Sunday, November 23, 2008

Freda - DeltaBunny

My friend Freda has gone to the Rainbow Bridge.

I am so sad. I loved Freda so much, she was so beautiful, and so funny and imaginative, and looked after her peeps so well.

I will miss you very much. My heart is heavy today. Bye bye Freda.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Remember the movie project?????

Misery has taken some photos. In fact Misery has taken a lot of photos. Of ships and other dogs.

But they are not coming on my blog. Oh no. So if you want to see her really boring photos of ships and doggies you should click here for ships and here for dogs.

However, she has taken a photo of a cruise ship. So at least we can revive The Movie Project.



No mistress, that is not the cruise ship. That is the Ark Royal. I can tell a naval ship from a cruise ship by now.

Here is the cruise ship. We could have had the QE2 leaving port but did Misery manage to snap that? Of course not.



Anyway once she had taken the photos, I banished her again.

With a wave of the magic PippaPaw, I sent her off to my finca for a couple of days to feed my chickens and collect my fan mail (OK there wasn't any but I can live in hopes, and I need to plan this eventuality for when my movie gets premiered).

Then she came back and selfishly wrote up her blogs before mine.

Fanfare. Drum-roll.

The Movie Project is back.

Pippadogblog readers from some time ago will remember that I put up a portfolio of black and white photos and considered I might be an appropriate candidate for a star of the silent screen - here.

Then, with a little help from some Pippapals, we decided that what was needed was a film aboard a cruise ship, where I am a dashing hero and get to meet lots of my girlfriends.

So here is the reminder of the plot (s) and cast, although if you want to read more about it, click here.

Cast



Sofa King and Toast Hero - Pippa

Heroines 1 & 2 - Sophie and Ethel

Love rival - BenTheRotti

Goofy golden retriever sidekick - Charlie

After-dinner crooner Boxer - Chef



Official Ship's C.A.T. - JB
(the only one we don't chase - although we could perhaps have one tiny little chase scene?)




Side plots


1) the entertainment crew led by Chef

2) detour to Melbourne involving mystery and intrigue - Bella

3) trip to UK for Simba's walk-on part 




Production



Producer/director - Pippa (for now)

Pippa's agent and PR director - Randi

Ethel's agent - Wally

Tester of the all-you-can-eat buffet - Wally

Sophie's agent - Sophie, I mean Sophie's agent



Screenplay - Me, Pippa, oh and well, Misery

Now there were lots and lots of comments from pups and cats, so this is why I need to update it.

1) Kathryn and Ari have told us we need to visit Maine for the International Film Festival and lots of toast.

2) Lola Smiles has asked me to go and visit her in Montreal.

3) Randi has decided she wants a tiny role in the film too, and may even turn out to be my one true love.

4) Sophie has agreed that Randi may have a small cameo but is not happy with the one true love idea.

Sophie wants a pawsonal assistant or an agent. She wonders if Lola will be her agent.

I don't mind Lola being Sophie's agent, but as we are going to visit her, she will also be getting her own role in the film (I hope). Lola is far too beautiful not to at least have a small role.

Sophie wants her sock monkey. She also thinks sock monkey should have a role. And she wants a doctor. And for the cats to be declawed...and .....and ....

Right Sophie, that is enough now. You are taking this temperamental prima donna bit too far. I am not having sock monkeys in my film. If you get bored chase a few cats. And I don't care whether the cats are declawed or not. Nor do I care whether there is a doctor.

But I will agree to some love scenes by the pool and I can watch you swimming.

Charlie, who was going to be the goofy sidekick, now seems to want to chaperone the ladies. Hmm, I'm beginning to wonder how many love rivals I will really have in this film, because Chef also wants to know if he gets some love interest.

Anyway, Chef, I am more than happy for you to be a scoundrel, so that is one thing we can agree on. And your mom is more than welcome to be a production assistant.

The Forget Sit and Stay Gang came up with some excellent suggestions for titles, so I think a PippaPoll could be called for to choose one. Here is what they wrote:

Pippa in Pics! We can see it now. Here's some brainstorming on titles.



Pippa plays the high seas

The sun sets for Pippa

Pirates for Pippa

Pippa Sets Sail

Pippa Rides the Tides


I like those, I think they are very good.

Apparently Witty wanted to know what happened to Peaceful Pippa and why there is lots of cat chasing.

Well, Witty, although I am normally peaceful, the truth is that I am just conserving my energy for those wonderful moments when I get the opportunity to chase cats. Because I can't resist it.

Speaking of cats, Peanut has offered us Shelby to chase, so that will be yet another cat in the film.

And Ethel wants to know if she can chase cats. Of course you can Ethel. As one of my two heroines (and not half as demanding as that diva Sophie) you can chase cats to your heart's content.

Freda has asked if we need a 1,2 1,2 vole catcher. I don't know if there will be any voles on board, but I think it would be best to err on the safe side, so you would be very welcome as resident vole catcher.

Jake and Just Harry from Florida have volunteered to add some authenticity and foreign intrigue for me. And even better, their mom can get us on Port Everglades. Misery would like that as she wants an excuse to go to the Everglades National Park, so perhaps a few days holing up at the port would be in order for her to clear off on her mini-expedition.

Asta is next to the Hudson River, so we will definitely have to go and visit her in New York.

Marvin wants to be Best Boy on the credits. That's ok by me, I don't know if you have to do anything to be best boy though. Oh, I don't want you vomiting dead rabbits all over the place, or you definitely won't be best boy. Mistress has heard those stories about you, so just remember this is a cruise ship and not the woods and forests of the UK.

I have realised since I started my project that two of my lovely girlfriends have gone to the bridge. So my film will be dedicated to Kelsey Ann and Tasha. I hope that is ok with their people.

Maybe Meadow would like a role in the film to represent the Kapp Pack, and I hope Eva is still willing to be in my film, even though she is a princess now. I'm not sure princesses do property stuff and set decoration like you originally suggested Eva, so perhaps you need to go for the cameo role. Maybe you can get Brice to do a bit of work on the sets. Although maybe not, there may not be a set left if we ask Brice to look after it.

And I think there will be so much going on with this American trip, that the trip to the Far East and Australia will definitely have to wait for the sequel, when of course we will also go via Japan to see Jazz and Dixie.

We will have to go via the UK though for this first film - or how else could we pick up Ben the Rotti? - so that will give Simba the chance for his walk-on part too.

Well, that's it for now on the film. Thanks to everyone for hanging on in there and reminding me that I needed to get Misery to update it.

We will put on our thinking caps and start fleshing out the screenplay next. Competitions are essential on board I think. Snose competitions and toast competitions. I need to work on that.

All comments, suggestions, and volunteers for parts in the film are very welcome.

Nearly forgot. Here are some pictures of me.

Shy Pippa.


Laughing. Or yawning? Can't remember.


Give me the toast.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Snoses, and movies, and toast

Well mistress was not banished for long of course.

But when she came back she managed to pick up some nasty bug (no not fleas or ticks, those are my nasty bugs), and has been feeling sorry for herself yet again and lying in bed.

Or rather on the floor, as she doesn't have a bed and I am certainly not sharing my sofa with her.

Enough is enough however, so I ordered a post. Now!

When she came back I did the present trail routine for her. I know she likes this because she always says "Good dog Pippa."



She follows the rubbish that I have carefully distributed and then she sees me waiting patiently for her on my sofa.



And later we took her out for a walk. I was in the lead as usual. Note, although I may be on the lead, I am in the lead.



Next up, I want to ask if you have all seen Bolo's nose competition running throughout November.

I am not a particularly competitive dog but I like my snose, I think it is rather pretty.

And because I am not a kissy or licky dog, (especially of mistress), I use my snose to do the odd few affectionate gestures. Snoses in fact.

Well, what I really mean by that is that I wander up to Misery or master and wait for them to rub my snose, and stroke it and things like that.

If I am feeling very kind, I will stick my snose in their faces. If it is master I will wait for him to say "OK Pippa, I am getting up now, what a good dog you are."

When I do it to Misery I just turn around and run away. Don't want her to think I am fond of her or anything.

My snose went pink for a while. You can see it up there on the big picture. Oh and Jazz and Dixie asked what the hanging things are. They are to keep out the flies and mosquitoes at my finca in Spain. However I thought it was more important that I kept an eye on mistress in the kitchen, so I stuck my head through them anyway.

I don't think my snose is pink at the moment. Misery has taken a picture. She will need to take some more for the competition of course, because if we put this one in you would all be able to guess it was me wouldn't you?

Look how carefully I have aligned my profile against the tile. How artistic of me.



I promised an update on my film project, but of course Misery has not taken a photo of a cruise ship to go with it. Misery also needs to do a bit of work and summarise where we had got to, especially as I have made some new friends who don't know what it is about.

Well obviously it is about me. On a cruise ship. And my darling girlfriends. JB wants to know if she is still Official Ship's Cat. Yes, of course you are. I haven't changed anything since the last time so the role is still there for you.

So next post we need to write about our cast list, and our potential plots, and sub-plots, and sub-sub-plots. Anything more than that will be too complicated for me as I will need a nap.

Perhaps we might run Snose competitions on my cruise ship? There is an idea. And we could have 'Who can eat the most toast/crumpets/pizza?' competitions couldn't we? Yes, I think competitions need to be an integral part of the movie.

Anyway more next time on the movie. (NB Mistress, More next time on the movie - go do some work).

Oh and speaking of toast, I have discovered a new way to eat it. Mistress is spreading it with something called yeast extract. This smells delicious so therefore it tastes delicious. It is brown and slightly sticky and I like it very much.

Apparently Australians have Vegemite, British have Marmite (and Bovril), and we haven't a clue what Americans have. We don't know if you eat yeast extract on toast. Must go and get my share.

Snosing for yeast extract


Lying in wait


On my sofa ready to pounce on that tasty toast