73 questions was started by Vogue in 2014, offering their readers a look into the lives of celebrities in a fun and easy way. Since then, bloggers all over the globe have taken this question and answer game and put their own spin on it. This has become the Vogue Parody – 73 Questions.
I was nominated to join the game by Becky at Musical Theatre Lives In Me. Becky writes reviews, news, articles and interviews on her blog, which is well worth a look.
On with the questions!
Vogue Parody – Questions 1-10
What’s your usual Starbucks order?
I admit I am more of a Costa girl but I do like a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows as a treat, or a mocha if I’m feeling virtuous.
What does your work station look like?
Comfy. I like my sofa, my laptop or phone, and something on in the background as white noise, usually Judge Judy or Four in a Bed. The room itself is a bit chaotic, with books, programmes, magazines, CDs, DVDs and remote controls all around. Out of my window I can see the back courtyard which has the occasional visiting wood pigeon or squirrel.
Favourite food?
Cheese and onion pie. It’s been passed down through the family and now I make my own recipe. The secret is not too much Worcester sauce and ready rolled pastry. If I crave something sweet then I make an excellent apple and carrot cake.
Favourite author?
I always go back to Thomas Hardy. Every novel, every poem, every short story.
What do you think of open relationships?
Every person is different, and I am in no position to judge, but open relationships are not for me.
What is your favourite video game?
I don’t really play them. I occasionally play Criminal Case, but games like that are a bore.
Guilty pleasure treat?
A Wispa. I joined the campaign to bring them back, and it was a great day when they did.
Favourite movie?
Gone With The Wind (1939).
Favourite book?
Watership Down by Richard Adams. I read it once a year.
Twitter or Instagram?
Both, but I have been on Twitter a lot longer and all human life is there.
Questions 11-20
Laptop or desktop?
Laptop, although mine has seen better days and the hinges are broken.
Best advice you’ve ever received?
From a former co-worker, “you don’t always have to stay on the wheel”.
What project are you working on right now?
Other than the blog, I am writing a chapter for a book about memories of British television shows. Rewatching episodes and researching around them is fun. As far as the blog is concerned, growing my following is my number #1 priority.
Favourite colour?
Deep purple.
Did you get good grades in school?
I was in the first year to sit GCSEs which meant year one we studied for ‘O’ level then year two we changed focus. Given all the upheaval my grades were fine, ditto with my ‘A’ levels two years later.
Dream job?
What I am doing, writing about theatre and the arts, but somehow making some money from it! I’ve done my original career for 25 years; if I can blog and write as I do now for another 25 I’d be overjoyed. Read about how I am working towards being a successful theatre blogger.
Play any sports?
Absolutely not. I even got kicked out of PE classes in school for being totally useless at just about everything.
Do you have a degree?
Yes, in information management.
Nationality?
British. Family are a mix of Yorkshire bandsmen, Lancashire dockers, Black Country miners, and Irish emigres.
What is your favourite kind of blog post?
One which shows some of the blogger’s personality.
Questions 21-30
What do you like to collect?
Theatre programmes (since 1987). DVDs and books. Cuddly toys.
Describe yourself in three words?
Shy, serious, sensitive.
If you were a rapper, what would your stage name be?
C Rap.
Who was the last person you DM’d?
My husband.
What’s on the top of your wish list right now?
Pretty Woman, if and when it is confirmed.
Sorting house?
Slytherin. It seems the most creative, plus it is headed up by Snape.
How many tattoos do you have?
A big fat zero.
What are you most thankful for so far this year?
That my mental health is slowly improving, after a frankly awful 2018.
What’s the best thing that’s happened so far this month?
I went to the Falsettos press event. It was great, and I felt like a genuine member of the theatre blogging scene.
What’s the best thing that has happened to you today?
I reactivated my Goodreads account, which will allow me to start writing seriously about my huge book collection.
Questions 31-40
Favourite season?
Autumn (or Fall, if you’re reading this in America). It isn’t too cold, the colours are beautiful, and it seems a peaceful time of year.
What’s the best thing ever?
The song MacArthur Park, by Richard Harris.
Favourite holiday?
I like Christmas.
Which fictional character do you relate to most?
Fiver in Watership Down.
Do you like surprises?
No. I hate being the centre of attention.
What’s the biggest surprise you’ve ever had?
Finding out that the career I had put all my energies into for more than half of my lifetime was not what I wanted any more. It took a crisis in my health for me to realise it.
Which surprise made you cry?
When I first started dating my husband, he bought me a silver necklace with a teeny diamond in it. It was the most beautiful gesture.
What’s the best surprise you’ve ever given?
My mum’s 40th birthday party was fun. We all planned it, there was a council road sign with a slogan on it, balloons, all the family was there (a rare occurrence), and we nearly lost the cat in all the excitement!
Do you like muffins?
A double-edged question for someone born in the North of England! Do you mean the muffins which are cakes (in which case, yes, especially blueberry), or do you mean proper bread muffins with the whole in the top (in which case, definitely yes)?
Do you cook often?
I have a limited range but I can rustle up a decent casserole or pasta bake.
Vogue Parody – Questions 41-50
What’s your favourite dessert?
Blackcurrant jelly with evaporated milk. Lots of memories of home and childhood.
Is there a dessert that you don’t like?
I used to really dislike pears but my taste changed, so no.
Cake or pie?
Cake.
What’s your least favourite food?
Anything too spicy. I don’t want eating a meal to involve pain.
What’s your favourite condiment?
Salad cream.
It’s 4am on a random Saturday, what are you doing?
I’m asleep.
If you could do a college class, what would it be called?
1930s musicals on both sides of the Atlantic.
Best animated film?
Dumbo (1941). An hour of perfection. It makes me laugh, the lead elephant is cute, the songs are great, and there’s a scene with his mum that always makes me cry.
What has a guy ever said or done to impress you?
When someone is honest enough to open themselves up completely, good and bad, that impresses me. And it has happened now and then.
Best thing to do on a first date?
Don’t try too hard to be something you’re not.
Questions 51-60
Worst thing to do on a first date?
Anything involving a bodily function.
What’s the best pick-up line?
None of them. They’re too cheesy.
Best comic book character?
I always liked Minnie the Minx. Girl power.
Name three things that are always in your handbag.
Phone, hairbrush, keys (with a keyring my first boyfriend gave to me more than thirty years ago).
Favourite drink?
Cherry Coke.
If you could play a historical figure in a movie, who would it be?
Annie Kenney, a leading figure in the women’s suffrage movement and a mill girl from my home town.
Kittens or puppies?
Kittens all the way.
Favourite sushi roll?
I have never eaten sushi.
What lipstick do you use?
On very rare occasions, “Pink in the Afternoon”.
What foundation do you use?
It’s a Revlon beige one, but I don’t wear it all the time.
Questions 61-70
Blow dry or air dry?
Blow dry all the time, although I probably wash my hair far too much.
Who is your fashion icon?
The late Katharine Hepburn.
Favourite Disney character?
Thumper in Bambi.
What are you doing tomorrow?
Going to the theatre.
Movie you laughed the most through?
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, World (1963).
Movie that made you cry?
It’s a tie between the ending of West Side Story (1961) and “Daddy, my daddy” in The Railway Children (1970). I am definitely a serial movie crier.
If you could sing a duet with anybody, who would you choose?
I’d go right back to the dawn of musical films and pick Nelson Eddy, who had a voice like honey mixed with chocolate. Ideally of course I would have a soprano voice like Jeanette Macdonald to make it work.
If your life was a song, what would the title be?
I Am What I Am (from La Cage Aux Folles).
What’s your favourite animal?
Squirrel. They are clever, cute, funny, athletic and flat out amazing.
Favourite illustrator?
Ernest Shepard’s work for Winnie the Pooh.
Questions 71 to 73
Person you would love to have coffee with?
Flo Ziegfeld. I would want to know more about how he assembled the Follies.
Country you would most like to visit?
Probably New Zealand and hobbit-land.
Best way to decompress?
I watch silly videos on YouTube.
I challenge any of my blogging readers who haven’t already done this to have a go!