Celebrate National Cheesecake Day with the Girls in Miami
For those of us who can't get enough of the Golden Girls -- including enjoying on Hulu, where they will soon be joined by their sisters, the Designing Women -- tomorrow (Tuesday, July 30) is your chance to celebrate in Miami, where ABC Studios and PopSugar are marking National Cheesecake Day with a Golden Girls pop-up event at Vicky's House restaurant in Coconut Grove.
Check out the special, limited-edition cheesecake milkshake, and snap up something from the ever-growing line of official, licensed Golden Girls merchandise (see photos below). And of course, to get your copy of Golden Girls Forever, my book which spurred the studio to create official merch, check it out here.
ABC's press release below. I can't be in Miami tomorrow, but have a cheesecake milkshake for me!
In honor of the ladies who define the term "Squad Goals," ABC Studios and PopSugar are celebrating national Golden Girls Day and National Cheesecake Day with an exclusive one-day-only "The Golden Girls" pop-up event at Vicky's House in Coconut Grove, Florida, on Tuesday, July 30, from 12:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Fans and their friends are invited to stop by for a limited edition cheesecake milkshake inspired by "The Golden Girls," pose for themed photo ops – including a scenic recreation of the ladies' iconic lanai – and shop 'til they drop on new and unique branded merchandise at the retail pop-up store!
The pop-up store will offer fans the opportunity to purchase "The Golden Girls"-themed merchandise. Among the unique merchandise are books, party supplies, pins, dolls, tees, car sunshade, shower curtain and poster. All items can be purchased at https://www.toynk.com/collections/golden-girls.
Location: Vicky's House
Posted by Jim Colucci at 4:28 PM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: ABC Studios, Bea Arthur, Betty White, Coconut Grove, Estelle Getty, Golden Girls, Golden Girls Forever, merchandise, Miami, National Cheesecake Day, PopSugar, Rue McClanahan, Vicky's House
The Ladies of Sugarbakers Ride Again
The cast of CBS' original Designing Women (1986-93):
l-r: Annie Potts, Jean Smart, Meshach Taylor,
Delta Burke, Dixie Carter
This morning, at the Television Critics Association convention in Beverly Hills, Hulu made one of the most exciting announcements of the press tour so far -- about a show that premiered nearly 33 years ago.
After finding huge success in streaming all seven seasons of The Golden Girls, Hulu has announced its acquisition of all seven seasons -- 163 episodes worth -- of the 1986-93 CBS hit sitcom Designing Women. The series will be available beginning August 26, which not so coincidentally, happens also to be Women's Equality Day.
Following a similar comedic "rule of four" with its characters, Designing Women starred Dixie Carter, Delta Burke, Annie Potts and Jean Smart as four women of different backgrounds and certainly personality types who ran a successful design firm in Atlanta, with Meshach Taylor joining as a fifth partner in the Sugarbaker Firm. In many ways a Southern Golden Girls, Designing Women dared tackle political topics and social issues of its day even more directly -- in fact, it was the first sitcom to air an episode dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic -- and has earned a similarly devoted following even more than three decades later. In fact, it's hard to find a gay man of a certain age who can't quote Julia Sugarbaker's "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia" rant word for word, after seeing the video clip playing seemingly on a loop in American gay bars.
With reboot fever in full bloom, Designing Women's prolific creator, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, had recently written a pilot script which would feature a brand new generation working at Sugarbaker's -- but they would also be graced by recurring, if not regular, visits from the show's three original stars, Burke, Potts and Smart. At a press event for Potts' current series, CBS' Young Sheldon, in the spring of 2018, she expressed enthusiasm for appearing again as Mary Jo Shively in any new Designing Women; but unfortunately, this past winter of 2019, ABC declined to shoot a pilot for the series.
It's not a complete coincidence that after Hulu began streaming The Golden Girls that Disney/ABC, the show's rights owner, finally began creating merchandise such as tee shirts, action figures, themed Monopoly and Clue games, and so much more. (Immodestly, I must say that part of the credit should also go to my book Golden Girls Forever, which alerted Disney about all the merch money they had long been leaving on the table.)
So perhaps, with the new heat coming from Hulu, Designing Women might ride again?
Labels: ABC, Annie Potts, Atlanta, Clue, Delta Burke, Designing Women, Dixie Carter, Golden Girls, Hulu, Jean Smart, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, merchandising, Meshach Taylor, Monopoly, sitcom, Sony
Get the scoop on FX's new series Fosse/Verdon
Click Here:
Fosse/Verdon: Michelle Williams and Sam Rockwell on why creating new FX series was 'next level of difficulty'
Labels: All That Jazz, Bob Fosse, Chicago, Damn Yankees, dance, Fosse/Verdon, FX, Gwen Verdon, Michelle Williams, Nicole Fosse, Sam Rockwell
One Day at a Time Celebrates the Release of Season 3 on Netflix.
Labels: Danny Pino, India de Beaufort, Isabella Gomez, Justina Machado, Marcel Ruiz, Melissa Fumero, Netflix, Norman Lear, One Day at a Time, Rita Moreno, Season 3, Stephanie Beatriz, Stephen Tobolowsky, Todd Grinnell
Remembering Kaye Ballard, 1925-2019
Yesterday, the world awoke to the news that the singer, actress and comedienne Kaye Ballard, famous for originating roles in Broadway's "Carnival" and "Golden Apple," and on the TV sitcom The Mothers-in -Law, had died at her home in Rancho Mirage, California, at the age of 93.
Kaye's death comes just a week after that of one of her best friends, another beloved Broadway and comedy legend (and another fixture in the Palm Springs area), Carol Channing, who died just short of her 98th birthday.
with Kaye Ballard in the New York studios
of Sirius XM for "The Frank DeCaro Show"
I had the pleasure of meeting both Carol and Kaye when they guested on Sirius XM's "The Frank DeCaro Show," as well as in interviews celebrating many of their famous projects. For my upcoming book on The Love Boat, I was fortunate enough to get a fun story out of Carol. And two years ago this month, I spoke by phone with Kaye about The Love Boat and so much more of her career. My fellow paesana, Kaye and I got along famously – and we even compared notes about Southern Italian cuisine. After all, as Kaye would point out when giving out her phone number, the digits even had the word EAT embedded within.
Below, just a bit of our fun conversation, which I'm so glad I had the opportunity to have with a show business legend.
Must-Hear TV: Tell me about the documentary you're working on, about your life and career.
Kaye Ballard: You will be shocked with some of the people who spoke on it! Hal Prince and Woody Allen – who never talks about anything. I'm so thrilled he said yes. I knew him when he first started. He's been wonderful. And I always write him after a movie and rate it.
I have worked with great, great people, honey. All the people I worked with on The Perry Como Show. Being this old and never stopping to win an Emmy or anything like that, I just kept working and meeting all these people, and getting to know them.
MHTV: A few years ago, I saw a lot of your talented friends join you on stage in Palm Springs, when you gave your "Going Out of Business" retirement performance.
Carol Channing and Kaye Ballard
at the Camelot Theater in Palm Springs
following the performance of
"Kaye Ballard: Going Out of Business"
KB: Oh, Carol Channing! My Carol Channing. She did a number in that show. Oh god, I love that number [Cecilia Sisson]. And I genuinely laugh that hard at that number every time I hear it. The audacity of her taking that long, and to keep whistling – she's one of the most wonderful people in the world.
MHTV: Other than The Love Boat, you've had so many great TV roles. I talked with Bernie Kopell about working with you on The Doris Day Show.
KB: And we worked with Billy DeWolfe, who was a very close friend of mine. He was one of the funniest men who ever lived. He called me "Rose Boozy," and he called Doris "Clara Bixby." He was just wonderful, and had the kind of wit that I think is missing today.
MHTV: And of course, it was on for only two seasons, but people still remember and love The Mothers-in-Law.
KB: That was my favorite thing, because I loved Eve Arden and I loved my first husband, Roger C. Carmel. Oh my God, what a great actor he was. Do you realize that that show went off the air because they wouldn't give us a $250 raise? Isn't that funny? It was amazing. Eve Arden and I said, "Forget the raise – we want to keep going!" But Roger said "No, it's the principle of the thing, Cutes," and they replaced him, which ended up being a mistake for the show.
MHTV: In addition to this documentary, a few years ago, you also published your memoir, How I Lost 10 Pounds in 53 Years.
KB: Every word is true, and I think you can get it on amazon for either $5 or $10. It's wonderful what happened last year -- I had sent it to [theater and book critic] John Simon, and he threw it aside. But then he wrote in his blog, "I picked up a book that Kaye Ballard wrote 6 or 7 years ago, and I'm so sorry I waited that long." And he just loved it. And so he made my old age!
MHTV: Tell me more about your documentary [titled Kaye Ballard: The Show Goes On, which premiered earlier this month at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, after which Kaye, suffering from heart problems just weeks before her death, received a standing ovation.]
KB: At the moment it's called "Medium Rare and Well Done." Because I've been in every medium of show business, and it's called "Rare" because Carol Channing and I were maybe two of the people living who performed for the princess before she was queen. So that's pretty good.
MHTV: Is that Princess Victoria, you mean?
KB: Elizabeth! Not Victoria, you cruel little person.
I say "Well Done," because I think I have done it well. Even though I didn't win a Tony or an Emmy – that frustrates me to death. Everything is politics, not only in show business, in every business. Because I deserved one. I certainly deserved nominations. For "Carnival," for "Golden Apple" – I should have won.
At that time, I was doing every medium, and they didn't have respect for people who could do every medium.
MHTV: Was there a stigma back then against actors who appeared on TV?
KB: It's not like that anymore, but it was then. If you were kind of a hit in supper clubs, they didn't think of you seriously as an actress or anything else. But since then, I've proven it to myself, because I've done plays with Imogene Coca, Sandy Dennis – I could name many other people. And so therefore, I know I was good. That's why I say "And Well Done."
I thought I was pretty damn good in all the things I did, and I never resorted to any kind of vulgarity. That's what I resent today. It was Jack Benny who told me that – he said, "Funny is funny, and you don't have to go that far."
And you know what was funny -- when I did The Mothers-in-Law, and I bit my fist, [the network censors] called the Italian embassy. And when the Italian embassy came on the set, they asked them, "Hey, what does that mean?" but you know, I say "Va Fa Napoli." That sounds like it could be vulgar, but it means "Go to Naples."
I did the movie The Ritz, and I had to say "FUCK" in the last scene. My mother wouldn't talk to me for months. I had to do that. I said it once, and I got this long grief in this f-ing family. My mother went into shock.
MHTV: Was your mother very proper?
KB: She was from Calabria. She came over from Italy when she was about 8 or 10. And talk about grief, my grandmother came over with five kids and one of them died of diphtheria on the ship. It took them 30 days to come across. It was the cattle boat. I've had an interesting life.
MHTV: Which we're about to see on the big screen.
KB: The documentary has all these interviews, and now the filmmaker will piece it together. Michael Feinstein, Rex Reed, Liz Smith, wonderful people. Donna McKechnie, Jerry Stiller – my best friend. Oh, I love him more than I can tell you.
I've been lucky. I've met all the people I've really admired, and got to know them, like Bette Davis and Cary Grant and Barbara Stanwyck, and another idol, Irene Dunne. Clark Gable, I asked him for an autograph, and he said, "The heck I'll give you an autograph, but I'll give you a kiss."
MHTV: Did you take the kiss from Gable?
KB: Yes. It was when I first performed with [bandleader] Spike Jones, in 1947 or '48. We were playing the Trocadero, and I went up to Gable and said "Oh my God, I'd love it – can I have your autograph?" And he said no, but he stepped and kissed me on the cheek. I thought "Oh my lord!" It was wonderful.
I think people are going to say, "Oh, you didn't know all those people" – but I knew much more than that! When I went to England, I turned down a date with Richard Burton, because I was doing two shows a day. But then I met his wife and Jean Simmons and Glynis Johns and Michael Wilding. I was fascinated with anybody in show business who achieved excellence.
MHTV: You mean you could have had those diamonds instead of Liz Taylor?
KB: I doubt it. I wouldn't even know how to be a glamour queen.
MHTV: They say that passion for something, like your appreciation of excellence in a performer, is what keeps people going.
KB: That's it. I can get jaded today with some of the performances. But I still admire. I'm a fan. I'm an eternal fan.
Posted by Jim Colucci at 9:00 AM 0 comments Links to this post
Labels: Bernie Kopell, Billy DeWolfe, Carol Channing, Clark Gable, documentary, Doris Day, Hal Prince, Jack Benny, Jerry Stiller, John Simon, Kaye Ballard, Mothers-in-Law, The Love Boat, The Ritz, Woody Allen
Jim Colucci is a freelance entertainment writer whose work has appeared in such publications as TV Guide, Inside TV, Quick & Simple, InTouch, Rosie, The Advocate, Next and CBS' Watch! magazine, where he serves a a Deputy Editor. From 2004-16, Jim delivered a weekly on-air version of this blog as a correspondent for "The Frank DeCaro Show" on Sirius XM radio.
In the fall of 2004, Time Inc. released Jim's official, authorized companion book to one of NBC's biggest comedy hits, titled Will & Grace: Fabulously Uncensored. His second TV book, The Q Guide to The Golden Girls, was released by Alyson Books in September, 2006. In April of 2016, HarperDesign released Jim's latest book, the New York Times best-selling Golden Girls Forever, full of exclusive interviews and never-before-seen photos with the cast and crew of the beloved sitcom.
In television, Jim co-created an original animated pilot for the Disney Channel, and contributed comic material to four annual Oscar-themed comedy specials airing on Comedy Central, hosted by his husband, Frank DeCaro of The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. In 2010, Jim and Frank's comedic music video with Fredrick Ford, "Betty White Lines" went viral, and was featured on The Today Show and CNN's Showbiz Tonight.
(Click here for IMDB link to other TV credits)
Always a fan of classic TV, Jim frequently conducts day-long, in-depth, on-camera interviews with legendary figures from American TV history for the Academy of Television Arts & Science's "Archive of American Television" project. Interviewees have included Jayne Meadows, Arthur Rankin, Rue McClanahan, Cloris Leachman, Phylicia Rashad, Tyne Daly, Barbara Feldon, Sam Waterston, James Lipton, Chuck Barris, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jeffrey Tambor and Bernie Kopell.
Jim has written for entertainment media since his days as the Film Editor for The Daily Pennsylvanian, the college newspaper at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a degree in marketing from the Wharton School of Business. Originally from Wayne, New Jersey, he now lives in Los Angeles with Frank and their mischievous Boston terrier, Gabby.
(RIP Pee Wee "Herman" Munster Merman, 1996-2011)
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