1992 serves as a point of reference in my life. Anytime I see anyone with large tortoise-shell glasses, curled bangs, or bright clothing; I make comments about the return of 1992, 1992 visiting or 1992 wanting a particular item back. I once referred to a woman as though her name was 1992. I can see blatantly ’70’s or ’80’s items, things that scream 1996 (what was with the over-sized t-shirts?) and ignore them. But if it looks like early ’90’s to me, 1992 is brought up. 1992 was a good year.

1992 saw the death of a slew of absolutely excellent television programs: Growing Pains, Who’s the Boss?, The Cosby Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and finally, The Golden Girls.

The Golden Girls is easily one of my top 5 favorite television shows of all time. Just one example from the pile of reasons to believe that I am in all likelihood, actually, a gay man.

I simply cannot get enough of Rose’s (Betty White) St. Olaf stories, Dorothy’s (Bea Arthur) sassy comments, Sophia’s (Estelle Getty) unfiltered insults and Blanche’s (Rue McClanahan) slutty escapades. I could watch the show for hours on end, and if you’ve ever lived with me, you know that I make a habit of doing just that on a regular basis.

Set in Miami, The Golden Girls follows the day-to-day life of three retired widows/divorcees and one of their mothers (Sophia is Dorothy’s mother). The show takes some risks in exploring the sexuality of older women, and often touches on some taboo subjects, such as: homosexuality, HIV/AIDS, artificial insemination, menopause and even suicide (among others).

But really, the show isn’t about the political statements or the revival of the careers of Arthur, White and McClanahan. It’s about the friendships, and the humor. The show is timeless, and still relevant today. I enjoyed it when I was young and often watched it on Snow Days with my brother. I have continued to enjoy watching the show in syndication (and am still thoroughly upset that it was dropped from Lifetime’s lineup) and imagine that I will probably always find some kind of pleasure in the show.

From the flamboyant monochrome outfits, to the cheesecake, to the odd inconsistencies with guest stars, The Golden Girls is simply an amazing television show.

The girls explore safe sex:

One of many community performances:

You can find whole episodes of this amazing program on The Hallmark Channel daily.

That’s right, I met Rue McClanahan (aka Blanche Devereaux) last week at a meet-and-greet before A Sordid Comedy Affair, the kickoff to the Triangle Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Y’all, it was incredible!

The event starred Rue, Caroline Rhea and Del Shores, who all work together on Shores’ Sordid Lives show on LOGO.

First of all, I am totally in love with Del now. He is HILARIOUS, and his brand of comedy–sassy, smart-mouthed and Southern-tinged–hit right home for me. My sister and I were crying laughing over the stories he told about his family, swearing he must be our long-lost cousin, as our family pulls some of the same stupid shit.

Caroline Rhea also performed, and she was hilarious and adorable. Of course, I’ve loved her since even before Sabrina the Teenage Witch, so I may be a bit biased.

But of course, for me, Rue was the best. It was so cool because Del and Caroline were both totally aware that it was Rue’s show, and there were no egos or weirdness about that. You can tell they all genuinely like and respect each other.

During the meet-and-greet, Rue patiently and graciously met with dozens of fans, doling out hugs, posing for photos and signing autographs. Even though she recently had knee surgery, she soldiered through and was an absolute delight.

For her performance, she told four stories. The first about a sex scene she shot for Sordid Lives, in which the bed unexpectedly broke. But she and the rest of the crew went with it, and it became an even more hilarious scene.

The next was a behind-the-scenes story from the film Out to Sea. FYI, Elaine Stritch and Dyan Cannon don’t really like each other.

The third was the story of the casting of The Golden Girls. She told us about how they originally wanted her to play Rose, and Betty White to play Blanche. But of course, she felt compelled to be Blanche, and thankfully, that ended up happening. And that change was the spark that prompted Bea Arthur, who wasn’t interested at first, to sign on after Rue talked to her about it.

The final story she told us as she walked off stage. The scene was an after-party at Sardi’s in New York for Bea Arthur’s last Broadway show. Bea was sitting at a table, away from the crowd, when Rue’s husband decided to go say hello. He walked up to Bea, telling her how much he loved her and her show, and that he was Rue’s husband, reminding her they’d met once before, years ago. Bea replied: “You’re Rue’s husband! I love Rue. But Betty? She’s a cunt.”

As you can imagine, it was amazing.

I’m meeting Rue McClanahan tonight!!! OMG!!!!

She’s performing in A Sordid Comedy Affair, which is a stage production based on her LOGO show, Sordid Lives. The show will also star Caroline Rhea and Del Shores, who created Sordid Lives.

Y’all, I cannot believe it. It’s like a dream finally come true!

And I promise, I’ll have  a full report, and hopefully some photos, tomorrow.

What an adorable little doodle, right? It was sketched by none other than Ms. Blanche Devereaux herself, Rue McClanahan! She drew it for Doodle Day, a fundraiser for neurofibromatosis,  which is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerve endings. But the best part about this story? I won the doodle in the charity eBay auction! Woo-hoo!

the golden girls. rose is my favorite. i’m watching right now. guilty pleasures

be back soon with something more substantial…

Estelle as “Sophia” A/K/A “Ma” on “The Golden Girls”

“The Golden Girls” was my favorite TV show growing up. I’ve made reference to it on the sites a few times. Yesterday, one of its lead actresses, Estelle Getty, died. She was 84 years of age.

The Golden Girls cast photo

For years she struggled with dementia, but it is being stated she died from natural causes at her Hollywood Boulevard home in Los Angeles.

Getty was a fine actress; one of the best that ever came out of wretched Tinseltown. Her comedic timing and wit were one in a million.

She found success later in life, illustrating one is never too old to achieve one’s dreams. She starred on the show in her 60’s and become quite famous.

The show did so well worldwide, the Queen Mum invited the cast to London, England, to perform in a variety show for Britons and the Royal Family.

She was such a good actress, that though she is Jewish, she played a Sicilian on TV for years and fooled everyone. Her fiery New York accent added to the sarcastic lines she would deliver.

Estelle Getty (and her co-stars) made me laugh a thousand times. She will be missed. My condolences to her family.

Estelle Getty of ‘Golden Girls’ dies at 84

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Estelle Getty, the diminutive actress who spent 40 years struggling for success before landing a role of a lifetime in 1985 as the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on TV’s “The Golden Girls,” has died. She was 84.

http://ap.google.com

http://www.judiciaryreport.com

]]> http://gaycondo.com/2008/05/06/paul-omg-i-have-to-watch-this-show/ Tue, 06 May 2008 22:50:47 +0000 gaycondo http://gaycondo.com/2008/05/06/paul-omg-i-have-to-watch-this-show/

… would it be stupid to sign up for cable just to watch this?

The new Logo series “Sordid Lives” looks like it has strong potential for becoming my favorite show. Big Love has gotten kind of stale anyway, especially since Chloe Sevigny reportedly told producers she won’t show her boobs anymore. Having grown up in the south I’m a big fan of the campy, southern style of gay - even though I have no accent and never got into drag. Seriously though, this show features a transvestite with a bizarre obsession with Tammy Wynette - and if that isn’t enough to convince you I just have two words: 

Blanche fucking Devereaux!!!