Remember Leo the Lion?

Leo the Lion is the mascot for the Hollywood film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and one of its predecessors, Goldwyn Pictures, featured in the studio's production logo.

Slats was the first lion used for the newly-formed MGM studio. He was born at Dublin Zoo, Ireland on March 20, 1919. The photo above is Slats the Lion being filmed for his cinematic debut as the MGM Logo, c. 1924.

Slats was used on all black-and-white MGM films between 1924 and 1928. Slats was trained to growl rather than roar (although in the logo he did nothing but look around), and for the next couple of years, the lion would tour with MGM promoters to signify the studio's launch.

Slats died in 1936. His skin is now on display at the McPherson Museum, in Kansas.


The original logo was designed by Howard Dietz and used by the Goldwyn Pictures Corporation studio from 1916 to 1924.

PHOTO 1: via The Daily What
PHOTO 2: Wikipedia

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Jim Carrey to star with penguins

Think penguin movies peaked about five years ago when March of the Penguins and Happy Feet were playing?

Hollywood believes audiences will come waddling back on Aug. 12, when 20th Century Fox releases the big-screen adaptation of the 1930s children's book Mr. Popper's Penguins, starring Jim Carrey, Angela Lansbury and a half-dozen real-life, flightless water fowl.

Audiences will be watching the real penguins for roughly half the movie. In some scenes, CGI animals were used.

Source

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Win a free movie!

"Life on a Leash" is about Stella - she has a new job, a new car, and the perfect apartment. But something's missing - other people. Enter Kong, a giant brown-and-black stray dog who shows up when Stella is changing a flat tire. Suddenly her life is being pulled into the world of dogs and the oddball crowd that lives with four-legged friends. She enjoys the companionship and the community but keeps pulling back as Kong literally drags her out of her shell. (imdb)

Jan, at the Poodle and Dog Blog, will give away the copy she received from the producers, and we'll add the one I received for the Pet Blog, so now two lucky people can get a free copy of this DVD.

All you have to do is visit : Jan's post, Win a free dog movie, and in the "Comments", state the name and breed(s) of the dog who had the most influence on your life. That’s it.

Winner will be chosen by random drawing.

Contest closes January 17.

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Video: Official Madagascar 2 Music Video: I Like To Move It

Watch video

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Off the Chain

Off the Chain is an unprecedented look into the underground world of dog fighting and the history of the American Pit Bull Terrier. The film will take you through the evolution of the breed and will help you find out how this dog went from Pete in the "Little Rascals," to become public enemy number one.

Warning: The movie preview contains some disturbing images.

(via)

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Meet Harry Potter's Animals

Do you wonder how the scenes involving owls were created and shot for the Harry Potter movies?

This article has some interesting "behind the scenes" information. Animals received royal treatment during filming. In many cases, the animals received better treatment than the human actors – such as the scenes with the cats Mrs. Norris and Professor McGonagall. Many of the scenes take place in a real castle, which was actually quite drafty and cold. For the cats' comfort, they were provided heated floors to keep their paws and their bodies warm. The human actors had no such comforts.

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Video: I Like To Move It, Move It

"I Like To Move It, Move It," from the movie Madagascar.

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The owls of Harry Potter

Now that five Harry Potter movies and all seven books have been released, people have become very familiar with owls. This website will give you facts about owls both in the real world and in J.K. Rowling's magical world.

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