Scorsese Campaigns for Blackie’s Golden Collar Nomination

Looks like Uggie isn’t the only unappreciated dog in Hollywood. In a letter to the Los Angeles Times, acclaimed director Martin Scorsese pleaded for judges not to consider Uggie, but to consider his canine star Blackie. The judges Scorsese seeks to convince, however, are not members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but judges of Dog News Daily’s Golden Collar Awards.

Blackie the Doberman stars in Scorsese’s Academy Award nominated film “Hugo” as a train station officer’s (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) attack dog. In comparison to Uggie, the cute and sweet Jack Russell Terrier, Blackie plays a ferocious guard dog—the roles couldn’t be more different.  Yet, Uggie received two Golden Collar nominations for “The Artist” and “Water for Elephants" while Blackie failed to fetch a nomination.

This, Scorsese suggests, could be the result of human’s predisposition for loving and affectionate dogs rather than vicious guard dogs.

“We all have fond memories of Rin Tin Tin and Lassie,” Scorsese writes, “the big stars, the heroes, but what about the antiheroes? We have learned to accept the human antihero, but when it comes to dogs, I guess we still have a long way to go.”

According to the famed director, Blackie’s performance may supersede Uggie’s as the Doberman “risked the sympathy of her audience” in order to give a good performance as the film’s canine villain; thus, he urges all readers of the Los Angeles Times to submit write-in ballots in favor of Blackie to Dog News Daily in order to garner the animal actor the nomination she deserves.

In a response to Scorsese’s pleas, Dog News Daily said that if it received 500 write-ins for Blackie on its Facebook page by February 6, "the Golden Collar nominating committee will request that the panel of 14 judges add Hugo's Blackie as the 6th nominee.”

The overwhelming response to Scorsese’s letter in the Times, has garnered Blackie 400 votes in just 24 hours, according to BBC News, so it is highly likely that Blackie will be the awards’ 6thnominee joining Uggie as well as Cosmo from “Beginners,” Denver from “50/50,” and Hummer from “Young Adult.” The Golden Collar winners will be announced on February 13.

Should Blackie earn a nomination for her role in “Hugo?” Share your thoughts on Blackie’s performance and the campaign for her Golden Collar nomination in a comment below.