MY SCOTTISH FOLD CAT’S BIRTHDAY! DISNEY’S AFRICAN CATS MOVIE REVIEW: CUTE BABY LION & CHEETAH CUBS DOCUMENTARY.
Happy birthday to my Scottish Fold cat, Basil Farrow! Tail wags to everyone who left a message on his Facebook.
Basil enjoyed his birthday gifts more than the bow-tie he got for Christmas. He lapped up his favorite foods, catnip and tuna. (My fuzz-face isn’t allowed to eat tuna often, since it lacks some essential nutrients and contains an enzyme that destroys thiamine).
And, like every year, I made donations on behalf of Basil. We donated to his vet’s nonprofit fund, which provides medical care to stray cats. And we gave to Animal Rescue Kansai. They’re on the ground in Sendai, helping animals made homeless by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
Speaking of kitties… Disney invited me to the advance screening of African Cats. Filmed in Kenya, the documentary tracks a lion and cheetah mother’s fight to raise cubs in a grassland lurking with dangers.
(Doesn’t Basil have the round face of a cheetah — and the fur, yellow eyes and big feet of a baby lion?)
The cinematography is through the roof, particularly in the the close-ups and slow-motions of predators versus prey. The cameras get whisker-close to the Maasai Mara wildlife, where big cats cross paths with moody buffalo and sassy ostrich. Everything’s enthusiastically narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, and set to a quirky Peter-and-the-Wolf-style soundtrack.
While anyone can enjoy this nature doc, cat lovers are especially in for a treat. It’s fun to compare your domesticated companion’s behaviors to those of his wild relatives.
Like Basil Farrow, the playful cubs roll around on the ground, and greet each other with head bonks. I died of cuteness when the cheetah mother picked up her babies by the scruff of their necks. And I learned why Baz pauses to think before drinking water. He’s looking out for crocodiles!
It’s heart-wrenching to see the feline mothers risk everything to protect their offspring. The cheetah mother, calling out to her babies separated in the dark and vulnerable to hyaenas… And the family shivering in pouring rain, with nothing for cover!
What a life my celebrity cat has in comparison. His greatest hardship is having someone sit on his favorite seat. Or take too long to open a can of byproduct-free premium food.
Disneynature’s African Cats gets my paws up. It opens in theaters tomorrow, on Earth Day.
I invite you to send Basil Farrow a birthday greeting on his Facebook or via Twitter. He sends cat fur and kisses to you all!
Do you celebrate your pet’s birthday? Are you raring (or roaring) to see African Cats?
Song of the Day: Garfield and Friends – Original theme song (one of my favorite cartoons.)
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HELP JAPAN WIKI: DONATION RESOURCES & FUNDRAISERS FOR EARTHQUAKE RELIEF. TOKYO ART BENEFIT, PRINCESS GHIBLI CD.
My “spooky friends” are the best. They’ve been working day and night on fcharity projects for Japan, as well as making waves in music, writing and fashion. Let’s salute them — starting with my Pirate First Mate, Naomi Rubin. (Above, with her boy-slave-of-the-day.)
Naomi created Help Japan Wiki, an editable compendium of ways to aid Japan’s earthquake relief. Anyone can add a Donation Resource or Fundraising Event to the charmingly designed site. The Resources page includes a list of reputable charities helping Japan, with info and links. Please pass the link along — www.helpjapanwiki.com — and add your events and charities to the listings. The more hands on deck, the better we can provide info for Japanese relief.
Cotton Bale and Mistress Maya (who you may remember from the Andrew Zimmern episode) are participating in ArtGigTokyo1, a series of art happenings in public places. The first event is free, and presents 15 music / performance art works that transform the club into an improvised art gallery. Art Gig will also hold a silent art auction, with proceeds to support relief efforts in Tohoku.
Come see them perform on May 8th at Bar Exit in Shinjuku, from 15:00 – 03:00 (full info here).
Another artist friend who’s helping Japan… Dienzo, who made the “Carmina Rising” painting of me, has been fundraising. He just launched a store, which sells prints, T-shirts and canvases of his dark, Gothic artwork. If you type the discount code LACARMINA (all caps), you get 10% off.
Congrats to my friend B.Jevanael, who published her first book. She gave me a sneak peak of her gripping novel, The Reality Filter. “The evidence of a murder turns up in your photography project. Evidence from your rocky-road past invades the dreams of your happy present. Your best friend is dead at your hands, and wasn’t who you thought she was from the beginning. The worst part is, you don’t remember a thing, and you’re trapped within a world you built up around reality to save yourself.”
With a Gothic horror aesthetic, and an eloquent plunge into mental delusions, it’s a read I bet you’ll enjoy. The Reality Filter is available as an e-book from Amazon and Barnes and Noble; more info here.
Sophia, vocalist of Blood Stain Child, never ceases to inspire me. She sings on several tracks of the new Princess Ghibli CD, a collection of metal covers of Studio Ghibli. That’s right: Miyazaki meets metal. More info and song previews here. (Coming up, Blood Stain Child will perform at A-Kon in Texas, June 10-12.)
Last but not least, thank you to Katy Kamikaze for sending me this adorable, handmade wallet. Basil Farrow loves the cute bentos and animals. There’s more cuteness on her Pineapple UK Etsy store. (The sparkly butterfly ring is gifted from Soho Hearts.)
Thanks to everyone who supported the Iron Fist auction; congrats to Rochelle for triumphing and donating to Japan! I hope you’ll pass along the HelpJapanWiki resource and contribute to it. Let’s keep putting our efforts into helping Japan.
Song of the Day: Imaginary Flying Machines, “Princess Ghibli” album trailer featuring Sophia
LA CARMINA
