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

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.

Talking pets- have you tried it yet?

Pet lovers tend to talk to their pets. For the first time ever, Talkingpets allows the pets to talk back.

The viral (www.talkingpets.org) uses technology as seen in other popular virals like ‘Elf Yourself’, to create virtual pets that can be made to speak. Users can choose from a selection of cats and dogs and personalize them with different accessories and backgrounds. Or they can upload a picture of their own pet. Users can then pick a voice for their pet and type in a message for them to say, which they can send on to friends or add to their Facebook profile.

The online campaign aims to raise awareness of www.allaboutpets.org.uk, a new online community for pet lovers, run by The Blue Cross.

Video: The Gummy Bear Song

Neatorama's reader Travis told them about the current rage in Germany: the Gummy Bear Song.

Sony offers goat sacrifice to 'God of War'

Many believe violent video games are unhealthy for kids. Last month, Sony proved it: A decapitated goat was the centerpiece of a party the company threw in Greece to promote the PlayStation 2 title "God of War II."

The theatrical dramatization, which according to reports, also featured topless women feeding grapes to partygoers, was supposed to be in keeping with the video game's Greek mythology theme. But according to media reports from Europe, animal rights groups were outraged and video game critics said the scene was symbolic of the industry's blood lust.

Sony issued a press release apologizing and also denied some reports that party guests were invited to dine on offal removed from the goat's stomach.