Page 31 - ARUBA TODAY

PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 22 June 2017
A31

Diageo to buy Scruffy little dog named Gobi

Clooney’s tequila scores book, movie deals

brand in $1B deal By LEANNE ITALIE

Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — As dog
NEW YORK (AP) — Global stories go, this one about
liquor behemoth Diageo a scruffy little stray named
said Wednesday it will pay Gobi has legs for miles.
up to $1 billion to buy a The sand-colored pooch
tequila brand co-found- with big, soulful eyes has a
ed by movie star George book out and movie deal
Clooney. after she happened on ul-
Clooney founded the tra-runner Dion Leonard last
Casamigos brand four year during a 155-mile race
years ago with partners In this Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016, across desert dunes, over
Rande Gerber and Mike file photo, George Clooney mountains and through
Meldma. arrives at MPTF’s 95th Anniver- yurt villages in the remote
Diageo said it will pay $700 sary Celebration “Hollywood’s autonomous region of Xinji-
million for Casamigos at Night Under The Stars” in Los ang in northwest China. In this Wednesday, June 14, 2017 photo, Dion Leonard and his
dog, Gobi, prepare for an interview in New York.
first, and then pay another Angeles. On short but powerful legs, Associated Press
$300 million over 10 years if Associated Press Gobi kept pace with Leon-
the brand reaches certain ford, have appeared in ard for nearly 80 miles in before making it home to in was something I was re-
performance milestones. ads for the brand. Diageo 100-plus degree heat, se- Scotland in January. So ally wanting to do because
London-based Diageo’s says the founders will con- curing a spot in his heart for- what made Gobi, named those were the sort of
other brands include John- tinue to promote Casami- ever. But their dog chooses so by Leonard for the des- things I needed when I was
nie Walker, Guinness and gos and have a say in its man, man saves dog story ert where they met, choose younger and no one was
Captain Morgan. future. doesn’t end there. the 42-year-old Aussie in there for me to do that,”
Clooney and Gerber, an The deal is expected to While the Australian human the first place? Leonard said, explaining his
entrepreneur who is mar- close in the second half of living in Scotland returned “That is the million dollar own tough start back in the
ried to model Cindy Craw- this year.q home to Edinburgh to fig- question,” Leonard said in Queensland country town
“Oh, Mama: Jimmy ure out exactly how one a recent interview. “I wish of Warwick. straight-laced,
she could tell me because It’s
a
adopts a stray dog from
I get asked that quite a lot churchgoing, family fo-
Fallon working on China and gets her into the and I think about it quite a cused place that didn’t
United Kingdom, Gobi went
lot and I have no idea why, take kindly to the crum-
missing from the home of
second picture book a person in the race com- whether it was my smell — bling of his own home life
we don’t shower during the when he was 9. That’s when
munity Leonard had met
during the multistage, sev- week in these races — or Garry, the man he called
his second illustrated sto- en-day race. The acquain- whether it was something dad, died and his mother
ry, “Everything is Mama,” tance was kind enough to else, whether it was a past revealed Garry was not, in
Macmillan Children’s Pub- temporarily shelter the dog life connection. It was defi- fact, his biological father.
lishing Group announced as Leonard untangled the nitely fate and I’m so glad The news, and watching
Wednesday. The book is red tape. that she chose me ... she’s his stepdad fall fatally ill,
scheduled for Oct. 10 and Gobi’s disappearance led brought lots of joy to peo- sapped his mother emo-
is being billed by Macmil- Leonard to hustle back to ple around the globe with tionally and turned them
lan as a “hilarious ode” China and join a search our story.” into outsiders. Leonard left
to motherhood, told from for the dog in the densely It was Day 2 of the race home at 14, choosing to go
In this May 23, 2017 file photo, the baby’s point of view. that Gobi sought out the it alone.
Jimmy Fallon attends the Se- Fallon’s “Your Baby’s First populated city of Urumqi, lanky Leonard, who still “I was living in pubs, hostels,
riousFun Children’s Network where street cleaners dis-
Gala in New York. Word Will Be Dada” was posed of their reward post- seems genuinely baffled caravans,” Leonard said.
Associated Press a best-seller published in ers about as fast as they by it all. He marvels at “It was pretty grim. I was
2015. Miguel Ordonez is the could plaster them on Gobi’s ease crossing the trying to go to school and
NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy illustrator for both releases. lampposts, cars and shop Tian Shan mountain range I was trying to work as well
Fallon is enjoying the pic- Fallon, 42, is the father of windows. and the distance she cov- because I didn’t have any
ture book business. The two girls, Winnie Rose and Looming over the search ered during the race. He money. I use the negative
talk-show host is working on Frances Cole.q was fear that nearly $50,000 arranged for comfortable energy of my childhood
CBS renews full raised for Gobi’s cause car transport for Gobi from and my upbringing, which
checkpoint to checkpoint was very volatile and de-
through crowdfunding, at-
daytime lineup; 3 tracting media attention after her unbelievable pressing and an abusive sit-
stretch on foot. Dog safely uation, to drive me forward
in the UK and China, might
nestled in man’s arms, the during a race.”
more years for ‘Restless’ have created a “dognap- two beamed at the finish Married for more than a de-
ping” scenario. About 10
days after Gobi disap- line, medals on red sashes cade, with a great life and
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The drama will keep churning on peared, she was found around both their necks, now Gobi, Leonard said
after Leonard came in sec-
“there’s always those de-
daytime TV’s “The Young and the Restless” through at and the two were reunited, ond. mons in the basement that
least 2020. though the dog had suf- “Me being able to help you think you’ve dealt with,
CBS said it has renewed the soap opera for three more fered a hip injury and a Gobi through the race and and when I go to these
seasons. “The Young and the Restless” debuted in 1973. deep head gash. actually be the person that races I deal with them and
The network said Tuesday it will bring back its full top-rat- Together, they waited out could step up and take her I don’t think about those
ed daytime line-up for the 2017-18 season.q 90 days of quarantine in
a dank Beijing apartment out of the situation she was things at any other time.”q