Hello Again!
Apologies for there not being a 'Interview a Blogger' post last Saturday so to make up for it I have decided to post one today and one tomorrow! So today's blogger is Louise Jones and her blog is [insert here] - and it is dedicated to reviewing the best in bad seasonal movies! I'd also like to congratulate Louise on being a finalist in the UK Blog Awards! So let's get to know more about Louise and her blog! -
1. Tell us something about yourself and your blog?
An [insert here] for Christmas reviews the best- and the worst- of straight to TV movies. ABC Family, Hallmark, Lifetime: you name the channel, I'm bound to have seen at least ten of their films. It's not just the holiday season without a whole host of kinda creepy looking Santas, shabbily dressed elves, and child actors who look directly down the camera lens. Rated from 1 star (Ho) to 3 stars (Ho Ho Ho), this blog lets you know which are cheesy masterpieces and which movies who should leave unwatched on your TV library. But bad films are for life, not just for Christmas- that's why I've also reviewed a whole host of Easter, Valentine's, Halloween and Mother's Day films as well. That's why the title and colour scheme changes every now and then. There are turds of the golden screen at every turn- I just let you know which are polished and which stink.
2. How did you get into blogging? Did someone else inspire you?
I really like watching stuff like JonTron and Red Letter Media videos on Youtube. They review really terrible stuff and just tear into that, and it kind of reminded me of watching bad Christmas films over the holidays during university. Then when I graduated I had all this free time and I knew all of these terrible seasonal movies inside out- so I thought I'd give it a shot.
3. What does blogging mean to you and why?
Blogging means I have a platform to write and I get to cultivate my own writing style. I review for quite a lot of different publications, as well as doing a lot of writing for work, so the majority of the week I'm writing to a house style. When it comes to An [Insert Here] I can be at my most honest and funniest, and I try out a couple of new things here and there to see if they work. It's really good to get an idea of what I'm good at writing and what I like writing. I want to do this as a full-on career one day, and you've gotta start somewhere- so why not start on your own site?
4. I personally have almost stopped blogging so, What keeps you motivated?
For me, I just can't keep away. Because I review seasonal movies I get a bit of a "summer holiday", ie the period between Father's Day and Halloween, where I'm not reviewing- but during this time I'm always on the lookout for crap films. My friends and boyfriend know I do this so I get texts like "I've found a film called The 12 Dogs of Christmas 2" or "I saw a DVD called Pup Idol" and I'll add those to my list. Knowing that I'm becoming this Queen of Crap to my friends is motivation enough. Is that lame? Probably.
5. Name some (one,two or three) of your favourite bloggers and tell us why they’re your favourite?
I love Theatrefullstop, who are this brilliant theatre review site. They only started a couple of years ago and they're award-winning already- plus they offer listings and interviews on the side so it's a really good, comprehensive, one-stop shop kind of theatre blog
I'm also a big fan of York on a Fork- in a perfect world I'd be a food critic as well as reviewing bad films because I think those are two of my favourite things. It's a really nicely written blog, I just scroll through review after review. I'm not rich enough to eat at restaurants every day so it's like living vicariously through this lucky bugger who gets to go eat things and then have an important opinion about food.
6. What do you do when you’re not blogging?
I'm big on books. I'm like a weird book Luddite, because I really hate the feel of a Kindle in your hands as opposed to a weighty hardback. I got a whole load of books for Christmas and they've all been read now. Getting through my reading stash is how I unwind. I also enjoy comedy- watching, reviewing, writing or performing. I'm planning to go perform at the Edinburgh Fringe again this year- it's one of those things I've done for the past 4 years and now can't imagine not doing.
7. What are you most proud of when it comes to your blog?
Well it just got shortlisted in the UK Blog Awards 2016 so I'm pretty proud of that! I really like the fact that I know people come back to read more. I'll notice the same people coming back in my stats and that makes me really happy to know that if these people (very clever people who I admire for their taste in blogs) fancy a laugh, they can hit me up.
8. Everyone has a favourite and a least favourite post, what are yours?
I think my favourite blog post is this review of A Fairytale Christmas (or Christmas Belle), which I just remember being such a letdown of a film! It's a super cheesy adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and I really went to town denouncing all the nonsense that goes on in those 90 minutes.
I don't really have a least favourite blog post- if I had to choose I'd probably say my review of Christmas Gifts, just because it was such a boring film! I felt totally drained after watching it so I feel like I didn't get a chance to really go for it with explaining why it was bad. It was just terrible.
9. As I’m mainly a beauty blogger I feel like I have to ask at least one beauty question so: If you could only use one kind of beauty product what would it be and why?
I think it's a toss-up between my No. 7 concealer (I was one of those people who never got spots in high school but one or two have caught up with me now, boo) and my favourite Lancome lipgloss- it's the lazy woman's day to do that day-night transformation, and I am that lazy woman. It's simple whilst not looking like I just ran out of the house- which is the perfect crime because odds are I did just run out of the house.
10. What would you say to someone who aspires to become a blogger?
Sit down with a cup of tea and a notepad and figure out what's going to be unique about your blog. It sounds like really rote advice but it is so important- I've tried to do blogs in the past that have fizzled out because they just blended into the crowd so easily. That, and make sure you enjoy writing regularly. If you post often enough and you can sum up your blog in one sentence, you could go really far!
Thank you so much to Louise for taking part - it's been great getting to know more about you and your blog!!
Come back tomorrow to see who the next blogger is!
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