Undoubtedly one of the silliest and most light-hearted awards shows in Hollywood history, the first annual Golden Collar Awards, brainchild of Alan Siskind of dognewsdaily.com, were held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. And a tail-wagging good time it was! Trophies for “best dog” performances on the big and

small screen were presented by stars including Pauley Perrette (NCIS), Wendie Malick (Hot In Cleveland), Jacqueline Emerson (THE HUNGER GAMES) and Babe star  James Cromwell who quipped, “I’m delighted to be here because I owe my career to a pig.” Martin Scorsese, who wrote a facetious editorial in the Los Angeles Times lobbying for a write-in nomination for Blackie the Doberman in his movie HUGO appeared at the ceremony by video. On the road with his director, Blackie wasn’t on hand for the fun, but other dog stars taking advantage of their moment on the red carpet included such favorites as Cosmo from BEGINNERS, Rocky from ENTOURAGE, Brigitte (above) from MODERN FAMILY and a few non-contenders such as Scooter the Briard (below) who rode a scooter down the press line, and hero dog Hunter, the Border Collie who rescued 11 survivors of the Haiti earthquake. Of course it’s no surprise that the top prize of Best Dog in a Theatrical Film went to Uggie, (above left), the scene-stealing canine  in THE ARTIST (this year’s Golden Globe winner as Best Picture, Comedy or Musical). “Uggie is a great performer but he’s also a great family member. He sleeps with us,” said the Jack Russell terrier’s owner Omar Von Muller. Other canine winners were Best Dog in a Foreign Film: Koko as Red Dog in RED DOG Best Dog in a Television Series: Brigitte as Stella in MODERN FAMILY Best Dog in a Reality Television Series: (tie) Hercules in PIT BOSS and Giggy in THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF BEVERLY HILLS; Best Dog in a Direct-to-DVD Film: Rody as Marley in MARLEY & ME: THE PUPPY YEARS. Additionally, the Golden Collar Humanitarian Award was given to Charize Theron, who was unavailable to attend. – Vera Anderson