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OTD in 2016—#PIFFPiffle: Rumour says Tab Tricolore to open Tabby Club to all for PIFF 2016

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The Tabby ClubThe latest out of the PIFF 2016 rumour mill is that celebrity chef Tab Tricolore intends to open up The Tabby Club to all during the five-day film fest.

The pub, which was founded and run by Jor, The Park’s first leader, has always been a “striped-only” establishment. That has caused some controversy in the past and in May, Toro Talk Radio host Yannis Tavros launched his #BullinTheTabbyClub campaign after he was was denied entry to the pub.

But now, those close to him say that the Bad Boy chef has decided throw open the doors of his pub to all. But only for the duration of the festival.

“He wants to do it to celebrate the spirit of ‘full equality of experience,’ which is what WINK, the opening film, is all about,”  says Barry “Béarnaise” Burmilla, the chef’s former saucier.

According to our sources, the celebrity chef and restaurateur was the driving force behind choosing WINK as the festival’s opening night film. WINK explores the experience of a group of Park citizens as they make the transition from being Animals of pattern to living their lives as solid-coloureds. The film’s subject matter is believed to be so dear to Tricolore’s heart that he was among the film’s financial backers.

Tricolore is expected to make an official announcement regarding the opening of The Tabby Club in the next few days.

The Park Interspecial Film Festival (PIFF) runs from 1-5 October 2016.

OTD in 2015—Peacekeepers to attend first Stereotype Sunday since Stinktier revelation

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Does of PeaceRecent unrest in The Park’s Zebra community has prompted The Department of Well-Being and Safety (DWBS) to call on the Doves and Does of Peace to attend today’s Stereotype Sunday.

In a media communiqué released this morning, DWBS Director of Public Relations Cornelius Kakapo confirmed the deployment “in anticipation of any disturbance of the peace which the weekly event is intended to foster.”

The unrest began on Wednesday night, soon after the broadcast of the Yannis Tavros show during which SCENTient Beings singer and composer Faramund Stinktier revealed that he believed he was meant to be a Zebra.

A hastily-organized protest that started outside Toro Talk Radio, which broadcasts the Tavros show live, spilled out onto the streets in the early morning hours of Thursday and has continued to grow over the past few days. The protest now includes a makeshift headquarters for organizers Jafari Pundamilia and Elton Zebra outside the Ancient Open-Air Theatre, the site of the weekly Stereotype Sundays.

The protest centres around one issue, according to a statement released by the organizers on Friday morning—that Stinktier “knows nothing of the struggles of the Zebra community and that he has co-opted the experience of thousands of years of Zebra life for his own purposes and to fulfil his own desires.”

Signed by Pundamilia and Zebra on behalf of the worldwide Zebra community, the statement concludes, “We respectfully submit that Faramund Stinktier has committed a crime against The Park’s Zebra community by perpetuating a stereotype and using that stereotype for the betterment of his own life.”

Although Park Police are believed to be on standby this afternoon, Officer Gareth Shepherd told The Mammalian Daily that none of his officers has been formally assigned to the event.

OTD in 2014—Reaction to 2015 “streamlined” budget: from outrage to high praise

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2015 projectionsReactions to The Park’s 2015 “streamlined” budget depend on what your priorities are, says Park Finance Officer Milton Struts.

In an interview in his office two weeks after the release of the budget, Struts characterized Park residents’ general reaction as “favourable and understanding.”

“I think Park Animals understand the need to simplify our lives and, correspondingly, our budget,” Struts said.

But Wellington Whistlepig, president of the Park Association of Shops and Services (PASS) has a different take on the matter. He says that he and other business owners consider the budget “a disaster” and that he’s been busy “rallying the troops” for the past two weeks to pressure the Park Finance Office into redoing the entire budget.

“There’s going to be a massive protest against this thing,” Whistlepig says. “It’s little more than a farce. There’s almost nothing specific in the budget, so how do we know what’s going to be approved and what isn’t? How do we know how much there is to spend? We don’t. We know nothing.”

Refugee groups agree.

“There was never enough [funding] and likely never will be, but we used to see a defined amount set aside for the care of refugees. In this budget, we see nothing definite. We don’t even see ourselves; they didn’t waste any ink on us,” says Inez Gallina, president of the refugee aid group Home to Roost.

The only groups that seem pleased with the budget are those connected to weather and the environment.

“We’ve been waiting, year after year, for the PFO to take us seriously and they finally have,” says Kalliope Sun Bear, president of the Weather Makers, Producers and Sellers Alliance of The Park (WMPSAP).

“Look at the difference: last year, the gave us a mere 5% of the budget. This year it’s a whopping 20%. There is so much we can do with that and it will benefit all Park residents, from our food growers and packagers to our shops and services. Weather is the foundation of our life here in The Park.”

Indeed, according to a source who wishes to remain anonymous, the Park Weather Office (PWO) is said to be “ecstatic” about the budget and “looking forward to spending the funds on good quality weather.”

“You never know, we could end up calling this the Sunshine Budget,” the source said.

2015 projections2015 projections

OTD in 2013—Music fest under fire for selling products to Humans

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Beats of BurdenwareThe organizers of the first annual Beats of Burden music festival have come under fire for creating and selling products that are specifically geared to Human consumers.

At a rally held this afternoon outside the Ancient, Open-Air Theatre, members of groups that aid The Park’s refugees, as well as Park artists and shopkeepers, marched around the theatre, chanting their disapproval of what they call the festival organizers’ “outrageously offensive” decision.

“This is an incredible betrayal,” said Dorika Pumi, who curated The Park’s first art installation at The Park Museum of Contemporary Art. Entitled, “How Much Was That Doggie in the Window?” the installation has been described as “a living, breathing, depiction” of the horror of enforced domestication of Canines by Humans.

“I can tell you honestly that this is the last thing that we, as an organization, believed would ever happen,” said Vizsla Hoover of Runaway Rovers. Hoover’s group, which was involved in the art installation, assists Canines who have escaped enforced domestication.

“After years of working with refugees who have suffered tremendously at the hands of Humans, I am shocked that they [the festival organizers] saw fit to pander to them just for the sake of money,” she said.

Hoover is one of many in The Park’s immigrant and refugee aid community who is calling for the organizers to cease creating products for and selling those products to Humans.

“I looked at the catalogue and the number of products geared to Humans was almost equal to those for Animals,” Hoover said. “It is appalling.”

For their part, the music festival’s organizers say only that they believe many of the products offered for sale can be used by “any species.”

“We have offered a variety of products for sale in support of The Park’s refugee community. We have tried to be inclusive of all species and we believe we have been successful, in that many of these products have universal appeal. We do not, however, believe it is our job to determine which products should be geared to which species. That would undermine our intent, which is to service the Park community across its entire spectrum,” a festival statement said.

OTD in 2015—Stinktier drops bombshell: “I’ve always known in my heart that I was a Zebra.”

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Scentient BeingsIt looks as though one half of the musical duo SCENTient Beings may not be what he seems.

In a live interview on the Yannis Tavros show yesterday, Faramund Stinktier, the Reekabilly singer and the duo’s composer, dropped a bombshell when he suddenly confessed to “knowing” that he was a Zebra.

The declaration took Tavros completely by surprise, he said in a post-show interview outside Toro Talk Radio, which broadcasts the Tavros show live every afternoon.

“We were talking about the Beats of Burden [musical festival] and about the success the duo has had since they débuted Reekabilly a year ago at the festival and, out of nowhere, he said that he’d always known in his heart that he was a Zebra.

At first, I thought he was joking around and I said, ‘Faramund, let’s get serious now.’ I mean, I thought we were talking about music. Then he looked at me with such earnestness and pleading, so I had to let him continue. I didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t rehearsed…at least, I don’t think so. It was more like some cork just popped and there was no containing it anymore,” Tavros said.

Stinktier didn’t backtrack, even though Tavros gave him the opportunity to do so.

“He could have turned it into a joke and everything would have been fine, but he really wanted to tell his story, so I let him,” Tavros said.

That story, it seems, began years ago but reached a peak last year, when Damien Skyles of The Cynics encouraged the duo to explore different kinds of music.

“I created Reekabilly out of country [music] and what I called ‘parts of our essential selves,’ ” Stinktier said. “But what I didn’t tell anyone at the time was that during the course of that musical fusion, I came to understand something even more essential about myself.”

Although Stinktier said nothing about what path he would choose in the future, Tavros said he seemed relieved to have made his realization public.

Afterwards, though, Stinktier did his best to duck the crowd that had gathered outside. But when he ran into a vacant burrow just north of the radio station, his action was met with jeers.

“Let’s see a Zebra do that!” one member of the crowd yelled at him.

Although Stinktier has not been heard from since, Alfredo Ox of the Beasts of Burden says the duo hasn’t cancelled their participation in next weekend’s music festival.

“They’re professionals and big supporters of the cause,” Ox says. “I can’t imagine they’d cancel at this late date.”

Calls to the group’s manager and to their publicist Hartwig Stinktier have so far gone unanswered.

OTD in 2015—Charities want say in distribution of funds from Beats of Burden music fest

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Park CharitiesSome of The Park’s charities are demanding a say in the distribution of funds raised by the Beats of Burden Musical Festival.

In an open letter published on Monday and addressed to the Beasts of Burden, the festival’s creators and hosts, the presidents of six of the Park’s charities, including LynxLink, CatsCare, and Tortoise Immigrant Aid, call for a meeting with the Beasts and the festival’s financial managers to discuss fund allocation.

“We wish to congratulate you on the success of the Beats of Burden Musical Festival,” the letter begins. But it goes on to say that now that the festival is well-established and has become a big money-maker, the charities feel it’s time they had some input into how the money is spent.

The three-day-long festival, which is now in its third year, was conceived of by the Beasts as a way to aid The Park’s refugees. In addition to their performances at the festival, the musical group has donated two songs in support of that cause, and other Park musicians and artists have made similar donations. The festival also includes auctions and other events aimed at raising money for our ever-growing refugee community.

While the charities say they appreciate all the fundraising efforts, they believe they know best when it comes to funding allocation.

“Because we are at ground zero when it comes to working with The Park’s refugees, we feel our expertise is invaluable. And because this is a timely matter, we would very much like to offer our assistance at your earliest convenience,” the letter concludes. It is signed by the presidents of LynxLink, Runaway Rovers, Home to Roost, CatsCare, Rodents at Risk, and the Tortoise Immigrant Aid and Mentor Programme.

Although the Beasts of Burden have made no public statement since the letter was published, their manager Ignatius Herder confirmed the group has read it.

OTD in 2015—Retired novelist’s film to open PIFF 2015

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Park Interspecial Film FestivalThe first film of retired novelist Hentrick Olifant will open the 2015 Park Interspecial Film Festival (PIFF) in October, it was announced today.

At a short press conference this morning, PIFF Communications President Leola Ocelot confirmed the selection.

“We are thrilled to announce that Hentrick Olifant’s first film, Parade, will open our festival this year. As you will see for yourselves, Parade is a wonderful mix of history and autobiography with a futuristic twist. We are grateful to have the chance to screen this film,” she said.

Ocelot said the October 1 gala screening would be the film’s début, but she could not confirm that Olifant would be in attendance.

“Since he retired from writing novels, he’s been a bit of a recluse, but we are going to try our best to coax him out for this,” she said.

Best known for his novel, Grasses, Leaves, Bamboo, Bark, which won the 2006  award for fiction at the Park Annual Literary Awards (now Chitter Radio Literary Awards), Olifant also served as a Park Archon in 2009. He was last in the public eye in April of 2014, when he announced his retirement from writing fiction by auctioning off his unused novel titles (all proceeds went to charity).

Regarded as one of The Park’s most prolific writers, Olifant said at the time of his retirement that should be decide to resume writing, it would most likely be in the form of history or personal memoir. Instead, he combined the two and chose to work in a different medium.

“I find film much more dynamic than the novel these days,” he said in a rare interview last month. “There is more to do and, thus, more scope. Yet, alas, there is less time in which to do it,” he said.

In the opening credits of Parade, Olifant is listed as screenwriter, co-director, and producer.

The Park Interspecial Film Festival (PIFF) runs from 1-5 October 2015.

OTD in 2013—Nut Bar becomes PIFF 2013 official sponsor of “Mixed Nuts”

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The Nut Bar has assumed official sponsorship of the film version of “Mixed Nuts,” which will have its premiere screening this October during PIFF 2013.

In a joint statement released this morning, The Nut Bar and Lodgepole Productions confirmed that an agreement of sponsorship had been reached.

“We are delighted to announce the collaboration between The Nut Bar and Lodgepole Productions in bringing this wonderful film home to The Park this October. We look forward to having the opportunity to present the film and to interact with audience members during The Park Interspecial Film Festival,” the statement read in part.

This is the first time that the venerable Park shop has sponsored a film.

“We thought it was a perfect fit, so we approached them last year,” said the film’s producer, Victoria Sciurini.

“They didn’t need much convincing, though. It turns out they’re big fans of Millicent [Hayberry, the film’s star] and they’ve been terrific about the whole process. They are a very generous company,” she said.

“Mixed Nuts” will screen at The Park Cinema on Oct 2 and 3, 2013.

The Park Interspecial Film Festival Runs from October 1-5, 2013.

OTD in 2015—Beasts of Burden to hold second pre-festival open mic at The Draft

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The DraftIt’s the pre-show to end all pre-shows.

The Beasts of Burden announced today that they will once again hold a pre-festival open mic night on Friday, September 11 at The Draft, the pub by the Wishing Well that the musical group owns.

According to their manager Ignatius Herder, last year’s open mic was so successful that they decided to repeat it.

“If this goes as well [as last year’s], they’re going to make it an annual event,” Herder says.

Originally conceived as a way to “warm up” Park residents in advance of the Beats of Burden Music Festival, which is now in its third year, the event turned into a talent search that netted two new performers at last year’s festival. In addition, the Beasts became mentors to three young musicians, one of whom has now begun a career as a merging artist (merging artists are artists who work in only one field of the arts and who collaborate with one or more other artists who work in another, distinct field).

“That was a total surprise,” Alfredo Ox told The Mammalian Daily yesterday. “Mentoring was the last thing on our minds, and now it’s front and centre.”

This year, Herder says, he’s looking forward to hearing the newest talent, but he doesn’t know if they’ll have the time to take on more than a couple of musicians or singers.

“Of course, it all depends on the quality. There are some performers that you simply can’t say no to,” he said.

The rules for this year’s open mic are the same as last year’s: the Beasts are asking those who wish to play or sing to add their names to a list that will be posted outside their pub on Tuesday morning.

“But whether or not you want to perform, it will be a great time. And be prepared to stay out all night,” Herder advises.

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