Tag: Betty White

You’re the One that I Want: John Travolta Adopts Puppy from Oscars Betty White Tribute

Let’s forget about that infamous very low point of this year’s Oscars, shall we, and instead rejoice in one of its highlights: The sweet tribute to Betty White, where Jamie Lee Curtis held an adorable adoptable puppy adorably named Mac N Cheese.

“Day in and day out for almost a century, she was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends but for animals just like this,” Curtis told the millions of people watching. “So, the greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog just like Mac N Cheese from Paw Works.” Sweet!

You knew Mac N Cheese wouldn’t be homeless for long, and sure enough, she now has a new family. While cuddling with her in the green room before going on stage as an Oscar presenter, John Travolta fell in love with the puppy.

“I thought it was so beautiful to see him with her and then today I found out that he and his son, Ben have adopted beautiful little mac & cheese and are taking her home today,” Curtis wrote on her Instagram yesterday. As you may or probably don’t recall, Curtis and Travolta starred together in “Perfect” back in 1984.

Travolta confirmed the adoption on his own Instagram. “Ben adopted this dog from last night’s Oscar tribute to Betty White. Thank you @curtisleejamie & @pawworks,” he wrote.

“It is an emotional end and a perfect tribute to Betty White,” Curtis wrote, “and it shines a light and AMPLIFIES the message that heroes who, like Betty, and Chad from Paw Works and Nancy from Perfect Pet Rescue and the team at MaeDay Rescue and the hundreds of thousands of other rescues, who love and support ANIMALS, that rescuing animals and offering them shelter from the storm of life and a warm and loving home is one of life’s most important actions we humans can take!”

You know that Betty White is smiling somewhere.

Another highlight of the Oscars for me was “CODA,” which I loved, winning the Best Picture award. Based on its title, I had actually been rooting for “The Power of the Dog,” until I watched it — and discovered it is not about a canine with superpowers. Hmmpphh.

Paw Works is a nonprofit dog and cat rescue organization based in Camarillo, Calif. If you’d like to help them help more dogs like Mac N Cheese, visit their website.

Photo: Mateus Gowan/YouTube

Happy Hundredth Birthday in Heaven to Betty White!

If she hadn’t left this world on New Year’s Eve, Betty White had big plans for her big 1-0-0 on January 17.

First, she would’ve had lunch with her heartthrob, Robert Redford, she joked to Parade. And then, not at all surprisingly, she would “spend it with as many animals as I can round up.”

When she turned 99 last year, White told PEOPLE that what kept her going was her sense of humor. “Don’t take yourself too seriously,” she said.  “You can lie to others — not that I would — but you cannot lie to yourself.” According to other sources, White enjoyed a diet consisting pretty much of vodka and naked hot dogs (just a weiner and bun, no condiments). Gotta love that Betty!

Unlike her 93rd birthday celebration, when she was entertained by a flash mob, White had to spend her final birthday on Earth in quarantine last year. “Running a mile each morning has been curtailed by COVID,” she told Entertainment Tonight. She also said she would be “feeding the two ducks who come to visit me every day.” (Lucky ducks.)

To honor White’s memory, the #BettyWhiteChallenge is asking everyone to donate $5 or more to an animal rescue or shelter. How she would have loved this idea!

There are well over 100 reasons to love Betty White and her positivity. Due to space limitations, here are just five of them.

5. Through the Morris Foundation, which she’d been involved with for more than 40 years, White sponsored animal health studies that resulted in major breakthroughs in animal pain management; information on genetic mutations that cause bone cancer in dogs; and using ultrasound to manage canine congestive heart failure.

4. To promote her “Off Their Rockers” show on NBC in 2013, White rode a wrecking ball in a parody of the Miley Cyrus video. Can’t wait to see Cyrus try this when she’s 92!

3. After losing her dog Kita to canine cancer, White promoted a fundraising 2011 photo contest to help eradicate this disease. More than $500,000 was raised for the Canine Cancer Campaign, for which she was the spokeswoman.

2. White was the oldest guest host ever of “Saturday Night Live” — and she got the May 2010 gig thanks to a Facebook campaign supported by more than 500,000 fans.

1. White was an animal lover and advocate for nearly 10 decades. Ten decades. “My parents (who took in stray animals) were in the animal business, and I’ve been loving animals and appreciating what they have to teach us my entire life,” she told Steve Dale’s Pet World in 2013. “The consciousness about animals has risen. They’re a part of our families.”

On New Year’s Day, the hashtag #BeLikeBetty went viral on social media. If everyone made this their New Year’s resolution, imagine what a better place this world would be.

Rest in peace, lovely lady.

PHOTO: Betty at the 1988 Emmy Awards. Alan Light/Wikimedia

The ‘Betty White Challenge’ Honors this Amazing Woman

Millions of hearts were broken on New Year’s Eve with the sad news that the lovely and amazing Betty White had left us.

As a way to honor the lifelong animal lover, the #BettyWhiteChallenge asks everyone to donate $5 to their local animal shelter or rescue on January 17, which would have been White’s 100th birthday. (If you can afford to, it would be extra special to donate $100.)

You know that somewhere out there, White is thrilled about this.

I’ll be donating to spcaLA. White was a longtime supporter of this Los Angeles nonprofit and a friend of its president, Madeline Bernstein. On a personal note, my very first dog was a German Shepherd mix adopted from spcaLA. A couple of decades later, I adopted an amazing Pit Bull named Sophie from the same shelter.

If there isn’t an animal shelter or rescue in your area, you might want to consider donating to one of the following organizations that White supported:

  • The Morris Foundation, with which White was involved for over 40 years. This nonprofit works “to improve and protect the health of animals through scientific innovation, education and inspiration,” according to its website. White sponsored its animal health studies that resulted in major breakthroughs in pain management; information on genetic mutations that cause bone cancer in dogs; and using ultrasound to manage canine congestive heart failure.
  • The Seeing Eye, whose mission is to “enhance the independence, dignity and self-confidence of people who are blind, through the use of specially trained Seeing Eye® dogs.” White was involved with this nonprofit for over four decades.

What animal shelter or rescue will you be donating to? Please leave a comment (and a link!) below.

Happy Heavenly Birthday, Betty White!

Photo: @RexChapman/Twitter

Betty White Hosts Discovery Family’s Month-Long ‘Pawgust’

As the dog days of summer arrive, so does Discovery Family’s month-long salute to pets, appropriately called “Pawgust.”

Also appropriate is the host of Pawgust. In what a press release calls “pawfully exciting news,” the lovely and ubiquitous Betty White is hosting the event, which will include animal-themed series, specials and movies. White and her Golden Retriever, Auggie, will also appear in Pawgust promos throughout the month, like this one.

“August traditionally finds the country embroiled in the dog days of summer, so we’re bringing the pawsitively best in programming about pets — and of course, man’s best friend — to help audiences beat the heat,” said Tom Cosgrove, general manager of Discovery Family.

In addition to the programming, DiscoveryFamilyChannel.com will be streaming “Pawesome Paws” microsodes featuring animals from the network’s shows. Discovery Family has also created an Instagram account and launched the social-media campaign, “Show Us Your Paws!” People are encouraged to take photos of their pets’ paws and post them with the hashtag #Pawgust.

Curl up with your pooch and enjoy the following programs during Pawgust. (All of the times are Eastern/Pacific; the shows start an hour earlier in Central Time.)

From Wags to Riches with Bill Berloni

This new hour-long reality series provides a look at the life of Bill Berloni, who trains rescued shelter dogs for Broadway shows, movies and television shows. At 19, Berloni trained his first dog for the role of Sandy in the original 1977 Broadway production of “Annie.” Coming full circle, Berloni trained another Sandy for last year’s “Annie” movie remake. Each episode of “From Wags to Riches” will show Berloni working as an animal trainer and rescuer, and relaxing at home with his two-legged family members as well as 41 pets, including ducklings and a donkey. Premieres Aug. 6 at 9 p.m.

Yappy Hour

This 60-minute programming block will include the show, “Funniest Pets and People,” and repeats of previous Pawgust programs. Premieres Aug. 3 at 5 p.m.

Secrets of the Dog Park

This special premieres Aug. 6 at 10 p.m.

Pets Make You Laugh Out Loud

This series debuts Aug. 7 at 8 p.m.

Movie Nights

Movies will air on Monday, Saturday and Sunday nights, kicking off with “101 Dalmatians” on Aug. 1 at 8 p.m. Other pup-themed movies to be shown during the month include “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and “Hotel for Dogs.”

Photo: YouTube

Betty White Gets Flash Mob Surprise for Her 93rd Birthday (VIDEO)

It’s probably not the best idea to throw any kind of surprise party for someone almost halfway into their 90s, but beloved animal lover Betty White, one of the youngest-at-heart nonagenerians in show biz, could definitely handle it.

Yesterday, a day shy of her 93rd birthday, White’s “Hot in Cleveland” co-star, Dave Foley, drove her to the soundstage in a golf cart equipped with video cameras.

“Is tomorrow your birthday?” Foley asks her. “I think there might be a little bit of a celebration.”

As they pull up to the soundstage, a solo hula dancer greets them. “Every day on set, Betty is greeted by her assistant with a hula,” according to the description for the video.

But the hula dancer is soon joined by dozens more — including White’s co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Wendie Malick and Jane Leeves — who are all bedecked in Hawaiian shirts, grass skirts and leis. (They perform a country line dance, the macarena, etc., rather than a traditional hula, but whatever.)

Finally, crew members bring out a big banner saying, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETTY.”

White is visibly moved by the performance. “At 93, you shouldn’t be doing this!” she shouts.

In keeping with the theme, a big tropical cake was waiting for White inside the set, Yahoo News reports. White blew out all the candles (the story doesn’t mention if there were 93 of them). Wow.

Happy Birthday, Betty!

Photo via YouTube

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