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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 27 January 2017
Leaked video likely to hurt “A Dog’s Purpose” at box office

SANDY COHEN the day in question and
AP Entertainment Writer that Hercules “was not
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mar- forced to swim in the water
keters would describe “A during this take.”
Dog’s Purpose” as a film Amblin officials have been
with “four-quadrant” ap- reviewing dailies and other
peal, meaning it’s likely images taken on set since
to draw moviegoers of the video surfaced to de-
both genders, young and termine what actually
old. Based on a bestsell- happened. On Wednes-
ing book and told from a day, the studio shared
dog’s perspective, it’s a with reporters more than
feel-good story for animal 10 minutes of raw footage
lovers of all kinds. that shows Hercules ea-
Which is why a video gerly jumping into the wa-
leaked last week of a ter from the front and left
frightened dog appar- of the pool, but resisting
ently forced into rushing when the trainer wants him
water during the making to enter from the right side.
of the film is so damaging It also shows trainers and
to its opening box-office crew surrounding the pool
prospects this weekend : It and platforms just beneath
alienates, even offends, its the water’s surface for the
very audience. This image released by Universal Studios shows John Ortiz in a scene from “A Dog’s Purpose. stunt dog to stand on.
“Sometimes a controver- Associated Press The studio had no com-
sy can help you, but this ment beyond sharing the
isn’t one of those cases,” in more than 3,000 North an editorial in the Holly- ican Humane, however, footage Wednesday. Last
said Gitesh Pandya, edi- American theaters on Fri- wood Reporter attacking have all said that it is mis- week, Amblin and Univer-
tor of boxofficeguru.com. day. American Humane and as- leading. sal released a joint state-
“As far as videos that can — American Humane, the serting his lifelong love of The minute-long clip shows ment when canceling the
come out for your film, this watchdog organization animals. a trainer trying to put a press day and premiere
is definitely not the one you that certifies that “no ani- “No matter how the film resistant German shep- that read in part, “While we
want if you’re the filmmak- mals were harmed” during performs this weekend, herd named Hercules into are all disheartened by the
ers, right before the movie TV and movie productions, there is virtually no way to a turbulent pool and the appearance of an animal
opens.” suspended an employee accurately quantify how dog scrambling out. A in distress, everyone has as-
Since the video surfaced and launched a third-party the ultimate gross receipts subsequent scene shows sured us that Hercules the
Jan. 18 on TMZ.com and investigation into the inci- for the film may have been the dog becoming sub- German Shepherd was not
quickly went viral, fallout dent. impacted by the negative merged in the water for harmed throughout the
has been extensive, includ- — “A Dog’s Purpose” star publicity,” said Paul Der- several seconds as trainers filmmaking.”Polone, who
ing: Dennis Quaid went on TV’s garabedian, senior media shout, “Stop!” TMZ says the describes himself as a veg-
— People for the Ethical “Entertainment Tonight” analyst for box-office track- footage was recorded in an whose closest relation-
Treatment of Animals has calling the leaked video “a er comScore. “Social me- November of 2015. ships are with animals, says
called for a boycott of “A scam.” dia chatter has been very Mark Stubis of American the actions in the video are
Dog’s Purpose.” — Actor Josh Gad, who strong for this film and so Humane said its investiga- “inexcusable and never
— Producer Amblin Enter- lends his voice to a dog it’s definitely on the radar tion should be completed should have happened,”
tainment and distributor in the film, issued a state- for more people who might by Friday, but that pre- and blames the American
Universal Pictures went into ment on Twitter saying he not have otherwise been liminary findings indicate Humane representative on
full damage control, com- has asked the studio and aware of the movie.” that the two scenes in the set for not intervening im-
plete with a “war room,” production team for an ex- No one has disputed the clip were shot at different mediately.
canceling a planned press planation of what he calls authenticity of the leaked times and edited togeth- Even without the contro-
day and starry premiere, “disturbing images.” video. Quaid, Polone, “A er. Stubis said production versy, “A Dog’s Purpose”
but sticking to its plan to — And Gavin Polone, a Dog’s Purpose” author W. was stopped after the dog wasn’t born to be a block-
open the PG-rated film producer of the film, wrote Bruce Cameron and Amer- showed signs of stress on buster, Pandya said.q

Octavia Spencer picks up

Harvard Hasty Pudding award

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — bridge, followed by a roast the-scenes contributions
Academy Award-winning and the presentation of her of several black women in
actress Octavia Spencer, pudding pot. the early years of the NASA
fresh off her nomination Spencer won an Acad- program.
for a second Oscar, has emy Award for Best Sup- The Hasty Pudding award
picked up yet another porting Actress for her por- has been handed out
award: Woman of the Year trayal of Minny Jackson annually since 1951 to Guan-Yue Chen, Hasty Pudding Theatricals President, left, and
by Harvard University’s in 2011’s “The Help.” She people who have made Dan Milashewski, vice president, kiss actress Octavia Spencer
Hasty Pudding Theatricals. was nominated Tuesday in lasting and impressive during a parade to honor Spencer as the Hasty Pudding Theatri-
Spencer was honored the same category for her contributions to the world cals Woman of the Year Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, in Cambridge,
Thursday with a parade role in “Hidden Figures,” of entertainment.q Mass.
through the streets of Cam- a film about the behind- Associated Press