Seniors For Living

photo courtesy of usmagazine.com

Her show “Hot in Cleveland” is well-named, because Betty White is one of the hottest leading ladies on the web, on television, and beyond.

A recent Huffington Post piece tells us what’s in store for a White-hot 2012: first up, Betty celebrates her 90^th birthday on January 17^th. She’ll be starring in an NBC double feature in honor of the occasion, “Betty White’s 90th Birthday: A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl” and a preview of her own (mature) version of Punk’d, “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.”

Then, a month later, she battles Tina Fey at the Grammys for an award in the Best Spoken Word Album category; White’s audiobook memoir, for which she received the nomination, is called If You Ask Me (And Of Course You Won’t).

Dashing senior stereotypes with her swift wit and sweet face, the soon-to-be nonagenarian is totally “winning” and hopes to keep it that way. Per the article, what she wants most for her birthday is, “Just to keep things going as they’re going now. It’s one of the highest spots of my life.”

How could you not love this lady?

AARP loves Betty White too, evidenced in the video (which quickly went viral after its release) where the Golden Girl touts the virtues of joining the 50+ organization. And their virtual Betty White Fan Club is drawing BW groupies from near and far.

White’s success indicates a pivotal – and desperately needed – shift away from a totally youth-centric point of view in popular culture and media to one that encompasses the sundry spectrum of individuals who comprise our modern society. Growing older doesn’t have to be boring or miserable, and older people are anything but out of touch: these are the vital messages that I believe we all need to hear, and Betty White does it in a way that keeps us watching.

Your Turn: Are you smitten by Betty White? What do you admire most about her?