Luz, the amazing wonder cat

Our friend Beth's cat Luz died yesterday.

She was just three months short of her 22nd birthday. She lived a long fine life. She was with Beth when she first moved from California to Boston and kept her company as she found her way around the city. Years later, she moved with Beth to New York, where a little black cat who loves a warm lap can provide a lot of comfort in the big city. 

As Beth so eloquently put it:

" She had an amazing life and I will miss her big green eyes, her 3 pack-a-day, "Ertha Kitty" meow, her gumball fetching skills, her willingness to be my bug stalker and her incredible heat-seeking abilities (she never met a radiator that she didn't love and immediately stick her head under). Many of you have spent time with Luz and I'm pretty sure she enjoyed your company, especially those of you who shared your meal with her. 

I've attached my favorite photo of Luz in our East Cambridge apartment (circa 1991). And another photo of Luz and me around 1987 when miss kitty was about a year old.


In loving memory of all the fabulous animals in our lives..."

A long happy life like Luz's is to be celebrated, not mourned. Send some purrs and tailwags to Beth today, will you? Hopefully, another little black kitty will find its way into her life before too long to help fill the hole in her heart. And Luz, we know you've found a radiator just to your liking...

Rough cuts of the beach movie!!!

Ladies and gentlemen, please grab your popcorn and take your seats, the preview of the big beach movie of the summer is about to begin. Quiet please so you won't miss a single word of the dialogue...

The film opens on a beach during the Spring Tides. Yes, I know it's officially Fall, but the Spring Tides  are especially high and wash out the marshes of a lot of dead grass. Which means a messy beach. But, what can you do?

And.....ACTION!

Like all great silent film stars, Asta knows how to emote with her expressive face and dramatic gestures. You can hear Mommy giving Asta her cues off camera. And at the end, please note the action sequence with me and the hapless tennis ball...

ASTA CLOSE-UP- TAKE ONE...quiet on the set...5...4..3...2..1 and ACTION!

Phew! Who knew acting like you're having a fabulous time at the beach was such hard work? Even though the overcast weather and high tides meant we were running behind schedule, the union rules demand that we stopped production for lunch. So we headed over to the crafty (for you non-film stars, that's the crafts services table where the caterers lay out all the goodies!) Asta's Mommi was responsible for keeping us motivated and focused. She did a great job!

BEHIND THE SCENES - LUNCH BREAK...And ACTION!

Refreshed after our lunch break, we came back for a second take at Asta's closeup scene and she nailed it perfectly! We're talking Oscar (Mayer! Yummy! Bologna!!!) caliber performance. My action scene was moved to another part of the film so I have a brief bit towards the end.

TAKE TWO - ASTA CLOSEUP...5...4..3..2..1 and....ACTION!

BRILLIANT! Simply BRILLIANT! We doggies are naturals in front of the camera. Guess those thousands of photos our owners have taken of us have paid off!

On our last day, we had a disaster on the set. We're talking "Heaven's Gate" kind of disaster. The film of Asta swimming was lost. Disappeared. No doubt it will show up at Christies or Sotheby's 25 years from now and auctioned off as "The Lost Footage" from Petey and Asta's beach movie.

Anyhow, here is a still that captures some of Asta's awesome swimming skills. She had swum 8 miles over to Savannah in this photo, even stopping at this shrimp boat to pick up some of the fresh daily catch for dinner that night!

Me? Well, I like to keep my feet on the ground. I prefer to take a nice run and then plop down in the shallow water. That's why my Mommy, errr, my Costume Designer sometimes insists I wear my Bay Watch lifeguard vest. Asta has nice long legs for jumping over the waves. Me? They hit me square in the face, messing up my beard. Can you see the shrimp boat out on the horizon? That's the same one in the photo that Asta's swimming past! That girl was like a little wiry motorboat!

FINAL PAN OVER WIDE BEACH...PULL OUT SLOWLY....and.....CUT! PRINT!

Nothing could be finer than to be in South Carolina!!!

Well, it's hard to believe our trip to Hilton Head has already come and gone! Last Thursday, Asta and I hopped into our first class carriers and headed (no pun intended) to the airport.  It was so much nicer to chat this way then through our mesh carriers!
Naturally, we headed straight for the beach. Some of you non-city dogs may not realize what a treat it is for us urbanistas to get to run around on something other than concrete and asphalt!  The grass and sand feels just delicious on our paws! 

We took a ride in this big tricycle! Naturally, I let Asta do the driving. Hilton Head is shaped like a tennis shoe and the beach runs along the sole. It was high tide, so there wasn't much room, but that's okay - less space to get lost in!

Naturally, I found a stray ball. Can you believe someone would leave a perfectly good tennis ball just lying on the beach!?! The packed sand is so hard that the ball just bounces and rolls for miles and miles. (Or at least, that what it seems like.) We met a young man and told him to throw the ball as far as he could. It was great! I exhausted him!

Asta and I took a surfing lesson on the beach. It's not easy "hanging 40" but it sure was fun trying. 

Unfortunately, we didn't get any shots of us actually surfing, but we looked alot like this:

Phew! That surfing was hard work. Bowabunga, dudes!

After a little nap, I got right back to doing what I do best -- turning a perfectly good tennis ball into an awful mess! 
After all her belly-aching about her costumes for the movie, Asta insisted on wearing next to nothing. Guess she didn't want her Brazilian stripping to go unnoticed. I had to explain to her that this was family resort, not a nude beach, so she had to keep her harness on at least. 

Plus, you know what an X rating does to a movie's box office.

Ahhh, in between filming, I was one happy salty doggie.

Well, I was hoping to include a clip from the movie but Blogger isn't cooperating tonight. Hope they don't go on strike! That would really throw a wrench into our production schedule. Maybe they'll be better behaved tomorrow. 

Now, I know on Asta's blog, there's a big fuss over me saying she reminded me of an alligator and has all these doggies saying what a terrible brute I am. Geez. There's a reason why you never hear anything about "Drama KINGS." First she makes waves about her costume, then goes naked. Now this. So let me clarify. 

Asta does indeed have a long elegant nose. And a lovely smile. 

And like the alligators on Hilton Head, she's a good swimmer, likes to take naps in the sun and  poses for photos hundreds of times a day. Do the tourists go looking for dogs to take photos of on Hilton Head? No! They're looking for alligators and are thrilled to pieces to find one.
Asta can even dance on two feet, like this blonde beauty! Now I ask you, does that sound like a bad thing? No! Not at all. These female dogs are just so sensitive. Is it any wonder I leave them alone for a good tennis ball? They never complain about a thing, even when I rip off their fuzzy coats, dunk them in a water bowl or crack'em in half. Ahhh, tennis balls. Truly dog's best friends.

Mommy's packing our stuff!

Here are some photos of her trying on swimsuits for our trip to the beach! hehehehehe!

Actually, Asta and I took our Moms down to SoHo yesterday (that's the area SO of HOuston - pronounced HOUSE-ton, not like the city in Texas!). It used to be the avant-garde part of New York where all the artists lived in huge lofts. Not so much anymore (the superstores have taken over the lofts and the artists have moved to Williamsburg in Brooklyn) but we found some cool street art. Asta's Mommy took a lot more photos so you'll have to wait and see her post!

Now we're getting ready for our trip to the beach, packing my beach collar and leash and extra food (and poop bags.) Very excited about sharing our vacation with our friends!

Mica here. I must interrupt Petey's blog with some very exciting news! 

Miss Ruby Bleu and I are honored to be each other's NOMSSFs! 

We already look exactly alike!

Ruby, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship!

Mica Monday - Happy Mother's Day!!!

Hello my friends. It's been a while since I've had a Mica Monday, so I thought I'd take advantage of Petey's being busy packing for his trip to Hilton Head to catch up with you all. 

Me, I've never been to Hilton Head, although my two dearly departed cat sisters, Moki and Maui, were both born there and adopted from a wonderful no-kill shelter there. (They've even rescued alligators there! Some of the pets there were abandoned by their owners when they were on vacation. How awful is that?

Anyhow, I have some very exciting news to share with you!

I'd like to wish our good friend Vivi at the AbClan a very Happy Mother's Day! Or since she's in France, une Bonne Jour de la Maman, peut-etre?

She just had three puppies -- all boys! Are they the cutest bunch of wrinkles you ever did see? Please go over and wish her congratulations. (Mommy is a bit jealous because she thinks these new puppies probably understand French better than she does.)

And since you've seen SO many photos of Petey chasing after a ball, I thought I'd show you me in action! Not bad for a cat that's 17 1/2 years young!

Mommy got ME a new toy. It's a long stick with a mouse at the end of the string. When she shakes it, the mouse makes "genuine mouse sounds." Believe me, I caught a mouse once and that's not what he was saying! 

The Shadow knows....

Sorry for the blurry photos but when I pounce, it's like lightning striking! Pow! Of course, Petey thinks this toy (like the 200 other toys here) is for him. Maybe his ratter heritage is there after all! 

Here's a nice shot of the two of us relaxing. We're going to have a professional photographer come over tomorrow to take some photos of ME for an advertisement. Then at the last minute, she said she's going to take "a few with Petey, too."  He's always crowding me!

Oh well, soon I'll have the place to myself for almost 5 whole days. Better start grooming for my big shoot tomorrow. 

Congratulations again, Vivi! I'm going to play with my catnip cigar in your honor!

Our hearts go out to Daisy and her family

Today their dear cat Pixie went to the Bridge.

Maybe they are not stars. 

Maybe they are windows from Heaven

where our loved ones watch over us.

Shine brightly, Pixie. 

Scouting the location

Thought I'd share with you some of the locations that I scouted in January for Asta and my next film project. We are very excited to begin filming later next week. 

Isn't this a beautiful setting? You may remember this from the opening of "Prince, the German Shepherd, of Tides."

Here I am with my Granny and acting coach, coming back from a rehearsal session.

The prop department found this ginormous stick and stuck it in the surf. Try as I might, I couldn't fetch it.

Here I am in one of the moodier scenes. A dog, a vast ocean and a shrimp boat out on the horizon.
Practicing my trademark tennis ball peeling scene. I'm renowned for it. Note the extras in the background. 
I was busy at work when these two little terrors, err, terriers got on the set and began pestering me for an autograph.

I tried to shake this fella off, but he was particularly persistant...

So finally I relented....

This is Scruffy. He's a bit younger and smaller than I am, but he's my stand-in. He's also my body double for fight scenes because he still has his, well, you know whats.

Another day, we auditioned a troupe of singers/dancers.

They sounded good, but their water ballet choreography was a bit off!

We had an open call for extras one day. We were surprised at the number of unemployed egrets and wood storks that showed up. (It must have been the free craft services!)

Asta and I take off for principal filming on Thursday. We're excited to show you the final production sometime at the end of September. Please book your tickets on Aire Ruby now to attend the star-struck premiere in New York!

Coming Attractions!

Yes, I've been rehearsing for my next big epic film, this time a light-hearted romp (think Annette Pupicello and Frankie Avabone) with my co-star Asta. Of course, we could take it a whole other direction and be more "From Here to the Dog Run to Eternity" with lots of romping in the ocean. We go on location next week for 5 days of filming. Phew! As of right now, Asta does not have a swimsuit, so the skinny dipping scenes may not be appropriate for younger viewers. (I, however, do have my Outward Hound lifejacket. I'm like David Hasselwoof on Bow Watch. Huge in Germany.)

Here's a little preview...the dancing lady in the pink sweater is my Granny and acting coach. 

And now...on with the show!

Part 2 of the Movie...The Conclusion

Here are some more publicity stills from the movie. As you can imagine, we went through 150 tennis balls before filming was completed. 

Here's Lulu leading Archie through the choreography of a scene...first you go through the legs....

Then turn around and repeat...it's sort of a square dance do-si-do meets line dance. Very Twyla Sharpei.
Here Archie is going over some of his lines with Lulu, using Asta's Daddi's foot as a stand-in for Petey....
And without further ado, here is Part 2, the conclusion of the movie.

As  you can see, it is quite influenced by  some of the earlier works of Fidorico Fellini. Clearly the tennis ball is the world and Petey's concentrated focus on unravelling it. The beautiful Asta comes into his life and unable to shift his focus to her world, she leaves him. Later we see her focused on pursuing her own world while Petey, now alone, has realized that like the ball itself, his life is empty without her. 

Roll credits....

Part 1 of the Movie!!!!

And it's just ridiculous to think how long it took Mommy to get this loaded! Look at the tension between me and the tennis ball, the focus, the determination. And Asta, how she's the woman behind the man. Well, dog. And actually, she's the Girl Dog in Front of the Boy Dog. Ahh, indie films!

LIVE FROM NEW YORK! It's Petey!!!!

It's me, Petey, live from the red carpet!

I'd hoped to be able to share with you the premiere of my first feature film "Run Dog Run!" starring me and Asta. But unfortunately, it's still just a wee bit too big for the blog so it's back in editing. 

In the meantime, I thought I'd share with you some stills from the set. 

This little French girl is Ripley. She's just 5 months old but we think with her training from the Tanner School of Dramatic Expression, she has a big future...

This gorgeous red-head is Lulu, she has a supporting role with another newcomer, the 5 month old Archie. We expect he'll soon be a big action adventure star. More of his moves to come!

Cover your eyes - it's sexy Frenchman Romundo in an all-nude shower scene! Oohlala.

Too many pupperazzi on the set. He's off!

And where, you might ask, was Petey... the star of the film? I was chilling between scenes, practicing my trademark tennis ball demolition technique. 

Here I am, demonstrating the importance of soaking the ball first for extra splatter and goo, to my young protegee, Ripley.

As you can see, she took VERY careful notes.

Romundo awaits his big moment...where he attempts to carry the enormous ball. Think the opening scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark....

Here he is, wrestling it into submission...

Here is just the briefest of coming attractions...

The score...Petey 1, Tennis Ball 0. 

By the way, I do all my own stunts...

So where is my co-star Asta in any of these photos? She was busy having a private shoot by Steven Meisel for Vanity Fair. But don't worry, if we get this film loaded, she had a starring role!