I think that it's hilarious all the hype that Betty White has gotten recently. I can't exactly say I'm not on board because I honestly cannot name a single person who doesn't have respect for the woman but she's been around for practically forever.
I think it all started after she was in The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds this past year. If you haven't seen the movie, you probably should. She is brilliant in it. Then it hit the fan after she was hilarious in a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl.
It's plain and simple, she's great and we all love her.
People started to campaign for her to appear or host a Saturday Night Live show and it was petitioned on Facebook. The numbers of people who were supportive of her to host were out of this world, and they all got their wish last Saturday and NBC sure did reap the benefits with their ratings.
I heard Betty White did better than people were anticipating!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see that social media had as huge of an impact on NBC as it did. NBC seems to have selective listening when it comes to that sort of thing, but with Betty White, I think they definitely made an ace decision.
I mean, I laughed my ass off when i saw the snickers commercial. There is a certain "Holy Sh*t" effect that comes with sudden blunt force trauma on an elderly woman. However, there is a larger, darker picture here. If you remember watching the "Women in Advertising" video in one of our com classes, you'll remember the portrayal of women in media and how it can, at times, be utterly violent. Not only does the snickers commercial exemplify violence towards women in advertising, but it also highlights a dark regard for the elderly. (Cue the "Wanh-Waaaaaaah")
ReplyDeleteThere are more and more cases of elderly being targeted by acts of violence by younger, more physically intact, criminals. This isn't to say that ads like the Betty White Snickers commercial are directly to blame, but I'm sure it does not help. It, like so many other ads, does ad to the perpetual desensitization of society to some extent. It all boils down to responsible advertising. Way to promote violence towards the elderly Erin. Way to laugh while fear is sticken into Gam Gam. :)