Month: January 2013

  • From the Dog Journal

    HAPPY NEW YEAR!  A LIST OF MY FAVORITE DOG STORIES FROM 2012:

    1. CHIHUAHUA HELPS PIT BULL COPE WITH EXTREME FEAR OF ABANDONMENT (April 12, 2012) - A rescue organization helped a Pit Bull cope with fear of abandonment by pairing him up with a Chihuahua.
    2. A DOG JOURNAL INTERVIEW WITH ACTOR STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY(June 26, 2012) - I am a fan of Stephen Tobolowsky’s podcast and film/TV roles, so it was a thrill to be able to interview him.
    3. DOG GOES DOOR-TO-DOOR TO GET HELP FOR OWNER, WINS AWARD (May 8, 2012) -After his owner passed out, a dog went from house to house and tried to get help by scratching on doors.
    4. SHELTER DOGS GO ON A FIELD TRIP (April 9, 2012) - This is a simple concept, but it was great to see dogs get a break from the shelter and get outside.
    5. FROM DEATH ROW DOG TO THERAPY DOG TO ACTOR (July 27, 2012) - A remarkable dog was rescued from euthanization, became a therapy dog, and was cast in a play this past year.
    6. JOGGERS PROMOTE ADOPTION OF HOMELESS DOGS (April 20, 2012) - I liked this story because it’s a reminder that shelters everywhere are working hard and using various means to find homes for the shelter dogs.
    7. MAN SAVES HANDICAPPED DOG IN THAILAND (July 12, 2012) - A man rescued an injured dog and brought him back to the U.S. His compassion is an inspiration to those whom he encounters.
    8. STRAY DOG IN AFGHANISTAN REFUSES TO BE LEFT BEHIND(October 19, 2012) - A dog befriended a soldier and refused to be left behind.
    9. DOG DOES TRICKS TO AVOID EUTHANIZATION (January 21, 2012) -A dog was so sweet and smart that he was able to be put up for adoption instead of being put to sleep.
    10. VOLUNTEERS RUN COVERT OPERATION TO SAVE PIT BULLS IN ONTARIO (November 15, 2012) - A group of volunteers are working behind the scenes to move Pit Bulls out of areas with breed-specific legislation.

    This was taken from dogjournal.tumblr.com

  • My Favorite Films of 2012

    My favorite film of the year is “Les Miserables.” Having never seen the stage version, I did not expect to like it so much, but now I can’t stop thinking about it. Just about all the major actors/actresses deserve an Oscar nomination. “Silver Linings Playbook” suffered somewhat from having a typical Hollywood third act, but it was still very funny and heartfelt.  Jennifer Lawrence was amazing. “Looper” was the best sci-fi/action movie of the year. The most original script in years. “Flight” received some negative reviews, but I though it was Denzel Washington’s best role in years. The most disappointing film to me was “The Hobbit,” partly because I had wildly high expectations. I still liked it, but it was too disorganized for my liking. However, some scenes were just as good, if not better, than anything in the LOTR trilogy. Hoping that the other two films in the trilogy have more coherent scripts. It was a pretty strong year for movies. 
    1. Les Miserables 
    2. Silver Linings Playbook
    3. Looper   
    4. Flight 
    5. Argo
    6. The Dark Knight Rises
    7. The Hobbit
    8. The Sessions
    9. The Grey
    10. The Avengers
    Others:
    • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
    • Life of Pi
    • Prometheus
    • The Hunger Games
    • 21 Jump Street