On Tuesday, The Madlab Post received the Versatile Blogger Award from Sydney Aaliyah, who placed it on her list of “15 Coolest Blogs.” So today, I say thank you to her for this award and also for reading my blog. Since April, I noticed that Sydney Aaliyah and I have some things in common -- a secret crush on Robert Downey Jr. and bragging rights for completing the blogging marathon that is the 2012 Blogging from A to Z Challenge.
For the few things we do have in common, however, there are other areas of life where we differ. Sydney Aaliyah has a tattoo -- I don’t; London is her favorite city in the world and I’ve never even been out of the country yet; She studied Law at Georgetown University. I studied art at Moore and screenwriting at Temple University.
As per the rules for Versatile Blogger award recipients, here are 15 blogs (in no particular order) that I nominate for this same badge, as well as 7 things about me that you probably don’t know.
15 Versatile Bloggers:
#1 Film Sketchr - A blog that highlights one, often underrated area of the entertainment industry -- concept design and storyboard art, specifically for science fiction films and TV shows.
#2 Terrible Analogies - It’s about as versatile as any blog can be, featuring adventurous videos on paragliding, suspenseful flash fiction, new music recommendations and observations on the world around us. It’s a must-read, for sure!
#3 Smurfin’ the Web - The smurfdok reviews movies and world music while also giving horror films some extra special attention, through his “Wicked Wednesdays” series.
#4 Wine-n-Chat - Where Zinfandel meets group writing activities, family vacations and related topics that you can discuss over a glass of your favorite red or white varietal.
#5 Wrote by Rote - This memoir-centric blog may have you either reflecting on moments that stood out in your life so far, thinking about creating new and lasting memories or becoming more interested in a reading genre that hasn’t been on your radar -- all while taking a glimpse into the life of the writer behind it all, Arlee Bird.
#6 Eat, Live, Move - From insights on balancing one’s own healthy weight and nutrition to recipes for sweet potato fries and exercising tips to journaling ideas and reminders about having fun everyday, this blog encourages you to not only learn how to be comfortable in your own skin but also create the exciting life you want -- all through the eyes and experiences of its author, Ro.
#7 Story Treasury - A reading destination for book reviews, flash fiction and explorations into vocabulary and related parts of the literary world.
#8 In a Pursuit of Publisness - Highlights on book authors, flash fiction and various reading adventures are sprinkled in between work-in-progress teasers and related updates on the progress of one woman working to publish her first novel.
#9 Far Away in the Sunshine - A blend of inspirational quotes, photography and poetry along with observations of the woman running this blog can get you to appreciate nature and life and all of the beauty that they have to offer.
#10 Front Room Cinema - Rants on movie theater etiquette, DVD reviews and director showcases strengthen this blog’s versatility factor.
#11 Flix Chatter - The sweet smell of celluloid oozes from this blog filled with reviews of classic films, polls on casting in movies and actor highlights are just the tip of the iceberg for seasoned cinema fanatics.
#12 Paddle to the Shore - Musings of a budding photographer, complete with work from her portfolio, continue to shine after she lost her best friend to suicide earlier this year.
#13 The Focused Filmographer - While keeping you up to date with new releases that are now playing in theaters, this blog also highlights movie posters, news and trailers in between voting activities such as “Choose your Avenger.”
#14 The PolishAholic - A nail polish collector not only reviews dozens of brands and hues now or previously available in the marketplace, but, she also provides beauty tips on nail care and recommendations on getting favorite bottles to last longer. Funny enough, I found this blog while searching on Google for the Story Treasury blog post where I commented on OPI’s Nicki Minaj Collection after Sonia Lal mentioned her fondness of crackle styled nail polish. Now, Polishaholic is among my favorite blogs to read for fun. How ironic!
#15 Hollywood Spy - In addition to TV news and movie previews, this blog also features a versatile selection of interviews with people working in these industries -- from actors to authors and even film composers.
7 Things about Me* that You Probably Don’t Know:
*That I haven’t already mentioned in my Stylish Blogger award post or my getting to know me post.
1. I wrote and sang parodies of hit Pop, R&B and Rap songs, with a fellow classmate in high school.
2. I once led an Anti-Piracy workshop for filmmakers in the mid-west.
3. I learned the choreography to Janet Jackson’s “Rhythm Nation” music video for a talent show performance and then forgot it over the years.
4. Tekken, Super Mario Bros. and Warcraft are some of my top picks for video games to play if gaming is the only option for entertainment.
5. My first bottle of OPI brand nail polish was from their Pirates of the Caribbean Collection, yet I still have only seen the first one or two of those particular Johnny Depp films.
6. The last book I read was “How to Be Black” by Baratunde Thurston and I liked it.
7. I am currently reading “Start Where You Are” by Pema Chodron and I don’t like it.
Can YOU name an actor or actress that defines Versatility in his or her movie role choices?
What actor or actress would YOU say is the least versatile in terms of the film roles he or she chooses to play?