Showing posts with label betty white. Show all posts
Showing posts with label betty white. Show all posts
The 90-minute "A Tribute to America's Golden Girl," which was taped earlier this month, aired Monday night on the eve of the TV icon's milestone.
"I’ve been the luckiest old broad on two feet to have all the jobs that I’ve had," said White.
Celebrity heavyweights Hugh Jackman, Mary Tyler Moore, Tina Fey, Ellen DeGeneres, Ed Asner, William Shatner and Carol Burnett were among the guests rattling off senior jokes. In a taped message, President Obama asked White, "Will you please produce a copy of your long-form birth certificate?"
"Chuck" star Zachary Levi proposed marriage to "The Golden Girls" and “Hot in Cleveland” star.
The special ended with the assembled actors and actresses serenading White with the “Golden Girls" theme song, "Thank You for Being a Friend."
Since White can't go long without getting back to work, NBC immediately followed the closing credits with a preview of her new hidden camera show, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers."
But NBC got the party started last night with a special that was the most-seen program in Central Florida. The message: Give people classic comedy, and they will show up. White outpolled a clean-shaven Ashton Kutcher and the Republican presidential candidates.
The 90-minute White salute featured priceless clips from “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Golden Girls,” “The Carol Burnett Show,” “The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson” and game shows. Moore, Burnett and Carl Reiner were among the celebrities praising White.
What was your favorite moment? Mine was seeing White as Sue Ann Nivens declare her passion for Lou Grant (Ed Asner) on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
I will post the national numbers later, but here are the most-seen programs Monday night in Orlando:
1. Betty White 90th Birthday special, NBC, 209,100 viewers.
2. ”Castle,” ABC, 179,300 viewers
3. ”Betty White’s Off Their Rockers,” NBC, 177,600. This reality show skewers stereotypes about older people.
4. “Two and a Half Men,” CBS, 141,200. Star Ashton Kutcher cut his hair and shaved his beard. “Men” was No. 1 with the 25-to-54 age group.
5. ”Mike & Molly,” CBS, 134,300
6. ”The Bachelor,” ABC 134,000
7. ”2 Broke Girls,” CBS, 125,400
8. The Republican presidential debate, Fox News Channel, 121,900
9. ”Hawaii Five-O,” CBS, 114,000
10. ”Alcatraz,” two-hour premiere on Fox, 113,900
Coming in at No. 11 was CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” with 102,000 viewers. That sitcom marked its 150th episode.
Show biz icon Betty White turns 90 Tuesday and we wish her the happiest of birthdays. She recently joked at the People’s Choice Awards that “90 just happens! I didn’t do anything!” but we know the actress has a legendary resume, touching the lives of millions by simply entertaining them.
As big a Betty fan as you are, we’ve uncovered a list of seven things you may not know about America’s favorite Golden Girl.
7. She was originally offered the role of sexpot Blanche Devereaux on The Golden Girls, based on her previous role of “Happy Homemaker” Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Conversely, the late Rue McClanahan was offered the role of the dim-witted Rose based on her work on Maude. The director of the pilot made the sage decision to switch things up, since audiences had essentially seen the actresses in those roles. When White reluctantly took the part, the show’s producers urged White to play Rose not as as if she’s slow, but rather "terminally naive, a person who always believed the first explanation of something."
Watch a clip from NBC’s Betty White’s 90th Birthday Special
6. She reprised the Rose role on three other shows besides The Golden Girls: The Golden Palace in 1992, Nurses in 1991, and Empty Nest in 1988.
5. While her near 20-year marriage to game show host Allen Ludden is best remembered, Betty was actually married twice before Ludden. White's first marriage to Frederick R. Barker lasted just five months in 1945, while her second marriage, to actor Lane Allan, ended after less than two years in 1949.
4. She’s currently a Grammy nominee: Betty is vying for the Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling) award for her audio book, If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won't). She’s matched up against some lofty opponents: Hamlet (William Shakespeare), Fab Fan Memories - The Beatles Bond and Tina Fey’s Bossypants. We’ll find out if she prevails next month.
3. She’s first woman to ever win an Emmy for a game show. Betty took home the prize for her hosting efforts on NBC’s 1983 game show, Just Men!, which lasted just three months. She’d later make cameos on game shows such as Win Lose or Draw, Hollywood Squares and The Price Is Right.
2. She’s a forest ranger: White -- famous for her love of animals -- was made an honorary ranger by the U.S. Forest Service last year. Turns out, she long aspired to have the job when she was growing up, but the forestry did not employ female workers at that time.
· Much gossip has been devoted to the couples and ex-couples of the Golden Globes, but, equally important? The budding bromances that emerged on Sunday night.
· If you happen to be in Paris this month, a) we're jealous and b) check out this exhibition of the art that inspired Dries Van Noten's spring 12 runway show.
· And in other fashion exhibition news, Miuccia Prada isn't super thrilled about how the upcoming Met Costume Institute exhibit, featuring her work compared to that of Elsa Schiaparelli, is shaping up.
· Bill Clinton addressed the National Retail Federation yesterday. In case you were wondering, he believes in high-end manufacturing and patronizing independent stores. More retail jobs, too, would be good.
