Hey folks, Harry here... Being invited to the Westminster Dog Show was perhaps one of the single most hilarious moments of my life. I'm a hawaiian shirt wearing, british badass shoe owning Texan... we don't do doggy shows. Somehow, this is one of those society events that makes me think of Edwardian wear. Of top hats and tails - and I can't help but think about the poor fop that goes around with a shovel picking up the dog shit, while these high society types go crazy over pooches. Obviously, I had to send a representative. Mainly because I'm a total Wallace & Gromit whore. I love these characters intensely. And any revelation about that film is highly anticipated. personally - Asta's the classiest pooch to ever own the screen, unfortunately Hollywood wasn't nearly as commercial back then. Here's Sheldrake, on the pooch patrol...
Sheldrake here, reporting live from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Usually, I come here to see the Knicks play “let’s pretend we have a team”
while getting crushed by anyone who’s not in the Atlantic, but tonight I’m here
for the Westminster Dog Show. This has been one of those years that build
character in a Knicks fan, and this has been one of those weeks that builds
despair in a New Yorker. Between The Gates in Central Park and the Dog Show,
midtown New York is like on those big car-bricks you see coming out of a metal
crushing machine: it’s kinda cool looking, but it’s days of mobility are OVER.
So, says the astute AICN talkbacker to himself, so you’re going to a dog show.
And I should care about this…why? You gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are
you gonna bite? There’d better be a sequel to BEST IN SHOW in
this story or I am SO out of here...because if you start going on about dogs
it’s gonna be SO obvious that you’re a freaking Kennel Club PLANT and that you
have some kind of pooch-pushing agenda. This is a MOVIE site, Sheldrake, so
before you pimp out some overpriced fleabag to a bunch of MOVIE fans you’d
better blah dee blah dee blah whatever.
Now, first, there aren't any fleabags at the Westminster Dog Show. If you're a dog fan,
there's no better place to see the cream of the crop at their groomed and decked out best.
And the best thing is, they and their owners are all friendly and sociable. It's major fun
if you're into dogs--and I am.
But let’s just get to the point: WALLACE AND GROMIT!!! YES! Tonight AICN was
invited to a wackly little event on the sixth floor at the Garden celebrating
the first time ever that the Westminster Dog Show has had an official
mascot…AND THAT MASCOT IS GROMIT. Now, I think that’s pretty cool. Because they
could have done this mascot thing years ago: let’s face it, Huckleberry Hound,
Scooby Doo and Muttley all play it niiiiice and clean on Saturday morning (well,
maybe not Muttley), but come the night…hey, we’ve already settled WHAT they are
‘cause they all have their price, ok? Let’s not even talk about that whore
Santa’s Little Helper. But Gromit, he’s a class act who stars in REAL MOVIES,
and, Krusty-like, lends his endorsement only to the finest products!
Back to those products in a moment. Here's what I picked up about the movie
that: It's called "The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," which is promising and fits
in with that moody, damp Northern England tone the other movies set. W&G
have a new business, a humane pest control outfit called "Anti-Pesto."
(Kif-like-sound from Futurma). But our heroes may be in over their heads when a
ravaging beast begins making nocturnal attacks on the towns vegetable gardens.
Here's what the entrance to the Gromit Green Room looked like:
Inside the green room was filled with photographers and kids and a
bunch of Dreamworks publicity folks. There was also a BIG diorama (about
a 3' x3'). It looked like this:
Then, I started talking to this woman who was there: an elegant,
bohemian New Yorker. Danged if it wasn't actress Sylvia Miles!
You see the bag Sylvia is holding? Besides the chance to hang around with other Wallace and Gromit fans,
that's the reason we're here: to roll out the Gromit line of doggie and people clothes. Here are shots
of a few of the goodies they came up with:
Now, I can hear the "SELL OUT" screams all the way back in the cheap seats, but let me point
this out: the more product like this that they're able to sell, the more Wallace and Gromit
movies they're likely to make. Besides, the t-shirt they gave me has a cool picture of Gromit
on it and I'm wearing to on my way to meet Cyril Christo (the artist's son) this evening. Gromit
is instant cool creds.
When Liz and I were done we hopped in a cab and went downtown to 7th and Waverly to
one of my favorite cafes in town, DOMA. If you can actually get a seat there, highly
recommended. For the most delirious pastries in town, in doesn't beat The Hungarian
Pastry Shop at 111th and Amsterdam - nothing does - but it's sandwhiches and homemade
soups are really tasty.
When I got home, I stretched, shook, dashed madly around the room for awhile, then
gave my…uh…mySELF a good tongue-cleaning and finally fall
asleep at the foot of Harry’s bed, one leg pushing against air wildly while in
my dreams I chase Helena Bonham-Carter in a bunny suit…
RELATED STORY: Speaking of doggie product, those poker dogs really raked in the bucks!
http://nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/281372p-241104c.html
Special thanks to my beautiful friend Liz who came with me and helped me pick out shots. And who wore a
tres cool Mighty Mutts t-shirt in the spirit of the occasion.
MR. SHELDRAKE
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