The Sunshine Blogger Award

OK, I know I said I was going to post something for Gabriela’s Daphene du Maurier Blogathon today, but that was before I got nominated by Sally of 18 Cinema Lane for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Wasn’t that nice of her? Sally’s wonderful blog can be found here. Thank you, Sally!

As always, this sort of honor comes with certain responsibilities, and here are the rules of being a Sunshine Blogger:

1. Thank the person who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
2. Answer the eleven questions from the blogger who nominated you.
3. Nominate eleven bloggers.
4. Create eleven new questions for your nominees to answer.

Item One? Check. Now on to Numero Dos:

Sally’s Got Questions, I’ve Got Answers

1. Which fictional, mythical, or extinct creature/animal would you want to have as a pet? Probably Toto–I always thought he was so cute.
2. Have you ever watched a Hallmark movie? If so, which one was it? I’ve lost count of how many I’ve seen over the years–my parents and I used to watch them on a regular basis. I think my favorite is Harvest of Fire.
3. What is the one TV show that you wish hadn’t been cancelled? Christy. As in, the original with Kellie Martin. I know they tried rebooting it, but it was disappointing. Jessica Lange as Miss Alice was a pale, pale shadow of Tyne Daly and James Waterston couldn’t hold a candle to Randall Batinkoff as David. Don’t even get me started on Lauren Lee Smith as Christy. She’s an OK actress otherwise, but Kellie Martin’s shoes are just too big for her. I’m going to come back to this topic on another day, so watch this space…
4. There’s a pop culture themed exhibit at your nearest museum! If you could suggest a piece of movie, television, literary, or theatrical memorabilia to include in the exhibit, what would you choose? The Ruby Slippers (the Witch’s Shoes), and Bela Lugosi’s Dracula cape. Also the falcon from the Maltese Falcon and the sled from Citizen Kane. Okay, so that’s four things, but I’m thinking big here.
5. Which two movies or television shows would you love to see have a crossover event? This can be any two films or any two television shows (cancelled or current). Dawson’s Creek and One Tree Hill. These two shows were so similar in a lot of ways that it would have been fun to see a mashup. We all know what Shakespeare said about “two suns hold not their courses in one sphere,” right? The verbal feathers would have flown in glorious flurries.
6. Is there a remake, sequel, or franchise continuation that you wish never existed? If so, what is it? The new Star Wars films, because while Episode VII was tolerable, Episode VIII was ham-fisted and disrespected the characters. Oh yeah, and Solo was a clunky two-bit prequel that probably would have done better had Lucasfilm not dissed the fans. The one post-Lucas Star Wars film I really like is Rogue One, but a single good movie out of four isn’t a great ratio. Leaving well-enough alone would have probably been the best way forward.
7. If you could be an audience member at any sports event, what would it be? Past or present? If it’s past, I would have loved to have seen Eric Liddell or Steve Prefontaine run. If it’s present, I’d like to go to another River Cats game. They shoot hot dogs into the audience after the fourth inning. It’s awesome.
8. What was your last blog post about? It was about the Beatles and the new movie, Yesterday. It was posted…ahem…yesterday.
9. Which party theme is your favorite (example: Movie theme, Halloween theme)? As long as it’s good clean fun, I’m not picky, but a movie theme sounds good.
10. Do you have a blogging tip that has helped you as a blogger? If so, share it with your readers! I think the best thing I can say is this: No blogger is an island. Learn from other bloggers while finding your own style, and don’t sweat it if hitting your stride takes some time. Blogging is fun!
11. What was the best purchase you made at a garage sale, rummage sale, flea market, thrift store, etc.? I bought an American Womens’ Voluntary Service (AWVS) cookbook at this giant antique store in my area. My guess is that the book was a giveaway prize for people who bought a certain number of war bonds, but I don’t know for sure. What’s cool about this thing is that some of the recipes were contributed by celebs like Joan Bennett, Frank Morgan, and Johnny Weismuller, just to name a few.

Now, on to our lovely nominees…

• Crystal at In the Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood
• Paddy Lee at Caftan Woman
• Erica at Poppity Talks Classic Film
• Gabriela at Pale Writer
• Alex at Anybody Got A Match?
• Barry at Cinema Catharsis
• Steve at Movie Movie Blog Blog II
• Hamlette from Hamlette’s Soliloquy
• Maddy at Maddy Loves Her Classic Films
• Phyl at Phyllis Loves Classic Movies
• Le at Crítica Retrô

Finally, here’s Number Four, also known as my eleven questions:

1. If you could talk to any celeb, past or present, who would you pick and what would you ask them?
2. What’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done? It can be fun-scary or scary-scary.
3. What was your first blog post about?
4. If you could recast any movie or TV show, what would it be and who would you cast?
5. Would your preferred vacation be by the ocean, in the desert, in the mountains, or on a tundra?
6. Which movie studio would you tour and why?
7. What’s the strangest or most memorable restaurant you’ve ever been to?
8. Quick! You’re on Broadway and can see Les Miserables or A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Which would you choose?
9. Which character from The Princess Bride do you relate to most and why?
10. What one piece of technology from the past would you like to see make a comeback?
11. What made you decide to become a blogger?

All righty, I think that covers it. Thanks again for nominating me, Sally, congrats to the nominees, and I hope you’ll come back tomorrow to see my contribution to the Daphne du Maurier Blogathon. Have a good one, all…