Sagging Betty

We have been on a two-year hiatus, but luckily for Golden Girls fans, that two years has seen the revamping of the career of Betty White. Betty played the lovable, St. Olaf-story telling Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls, and is a trailblazer for women in media, being one of the first women to run her own production company.

Her latest accolade is the prestigious Screen Actors Guild award for best actress in a comedy; and even in her acceptance speech, she proves she can still deliver comedy.

But there’s another GG connection to the SAG awards last night that wasn’t Betty White. In fact, it’s Ernest Borgnine, a 94-year-old Hollywood actor who was also honored for a lifetime achievement award.

Borgnine was also referenced on GG: In Episode 6, Season 1, this exchange takes place:
Dorothy: I do not snore.
Sophia: Please, I’ll bet less disgusting noises come out of Ernest Borgnine!

At the reminder of our favorite boo, Betty also debuted a new movie on Hallmark, called The Lost Valentine, last night.

The woman never stops!

My new Grandma

I forgot that Rufus Wainwright name-dropped Bea in the song ‘California’ from his 2001 album Poses.

Part of our ongoing farewell tribute to Bea.

Life after Bea

Maude

Still suffering from the harsh news of Bea’s recent death, it is somewhat comforting to read the many lovely things that her coworkers, admirers, and fans have had to say about her. There are so many news stories out there about Bea that I don’t know where to start. But a bit of news first, Hallmark Channel will pay tribute to Arthur with a Golden Girls Memorial Day Marathon featuring Dorothy-centric episodes on Monday, May 25, from 6:30 am/ET until 2:30 am/ET. That’s great to hear!

MTV
Entertainment Weekly
People Magazine
LA Times</a

and a very good blog post titled “Five Lessons from the Career of Bea Arthur”
another good blog post giving Bea her credit and an obit at Time.
Other stuff

A VERY SAD DAY

I have just read that Bea Arthur passed away this morning at age 86.

Bea Arthur

More links:

Entertainment Weekly

E! Online

Associated Press

More to come…

Crime of passion?

This is not really newsworthy, but I couldn’t think of anything else to write today:

A home that Rue McClanahan once owned was ransacked.
More details…
I like to think it was a crazy Golden Girls fan who wanted to see the bedroom where Blanche had ‘slept’.

Gettin’ crafty on the lanai

I love etsy. There are soooo many neat handmade items and I could spend hours looking through all the various wares. I also like to support craftspeople, my mom sells stuff on etsy and it’s cool when people buy her stuff. I just happened to be on etsy and I thought, “Why not search to see if there are any Golden Girls items for sale. And….there are!

Golden Girls Pendant

This beauty (pictured above) was only $6.95. Buy it before it sells out!

A Golden Girls print for sale on etsy

This print (pictured above) is a steal at only $15.00. It would look perfect in your kitchen, so you could eat cheesecake with the gals every night! There are also matching magnets!

Want to wear the girls near your heart? Pin on this brooch for only $8.00.

A Golden Girls Brooch

A nifty little Golden Girls bottlecap charm is a steal at $5.00:

Golden Girls Charm

And who doesn’t want this tote bag to carry their Golden Girls’ dvds? (Because who can leave home without their Girls?)

Golden Girls Tote Bag

Also check out this bracelet, another version of the tote bag, this ring, and a St. Olaf charm.

Get crafty, lanai style. Have you made a GG crafty item? Let me know!

And then there’s Maude!

Attention fans of Maude!

Bea Arthur and Rue McClanahan in the television show Maude

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The new dvd set, Norman Lear Collection contains the first seasons of:
All in the Family
Sanford and Son
Maude
The Jeffersons
Good Times
One Day at a Time
Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman

Also included are six hours of newly-produced featurettes and interviews. Included are new interviews with Bea Arthur, Adrienne Barbeau, and Rue McClanahan who were all on Maude:

Fans of classic television will marvel over hours of show-specific featurettes, such as “And Then There’s Maude: Television’s first feminist,” featuring intimate interviews with Bea Arthur, Adrienne Barbeau, and Rue McClanahan as they reminisce about working together on the series and discuss the significance behind a show that was truly ahead of its time.

This is being released June 9th. For more info on the collection, check out this link.

An extra: A scene from Maude featuring Bea and Rue

Tags: Bea, Rue