First Annual Golden Collar Award Recognizes Canine Achievement

Variety‘s Shelby Hill braved the crowds of Hollywood Boulevard to cover the first annual Golden Collar Awards nominations press conference. Thanks, Shelby!:

The smallest star of “The Artist,” but possibly the most beloved, Uggie the dog continues to steal the spotlight from his two-legged co-stars wherever he goes, even grabbing laughs as he played dead on the Golden Globes stage. Now he and his puppy peers have their own awards show to attend.

This morning a bow-tied Uggie and his “Artist” co-star Penelope Ann Miller announced the nominees of Dog News Daily’s first annual Golden Collar Awards at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood.

As Miller announced the awards, Uggie sat perched on a director’s chair hamming it up for the cameras by playing dead and hiding his face in his paws.

Miller joked with the pooch, “Just don’t upstage me, OK?”

It’s pretty tough not to be upstaged by Uggie who has two nominations for best dog in a theatrical film, one for “The Artist” and the other for “Water for Elephants.”

In a twist, actor and show creator Jason Gann was nominated in the TV series category for doing his best impression of a mischievous dog in FX’s “Wilfred.”

Not wanting to forget the human thesps who advance the canine cause, Charlize Theron will be honored with the humanitarian award. Director Robert Vince, who has helmed more than 10 dog-centric movies including “Air Bud,” will receive the legends honorary award.

The awards will be handed out at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza on Feb. 13. — Shelby Hill

The full list of nominees follows:

Best Dog in a Theatrical Film

Cosmo as Arthur in “Beginners”
Uggie as Queenie in “Water for Elephants”
Denver as Skeletor in “50/50”
Hummer as Dolce in “Young Adult”
Uggie as “the dog” in “The Artist”

Best Dog in a Foreign Film

Koko as Red Dog in “Red Dog” (Australia)
Laika as herself in “Le Havre” (France)(Anim.)
Biina as Alf in “The Day the Dogs Disappeared” (Japan)
Ichico as Tao in “The Day the Dogs Disappeared” (Japan)

Best Dog in a TV Series

Rocky as Arnold in “Entourage”
Chunk as himself in “Chelsea Lately”
Bridgitte as Stella in “Modern Family”
Dart as Chance in “Hot in Cleveland”
Jason Gann as Wilfred in “Wilfred”
Lambchop as Yakult in “Suburgatory”

Best Dog in a Reality TV Series

Giggy (owned by Lisa Vanderpump) in “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”
Millou (owned by Sonja Morgan) in “The Real Housewives of New York”
Jackpot (owned by Adrienne Maloof) in “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”
Spartacus (owned by Coco) in “Ice Loves Coco”
Hercules (owned by Shorty Rossi) in “Pit Boss”

Best Dog in a Direct-to-DVD Film

Fred as B Dawg in “Spooky Buddies”
Gaston as Beethoven in “Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure”
Angel as Chloe in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2”
Rowdy as Marley in “Marley & Me: The Puppy Years”
Rusco as Papi in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2”

Humanitarian Award

Charlize Theron

Legends Honorary Award

Director Robert Vince