A kitty reality show?!!!

It seems we can't get away from cheap pet foods with lots of advertising money around here. Our friend Jared emailed us this article about Meow Mix's new gimmick, and how could we not repost this? I mean, it's a kitty reality show?!! This could very well be Jezebel's and Sambora's new favorite TV show...


Tuesday, May 30, 2006 by Tobi Elkin
Calling all kitties: Are you ready for your closeup? On a reality TV show?

Meow Mix is sponsoring a reality show competition just for cats. Kitty competitors will be asked to lick themselves clean, chase balls of string, and relieve themselves in alitter box as they scratch and claw their way towards the grand prize.

Ten cats from shelters across the U.S. will be selected to compete in the inaugural edition of The Meow Mix House. The cats will travel to New York City and live together in a specially-designed house from June 13-23. Webcams will be mounted in every room in the house to get a glimpse into what cats do all day--and in our household, that's sleep. Well, most of the time, anyway.

Visitors can also go to http://www.meowmixhouse.com/ to vote for their favorite cat, (starting Thursday.) The cat with the fewest votes will be evicted from the house. However, all the cats in the Meow Mix House are winners: each cat that gets the boot will be adopted into a permanent home and receive a one-year supply of Meow Mix as a consolation prize. Meow Mix will pre-select a family in each city to adopt the cats after their stay in the house ends.

The last cat standing in the house will receive a job working for The Meow Mix Co. as Feline Vice President of Research and Development. He or she will be responsible for taste-testing and feedback on new Meow Mix product launches and line extensions. The Meow Mix Co. is producing the show along with Grand Central Marketing, an event marketing and promotion agency, and MMB, Meow Mix's advertising agency. Since it takes a special kind of person to understand what cats are saying, pop-up dialogue bubbles will be used to help translate the meows into English. Negotiations are underway with several cable networks to air the show.

Meow Mix will use the reality show as a platform to showcase Meow Mix Indoor Formula and Meow Mix Market Select wet food. In addition, the company's new line of cat treats will be offered to winners of reward challenges.


Tobi Elkin is Executive Editor, MediaPost.

Just An Online Minute for Tuesday, May 30, 2006: http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=43945

For more information: Meow Mix House

Psst...over here!

In a blatant attempt to gain more friends, Romeo has entered the weird world of Dogster and dragged his cat buddies onto Catster. Romeo's page is http://www.dogster.com/?320566; Jezebel is at http://www.catster.com/?320590; Sambora's page is http://www.catster.com/?320596. This prompted a photo shoot for Jezebel to get more pictures for her Catster page.

The world of pets is so weird and fun.

And yes, in fact Romeo does have a MySpace page. Other showbiz dogs had MySpace pages, so Romeo had to have one, too.

Starring: _Romeo_

Romeo Hikes Where the Stars Hike!

Star Tracks - Friday, May 26, 2006 Page 6 Nicole Richie : People.com:
StarTracks
ICE ICE BABY
"Nicole Richie counts on the kindness of strangers - namely a paparazzo who reportedly lent her money to buy a blueberry snow cone - while hiking with pals in Hollywood's Runyon Canyon on Thursday. "

Romeo hikes there, too! And we park near the shave ice man. Wow! They say it's a good place to see stars, but we've only met out of work actors and models so far.

Starring: _Romeo_

Romeo's Pedigree Shoot!

This is not the face of a dog only an owner can love!
The Pedigree people love it too!

Today was Romeo's Pedigree Shoot! We were told on Tuesday that Romeo's shoot would be on Friday. No problem!

Yesterday night I was dismayed to learn that Romeo's calltime was at 10AM and that his shoot location was in Pacific Palisades. I set my alarm for 7AM for an 8AM departure to the other side of LA. Today I was even more dismayed when I heard that Thursday's shoot was in South Pasadena, five minutes away from our home!

We made it, no problem, to the location, only to be bussed up to another location. To wait. For a long time. Romeo was overly stimulated and excited, and somewhat wary of the new dogs. So while we were there, we took in the view, walked Romeo, hung out in the trailer with the other "real" dogs (what one PA called the dogs they cast from various LA locations - who had much nicer digs than the studio trained dogs, I have to say), and tried to figure out what was going on.


Romeo was called to the set right before lunch, and he was asked to sit and stare at the camera. This took like five minutes altogether for three takes. And that's it. Stacy (the director) was very very interested in Romeo's eyes, and it seemed like he only wanted a shot of Romeo's face (specially his eyes) to convey excitement in a different way without movement. The theme for this commercial, by the way, is excitement. We weren't sure if Romeo was needed for anything else, and the production crew didn't seem to know either, so they called a break for lunch and said that Romeo wasn't wrapped yet.

I do have to say, the lunch was superb and totally made the experience. Joel's been raving about craft services for years, but until now I'd never experienced it. A gourmet meal came out of a lunch truck. I swear! I had NY steak, cooked medium, with some sort of wine sauce and sauteed shallots over the most tasty breaded asparagus.

So then, after lunch, we went back in the trailer where it was air conditioned. And waited.



And we kept waiting. Romeo was really tired at this point but didn't want to go to sleep, so I accompanied him to the back of the trailer where his bed was set up and sat in a chair next to his bed while he took a nap. Dena covered him with a towel so he could keep warm.

After his nap, I took him out of the trailer for another walk to pass the time. He ran in between two cast members playing catch (like with baseball and mitts) to pass the time for awhile before they had to go work. We were walking when the second assistant director (2AD for short as I learned) found us and told us that we were wrapped and could go collect our check! Sweet! In: 9:45AM, out: 3:15PM!

We're hoping they need him back for the still shots. Romeo's saving up for a yard, after all! I'm going to call the ad agency in a couple weeks to find out the airdate of the commercial, and hopefully they'll be able to tell us whether Romeo made the final edit and is still in the commercial!

Starring: _Romeo_

A call from the Pedigree commercial production people...

They called this morning to ask that I have Romeo's nails trimmed. And that's it.

Strange, but okay, whatever Hollywood wants.

Starring: _Romeo_

Watch out Hollywood! Here comes Romeo!

So after the open casting call at Runyon Canyon and the subsequent callback, I started wondering if Romeo got the part, is there a doggie SAG that Romeo would have to join? Does Romeo need to find a doggie entertainment lawyer? I know there's doggie talent agencies, but which one is reputable? How does all this work?

Well, we'll all soon find out, because Romeo got a part in the Pedigree commercial! Yay! Congratulations to Romeo!

Filming happens next week, and we'll have more to tell more then. For tonight, though, Romeo and the cats had a celebratory meal of wet food.

Starring: _Romeo_

Introducing Bridget Jones!

Our friend Beth got herself a lovebug of a border collie named Bridget Jones. Bridge is almost exactly 4 months old. She's a bit shy and timid right now, but a real sweetheart! We'll see how her personality develops once she settles in.

Starring: Bridget Jones

Romeo gets a callback!

Romeo at the callback, fixated on that most wonderful toy - his frisbee

Last night was consumed by the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. At midnight I realized I had phone messages, so I checked them. The messages were for Romeo. The open casting call Romeo walked into on Friday for Pedigree wanted our little mini aussie in for a callback!

Things happened pretty fast. I called back this morning and they were only doing callbacks today. So Romeo, Dena, and I went since we were all together when we got into this crazy mess! I was told to bring something that Romeo would get excited about, so out came the frisbee and some meatballs and the Natural Balance training sausage, just in case he needed a little "motivation" to eat Pedigree food or something. More Polaroids abound. Hollywood must keep Polaroid in business. Romeo's getting good at posing for Polaroids.

So we go in, and the first thing the crew commented on was Romeo's eyes. The crew apparently had been talking Romeo's eyes from his casting call audition thing. I was told to play with him for a bit while they filmed him. He was a good little performer, very motivated by his treats and his frisbee. We didn't need to break out the sausages since he was so excited and happy looking in front of complete strangers filming him. Dena thought it was funny that Romeo would look into the camera whenever he was near it.

We'll see what happens next. Joel, who is our entertainment industry expert, says there may be one or two more callbacks. But no matter what, Romeo made the first cut. Maybe he can be a real Hollywood pooch after all!

Starring: _Romeo_

Another casting call for Romeo?!!!

Proving that Romeo really is an LA kind of dog, our favorite mini aussie walked right into a casting call for a Pedigree commercial. Two casting calls in one week (Old Navy was last Friday)! Dena, Romeo, and I went to Runyon Canyon again, and there the guy was, asking if we wanted to be a part of the open casting call. Romeo calmed down just long enough to let the guy take a Polaroid of him and then proceeded to run around for him. Then we had to go hiking, which included the dreaded slope once again (see below - and note: it goes up more...). We still suck and Romeo still rules at this stupid going up thing. I have to say that this is probably one of Romeo's favorite activities and totally made up for the fact that he had to go to the vet this morning.

That stupid slope...this is just the beginning

After the hike we went to the Breadbar (Megan, are you jealous?), where Romeo wowed the Beverly Hills ladies who lunch with his cuteness. He got some healthy roast turkey slices and a tiny tiny bite of my burger for being so good. He got comfortable under the table but we pulled him out for some pictures.

Breadbar on 3rd St.

Romeo keeping cool under the table

Romeo got weary of taking pictures...

"Please, no more pictures!"

Starring: _Romeo_

Candie's Cassidy

Have you seen a dog get a piggyback ride? Well, apparently Cassidy loves them! There's Cassidy, getting a ride from her owner Candie.



Starring: Cassidy

Jezebel's Version of Help

So I'm in the middle of potentially internationally important research work, right, and Jezebel decides that the keyboard should be danced all over, and that paper should be thrown everywhere, chewed on, and then slept on. Who cares about my Ph.D. anyway?


Starring: Jezebel

Romeo versus Kiwi: Opposite ends of the Mini Spectrum

Romeo took a walk with his friend Kiwi today. It was hard to get a picture of them together, but we managed. Now, they are both miniature Australian shepherds, but check out the size difference between Romeo (who is doing his "king of the castle" bit on top of the chaise) and Kiwi! The miniature spectrum is from 14" to 18". Romeo barely made the 14" cut, and I think Kiwi must be just under the 18" top limit. Below is Sambora, our friendly neighborhood greeter, saying hi to Kiwi. Romeo is like 1-2" taller than Sambora, so what does that make Sambora and Kiwi??

Starring: _Romeo_

Guest Stars: Kiwi, Sambora

Subscribe to Romeo and Friends!

Romeo and Friends has a new feature - a SUBSCRIPTION! I don't think pictures will be emailed (but who knows, I've been wrong before), but you'll get an update whenever the blog is updated. Much easier than checking back every day like I know all of you are. To subscribe, simply go to http://groups.google.com/romeoandfriends/subscribe. Easy!

Romeo's Photo from Old Navy Event

Here's Romeo's pic from the Old Navy event! So I wasn't supposed to be in it or the table on the side there. It's just supposed to be Romeo in front of the Hollywood sign. I emailed the Old Navy people to see if I could get a copy of this to tweak it a bit, since this is the only thing I could get online and it's super small.

Anyhow, I decided to use one of the photos we took of Romeo yesterday instead, since you can see more of him in it than in the one Old Navy took. The photo we submitted to the Old Navy contest is below. Look for Romeo's entry on the Old Navy contest site.

Here's the direct link to Romeo's entry:
http://66.70.119.253/Profiles/ViewDogProfile.aspx?profileID=5240&curpage=86&numperpage=48&currecindx=4120

We're hoping for the best for this little mini aussie!

Starring: _Romeo_

3rd St. Promenade: Will Romeo be the next Magic?

So yesterday Dena and I learned that Old Navy was going to have a "casting call" on 3rd Street Promenade to find their new mascot today. Romeo is cute and fun. We decided, why not, let's go! At the event, we met a large Australian shepherd that looked like Romeo (except Romeo had better fur and blue eyes). Romeo looked like that dog's mini-me! Too bad Rome wouldn't stand still long enough to take a picture with that dog with all the excitement around.

We also got loads of cute pictures of Romeo today since we actually brought the digital camera for once. He was barky as usual, but pretty well behaved all things considered!

Can you believe he's smiling and calm enough for that picture above with 30 other dogs around?

This was Romeo's first time to 3rd Street Promenade. I think there was too much stimulation for him, with all the people, the dogs, the street performers, because he had real trouble keeping focus, but he was listening when he wasn't super distracted. Below, Romeo obeys the "down" command in the middle of 3rd Street Promenade. Quite a feat!

So now we have to go through all of Romeo's pictures to see which one the best one is to submit for the Old Navy contest. We did get him a pin today that says "VIP - Very Important Pooch," which he's wearing in the above picture. So no matter what, Romey knows he's special!

Starring: _Romeo_

Runyon Canyon: Romeo thinks we're out of shape

Romeo, Dena, and I went hiking today! Above, there we are at the first vantage point at Runyon Canyon. LA's great from here! I think I was pretty cocky, all worried that Romeo wouldn't be able to do the full hike I had planned, but when we went up the slope, Romeo LOVED it, just loved it, and went up the slope like he was a mountain goat while Dena and I were huffing and puffing and fearing that we would fall backwards. He kept running up and down the slope between us to check up on us, since we were a bit apart. I'm pretty sure Romeo thought that he needed to motivate us more or something because he was having no issue with the hike. He got to meet lots of new dogs, including another Australian Shepherd on the way down - a red merle by the name of Gibson! This was his first time off-leash here and he did excellent! I do have to say that he's a great dog. Below is Romeo resting when we forced him to stop somewhere along the path.

Then afterwards, since Romeo was so good, the three of us hit the Melrose scene to Lala's, an Argentinian grill. I do have to say that Romeo took to Melrose quite well. He had an empanada, which he quite enjoyed. Romeo likes Argentian food! Below are some pictures of us at Melrose. The pics were all taken with my camera phone. Pretty good photos, huh?

Starring: _Romeo_

Bizarre Day at the Dog Park

Romeo is resting after a bizarre afternoon at the dog park.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened with the dogs today. Romeo met a bunch of very nice looking dogs. We met Walter the Great Dane, some very nice retrievers, Buddy the Beagle, and some other dogs that I don't remember the names of. It was pretty straightforward with the dogs. Humans, however, were another story entirely.

So we got to the dog park to meet Beth (and her new beau Charlie) and Kiwi (another Australian shepherd) and there were firetrucks and an ambulance. I thought, well, that's not good, someone must be really bad off. We saw a man lying on the ground with a number of firefighters leaning over him. Romeo and I walked around the scene and then we saw a dog walker that we had interviewed for Romeo and the cats awhile back and I thought, isn't that funny that she's here at the same time as us? Then I got to the off-leash area where Beth and entourage were, and I got the whole crazy story connecting everything together. Apparently, the dog lady had parked her car, and a drunk guy in a white van backed up into her car's side. The situation apparently went south from there because somewhere in the course of it all the drunk guy decided to douse himself with gasoline (with, I believe, the purpose of setting himself on fire). Everything turned out all right by the end of our park outing as the dog lady and the drunk guy have auto insurance, the firefighters did their job and the drunk-gasoline man did not set himself on fire. Strange. In any case, as Romeo and I were leaving, the drunk-gasoline man was in the custody of the police, so thankfully, everything ended well instead of becoming more messed up than it already was.

Starring: _Romeo_
Guest Star: Kiwi