Trigger Sells for More Than $260,000

Trigger, the faithful companion and famous horse of legendary 'singing cowboy' Roy Rogers was sold at the New York City auction house Christine's on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 for more than $266,000.  RFD-TV in Omaha, Nebraska purchased the stuffed horse from the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum in Branson, Missouri.  The museum is now closed and the items it housed were put up for auction.  The Nebraska television network purchased the horse with plans to include it as part of a museum it hopes to open.  They are looking to purchase more of Roy Rogers items at auction for the museum.

Trigger passed away in 1965 one day short of 31 years of age.  Rogers, known as the "King of the Cowboys", couldn't bear to bury his friend and had the horse stuffed.  Rogers originally purchased the horse for $2,500.

More information, photos of Trigger, Rogers' German Shepherd "Bullet", Rogers wife Dale Evans and more Rogers memorabilia is in this entertainment article.

Entertainment: 5 Most Memorable Movie Creatures

Apparently inspired by the new Predators movie, Christy Lemire of the Associated Press has put together a list of what she feels are the top five movie creatures.

First on her list is Yoda from the Star Wars universe.  Size doesn't matter and she finds him to be not only pretty darned cute but a formidable little guy because of his mastery of the force.

Secondly, she lists Gollum from Lord of the Rings.  Lemire found Andy Serkis' portrayal of Gollum to be "fantastically fiendish" and I must agree with her.  Gollum was such a mean little thing but, at times, I did feel sorry for him when he wasn't being nasty so he could get his "precious" back.

Queen from Aliens comes in third on her list.  Queen also made an appearance in Alien vs. Predator in 2004.  Now, I'll admit, I didn't really care for the Alien series of movies so I don't have much to say about Queen.  Lemire makes note of Queen's protective motherly instinct, "as any mom would have". 

Second to last on Lemire's list is the Creature from the Black Lagoon.  Part human, part amphibian there is nothing handsome about this guy.  He originally appeared on screen in 1954 before the high tech special effects we've all come to know and love ever came about.  So, to modern viewers, he probably looks pretty lame.  I love the old Universal monster movies.  They're not heavy on gore which leaves something to the imagination.  While the Creature from the Black Lagoon films weren't my favorite Universal monster films, I'm glad to see Creature making someones "most memorable" list.

Finally, Lemire's last choice for a most memorable move creature is E.T.  She believes watching E.T. without crying is pretty much impossible.  He is a relatively cute little guy and you do feel for him.

How do you think Ms. Lemire did on her list of memorable movie creatures?  Are there any you feel she missed the boat on or that should have been on the list instead?

Movies & Film: Top 7 Animatronic Movie Beasts

Throughout movie history certain films have required a bit more than what the average actor could give.  When that occurred, it was time to call in the guys and gals who specialized in building complex, and sometimes, malfunctioning animatronic animals and beasts.  After all, dinosaurs no longer roam the earth, no actor in their right mind would want to do scenes with a 3 ton Great White shark and, while gorillas can get pretty big, none have reached 40 feet in height.

The top seven animatronic movie beasts have been compiled by Charles Q. Choi in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the classic film Jaws which opened in theaters on June 20, 1975.

I think Charles Choi did a pretty good job on his list.