OSCAR NIGHT - 'BEST PERFORMANCE BY A DOG' (and some humble pie)

It was a tough night for Tanner and Eugenie; they failed to predict the key awards, and had to listen to me crow about Argo's Best Picture win. We were all glad to see Life of Pi pick up some gold, especially Tanner who loves all movies featuring 4-legged creatures.

In keeping with the Awards, check out this video on 'Skidboot', a cattle dog who takes the 'BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING DOG' hands down. Tanner was quick to point out that he's much cuter and that he could learn all those commands and tricks, but being a terrier (American Staffordshire) he simply doesn't want to. Hmm.

TANNER PICKS THE OSCARS

Last year Tanner proved to be a wiz at handicapping the Oscars; albeit his method was sketchy, he tabbed the Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor nods, along with a slew of other winners. Given his track record, Eugenie and I decided to let him offer his thoughts on this year's races.

Tanner & Lou on State Street, Santa Barbara, 2/18/13

In the Best Picture category, we didn't see three of the nominees - Beasts of The Southern Wild, Django Unchained and Life of Pi (Lou's fault since Eugenie and I were bugging him to get the screeners).  Of the other six, Les Miz was overly long with uneven singing and a plot that jumps from a riveting 'A' story (Jean Valjean v Javert) to sappy, with the love at first sight between Marius (a rich frat boy slumming as a revolutionary) and Cosette. It's a bit of a downer, but nothing compared to Amour, which made me want to run into traffic (Remember, I'm a dog and seppuku isn't an option). We all found it sheer torture and it left us wondering how in the heck these two snooze fests get nominated when the bubbly, brilliant Intouchables came away with bubkes. But I digress. 

'GET WELL' PORTER

Tanner asked me to send 'get well' wishes to his friend and running buddy (literally) Porter. Robby & John Mazza adopted Porter, whose first home was the South L.A. County Shelter. The poor pup had suffered a broken leg, which his first foster owner had repaired. At that time, they used a metal plate and screws to help it heal. It left him with a slight limp but he was still really active. Lately, though, when the leg began giving him problems, Robby and John turned to the Malibu Coast Animal Hospital for help.  After inspecting the big boy, they put him under and removed the plate. Porter made it through with flying colors and is now resting at home, sporting a very cool Rambo camp bandage. He's on restricted duty for a while but should be back to his super self very soon.

Porter, aka Rambo-dog

PUPPY BOWL (RUNNING WITH THE BIG DOGS)

Lou was busy shouting and eating with his pals and so we had to catch the Puppy Bowl after the Super Bowl, which wasn't all that super until the last quarter. If you ask me (and my doggie friends) watching all those wiggly puppies crashing about was a zillion times better. Anyway, if you missed it, just hit the link above and check it out.

Speaking of adorable pups, you know that expression, "If you can't run with the Big Dogs, stay on the porch"? Well, here's a short video of a stout-hearted baby Pit Bull out to show that he belongs with the big boys.  Enjoy.

Book Update: We've finished all the corrections on the paperback edition of GIMME SHELTER which should be available on Amazon within the week. Be sure to get one.

GIMME SHELTER Goes Live

Thanks to a loving nudge from Eugenie, this past Friday, January 25, I read an except from GIMME SHELTER at Bank Of Books, our newest local bookstore.  The manager, Ann Lambert-Vannoy Benoit and her daughter,  Krystyn Lambert, host monthly 'author' and 'poetry' nights, where local scribes get to read from their works or their favorite authors. The large, receptive crowd, included several friends and neighbors who'd come to lend their support.  Hopefully, this was just a preview of things to come.  My thanks to them, and to Eugenie and Tanner for making the evening possible.

For a great description of the scene at this welcome new addition to the community, check out the recent post by our friend and Malibu Times contributor, Alexis Deutsch-Adler.

@Bank of Books, Malibu, January 25, 2013

For anyone who's thinking about following my lead and self-publishing, e-book or hard copy, I have two words: Kathryn Galan of WynnPix Productions. I was totally clueless about formatting, cover design and a zillion other details that left my head spinning until Kathryn stepped in. 

A MAJOR SCORE FOR TANNER

After a long week spent building a website, dabbling with FaceBook and tweaking proofs for the paperback edition of GIMME SHELTER, Eugenie, Tanner and I had an awesome playdate with our friends, Robby and John, and their 'kids', Lola and Porter. While the dogs ran roughshod all over the property, we humans shared a bottle of wine and and the local news. Like every visit, much of the dog time was spent tussling over toys. When we were leaving, Robby and John surprised Tanner with a slew of rubber toys - hotdogs, birds, truck tires - that her dogs so nicely agreed to share. Poor Tanner was crazed, longing to get at his new 'babies' and wondering why we would make him leave the coolest place on earth. Eugenie and I vowed to stash the toys and not to break them out until he'd trashed his newest ones, which were less than a week old. Hah! Barely an hour after we'd returned home, Tanner was splayed out on the living room floor, munching on a a slime-covered ice cream cone.

Tanner & Lola