Meet my Goddaughter Melissa Rivers at the Dog Film Festival Pooch Party in Los Angeles
I’m really excited to be heading to Los Angeles to premiere the Dog Film Festival there next Saturday June 4th, but I have a very special personal reason for wanting to get there: my goddaughter Melissa Rivers has agreed to be my Honorary Hostess at the Afternoon Tea Pooch Party that kicks off the nationwide tour of the Festival (which screens Sunday June 5th at the Crest Westwood theater). I’m so grateful that Melissa is coming to our Green Carpet to get photos with the dogs and their people, even though she is uber-busy preparing for the Christie’s auction of her late mother’s belongings in New York City June 22nd (with the online auction beginning June 16th) (I’ll be writing about that next!). Melissa is making time for me and the Festival, which is dedicated to the memory of her mother Joan Rivers, who was also my godmother (a delightfully convoluted arrangement!). Joan’s love and devotion to her rescued canine companions embodies the intention of the Festival: to celebrate the remarkable bond between dogs and their people, and the animal welfare groups that bring them together.
The Lange Foundation and Downtown Dog Rescue will share in 50% of all ticket sales for the Pooch Party and the movies — and there are still some tickets left to join us!
The Pooch Party is going to be a dog-friendly kick-off celebration at the state-of-the-art VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital, which is tenting their roof and bringing in yummy catering and a green carpet and “step and repeat” so guests can meet Melissa and get photos with her. There’s going to be a canine fashion show by Lola (previously a Christian Dior designer) and her amazing Couture D’Chiens creations, which I think Joan would have swooned over. The picture accompanying this is a sample of the Alice in Wonderland outfits Lola has just designed to coincide with the opening of the new film Alice Through the Looking Glass. These are a far cry from your everyday frou-frou doggy clothes! And Lola even has some human models who will be coming to the Pooch Party coordinated with their dogs — I feel sure Joan will be smiling down on us June 4th and would have wanted her dogs Teegan and Samantha to be decked out in couture outfits and strutting their stuff with the best of them. She’ll be there in spirit and Melissa will be there in person — welcoming dogs ranging from Karla Champion’s 138 lb. Leonberger Quintana, to some very tiny 5 lb. Chihuahua high fashion models!
—Tracie Hotchner
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