Last week we told you about the case of Schenectady High Schooler Draven Rodriguez, a young man who simply wanted to use an inspired and laser beam-filled portrait of himself and his cat Mr. Bigglesworth for his senior yearbook picture. Rodriguez even started a petition to help his cause, but in the end the school’s “uniformity” standards won out.
At the time, it seemed like everyone involved was willing to work on a compromise to get Mr. Bigglesworth his slice of fame pie and get the picture in the yearbook, but now that a compromise has indeed been struck it seems like Mr. Bigglesworth and Draven will have to find a few extra forks according to The Times Union.
The teen and his beloved feline will share the spotlight with Principal Diane Wilkinson and her dog, Vivienne, a female mixed chihuahua, in a photo on the principal’s page with a message advocating animal rescue and adoption.
“It was the principal’s idea, she went to the student with it, and he loved it,” Karen Corona, the school district spokeswoman, said Wednesday.
But what about Mr. Bigglesworth? Is he happy? It seems like this picture went from being all about Bigglesworth to being a little bit crowded and it seems like the cat’s moment is being co-opted. Has The Cat Whisperer been consulted?
In all seriousness, it’s nice that this is resolving itself with a shout out for a good cause. It’s also good that photographer Vincent Giodano will reportedly be brought back to take the second picture and that the lasers will also make their return to more fully capture the magic of the first one.
As for what the future holds for Mr. Bigglesworth now that his life has been touched by internet fame, who is to say? A variety show on E! where he’s constantly posing in front of a green screen? Maybe a coffee table book with him posing in front of various Olan Mills-style portrait backdrops? The sky is the limit.
Source: The Times Union via Gawker