Barney the White House Scottish Terrier Does Stand Up with Comedian Denis Leary in Boston



Sydney writer director Anny Slater'ss comedy animation Barney the White House Terrier has been selected to screen at the Oscars qualifying Chicago International Children'ss film festival. Films that win at the festival are automatically short listed for nomination at the 2008 Oscars. The same film is one of only nine short films screening at the Boston Comedy Festival alongside 2006 Emmy award winner Denis Leary and Lewis Black. Black features in 2006 Emmy award winning The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Slater says, I think this situation raises some serious issues for the Nation. Does the President and Mrs Bush know their dog Barney is doing stand up comedy in Boston with Denis Leary and Lewis Black If not, then who'ss guarding the White House and more importantly, is Barney a Democrat

Anny, who was born in Melbourne but resides in Sydney has been a comedy festival regular in recent years, having won a coveted 2005 Christopher Wetzel comedy award at the Chicago Gene Siskel Center for her earlier film The Ball, that film qualifying for nomination at the 2004 Oscars for best live action short and nominated for a United Nations Association Media Peace Prize. The Ball, an homage to Jane Campion'ss The Piano, has a soccer loving character Ada landing in Australia only to meet cricket tragic Australian Prime Minister Howard fast walking on a beach.

Barney the White House Terrier, an imagined conversation between President Bush'ss dog Barney and his secret service agent, has been deemed so hilarious that the same character has been used as the basis for a commercial trailer for the Austin Film Festival. The voice of Barney is provided by Sydney comedian Simon Kennedy and music by Melbourne comedian Stephen Blackburn of Dodgy Brothers fame. Anny is currently a freelance writer for Australian Channel 9'ss sketch show Comedy Inc-the late shift. Comedy Inc was recently nominated for a Rose D'sor TV award in Switzerland.

Barney the White House Terrier plays at the Boston Comedy Festival Sept 8-16; Big Bear Lake Film Festival California Sept 15-17; Bay St Film Festival Thunder Bay Canada Sept 15-17; Chicago Children's8217;s Intl Film Festival Oct 19-29;St Johns Film Festival Newfoundland October 18-22.





Barney the White House Scottish Terrier Does Stand Up with Comedian Denis Leary in Boston