He came he paw
Uggie the dog steals show at the Oscars – and gives our Baz a lick on the face
IT was meant to be the night when the film world celebrated the brilliance of Meryl Streep, Martin Scorsese and even the novelty of a modern silent movie. Then along came Uggie. The ten-year-old Jack Russell terrier star of The Artist stole the show at the 84th Academy Awards.
He performed his party piece of standing on his back legs.
He posed between glamorous actresses in his Chopard hand- crafted 18- carat gold and satin bow-tie and collar.
He was hugged by French man Jean Dujardin, who was named Best Actor for his role in the film which features virtually no dialogue. He joined the cast on stage after The Artist was named Best Picture.
And he was even thanked by the movie’s director Michel Hazanavicius during his acceptance speech.
‘I think he doesn’t care, I’m not sure he understands me,’ Hazanavicius told the audience.
In the film, Uggie is the playful side kick of Dujardin’s character George Valentin. The dog has breakfast with him every morning and saves his life by rescuing him from a fire.
Before the awards, I was granted an exclusive audience with the canine superstar at the Chateau Marmont hotel on Sunset Boulevard. He was not the most forthcoming of interviewees – but in response to one of my in- depth questions he licked my face.
‘He has no idea how famous he is,’ sighed his owner and trainer Omar Von Muller as he popped Uggie a beef and vegetable treat.
The terrier i s now retiring from film work because it is too gruelling but will still appear in the occasional commercial. He charges £500 an hour for appear-
‘I love your country’
ances and advertising deals and has just been signed up as a spokesdog for Nintendo.
Back at the Oscars, his co- star Dujardin caused something of an uproar by swearing in French. He exclaimed ‘Merde’ – French for s**t – after being awarded his Oscar, adding: ‘I love your country.’
Meryl Streep picked up the third Oscar of her career, named Best Actress for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. She previously won Best Supporting Actress for Kramer v Kramer in 1979, and Best Actress for Sophie’s Choice in 1982.
Receiving the award from Colin Firth, she joked that she could hear half of America going ‘Oh no’ when her name was read out.
Afterwards, the 62-year-old told the Mail that her daughters Mamie and Grace had told her to wear a plunging gold dress, adding: ‘Look like a winner, mother.’ Christopher Plummer and Octavia Spencer picked up the Best Supporting Actor and Actress gongs.
A clearly emotional Miss Spencer accepted her award from Welshborn actor Christian Bale for her role in The Help, which is set against the backdrop of the civil rights era in 1960s America.
The tearful actress, who was given a standing ovation, thanked the academy for ‘putting me with the hottest guy in the room’.
Oscars presenter Billy Crystal found himself in race trouble for joking: ‘After I saw The Help I just wanted to hug the first black woman I saw, which from Beverly Hills is about a 45-minute drive.’
He was also under fire for appearing blacked up in an opening montage parodying Woody Allen’s film Midnight in Paris, which won the Original Screenplay Oscar.
The award for adapted screenplay went to the George Clooney film, The Descendants.
After The Artist, another ode to old Hollywood, Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, also picked up five awards but in technical categories including cinematography, art direction and sound mixing, for which Briton John Midgley was joint winner.
There were only two other Oscars for the UK. Northern Irish filmmaker Terry George won best live-action short for The Shore – a comedy drama about a man who returns to Belfast 25 years after fleeing the troubles. And Mark Coulier was one third of the team who won the best make-up Oscar for transforming Meryl Streep into Margaret Thatcher.