The Proposition

Who knew that being a movie star would have such immediate and shocking effects on my daily life. You won't believe what happened to me yesterday. Seriously.

I was out for a walk with my family when a woman who was walking two dogs across the street from me yelled out "hey! Is that a boy dog??!?"

Bridget, rather confused by the woman who was yelling responded in the affirmative.

Then, woman across the street yelled "Is he fixed???"

Bridget assumed that perhaps she wanted to bring her dogs over to say hello, and so wanted to check to make sure that I wasn't some kind of aggressive, un-fixed kinda boy dog. So she also replied that yes, indeed, I have been fixed.

The woman shook her head in disappointment. Then she said "Oh, that's too bad. She's [pointing to her dog] is a girl and I'm looking for one for her."

Ladies and gentlemen, I was propositioned, right there in public, in front of the world, for all to see. This complete stranger [crazy] lady wanted to get her dog (some kind of Spaniel type) knocked up BY ME.

I guess that's what fame does to a person. Crazy!

He's a Star!

I realize that this blog is now in danger of being the all-Carter-all-the-time blog with nothing about our house. But the truth is, our dog is famous. Much more famous than any of us or our house will ever be, so we need to talk about our dog.

Tonight, we got a babysitter and went to see The Fighter here in Lowell. For those of you who do not live in Lowell, New York, or LA, you cannot see The Fighter yet. But here in Lowell, we're special.

The movie was pretty great. The boxing scenes were hard (for me) to watch. It was very fun to see all the local sites and know where every scene was happening, including the fact that Charlene's house, which another character claims is on Stevens Street is actually in our neighborhood, far from Stevens Street. When you come to visit us, we can take you on a tour of The Fighter's Lowell. And, of course, you can meet its major -- in fact only -- canine star, Carter.

Carter's scenes were great. There are two of them, and in one of them, Christian Bale yells "Is that a cocker spaniel?!" at him. Christian Bale has talked about my dog.

Carter is kind of a big deal.

When we returned home, giddy and pleased, we asked the babysitter how things had gone. She got a worried look and said "everything was OK, but there was one thing.....Carter got up on the table and got the banana bread."

Well, who are we to deny a major star his banana bread when we went off to the movie -- his movie -- without him.

Further updates when the dog press junket begins.

Update: I just googled "The Fighter" Wahlberg spaniel to see if there were any mentions of Carter in the reviews of the movie so far.

O.M.G.

Here's one: http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/12/10/the-fighter-review/ where you will find this:

It's also funny in very random moments, like when Dicky turns to a passerby who's gawking at his argument with Charlene and says, "Hey, what kind of dog is that? Is that a cocker spaniel?"

And then there are multiple sites that include quotes from the movie, and this is what they say in the little blurbs under discussion of The Fighter:

Related Quotes

1. Hey, what kind of dog is that? Is that a cocker spaniel?
   SOURCE: Cinematical 2 days ago

I'm telling you, just keep checking in on "Is that a cocker spaniel?" in the next few weeks....it's going to be the "whaaazup" of 2010.

Update: Jake just asked me "didn't they ask you what kind of dog he was?" -- I did -- and he followed: "so you co-wrote that scene." YES! Also, Jake totally co-directed with Russell, as Carter needed some coaxing to do that thing he does.

Merry Christmas

Press Clippings

An article in Vanity Fair regarding the chances of my friend, Christian, getting an Oscar is here.

My dear friend Amy talks about working on the film here.

So far, no one is blogging or buzzing about moi, but I'm sure they'll get around to it. Soon the internets will be abuzz with talk of "is that a cocker spaniel" Carter. Just wait.

Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in

My good friend Jonathan has just passed along some most excellent news. His friend, a movie reviewer has seen The Fighter. And I am in it. And Christian Bale talks about me.

I am famous.

Bridget and Jake can't wait to see the movie. It's all ridiculously exciting.

I rock.

More Sad News

We just learned that one of my local neighborhood dog buddies, Sandy, has gone missing and is presumed to have passed away (she was rather old and not in great health). Sandy was the pomeranian at the end of our street. She was a bit of a lovable nuisance. She would occassionally walk from her house to our house to come into our front yard and bark at us. She regularly chased joggers and bikers who made the mistake of running or riding past her house. We'll miss seeing you on our daily walks, Sandy.

Some Sad News

Today I learned that my good dog-friend, Cerebus ('Bus) passed away. He was a good old dog and a good old friend and we will all miss him.

Much love to Bus's family, Paula, Rich, Ed, and especially to his fuzzy companion, Marlon, who is probably lost without him. Let's get together, buddy!

A belated photo to add; here I am with Cerebus, a whole buncha years ago:

Movie Update: Trailer

My good friend Jonathan alerted me to the fact that the trailer for my new film is out!!!! I'm not actually in it, as I'm kind of the surprise famous dog cameo they didn't want to give away. But you can see the basic plot, and see some of my buddies, Mark, Christian, and Amy. Also, at about 2 minutes in, there's a giant fight among a bunch of women and that's the scene that we watched over and over again. Check it out:

New Bed, Same Problem

Bridget got me a brand new bed. It's lovely. Thank you!! Here I am enjoying it:

So it's nice, but then this happened:



And then, even worse, this happened:


I can't believe I have to put up with this.

Help!

Update on my forthcoming film

Late at night, when Bridget is wasting time on the interwebs, she sometimes likes to look up the status of my movie. The internets are abuzz lately with news of The Fighter, and someone has posted a short clip. While I don't actually appear in this clip, this is actually the scene we watched over and over again -- we saw the full rehearsal and choreography of this melee. Warning: this link takes you to a YouTube video which may well be taken down at any point, and it shows a big fight among Mark Wahlberg and 9 or so women.

The movie is still getting Oscar buzz, with a rumor of a release date around Thanksgiving. Other than that, there really isn't much information out there. We're keeping pretty quiet on the project to build anticipation.

We can't wait!

This is just to say

Today on our walk, Bridget noticed that my, uh, leavings looked a little strange. It is SO embarrassing that she pays attention to such things. What's even more embarrassing is that she asked Jake if I had eaten anything different while she was away yesterday. I can't believe they talk about stuff like that! Anyway, Jake thought a bit, and then remembered that when he walked into the pantry, the giant tub of cashews was without its lid. He had thought nothing of it, and just replaced the lid, but thanks to Bridget's nosey snooping, the two of them pieced together my crime. Here is my confession (with apologies to Mr. William Carlos Williams).

Dear Bridget and Jake,

I have eaten
the cashews
that were in
the pantry

and which
you were probably
saving
to have with your gin and tonic

Forgive me
they were so delicious
so salty
and so crunchy

woof.

Brownie Bandit!

Today Bridget came home from work and dropped her bag by the door before heading for the bathroom. I took this as an invitation to stick my head into her bag and see what was in there. Well, dear readers, I hit the JACKPOT! There was a foil-wrapped package of BROWNIES in there!!! Woo hoo! Before Bridget could finish her bathroom business, they were GONE! So YUM!

Bridget was pretty upset. If you see her, try not to mention brownies or baked goods of any sort.

By the way, I know dogs aren't supposed to eat chocolate. But who makes up these rules? I'm fine. In fact, I'm awesome!

Also, just so you know, any bag sitting on the floor WILL be searched. By me. Personally. If there is food in there, I WILL find it. And eat it. Don't test me.

Haircut, also, driving

I got a haircut on Friday. I look awesome.

I look so awesome, Jake and Bridget let me drive their car. Nice!

For Your Consideration

Dear readers. Many of you know of my film work last summer. I write to alert you that my film, The Fighter will likely be released later this year (2010) rather than next year (which was what we originally thought). Rumors read online here and here and also further supported by a SAG member at a Lowell screening of The Invention of Lying (attended by Bridget) indicate that the film's release has been moved up because it's an award contender. I think you know what's coming next.

I would like to draw your attention to my work in the film. I appear (or should appear) in two scenes, where my acting is vital to the action and emotional experience of the storyline. The work I put into this film -- my heart and soul, really -- I believe is worthy of the Oscar nod. I hope you will consider me for a Best Supporting Actor nomination. I could not have done it without my excellent colleagues and close personal friends, Mark, Christian, and Amy. And David was really invaluable as a director, pushing me to really make the role my own. But really, the work is mine, and I hope you will recognize my contribution with the appropriate award.

Thank you.

And as long as I'm writing, Bridget wanted me to mention that the screening of The Invention of Lying was quite exciting. Yes, it was released last year, and didn't get great reviews, but it was tremendously fun to go watch it in a room above a bar filled with people who worked on the film. Although Bridget didn't work on the film (I'm the only movie-maker here!), she does own Tina Fey's sweater, as well as several other objects purchased after they finished shooting the film. So throughout the movie, we got to see all the things that we now own. A lamp that is now in our basement is a central figure in an important scene! How cool! But also, you can really see A LOT of Lowell in this movie. There are tons of shots of the streets and storefronts, and it's quite clear that it's Lowell. There are lots of shots inside places here, including restaurants, bars, and a bank. It's very fun to watch, both for the Lowell shout-outs, and the hilarious very short performances by the likes of big name actors. I say it's worth watching!

Cheers!

Cheerios! Why didn't anyone tell me about Cheerios before? I love them! They're awesome!

Don't tell Bridget. Please. I snuck into the kitchen pantry while they were out and totally opened the box and ripped at the bag and totally ate Cheerios.

Can we keep this just between us? Please?

And next time, can I have some milk? And bananas?

Lucky Dog (I'm a Winner!)

Yesterday we got the phone call: I am a winner! I won a raffle at our favorite pet supply store, Healthy Pets! It is so awesome! So we took a ride over there and picked up my winnings. I got all kinds of treat and a few CANS of dog food (YUM!) and a giant bag of dogfood! It's huge! Bigger than me! Last night I tried to open it with my own paws, so Jake took it away and hid it from me. But I know it's here somewhere! You can't keep me from my rightful winnings!

I am one lucky dog!

It's my Birthday!

I have lived here at 83 Durant for three whole years now! Wow! There was a party for me last weekend with my friends, Bus and Marlon, and Auntie Paula & Rich. We had a great time.

I've been eating a lot of snow lately. I prefer it to my water dish. No one knows why.

All is well, I'm happy and healthy, and I'm actually coming around to this Lucy kid that lives here.

Cheers to all!