CLUNY'S CORNER Cluny@ClarionIsh.Com

CLUNY'S CORNER A DOG GONE LOOK AT THE WORLD
THE 'DOGGY DREAM HOUSE' GIVEAWAY

UGA STARS IN NEW FEATURE MOVIE

One of my two favorite sports mascots (Uga, the University of Georgia’s bulldog, and Smokey, the University of Tennessee’s hound) now has made his second feature film. Uga, the star of the 1997 movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, has a new film entitled Damn Good Dog. This exquisite movie made its debut at the world famous Sundance Film Festival in Utah earlier this year and is sure to be a box office smash, move on to HBO, and of course to video and DVD for generations to see and be awed by.

The film, produced by Erica McCarthy, is a unique documentary of the life of Uga, the most popular University mascot around. This dawg has been seen all over the Southeast and the United States facing down enemies such as gators, gamecocks (called Chickens in the Great and sovereign State of Georgia), yellow jackets, tigers, and even Rebels. The film even includes the legendary University of Georgia commentator, Larry Munson, as the voice of Uga. According to the trailer it is “The story of a family, their pet, and 92,058 of their closest friends.

Uga is owned by Sonny Seiler, a Savannah, Ga., attorney who takes Uga to all the Bulldog’s home games and many of the away games. This Uga, Uga VI, comes from a long line of Ugas, beginning with Uga I who first appeared in Athens in 1956. The movie includes stories from all the Ugas including the time Uga V tried to bite Auburn receiver Robert Baker on the sidelines in 1996 and the tuxedoed Uga IV's big trip to New York City with Herschel Walker to attend the Heisman Trophy banquet. It includes important interviews with historic personalities such as legendary coach Vince Dooley, Uga’s personal seamstress who makes his sweaters and jerseys, and Uga doing dawggie things like rolling around in the grass, getting dressed for games, and eatin’ those good ol’ Varsity hotdawgs from the world famous Varsity restaurant. It does not show Uga having the flying, screaming wahelees two hours after eating the good ol’ Varsity hotdawgs. That footage was taken out after all the flack over Janet Jackson’s flash at the Super Bowl halftime show.

Of course a big star like Uga has other irons in the fire. He will also appear on “Blue Ribbon,” a Turner South show about the best Southern icons. I suspect Uga will soon have his own star on Hollywood’s ‘walk of fame.’ Yes movie and sports fans, Uga is a dawg to make all us dawggies proud!

I wonder when they will make a movie about me?

Write me, Cluny@ClarionIsh.com .