Patricia Steffy Spotlights the City Where Dating Goes to Die

Courtesy of Patricia Steffy

No matter where you live it isn’t easy being a single girl on the dating scene. But Los Angeles based writer-producer-actress Patricia Steffy has discovered that her city is particularly rich with trials and tribulation in the area of romance as she recounts in her blog, Dating in LA and Other Urban Myths. 

In a recent exclusive interview, Patricia explained that she originally started the blog in reaction to an ex boyfriend’s engagement, “Even though we had broken up years before, it was still somehow a surprise that we were quite clearly not going to end up together. I hadn’t been in Los Angeles long, but even I knew the social structure here was particularly challenging outside of a really narrow demographic of young, beautiful and/or famous.”

The blog began as a chronicle of her experiences on the dating scene. Soon it grew into what Patricia calls, “a more general account of finding my place in the world at this new stage of my life.”

Now, thanks to Patricia’s producing partner, Danielle Turchiano, the written word is being spun into a web series. As Patricia recounted, “Danielle had seen a tote bag I had with the tag “L.A. — where dating comes to die” on it, thought it was funny and began reading the blog on her own.  At some point, I told her that I was actually writing it and she’s really the person who said, ‘This is a story that needs to be on screen.’”
 

Milo Ventimiglia Is Chosen for a New Web Series

Courtesy of Crackle.com

You're going to want to have some time on your hands before you sit down to watch the first episode of Chosen on Crackle.com. That's because all six episodes of the web series are already posted online and once you get sucked in to the first 30-minute episode, odds are you'll want to watch the whole series all the way through.

With production values to rival any network series and a cast that includes the Gilmore Girl's Milo Ventimiglia and The Drew Carey Show's Diedrich Bader, you'll forget you're watching a web series. And the twisting and turning storyline, ensures a white knuckle ride.

After all, it starts out with a bang — almost literally. Milo’s character, attorney Ian Mitchell, discovers a box with a gun and instructions to kill a specific stranger within three days. If he doesn’t, he and his kidnapped daughter will die instead.

In a recent conference call interview, Milo talked about the journey his initially mild mannered character takes on the show. “He works in a law office. He wears a tie. He  has these little struggle of words with him ex-wife or his marriage is falling apart. He's a guy who's just  dealing with some everyday problems.”

But then, Milo notes, everything changes. He explained, “This box arrives and he is now hunted and has to hunt and is  put into this game that is, as the trailer says, not the fun kind. And he has to  adapt as a human being for the sense of survival.”

Play Real Housewives: The Game

  Photo by Michael Rosenthal/Bravo 

We always thought it would be fun to be one of Bravo's Real Housewives for day. Although no one wants to admit it, it would be fascinating to be a table flipping, fashion mongering millionaires for just a few hours — wouldn't it? But since we haven't been able to get Lisa Vanderpump to be our BFF just yet, we'll have to settle for living out our fantasy via the new Real Housewives Facebook game.

The app let's you dive into the lifestyle right away and it promises that you can “play your way to the top of New York society.” You start by choosing from a few fabulous hairstyles (sorry ladies, there are no Kim Zolciak wigs included in the NYC version) and some hot outfits. And then you go on your tutorial quest — to meet Bravo Executive Vice President of Development and Talent and Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen in a hip Manhattan nightclub. Then you get to dance with a clubber and chat up the hottest locals.

The Bachelor Pad’s Chris Harrison Addresses Internet Rumors

 Photo by Todd Wawrychuk

By all accounts Bachelor Pad host Chris Harrison is a really nice guy. Let’s face it — every week the guy let’s a string of lovelorn reality stars cry on his shoulder. And he’s been known to let a suitor or two have it when he thinks their actions are less than honorable.

But these days it seems like Chris has lost a little bit of patience when it comes to the way magazines and blogs are reporting on the details of the show and his personal life. In a recent conference call interview, the Bachelor host remained cool, calm and charismatic but took the opportunity to make a few salient points about what he considers some questionable journalistic tactics.

Perhaps the worst culprit in the Bachelorette gossip mill has been US Weekly. They’re the rag that first leaked word that Emily Maynard was kicking Arie Luyendyk Jr. off of the show because he dated a producer. That didn’t happen. They said that Emily was in love with Chris. Don’t tell her fiancée Jef Holms. And then they switched their story to say that Maynard would only correspond with Chris via text or Twitter. Who knows why they’d need to chat on the phone anyway.

Kimberly Cole Let’s Keith Apicary Fly His Freak Flag in Her New Video

Step aside Chris Crocker and lonelygirl15, there’s a new Internet sensation in town. His name is Keith Apicary and he has some pretty sweet moves. Okay, his name is actually Nathan Barnatt and he’s an actor-comedian but his dancing is what’s making him a star. If you’ve never seen him in action, just watch Kimberly Cole’s new video “U Make Me Wanna” (above). In a recent exclusive interview the pop singer talked about Keith’s audition, changing the concept for the project and the friendship that’s blossomed between the like-minded artists.

Kimberly explained that it all started like all of her other videos had, “I have a large Twitter following so we were looking for a couple of dancers for the video and decided to do auditions. And I posted on my Twitter and my Facebook because I respond to everybody. So I do get people who ask me things about auditions or whatnot. So I put it on there.”

Kimberly Cole from Competitive Roller Skater to Pop Star

Kimberly Cole has been on the fast track to stardom over the last few years. First came her 2010 album Bad Girls Club. Then the track “Smack You” was used to promote The Bad Girls Club and hit #4 on the Billboard Dance Chart. She’s been on the road with acts like Katy Perry, LMFAO, Cobra Starship and Shiny Toy Guns. And she’s dedicated her time to entertaining the troops – headlining a U.S. tour with a group of high profile comedians to give back to the Marines.

On top of all that, Cole’s latest video for “U Make Me Wanna” has become a viral sensation thanks in part to an appearance by comedian-actor-dancer Keith Apicary (aka Nathan Barnatt). But that’s another story, for another blog (check back next week for that one).

Getting to the top in the cutthroat music industry takes dedication. And Kimberly’s willingness to keep her eyes on the prize can be traced back to her childhood. In a recent exclusive interview she told us about a very unique talent that has helped her keep on track.

Perez Hilton Trades Celeb Quips for Perezisms

© Pop Culture Passionistas

When we started this blog a couple of years ago we said to ourselves, “We want to be like Perez Hilton but nice.” We never suspected that due to his new journey of self-discovery and karmic cleansing, Perez would take on that role himself. Following a taping of Oprah’s Lifeclass: the Tour, we sat down with Perez and talked about getting the call from Oprah’s team and new brand new outlook on life.

A self-proclaimed “Otheist,” explained that he wasn’t nervous going on Lifeclass because “Oprah reached out to me. I didn’t call up saying, ‘Hey, Oprah, you want to put me on the show?’ They reached out to me saying, ‘Hey we observed what’s been going on.’ And it’s real. I wasn’t pretending to be anybody else. I wasn’t thinking of giving the right answers. I was just being.’”

The shift that Oprah’s producers had witnessed started a few years ago. Critics slammed Perez, calling him a hypocrite when he spoke out against teen bullying. The realization that he’d been pushing celebrities around for years himself, hit hard. He decided to look inward and reevaluate his life.

Golriz Lucina Chews on Life's Big Questions on SoulPancake

Photo by Pop Culture Passionistas

When people contemplate of Dwight Schrute from The Office, they don’t think deep personal introspection. But Rainn Wilson, the actor who plays him, has a much softer, more reflective side. In 2009, Wilson founded a website called SoulPancake, which encourages fans to “chew on life’s big questions.”

Following the success of the website, SoulPancake published a book and now has a weekly video segment on OWN’s Super Soul Sunday. We met with SoulPancake star Golriz Lucina, and talked about their relationship with OWN, her favorite SP short and how she’d like to celebrate a holiday in her honor.

Golriz explained SoulPancake’s new partnership with Oprah Winfrey’s television network, saying, “We’re really excited about our relationship with OWN. OWN has this wonderful block of programming on Sundays called Super Soul Sunday. It’s a three-hour block of programming… So every week we create a SoulPancake short that’s part of this larger block for Super Soul Sunday.”

Stuart O'Keeffe Shares His Hearty but Healthy Culinary Perspective

Julia Child started the TV chef revolution almost 50 years ago as "The French Chef.” The “Two Hot Tamales,” Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, made Mexican accessible in the ‘90s. And Giada De Laurentiis helped people cook “Everyday Italian” food starting in 2006. But there’s a new star on the culinary scene, Stuart O’Keefe. And he’s teaching people how to make hearty but healthy creations as an expert chef on the OWN series Home Made Simple.

Stuart explained how he developed a passion for food at a young age. “I learned all this from my mother. She owned a clothing store… back home and she would get up add at like six o’clock in the morning and start making us lunches for that day before she would go to work at 9 a.m.”

His mother instilled in him a taste for unprocessed ingredients. He recalled, “She always believed in putting fresh food on the table that day… She always liked fresh protein or fresh vegetables and in Ireland we have all of that available to us. We have some great livestock there and some of the best meat in the world comes from Ireland.”

Besides food, Stuart also had an interest in American culture. He watched U.S. television shows and was aware of celebrities across the pond. He dreamed of moving to Los Angeles. He revealed, “I always wanted to do TV, whether it was TV hosting or we parlayed it into me being a chef on TV. I feel very fortunate. I feel very lucky.”

After a stint as one of the stars of the Food Network reality series Private Chefs of Beverly Hills, he landed his own show in Ireland called, Stuart’s Kitchen. But now he’s returned to the U.S. TV as an expert chef on the OWN series Home Made Simple. There he shares his philosophy of hearty but healthy cooking.

Maxime Brulein Brings Royal Watchers to Arch Knockardy

Photo by  Milan Bhatt

 
With the Wills and Kate hoopla behind them, it’s time for royal watchers to turn their attention to the little talked about sovereigns of Arch Knockardy. At least that’s what the public relations firm of Law & Menin will hope they’ll do. The PR masterminds have a very simple mission — to make Arch Knockardy the hottest holiday destination in the Pacific. Never heard of Law & Menin or Prince Marco? That’s because they are all the product of writer-director Maxime Brulein’s imagination and the subject of his next film project, Postcard from the Palace.

Brulein explained how he got the idea for the monarch mockumentary, “The concept of the movie started many years ago, when my best friend in high school and I would write little short stories about an island called Arch Knockardy. The name of the island was based on one of our friends, whose last name was Knockaert and who we loved making fun of. One of these short stories involved a 12-step program in which ordinary people were taught how to become an instant celebrity.”

A few years ago the inside joke took a more public turn. Brulein recounted, “My friend came to visit me in California. We decided, as a joke, to make official looking photos of her and HRH Prince Marco of Arch Knockardy. She posted these on her travel blog with a whole article about her visit to the ‘island.’ The pictures and the text were so believable, that people started to email her, asking her how the hell she personally knew a royal. The joke was pushed further when HRH Prince Marco had his very own Facebook page.”

Competitors Get a Shot at Redemption on Top Chef: Texas

 

  Bravo Photo by Trae Patton 

 

Competition on Top Chef is always cut throat. From week to week the chef’testants are judged on each individual meal. So a frontrunner for most of the show, could easily be sent home following one flawed dish. But this season, in the spirit of Survivor’s Redemption Island theme, the cooks on Top Chef: Texas will be getting a second chance. In a recent conference call interview, Tom Colicchio and Padma Lakshmi talked about the new web component of the heated series.

It used to be when the judge’s didn’t like a meal on Top Chef, the only recourse a contestant had was to defend their dish. As Tom recounted his reaction to those sometimes tense moments. “Aside from getting personal, no they can defend all they want. Someone says, ‘You don't know what you're talking about.’ Great. Okay. That's fine. You're still going home. There's nothing to take offense at. If one of them stands up and says I was at your restaurant two weeks ago and it was terrible, it's like, ‘Just be quiet.’”

Still he recalled the one chef who crossed the line. “What Elia [Aboumrad] did going back to last season, she personally attacked me afterwards and so that is going too far. But even then it was just like let her do what she wants. I commented on it and that was it, over.”

But Tom added that he respects a competitor who stands firmly in their beliefs. “If you're defending yourself, please defend yourself. Please tell us why you did what you did, what you're looking for, what you were going for. That's all well and good. It actually makes for better TV when they defend themselves. And so it's okay for me. It's a personal thing, cooking, and so please defend yourself all you want. Just don't make it personal.”

As Padma pointed out, being critiqued is all part of the Top Chef experience. “In the times where I've felt someone didn't make a successful dish and they disagreed, if enough of us thinks they should go home then they go home… What helps is it's not just one of us. There are four people up there and at least three of us have to want to send them home. So it doesn't become this one on one battle between one judge and one contestant.”

She added, “They're making food for us to judge. That is the game. And I don't think any interest in belittling or insulting or hurting the feelings of any of these contestants. They sign up to go on national TV and be judged by these particular pallets and that's what's going on. End of story.”

That used to be the end of the story. Now eliminated competitors will have an opportunity to get back in the game via what Bravo is calling a “transmedia” experience. Each week two eliminated chefs will co head-to-head on Bravo.com in a challenge that will be judged solely by Tom. The last cook standing will return to the TV series for the on-air finale.

Tom explained that the chefs on the television show had no idea the web competition existed. “The contestants were completely kept in the dark, they didn't know. So I'm sure if we do it next season they'll be expecting it. But this was the first season, so we were able to keep it completely under wraps.” Lakshmi noted, “Yes they thought that they were just going home.”

As for his reaction to the concept, Tom revealed, “I thought it was a great idea… It addresses the person whom the viewer thinks got a raw deal or maybe they were more talented and they were kicked out too soon. I can think back to like Trey who was kicked out in the middle of the competition for Restaurant Wars. And he made a series of bad dishes, but everybody thought that we should have given him a break because he had competed and done well earlier in some of the earlier episodes.”

Having a shot at atonement is a sweet opportunity for the chefs. Tom admitted, “We judge on that dish and that's it. It's not a cumulative event. So you could win five in a row, if you make the worst dish, you're gone. And so what it does though, it gives that person the opportunity to get back in.”

Tom teased, “I can't say when, I can't say who. But yes whoever is the last person standing in the last chance kitchen will get back into the competition.”

Watch the drama unfold when Top Chef returns on Wednesday, November 2 at 10 p.m. EST/9 p.m. Central on Bravo.

FEARnet’s Handing Out a Lot of Treats for Halloween

Courtesy of FEARnet

Getting excited about Halloween and wondering how you’re going to occupy your time between now and trick or treat time? Let us suggest that you tune in to FEARnet and leave it on for the next five days straight. Not only will the world’s leading horror, suspense and thriller channel be showing a freaky festival of films for the week leading up to the 31st, they also have two really special events planned. In an exclusive interview FEARnet President Peter Block gave us a sneak peak of the two main events and his take on the genre’s perceived resurgence.

You might want to get warmed up by watching Leprechaun 5: In the Hood tonight before catching Village of the Giants on Friday and Route 666 on Saturday. But no matter what you choose to view, don’t miss the U.S. premiere of Psychoville on Sunday, October 30.

Peter described the U.K. comedy hit, saying, “Psychoville is irreverent, twisted and top notch. It was the closest thing to Monty Python that we could find. I’m just glad we get to be the ones who brought it to the States. Partnering with BBC has been a great experience. Then again, with clowns wielding cleavers, serial killer loving dysfunctional families and dwarf porn, FEARnet is really the only place for this show.”  

And on Monday you’ll have plenty of opportunities to catch a screening of the horror film Trick ‘r Treat, because FEARnet will be showing a marathon of the Anna Paquin movie all day and night. Peter explained the reasoning behind the programming choice. “Trick ‘r Treat not only embodies the spirit of the season, but of FEARnet as well. We're so lucky to have it as the signature film for the network. It’s so well made and deserves to be the gem of a cult film that it has become.”

Peter’s proud of the channel’s holiday slate and the fact that no one knows the genre better than his team. He acknowledged, “Whether you call it New Year’s or Easter or Arbor Day, it’s Halloween year-round at FEARnet. But we're happy when other networks have success with their horror and thriller shows, and when they come play in our sandbox one month a year. Of course, if they continue to do it as much as they have been, maybe October at FEARnet will have to become something really scary: romantic comedies all month long.”

That’s one way to avoid the recent onslaught of projects that seem to be jumping on the horror bandwagon these days. But, as Peter pointed out, fright films have never really been off anyone’s radar. He remarked, “I don't think there's been resurgence in the horror genre; I just think that sometimes a title or two makes it feel that way.”

He continued, “When The Silence of the Lambs won the Oscar (deservedly so!), people talked about horror being in the mainstream theatrically, discounting Hitchcock, and Jaws and Alien and a slew of films from John Carpenter and Wes Craven. Not to mention, Stephen King and Dean Koontz books.”

Peter went on to add that some offerings in the genre were just disguised with different descriptors. “While horror titles were the constant companion of video renters, and late night HBO watchers, theatrical horror titles were referred to as suspense, thriller and psychological to make them more palatable to mainstream sensibilities, but Freddy, Jason and Chucky were mainstays and TV boasted The X-Files and Tales From The Crypt. When the nouveau horror titles like the Saw series, Resident Evil and Paranormal Activity reclaimed the moniker, it seemed to be an outlying directive.”

And Peter can’t help but acknowledge the increasing presence of scary fare in primetime. “Now that television networks need to find distinct programming, the ever-present horror field has been mined to deliver True Blood, Walking Dead, Dexter and American Horror Story. This is great for the genre as it de-mystifies a word that still frightens advertisers as much as it attracts audiences."

In the meantime, FEARnet is obviously in good hands with Peter at the helm. Not only is he an experienced horror genre producer with the Saw film franchise to his credit, he’s a fan as well. He recalled, “I started reading Stephen King's Salem's Lot in 7th grade (I just loved the embossed raised face on the book cover, and the thought of Danny Glick at my window kept me up for nights), was the kid that built the Aurora monster models that glowed in the dark, and I've always loved those film moments when the tension leads to a jump which usually then cracks me up.”

In fact, Peter is such a big fan of the genre he turned to it when the time came to pick a very important moniker. Jaws fans will appreciate what Peter revealed to us. “I named my production company A Bigger Boat. I think the Newington Cinema is still missing an armrest from when Brodie got his first up-close look at the shark.”

For more details on the FEARnet Halloween countdown and for air dates in your area, visit their website.

Catch the U.S. premiere of Psychoville on October 30 at 9 p.m. EST/8 p.m. Central and watch the Trick ‘r Treat marathon starting at 10 a.m. EST/9 a.m. Central on October 31 on FEARnet.

Who Wouldn’t Want to Rent-a-Grandma?

While Carmaggedon is the embodiment of every embarrassing stereotype about Los Angeles, there are hidden gems in the city that ground it and make it one of the best places on the planet. Take, for example, the very unglamorous, grounded concept behind Rent-a-Grandma. This local service allows busy parents to hire an experienced, caring nanny to watch their kids.

Rent-a-Grandma supplies nannies, household maintenance, large estate management, pet sitters and specialized service providers who can watch after other senior citizens, work as personal chefs and even help plan parties.

Hiring a grandma is easy via the simple form on the company’s website. Just give them your name and contact info and let them know how many hours a week you need help and the services required. It may cost more than having your neighborhood teenager keep track of your kids on date night but all of these sitters are carefully screened, over 50 years old and have decades of experience. And as the Rent-A-Grandma site guarantees they don’t text or tweet while they are watching your kids!

You can even get some handy Grandmother Folk Remedy tips and pick up a “What Happens at Grandma’s Stays at Grandma’s” t-shirt while you’re booking your nana. And the franchise is expanding and open to interested entrepreneurs.

We haven’t noticed any age limit on clients. So we’re thinking we might be hiring a granny to come and bake us some chocolate chip cookies one of these days.

Carmageddon Is Coming

It isn’t every day that we get fair warning when disaster is about to strike. Earthquakes cause cities to crumble in an instant. Tsunamis devour entire villages in a flash. And fires indiscriminately ravage forests and homes in no time. But this time Los Angelinos have had months to prepare for perhaps one of the most terrifying catastrophes in modern history — CARMAGGEDON.

Brace yourselves and make sure all small children are out of the room before you read on. Here’s what’s going to happen in Southern California over the weekend of July 16 and 17 — the city is shutting down ten miles of the 405 freeway for construction. Breathe. Breathe. It’s going to be okay. We promise.

Granted the stretch of highway between the 101 and the 10 is at the heart of L.A. and this means that people from the East side should avoid making plans to go the beach that weekend, but really, Carmaggedon? Not since the Y2K build-up and Harold Camping’s End of the World proclamations, has a fiasco seemed to forced… and potentially uneventful.

True, hospitals have already started to panic about routes for ambulances. That’s a tricky one. But can’t people in Santa Monica go to near by St. John’s, while Tarzana resident’s can swing by Encino Hospital in an emergency during those two days?

Yes, it’s a bummer for the young Marina del Rey couple, who have planned the nuptials for that Sunday. And out of town art lovers won’t be able to visit the Getty Museum at one of its usually busiest periods. But a vehicular Armageddon? We think not.

If you live in in these parts, you know that the TV news and freeway warning signs have been “ringing those bells,” like Sarah Palin’s Paul Revere, for months. But the L.A.P.D. is frightened that not enough people are getting the message over antiquated television airwaves. So they’re trying to implement a far more high tech solution.

On June 30, the local police force issued a public plea to celebrities like Lady Gaga and Demi Moore. In fact the force has reached out to over a hundred celebrities — targeting big names, who have over 500,000 followers each — to help spread the word.

So far the social networking effort has been a bit of a bust. To no one’s surprise Ashton Kutcher was the first to jump on the bandwagon. Not unselfishly he joked:

LAPD askd me 2tweet: 405fwy btwn 10 & 101 will b closedJuly16-17. In xchange I would like a free pass on that stoplight tickt IT WAS YELLOW 

William Shatner used the spotlight to hype his latest project, posting:

LA friends have you heard about Carmegeddon? The 405 will closeon July 16 &17. Stay at home preparing for The Captains on 7/21on Epix. MBB

The Captains is a Shatner produced documentary about all people who have helmed starships in Trek TV shows and movies throughout the years, which premieres on cable that week.

In the meantime Erik Estrada used the platform to remind people he exists, filming a commercial in both English and Spanish to warn locals of the impending doom. Will this be the CHiPs’ actor’s Dancing with the Stars, catapulting him back into the collective consciousness and helping him land his own reality show? Unlikely.

But we believe that this Twitter thing has some merit and we’d like to present a Band-Aid that could benefit everyone. Here’s our idea. Conan O'Brien has launched an initiative to have the abandoned, overgrown block Raymer Street in Van Nuys, California, named after him.

But Major Antonio Villaraigosa has thrown down the gauntlet over O’Brien’s land request, which rests just three miles north of the starting point of Carmageddon. The city’s head honcho took to Twitter himself, teasing:

If @ConanOBrien really wants a street, he has to serve LA before I’ll consider it! What volunteer work should he do? @TeamCoco #ConanBlvd

So how's this idea, Conan can start spreading the word about Carmaggedon to his 3,356,307 Twitter followers for the LAPD. After all when he left the "Tonight Show," his loyal fan base all but secured him a new late night deal. With Conan's appetite for street sign glory and Villaraigosa's ability to dangle the carrot he’s dying to chomp on, the city's traffic problem might have a solution. 

Until then, the website BeatCarmageddon.com is offering up solutions. They’re directing drivers to an interesting sounding app called Waze, which bills itself as “a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road.” The more people who use the technology, the more available data and the more accurate the results. Sounds reasonable.

The National Jukebox – Not Just Another A to Z Countdown

 

 

While everyone else you know is listening to the same old A to Z countdown on the local classic rock station this weekend, why not try something different. Soak up some rare and truly special Americana and check out the National Jukebox, a unique collection of recordings organized by the Library of Congress.

According to the official website, “The Jukebox includes more than 10,000 recordings made by the Victor Talking Machine Company between 1901 and 1925. Jukebox content will be increased regularly, with additional Victor recordings and acoustically recorded titles made by other Sony-owned U.S. labels, including Columbia, OKeh and others.”

A wide variety of genres are covered from opera, ethnic/regional, blues, humor songs, musical theater, ragtime, jazz, traditional/country, religious and spoken word recordings. There are even collections of songs that specifically feature whistling and yodeling if that’s more your scene.

Artists span the spectrum from lyricist Andreas Aabel to composer Pedro de Zulueta — and everything in between. Some recognizable names include Efrem Zimbalist (Sr. not Jr.) and Oscar Hammerstein. But the real fun is exploring the work of people you may never have heard of like Franceso Daddi, Jacques Offenbach and Boleslawa Iza Wawrzynska.

Enjoy… and God bless America.

For more pop culture stories read:

Map of Metal: This Site Goes to11

 

Mojipbob Marries Musicand Motor Vehicles

Famous Objects from Classic Movies

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It’s Time to Meet Your Doggelganger

 Photo by Pop Culture Passionistas

One of our favorite scenes in a movie ever is the one in the animated 101 Dalmatians when the owner’s walk their dogs down the street. The canine parade features a long line of pups who look just like they’re owners. Now any human being with the World Wide Web can go online and find out which dog looks the most like them.

All you have to do is visit Doggelganger, an online pet adoption destination set-up by The Pedigree Adoption Drive in New Zealand. Either upload a photo of yourself or use the handy webcam to take a new shot. If you decide to take a new pic you’ll need to make sure your face lines up with a highly sophisticated hockey mask-like matrix that confirm that you’re positioned just right.

When the software gets what it needs you’ll get a message that says, “Photo acceptable for canine pairing process.” Next totally cool graphics show the database scanning your eyes, nose and lips and trying to find your perfect doggy fit.

We discovered our doggelganger is Doc, who lives as the Auckland SPCA. He’s a 1-year-old male Greyhound Mastiff mix. And yes, he does have big brown eyes and a dazzling smile. His profile reads, “My name is Doc and I am a great older pup looking for a new family home. I am a gentle soul who loves to hang out with either my doggy or human friends. I am good with other dogs, children and probably cats too."

Local Kiwis can make contact by submitting their name, email address, location and a brief message. And those of us who live elsewhere can use the breed info to go to a local shelter and see if there’s a doggleganger there that needs a home.

For more info on dog adoption visit the U.S. Pedigree website.

For related stories check out:

Mark Burnett Discusses Reality TV

Mark Burnett's CliffsNotes

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