Betty White: If You Ask Me. A Review

     This is basically a picture book. The page count comes in at 258, but the margins are wide and the lines spaced far apart, like a burn-out's term paper. The book doesn't offer anything new. If you're not already a Betty White fan, there would be no reason to read this book--it's not an autobiography or historical fiction or even a call to decency. However, if you are a Betty White fan, you already know everything she talks about. So really, it's just a picture book.

     I should be more lenient considering she's a 90-year-old woman trying to write a book that isn't just full or sounds a drool stains. It's a valiant effort and it is her 5th book, and it only covers the past 15 years. Really, it offers what it promises. It's just a collection of short anecdotes. 

     She loves the business she's in, she doesn't like walking the Red Carpet, she talks about Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds more than necessary, and she loves animals, even sexual-harassing gorillas. Also, she was in a movie with Jennifer Love Hewitt and played off-type. I suppose that may have been new information because nobody saw that movie. Also, she promotes the hell out of Hot In Cleveland. That, in a nut-shell, is Betty White: If You Ask Me (And of course you won't).

     I'm being extra harsh because it's really late (or really early) and that's what I do when I'm not in my 7-minute window of kindness. Really, it's sweet that she likes to write books and that she's allowed to do it. I know there's a decent amount of Betty White backlash out there. People are tired of her--they say enough is enough. But I'm glad she still gets work and that she's still good at it. She wrote a little book to say she just likes it when people are nice to each other and to animals. (So maybe it is kind of a call to decency.) It takes about 2 hours to read, so it's not really a waste of time. And again, there are pictures.

I Love Betty White

     I've been a fan of Betty White since I was a wee one. I watched The Golden Girls when it first ran in the 80s, even though I didn't really understand a lot of it. I started to understand it more in its later years, as my brain developed. I even watched The Golden Palace, the short lived spin off that also starred Don Cheadle and failed miserably. The Golden Girls reruns got me through college (and grad school). I watched at least an hour of The Golden Girls every Sunday, and always earnestly. The Golden Girls marathons were like church for me. I really did (still do) love it. I love everything she does. I watch Hot In Cleveland, and I love that too.
     Today is Betty White's birthday. Happy Birthday, Betty! Last night, NBC put on a star-studded birthday celebration for her. I marked it on my calendar--I was not going to miss it. It did not disappoint. It opened with Amy Poehler and one of her classic speeches. She admitted to writing a fan letter to Betty 20 years ago, when she was 5. Ha! Good times. It probably goes without saying that Betty White is a comedy legend. She has had such a profound influence on everyone who has every been in the industry, and I don't think I'm using too much hyperbole there. Seth Myers made the joke that a lot of things have changed in TV since Betty White got her start--like now it exists. Funny, and true!
     Nobody else will ever be as good as Betty White, ever. I started to look up videos to embed to prove my point, but then I got distracted for about three hours just watching them. There is just so much! She's done everything! A master's class in Betty White would be completely appropriate. She started in radio. She starred in Life with Elizabeth. She had her own variety show (though short lived). She is, of course, a comedy legend in her own right, and has also worked with every comedy legend around. I realize I'm gushing, a lot, but really, I'm just so damn inspired by Betty White. She's been on TV for as long as TV has existed. And damn it, she just keeps going.
     I'm currently working my way through the entire The Mary Tyler Moore Show series, and she's great on that too. I wanted to share everything I thought was great about Betty White, but it's too much for this little blog to hold. Really, it's too much for the internet to hold, though it does make a valiant effort. She's always been ahead of her time, even though she's 90. She continues to evolve with us. Happy Birthday, Betty White, and thanks for inviting us all to your party.

From NBC's birthday special:
             

From Community:


From Hot In Cleveland: