Besides being a great singer, Hairspray star Nikki Blonsky seems pretty inside and out — a woman of buoyant spirit with sparkly eyes and an intoxicating smile. And in Monica Corcoran‘s 7.22 N.Y. Times profile of Blonsky, it is said that “this native of Great Neck, N.Y., has yet to develop starlet tendencies. She doesn’t twirl her hair or carry a lap dog.” And “when plates of ribs and roast chicken arrived” during a recent sit-down with Blonsky at a recent Queen Latifah concert at the Hollywood Bowl, “she dug in with gusto.”

Hairspray costars Elijah Kelley and Nikki Blonsky

Some people feel that life without gusto simply isn’t living. The more gusto, the better. Gusto would make a pretty catchy brand name for foods, come to think. Gusto whipped cream, Gusto chocolate syrup, Gusto cheese doodles. There’s just something rich and life-affirming about that word. I don’t think it necessarily means “ordering plates with huge helpings.” I just think it means living life to the fullest.
Wait…does Corcorcan mean something by using the word “gusto”? Let’s see….she also writes that “to see Ms. Blonsky caper through Hairspray, the musical adaptation of the John Waters camp classic, is to watch a Botero come to life as she wiggles her broad backside and flaps her ample arms.” “Flaps”?