave a Comment &;