Thursday, October 30, 2014

Famous People Tag


Naomi of Wonderland Creek has tagged me with Famous People Tag, which you know I could never resist.

~ The Rules ~ 

-Put up the 'famous people tag button' and link back to the person who tagged you
-Answer the questions
-Tag the ten last people who commented on your blog (excluding anonymytes or the person who tagged you)

 ~The official questions!~ 

#1 Who's your favourite singer/group? 

Bobby Darin.  Always and forever.  And by that I mean, since I was sixteen and bought a cassette tape of his music just to hear "Mack the Knife" and fell in love with his voice.  His music has accompanied me ever since, and I continue buying more.  Dude sang like 600 songs in his too-short life (he died at 37 following heart surgery), and there are a lot of live versions of them too, and... and he was a superb actor too!  So I also collect his movies.


#2 If your favourite male actor was in the same room as you right now, what would your reaction be? 

Well, I'd probably be really weirded out, because my favorite actor is John Wayne, who has been dead since ten months before I was born.

But seriously, if by some time-machine magic I could meet John Wayne, I would undoubtedly be tongue-tied and shy.  I wouldn't bother trying to say anything cool, because it would come out wrong anyway.  I'd just be like, "Um, hi."


#3 Is there a famous person you used to love but (due to something they have done in their life) you've suddenly changed your mind? 

I try really hard to separate celebrities' lives from their work in my mind.  With one exception (John Landis), I'm generally successful.  Sometimes I get disappointed by roles they take or a lifestyle choice they make, something like that.  But it really doesn't make me quit liking them as a writer or singer or actor.  I tend to go the other way -- look down my nose at an actor or actress and then suddenly discover they can act and then begin to like them immensely.  That's happened to me multiple times, for instance with Rudolph Valentino and Matt Damon and Robert Downey, Jr.  Also, sometimes I'll learn that some celebrity is really genuine and nice in real life, and that makes me like them more.

#4 Name a famous person you like who's name starts with a V. 

Valentino, of course.  Rudolph Valentino.  MMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmm...


#5 What's one of your favourite red-carpet dresses? 

I don't pay huge attention to the red carpet.  I do remember thinking Hailee Steinfeld looked really cute in this at the Oscars a few years ago.  Makes me think of Audrey Hepburn.


#6 Who's your favourite Royal person? 

Not sure I have one.  So guess I'll go with Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret during WWII.

#7 Who's your favourite child actor/tress? 

Hayley Mills?  Or Margaret O'Brien?  Or Christian Bale?  Hmm.   Not sure.

#8 Is there an actor/actress you actually like their private lives of? (Not sure if that last question was properly phrased.) 

Oh yeah.  I love who Hugh Jackman is in real life:  a happily married husband and an adoptive dad.  He's endlessly kind to fans.  He also started a coffee company called Laughing Man that promotes helping poor farmers in underdeveloped countries with fair trade and such.


#9 Do you think that the actors/actresses have improved these last 100 years?

I think acting has changed and evolved, but I don't think actors today are any better at acting than those from days gone by.  Our tastes have changed, the style of acting we're used to now is different from acting in the '60s or the '40s or the '20s.  But improved?  No.

#10 What's the weirdest famous-people name? 



#11 Do you think you look like a famous person? Which one(s)? 

Not really.  I suppose I might look a wee little bit like Julia Stiles.  We both have round faces.  My hair's not blond, though.


#12 Share your favourite famous-person quote. 

"When in doubt, have two guys come through the door with guns." -- Raymond Chandler's writing advice

#13 Who's your favourite dancer?

Gene Kelly.  I love how he could convey so many emotions with his dancing, from joy and exuberance to sorrow and love.


#14 Why is your favourite actress your favourite one? When did you decide that she was your favourite? 

I love Maureen O'Hara because she plays so many gutsy characters.  They give as good as they get, and then some, yet still remain womanly and not mannish.  Also, she's stunningly beautiful.  Still!  She's been my favorite since I was a teen.  And she was real-life friends with my favorite actor, John Wayne, which is just groovy.


#15 Have you ever met/seen/been close to a famous person?

Does attending a play that a famous person is acting in count?  If so, then yes!  When I was a teen, I saw Hayley Mills perform in The King and I.  When I was in college, I saw Patrick Stewart perform in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?  And about 5 years ago, I saw Jude Law in Hamlet.

EDIT:  I forgot!  I've also met two famous authors!  I got to hear Ray Bradbury do a reading when I was in college, and got my copy of Fahrenheit 451 signed by him.  And then a few years ago, I got to attend a reading and Q&A session with Laurie R. King, my favorite living author (whom I recently interviewed on my other blog), and she signed two books for me!  My copy of The Beekeeper's Apprentice and a copy of the book she was promoting at that time.  I actually managed to ask two intelligent questions during the Q&A (which I'd thought up beforehand), and have a tiny-but-coherent conversation with her while she signed the books.  I asked her to dedicate one of them to the college professor who introduced me to her work, so that gave me something to say :-)

And now, time to tag the last ten people who commented on my blog.  I think that's a unique and fun way to tag people, as otherwise I feel kind of weirdly pressured to find bloggers I think will like the tag, etc.  So I hereby tag:


Play only if you want to :-)  Here are the official questions, to make it easier for you to cut and paste:

#1 Who's your favourite singer/group?
#2 If your favourite male actor was in the same room as you right now, what would your reaction be?
#3 Is there a famous person you used to love but (due to something they have done in their life) you've suddenly changed your mind?
#4 Name a famous person you like who's name starts with a V.
#5 What's one of your favourite red-carpet dresses?
#6 Who's your favourite Royal person?
#7 Who's your favourite child actor/tress
#8 Is there an actor/actress you actually like their private lives of? (Not sure if that last question was properly phrased.)
#9 Do you think that the actors/actresses have improved these last 100 years?
#10 What's the weirdest famous-people name?
#11 Do you think you look like a famous person? Which one(s)?
#12 Share your favourite famous-person quote.
#13 Who's your favourite dancer?
#14 Why is your favourite actress your favourite one? When did you decide that she was your favourite?
#15 Have you ever met/seen/been close to a famous person?

16 comments:

  1. Yay for someone who loves Elizabeth! She is such a stone cold monarch. I love her. :D

    OH MY GOSH… someone is either named or called himself CHILL WILLS? LOLing forever.

    I love Julia Stiles. Neat that you look like her.

    Sweet that you got to see Hayley Mills and Patrick Stewart live. And wow, Hamlet and Jude Law? Niiice.

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    1. Yeah, Chill Wills was a character actor from old movies. I know him from Meet Me In St. Louis and Giant and The Alamo and McLintock! and lots of other westerns. His real name was Theodore Childress Wills...

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  2. Wow. Tough questions, but I'll give it a go. And I love Chill Wills as Mr. Neely in 'Meet Me In St. Louis'... also as the doctor in 'Rio Grande'.

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    1. I hadn't seen MMISL for years until I introduced it to my kids last week, and I had totally forgotten he was Mr. Neely! So that's what had him fresh in my head for this tag, lol.

      I always think of him as Uncle Bawley from Giant because my family used to watch that movie over and over when I was a kid.

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  3. Maureen O' Hara is an awesome actress; I can still remember her in the roles she played in the John Wayne movies or the oldie 'Miracle on 34th Street,' each character I saw her play was fun because she put a lot of personality into the roles.

    Fun (fun!) tag, Hamlette - and thanks for the tag. It looks like a blast; I'll hopefully join in next week. :)

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    1. Isn't Maureen O'Hara always a delight to watch? One of those actresses who can elevate a mediocre movie just by her charisma.

      Have fun with it whenever you have the time for it! ;-) Happy Halloween!

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  4. I love that many of your answers are on yesteryears actors! They and older movies feel neglected in the modern film diet. I love John Wayne and Gene Kelly too! :)

    ~Jamie

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    1. Thanks! When I was growing up, we watched mostly "old" movies because they were so much more family-friendly. My parents pretty much figured if it was made before 1960, they didn't need to pre-watch it for us kids. So I grew up on the classics. John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara have been my #1s since I was like 14. And Gene Kelly... I would watch any movie of his, any time. Brilliant.

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  5. Wow, I loved all your answers, Hamlette!

    I've never heard of Bobby Darin, but I'll look him up... reading what you wrote about him makes me think I'll like him. :-)

    That red carpet dress is soooo cute!!!

    Ohhh, I love princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose! I love their relationship as sisters. :-) Elizabeth, wise and sensible, and Margaret cheeky and spunky. A little like Elinor and Marianne in S&S, it sometimes reminds me of. :-)

    Chill. Yup. Very weird.

    Maureen O'Hara is a charming actress. I've only seen her in one role, actually - Jane Bennet in the really old (and weird) version of P&P.

    Wow! You've seen Hayley Mills!?! That's so cool!

    Haha, same here. I never really know who to tag. I thought tagging the last ten people was a pretty good idea, even though I say it myself. :-P

    Thanks, I really enjoyed the answers!

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    1. Oh my goodness. Go start watching Bobby Darin videos on YouTube. He is an amazing and versatile singer and performer. He's in some really good movies too -- some cute little romcoms with his wife, Sandra Dee, and some meaty dramas too. And a delightful western, Gunfight in Abilene, which is out on DVD at last. He also is in a remake of State Fair, taking Dana Andrews' role. Not as good as the original, except for his scenes :-D But anyway, he sang everything from standards to big band swing to rock'n'roll to country-and-western to blues to folk. Something for everyone!

      Are you thinking of the 1940 P&P? That was Maureen O'Sullivan. Maureen O'Hara is in some splendid movies, like The Quiet Man and Rio Grande and The Parent Trap and Miracle on 34th Street and The Rare Breed and Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (I need to review that soon) and The Black Swan (that's her in my header from that movie).

      And yeah, we got to see Hayley Mills. She was a really fun, spunky Anna!

      I had to edit my answers just now, as I realized I needed to include that I've met two famous authors too! How could I have forgotten???

      Anyway, thanks for creating this fun tag! And for tagging me with it :-)

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    2. Oh yes, sorry- That was Maureen O'Sullivan. Silly little mistake. :-) Oh yes, Maureen O'Hara was in the Parent Trap with Hayley Mills (I haven't seen that, but I'm absolutely dying to.)

      Haha, I can see you really like Bobby Darin - I just looked him up and listened to 'dream lover' - it's very good indeed! He might just have received a new fan. :-)

      Oh wow, you've met two famous authors too! I haven't heard of them, but it makes me excited all the same. :-P

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    3. Oh my goodness -- "The Parent Trap" is one of my favorite movies! Charming and funny. I hope you can see it soon!

      :-D New Bobby Darin fans are a wonderful thing! I hope you find lots of his music to enjoy.

      And yes, I actually *met* the authors, didn't just see them perform, which makes my experiences with them beautiful memories :-)

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  6. You got to meet Ray Bradbury?! I am incredibly jealous! He recently became one of my favorite authors and I would have loved to have met him (somehow, I never seem to discover the really great authors while they are alive).

    And by the way, I love your screen name.

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    1. I know, right? This was around the year 2000 or so, and he was doing a reading and book signing at a big university not terribly far from the tiny college I attended. So my adviser, who was also a Lit and English professor, offered to take any students who were interested to the reading. No way I would pass that up!

      I have no idea what he read, anymore. He also reminisced a while about writing, his career, and so on. Then we stood in line a really long time to get books signed. He was pretty old, and not prone to chit-chat with fans, so pretty much you put your book on the table, he signed it, and you said, "Thank you so much, Mr. Bradbury. It was an honor to meet you," and off you went. But still :-)

      And thanks! I love my screen name too. Nice to "meet" you!

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  7. Oh my gosh, that's so cool that you saw Jude Law perform on stage. I think I might have died at an opportunity like that! My one experience with a famous person is kinda sad -- I was in the same restaurant as Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas just before she was on Dancing with the Stars. And I didn't say anything to them (but my mom did) and didn't even know who Mark Ballas was at the time. :P

    Thanks for tagging me Hamlette! I don't think I'm going to do it, but I enjoyed your answers! :)

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    1. Yeah, it was heart-stoppingly amazing. I can still remember certain moments from the play so clearly. Because of course he was a brilliant Hamlet :-)

      That's about how I would be if I unexpectedly was in the presence of someone famous. Totally dumb-struck.

      You're welcome! And like I said, only play if you feel like it :-)

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