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2nd September 2001
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The Goss

  • Daddy meanest!
  • Princess Diana, the musical
  • Ding, dong, the witch is dead! 
  • Drew's dog gets the $3 million house
  • Daddy meanest!

    In a move straight out of the Joan Crawford Parenting Handbook, Clint Eastwood sent his own daughter a legal letter ordering her not to use his name in her new business venture!

    "Clint's not going to win a Parent of the Year award for that manoeuvre," an insider declared. 

    "Clint's daughter Alison has a clothing line and wants to use her father's name and image to help her. Alison is filming a movie in Brazil and while there she was devastated to receive a letter from Clint's attorneys telling her she didn't have permission to use Clint in her business. 

    "She couldn't believe her father had his lawyers send her a letter! And she couldn't believe that Clint didn't just pick up the phone and talk to her directly. "Alison was furious. She was screaming and raving. She threw a huge temper tantrum that went on for days. At one point she screamed: 'I'm spending all my money on phone calls to my lawyers!' She was calling the US repeatedly." 

    Alison, 29, is starring in a movie called "Power Play" with Dylan Walsh and she quickly established a reputation as a horrible prima donna, the insider revealed. "She would talk to only a few people and coldly snubbed every-one else. She had a horrible attitude. 

    "At one point she proclaimed that she had an emergency and had to go into town to the mall. 

    It turned out her big 'emergency' was she wanted French fries!" 

    One of Clint's attorneys Kevin Marks did not deny that "Dirty Harry" had his lawyers send a letter to his daughter, but said: "Clint is not adverse to his daughter's business pursuits. He is cheering Alison on from the sidelines." But after the legal letter Alison went from being horrible to deal with to being unbearable on the set, the insider added.

    "She was the Good, the Bad and the Ugly all rolled into one!"


    Princess Diana, the musical

    Leave it to the nation that brought us Sturm-und-Drang operas like the Ring cycle and Tristan and Isolde to make a musical out of the life of the late Princess Diana. 

    That's right, Lady Di, who perished tragically in a Paris car crash in 1997, is now the subject of a German musical. 

    This November, the curtain goes up on Lady Di — Das Musical (full title: Lady Di — Diana: A Smile That Enchants the World) in the southwestern German city of Saarbrücken. "There is such a huge interest in Diana and her life in Germany," Peter Thomas, 75, the show's composer, tells Reuters. "We'll see how things go, but I'm confident this musical will be translated into English as well." 

    The show will cost around $1 million to mount, a bargain compared to the usual $8 million to $10 million fee for most Broadway musicals. English actress Karen Gillingham, who has appeared in German productions of The Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables, will play Diana. The wedding and rocky marriage of Charles and Di make up Act I, and Act II follows Diana's work with the poor and her romance with Dodi Al Fayed, who died with her in the same accident. Since lawyers advised the show's producers not to have actors portray living members of the royal family, Prince Charles will reportedly show up only as a voice and Queen Elizabeth is seen only from the back as she bows to Diana's coffin in the grand finale. 


    Ding, dong, the witch is dead! 

    Shannen Doherty won't be making any comeback appearances on her former show "Charmed", which is killing off her character. The death of Shannen's character is the ultimate revenge for show executives who suffered all last season with her temperamental blow-ups and constant clashes.

    "Frankly they're killing Shannen off so she can never come back," a delighted show insider said. "Her character is supposed to have special powers being a witch but they are going to come up with a unique way to kill her so-o-o dead she can't even think about coming back.

    "Shannen is pretending she doesn't care - but I know she is devastated." 

    Divulged another source, "The cast and crew couldn't be happier. Some were actually having 'Ding, Dong, the Witch is Dead' parties soon after Shannen's exit from the show was announced." 

    When Shannen was fired from "Charmed" it marked the second time she'd parted ways with executive producer Aaron Spelling. The first time Shannen left his hit FOX series "Beverly Hills, 90210" after four years on the show. 

    Insiders say Shannen got the boot because of her constant battles with co-star Alyssa Milano. 

    "It's too bad. Shannen and co-stars Alyssa and Holly Marie Combs were very close at the beginning of the first season," added the source. "But that all changed by the third season. 

    "Alyssa and Holly became close and Shannen was pretty much left out of the loop. It got so bad that Shannen and Alyssa wouldn't even exchange words on the set. 

    "Now everyone is breathing a sigh of relief since Shannen got the axe." 


    Drew's dog gets the $3 million house

    Drew Barrymore has the richest dog in Hollywood! The "Charlie's Angels" star is leaving her Beverly Hills home - worth $3 million - to her hero pooch Flossie. 

    "Drew rescued Flossie from a flea market in Pasadena years ago and Flossie returned the favour by saving Drew and new hubby Tom Green when their house was engulfed in flames in February," said a family friend. "Fast -thinking Flossie barked warnings that literally saved Drew and Tom's lives. "But Drew knew all along that her Flossie isn't just any normal fido. That's why the house she shares with Drew has been placed in trust for Flossie. "The ways Drew sees things, if anything ever happens to her and Tom, Flossie, through the trust, will always be taken care of. 

    "Drew and Tom love that dog more than anything in the world. They want to know she'll always have a roof over her head. 

    "And Drew's just nutty enough that when Flossie passes away, if she has heirs they'll be taken care of, too." Said an inside source: "Flossie is probably the only dog in the world that owns a 3,600-square-foot, three bedroom house that was built in 1915." Instead of deserting the house, even though there was about $600,000 worth of damage, Drew has decided to rebuild. "Who knows, maybe she'll put in a bone-shaped pool for Flossie now!" 


    Dogged by trouble? 

    How to prevent behavioural problems in your dog

    By Michelle Creasy 
    Dogs are the most popular house-hold pet world wide. However, when the word 'dog' is mentioned, the image of a soft, loving animal is conjured up, not an animal whose ancestors were wild wolves. This is usually the reason why so many behavioural problems occur, and dog owners are at a loss of what to do about their shy, nervous, antisocial, or aggressive dog. Nine out of 10 times, problems like these could have been prevented, had the owners been aware of what to do when they first brought the dog home as a puppy. 

    The most important thing you can do for your dog when you bring him home is socialisation. This means introducing him to all the things you would never think twice about: Children, cats, birds, men and women of different races, loud noises, i.e. buses, trucks, fast moving cars etc. However, all these experiences must be good experiences. 

    For example, being fed a testy piece of chicken (no bones!) or sausage whilst a car is going past; being introduced to many friendly dogs and let them enjoy playing together; restraining your dog and rewarding him for ignoring the cat when it passes; allowing children to feed the puppy but not letting them play or handle him roughly. If a bad experience does occur, you have to replace the bad experience as soon as possible with multiple good ones, otherwise the dog will fear whatever scared him for a long time, or possibly the rest of his life. 

    It is important to remember that puppies develop at an incredible rate between the ages of four to seven weeks, so much so that by the time they are seven weeks old, they are transmitting adult brain waves and are capable of learning by example. This is why between seven to eight weeks is the best time to bring a puppy home. This is also why the socialisation process should therefore all be done by the time the puppy is three months old, although, you should never completely stop. 

    Many older dogs have behavioural problems for different reasons: Being rescued, not having the proper amount of socialisation as a puppy, owners having not continued the socialisation process, etc. They then need a certain amount of patience and understanding to overcome these problems. Quite often problems may be exacerbated by their home environment, where the dog has been made to believe he is the top dog (alpha). 

    He may therefore believe he has to protect his family against strangers coming to the home, other dogs whilst out on a walk, even children. Something to bear in mind is the fact that the biggest percentage of facial disfigurements in children comes from dog bites. This does not mean the dog is bad, it usually means the dog had not been socialised enough as a puppy in approaching children and seeing that they are not a threat. 

    To help your dog understand he is not alpha, you should do the following things as soon as you get home, whether he is a tiny three- month-old puppy or an abused, older dog. 

    • Always eat first. If you watch a pack of dogs or wolves, the biggest, healthiest dog (alpha) gets first pickings - the rest get the scraps. 

    • Never let your dog walk out of the door before you. In a dog's mind if he goes first he will encounter the possible danger first, therefore, he thinks he is alpha as he's the one protecting. 

    • When you come home, never make a fuss of your dog if he jumps up. Ignore him if he does (do not even tell him to get off) and wait until he has calmed down until you have sat down, then call him over to say 'hello'. It is inportant that when the pack is reunited, that you still show the dog you are boss. 

    • Neuter your dog as soon as the vet allows (usually between five-six months of age). There is now proven evidence that the younger you have the dog castrated or spayed, the better the effect it has on the animal's temperament. 

    • Basic obedience training is a necessity to ensure the dog is under control at all times. It could save his life. 

    All of the above must be repeated consistently, and all members of the family should be doing the same. There is no point in one day being 'soft' and the next day trying to be leader. All the dog will learn is that you are a poor alpha. Also, if one member of the family does not stick to acting as leader, (e.g. the daughter) all you will find is the dog thinks of his pack as being in order of: Mum, Dad, son, DOG, daughter. This will result in the daughter having no control over the dog. She will be dragged when taking the dog out for a walk and the dog will not come when she calls. 

    By leading the pack, you are not in any way destroying your relationship with your dog or being cruel. You are being kind. Especially when you think of all the dogs who are dumped, euthanised or abused as the owners knew of no other way to resolve the behavioural problems the dog had developed, when they could have been prevented in the first place. 

    ( Courtesy Gulf News)

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