Thought some of you might enjoy reading this article that appeared in this week's Sunday NEWSDAY. Nikki Blonsky plays the chubby daughter, Tracy, of John Travolta's character in the movie, HAIRSPRAY. If you click on the photo links at the right of the article, you'll see some photos of this lovely young woman.
What you won't see in the online copy of the article is the cover of the FanFare section in which this article was the feature. There's a photo of Nikki emblazoned on it, with subtitles "MAKING IT BIG in 'Hairspray,'" and "The scoop on how Great Neck teen NIKKI BLONSKY went from dishing out ice cream to starring in a new musical." The title of the article is "A LOT TO OFFER," which also doesn't appear in the online copy, nor does "Great Neck's Nikki Blonsky has a large part in 'Hairspray,' due in no small part to talent and sizable self-esteem." How clever of them to use all those size-related words.
Nicki grew up on Long Island, as did I, thus it was especially enjoyable to watch this charming young woman on the TONIGHT SHOW last Tuesday. She's bubbly, bright, enthusiastic, and obviously talented, and seemed perfectly comfortable, holding her own like an old pro in the presence of the likes of Jay Leno and Adam Sandler, obviously charming them both. If she acts as well as she easily traded quips with them, she's in good company with her predecessors in the role, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Ricki Lake (hmmm...Ricki, Nikki, Nikki, Ricki...?).
I did a You Tube search for the clip they showed that night of Nikki's reaction when she was filmed while working at a Cold Stone ice cream store, as she was advised that she'd been chosen for this coveted role, but couldn't find it. However, there are other clips of her there that her fans might enjoy. If anyone has the link to this clip, I'm sure many here would love to view it.
While I firmly believe that a fat actress should have been given Travolta's part (he plays Nikki's mother in a fat suit), the bottom line is, infuriatingly, usually the almighty dollar. I suppose the powers that be felt that a big name like Travolta's would bring in the bucks. One would think that Travolta could have the pick of many roles from which to choose each year, so why would he have to stoop to something that makes him look, at least IMO, foolish?
In a Google search for Nikki Blonsky, I found many references and positive articles about her, but was still unable to find the clip I was seeking. One can only hope that her weight won't get in the way of what should be a promising career.
Ironically, inside NEWSDAY's front page of the same FanFare section that featured Nikki, there was a short article about the discrimination against people of size on network television. While I seriously doubt it will make any difference, I do think that strides have been made in this area...at least since I got involved in the size acceptance movement in 1970. Enjoy!~Bountifully, Fuchsia
Hope my OCD isn't too obvious in this post.
What you won't see in the online copy of the article is the cover of the FanFare section in which this article was the feature. There's a photo of Nikki emblazoned on it, with subtitles "MAKING IT BIG in 'Hairspray,'" and "The scoop on how Great Neck teen NIKKI BLONSKY went from dishing out ice cream to starring in a new musical." The title of the article is "A LOT TO OFFER," which also doesn't appear in the online copy, nor does "Great Neck's Nikki Blonsky has a large part in 'Hairspray,' due in no small part to talent and sizable self-esteem." How clever of them to use all those size-related words.
Nicki grew up on Long Island, as did I, thus it was especially enjoyable to watch this charming young woman on the TONIGHT SHOW last Tuesday. She's bubbly, bright, enthusiastic, and obviously talented, and seemed perfectly comfortable, holding her own like an old pro in the presence of the likes of Jay Leno and Adam Sandler, obviously charming them both. If she acts as well as she easily traded quips with them, she's in good company with her predecessors in the role, Marissa Jaret Winokur and Ricki Lake (hmmm...Ricki, Nikki, Nikki, Ricki...?).
I did a You Tube search for the clip they showed that night of Nikki's reaction when she was filmed while working at a Cold Stone ice cream store, as she was advised that she'd been chosen for this coveted role, but couldn't find it. However, there are other clips of her there that her fans might enjoy. If anyone has the link to this clip, I'm sure many here would love to view it.
While I firmly believe that a fat actress should have been given Travolta's part (he plays Nikki's mother in a fat suit), the bottom line is, infuriatingly, usually the almighty dollar. I suppose the powers that be felt that a big name like Travolta's would bring in the bucks. One would think that Travolta could have the pick of many roles from which to choose each year, so why would he have to stoop to something that makes him look, at least IMO, foolish?
In a Google search for Nikki Blonsky, I found many references and positive articles about her, but was still unable to find the clip I was seeking. One can only hope that her weight won't get in the way of what should be a promising career.
Ironically, inside NEWSDAY's front page of the same FanFare section that featured Nikki, there was a short article about the discrimination against people of size on network television. While I seriously doubt it will make any difference, I do think that strides have been made in this area...at least since I got involved in the size acceptance movement in 1970. Enjoy!~Bountifully, Fuchsia
Hope my OCD isn't too obvious in this post.
