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The Happiest Woman in Hollywood: The Indomitable Betty White

Posted April 27th, 2010 in Celebrity, Dogs, Reflections by Glenn Plaskin

How many 88-year-old actresses experience a resounding renaissance in their careers decades after they’ve mastered the entertainment business from A to Z?

Betty White

Betty White

There’s only one.

It’s the supersonic bubbly-spirited Betty White, defying all odds with her spectacular run of recent triumphs.

Let’s see, there was her brilliantly funny turn as Ryan Reynolds’ kooky grandmother in The Proposal, the 2009 film also starring Oscar winner Sandra Bullock; the hilarious Super Bowl Snickers commerical that had her tackled and thrown into the mud, watched by the largest television audience ever; not to mention the Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement award, which she accepted with the grace and wit that have become her trademark. Bullock joked that she finds White annoying, to which White shot back: “Isn’t it heartening to see how far a girl as plain as she can go?”

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The Youngest Woman I Know: The Resplendent Liz Smith

Posted April 16th, 2010 in Celebrity, Katie, Reflections by Glenn Plaskin
Liz Smith

Liz Smith

Just a few weeks ago, at the celebrity Manhattan hot spot Michael’s, there she was, the unstoppable Liz Smith, ebullient as ever as she hosted a reception for her championed charity, Literary Partners. This is a fantastic not-for-profit devoted to bringing the gift of reading to thousands of adults who need a helping hand. Also there was the great novelist, Barbara Taylor Bradford, one of the charity’s most devoted supporters, a ‘woman of substance’ with a generous giving spirit.

Liz Smith

Liz Smith

That night, as I observed Liz Smith, I couldn’t help but notice how absolutely young she is–in her thinking, appearance, and energy level. While she jokingly refers to herself as “the 2000-year-old gossip columnist,” she’s a mere 87, though she looks decades younger.

And while many her age are physically ailing, marooned in retirement homes, or at best golfing or playing cards, this peripatetic wonder remains fully engaged, not missing a cultural event or party in NY while reigning over her syndicated newspaper column and penning her daily wowowow.com column too.

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