Here you'll find Glenn Close's
most recent Lively Licks posts from her Profiles
and Random Licks blogs.
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Q and A with Jane Goodall
Two summers ago, my husband, David, and I hosted Jane Goodall at our house in Maine for four days. It was an unforgettable experience. I suppose charisma is a core characteristic for someone destined to become a global icon, but my first impressions of Jane belied her passion and...
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Random Licks: Glenn Close on Take Your Dog To Work Day
When I'm shooting DAMAGES, I always take my dogs, Jake and Bill to work. One reason is because I don't want to spend money for a dog-walker, but the main reason is because I can. I have always taken my dogs to whatever set I'm working on, be it a feature film, a TV set or a theater. (When I was in...
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Q and A with Allen Hill
I met Sergeant Allen Hill, his wife, Gina, and his service dog, Frankie, outside the Fishkill Correctional Facility, a men's medium security prison in New York State. The Hills had flown in from Kansas the night before and were at Fishkill to meet the inmate, Roberto Rodriguez, who is a trainer...
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Q & A with Kevin Bacon
In 1983 I happened to see an Off- Broadway play called Slab Boys. In it was a skinny, handsome actor who was playing a young, hothead with a dark, biting wit, working in a carpet factory. He played the part like he was riffing on a guitar. I've never forgotten the play or the power of the three...
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Q & A with Lauren Bacall
Lauren and Sophie It's a supremely daunting challenge to write an introduction to a woman who has been declared one of the American Film Institute's top 25 film legends of the century. So I'm not even going to try. In this era of sound...
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Q & A with Rachael Ray
Rachael Ray Rachael Ray is a life force! I could feel her energy the moment Jake, Bill, Sweet Pea and I entered the New York studio where she tapes her shows. It is always interesting to meet members of someone's team before you...
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Sweet Pea goes to the Park
Since this month is Adopt-A-Dog month I thought it would be a good thing to foster a dog. We approached Rachael Ray about documenting the process and she loved the idea. This Tuesday, October 21st, on the Rachael Ray show, you will be able to see the story of Sweet Pea and her journey through the...
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Random Licks: Sweet Pea
On October 9th I'm going to tape a segment on The Rachael Ray Show. I wanted to go on because October is Adopt-A-Dog Month. I decided to actually foster a dog myself and to document it for my appearance on Rachael's show. I got the word out to my friends at Bobbi and the Strays and at the Mayor's...
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Random Licks: Pink Pajamas
One of the funny things about making movies is that often you go around in clothes that you would never think of wearing in public. For example, during the shooting of Fatal Attraction, when we were filming at Alex Forrest's apartment location---at 14th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan---I would...
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Random Licks: Kermit Visits the Damages Set
One nice thing about working at the Steiner Studios in Brooklyn is that various productions come in and out of the other sound stages. When we first came back to start shooting our second season, Madonna was on the premises---in a special tent that had been constructed in a parking...
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Random Licks: The Story of Dillon
An amazing small world story---Tabitha, who works as a volunteer for Bobbi and the Strays and figures very importantly in my blogs about that wonderful grass-roots shelter, happens to be a beautician as well and appeared early one morning in our DAMAGES hair and make-up room give me a manicure and...
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Random Licks: Jake at the FetchDog Office for a Meeting
Jake's notes:Humans are gathered around a big table. Blah-blah-blah. A dog's outside! I vocalize my concern and Dave lifts me onto the windowsill. It's a Bernese Mountain Dog in a truck. He's not happy. Luckily, all the truck's windows are open. Dave shares his coffee with me. Yuck! Now...
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Random Licks: Getting Milk
This morning when I poured milk onto a bowl of tasty Honey-Nut Cheerios, it came out sour and clotted. I hate it when that happens. It seems such a waste to throw the cereal away, but eating it would border on the masochistic. Luckily there is a little convenience store just down our road in Maine...
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Random Licks: Little White Dogs on the Beach
The ulimate backlightThey don't dive into the waves after a tennis ball or a stick.They don't blindside you in their exuberance and knock you over. Noble dog on flotsam They will fetch something once... maybe... if they feel like it.They pee on bunches of seaweed, flotsam as well as jetsam and...
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Random Licks: Back from Beijing
Dave and I are back from our week at the Olympics. We saw the Opening Ceremonies. We saw the China-U.S.A. basketball game. We saw Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh blocking and smashing in Beach Volleyball. We saw Michael Phelps break a record and the U.S.A Men's Gymnastics Team win an unexpected...
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Q&A with Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston When I was a senior in college, I fell in love with Sam Waterston. He was on Broadway, performing the role of Benedict in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. He was totally captivating - sexy, funny, smart and gorgeous. In 1986, Sam and I were cast as...
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Random Licks: Update From The Damages Set
August 3, 2008 Early in the morning in the Damages make-up trailer. What a whirlwind couple of weeks it's been! We are into Episode Four on Damages...with only nine more to go. I keep thinking that I will be able to sit down and write in between set-ups or between...
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Random Licks: Bobbi and the Strays II
I want to follow up on what I wrote about visiting Bobbi and the Strays because I've gotten some more pictures of their facility at the JFK Jetport as well as some portraits of some of their dogs that are available for adoption. I also took a video of my trip there to capture the incredible...
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Q&A with Bernadette Peters
Bernadette and Kramer I don't remember when I first met Bernadette, but it must have been at least twenty-five years ago, not long after I'd moved to New York City to begin my career. She'd already had multiple Broadway shows under her belt, having started in show business when...
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Random Licks: Bobbi and the Strays
Bernadette Peters' and Mary Tyler Moore's annual Broadway Barks adopt-a-thon takes place on July 12th, in Shubert Alley---the heart of Broadway. At the event, grassroots shelters from all over the five boroughs will be bringing in animals for adoption. It is a very important event for these...
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Random Licks: First day on Damages, season two
On Location It's good to be back. Most of the original crew has returned so it's like reuniting with your extended family. It will take a few days for us all to get back in rhythm. We were on location in Stuyvesant Park on the lower eastside and then in Chelsea. ...
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Random Licks: After the Concert
New York City never ceases to amaze me. Last night there were over 100,000 people on The Great Lawn, listening to a spectacular free concert by the New York Philharmonic. The two little white dogs and I strolled over to listen. We walked along the edge of the vast crowd to the tune of Stars and...
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Random Licks: Circe and Frankie
They are setting up Great Lawn for a free, New York Philharmonic concert tonight. All the fences around the lawn are down, lighting scaffolds and the main stage are being erected and dogs are running pell-mell over the huge expanse of grass that is usually off-limits. It's a perfect day. The city...
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Random Licks: The Morning Tide
This morning, Bill, Jake and I had our usual walk in Central park. We try to get out there before 9 a.m. so they can be off-leash. We enter near the Great Lawn and join the waves of dogs and their people that ebb and flow over the landscape early in the morning. High tide is from around 7 to 7:30....
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Q & A With Bill Campbell
Bill Campbell and Pax. I started Lively Licks thinking that it would be a lot of fun to do amusing profiles of people and their dogs. After all, my family spends half their time talking about and laughing at our dogs. It's actually kind of shocking, but I guess...
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Random Licks: The View
Jake, Bill and I are going on The View tomorrow. They are still up in Maine with Dave---far away from their usual groomer---so they will have the scruffy, country look. As long as their moustaches are clean, they will be as cute as ever. It's not fair. It's like a guy getting ready for a formal...
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Your Licks: Amanda & Martin St. John Respond
Hello! Kudos to you for what you do! I think I just rescued one of Muttley's relatives in Mount Vernon Washington. She has the same 'look' as he does. She is such a good girl! Do you have any clue what kinds of breed(s) he may be? I've been told Pit Bull, Great Dane, or Mastiff....... It Doesn't...
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Your Licks: Tracy Christensen Responds
I'm curious if you have any tips for training a young pup to stay close when off a leash. I've seen so many dog owners who walk comfortably around town with their dogs close by. Any suggestions would be helpful and thanks! - Daniel As far as the advice on the young...
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Q & A with Amanda & Martin St. John of Muttshack Animal Rescue & Disaster Response
Amanda & Martin with Roxy and Muttley. Martin and Amanda St. John are icons in animal rescue. Together they founded MuttShack Animal Rescue and, with their international network of "Shackers," have saved the lives of thousands of dogs...
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Q&A With Tracy Christensen
Sundance Resort Ski Patroller, Tracy Christensen with Mick, one of Utah's finest Avalanche Rescue Dogs During this year's Sundance Film festival, my family and I were skiing at the Sundance Resort when we met Tracy Christensen of the Sundance Ski Patrol and his partner,...
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In Memory of Martha Stewart's Paw Paw
It is with great sadness that all of us at FetchDog read about the passing of Martha Stewart's Paw Paw. I was lucky to meet him on several occasions and felt, each time, that I was in the presence of an exceptional creature. He had gravitas, like a great chief, but also---a whisper of humor as...
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Your Licks: Glenn Close Responds About Dog Smell
I was wondering if you knew how to keep a dog from having a bad smell about them? It seems that no matter what I do, even after his bath, he smells worse than before the bath. If you have any suggestions, I would really appreciate it. Woogie is a Pitt Bull, very sweet and loving dog. Thank-you so...
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Your Licks: Glenn Close Responds on Dealing With Dog Hair
I am so overwhelmed with dog hair. It flies, sticks and interferes with my guests, even though I constantly use lint rollers and vacuum. What helps you? And could your advice help me? - Barbara Ballantine Barbara,Bill and Jake are white and shed a lot, so I certainly know what it's like to...
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Your Licks: Glenn Close Responds on Cleaning Up After Dog Accidents
Do your dogs have "accidents" in the house? If so, what do you use to clean up the messes? - LottieLottie,Everyone has accidents sometimes! The important thing to remember when cleaning up an accident is to use a cleaning product that removes all the odor - not just for your nose but for...
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Q&A with Martha Stewart
Martha and her Chow named Paw Paw. Martha Stewart is a lot of fun and she gets a big kick out of her animals. She is also a neighbor. My daughter, Annie, and I spent a recent morning with her. We rode through the magical landscape of her farm, on her...
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Your Licks: Glenn Close Responds on Older Dog Sleep Considerations
Dear Ms Close: I have seen you on talk shows discussing your dogs, which go nearly everywhere with you. We have one small mixed breed named Betty Wigglesworth.From the first night she came home from the shelter eight years ago, she wanted to sleep with us. Now she is getting older and...
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Your Licks: Detective Steve Lanoce Responds
Given Duke is more than a partner, he is family, when he is old enough to retire will you be able to keep him? - MarieMost EDC's ( Explosive Detection Canines) in the NYPD Bomb Squad work till they are approx. 8-10 years old. A few have worked even past 10 depending on their health. When these...
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Q&A With Detective Steve Lanoce - NYPD Bomb Squad
Steve Lanoce with his bomb-sniffing lab Duke. Steve Lanoce and I were introduced on the set of Damages, on the day he was waiting to appear in a scene having something to do with a hand grenade in my office. He is a member of the NYPD Bomb Squad and is an Explosive Detection Canine...
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Your Licks: Glenn Close Responds on Bill & Jake's Favorite Toy
Are there any particular toys that your dogs just can't live without?Good question!Bill and Jake's favorite toy is the squeaky monkey. Jake will press on the squeaker for minutes on end---driving everyone crazy---because he really thinks it's alive and very ticklish. Bill runs away with it when he...
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Q&A With Debra Messing & Dan Zelman
Dan and Debra with their Coton de Tulear, Laila. Debra Messing is the Lucille Ball of her generation. Her great beauty, wit and impeccable comic timing were instrumental in making WILL & GRACE a pop culture masterpiece. Dan Zelman, Debra's husband, is a great writer....
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Your Licks: Glenn Close Responds on Grieving the Death of a Dog
Any advice for dealing with the death of a dog? We had to put our much loved and devoted dog, Simon, to sleep last week. It was incredibly difficult and I never realized how hard it was to live without a canine companion. - Ashley from New YorkDear Ashley:I really sympathize with your grief...
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Q&A with Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen
Mary and Ted with their dogs Arthur, Lulu and Roxy. When I met Ted, twenty-three years ago, working on a movie for TV called Something About Amelia, he was well on his way to becoming one of the most loved actors of his generation. When we were brought together again this year, in...
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Beautiful New Book -- Puppies Behind Bars: Training Puppies to Change Lives
The excellent Puppies Behind Bars is the dog charity I've selected to benefit when people make purchases through my favorite products “widget”. Puppies Behind Bars pairs eight-week-old puppies with prison inmates, who train and live with the dogs 24/7 for 18 months. When they graduate, the dogs...
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Q&A With Glenn Close
Me and my first dog, Docus. He tolerated my constant hugs. Gaby, my Coton de Tulear, at a costume fitting in Paris for DANGEROUS LIAISONS. She loved expensive fabrics! FETCHDOG: When did you become a dog lover? GC: Before I was born. Both my parents are huge...
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About the Author
I hope that you will be entertained, comforted and inspired by the people and dogs that I have the privilege of featuring on this blog. Since starting it over a year and a half ago, it has pulled me into an incredible journey. Besides being able to celebrate some of my wonderful friends and the profound bond they have with their dogs, LIVELY LICKS has introduced me to the world of avalanche dogs, bomb-sniffing dogs, service dogs for our wounded warriors and dogs in need of rescue and adoption. I have been inspired by the selfless dedication of the people who run grassroots shelters as well as urban care and control centers. I have been deeply moved by their stories in which dogs heal and empower their humans. Those of us who have dogs, know how much they enhance our quality of life with their unquestioning loyalty and unconditional love. There are an infinite number of stories to tell, so I hope you will stay with me as I continue to explore and discover and delight in the journey.





