Showbiz sweetheart Betty White is about to get another dose of love, this time from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The 93-year-old will be honored with this year's lifetime achievement award next month at the 42nd Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
White's career has spanned more than 70 years. Along with her seven Emmy Awards, she has created memorable roles in TV and film, authored eight books and won numerous awards, including those for her lifelong work for animal welfare. In the 1960s, White was a frequent contestant on "Password," where she met and then wed host, Allen Ludden. She also appeared on "The Match Game" and "The $25,000 Pyramid."
She was the first woman to receive an Emmy Award for outstanding game show host for the show "Just Men." And she had a recurring role on "The Bold and the Beautiful" from 2006 to 2009. Her recurring role as "Happy Homemaker" Sue Ann Nivens in the "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" series brought two Emmys for best supporting actress in 1974-75 and 1975-76. Previous honorees include Oprah Winfrey, Barbara Walters and Regis Philbin. The Daytime Emmys air April 26 on the Pop network.
Erivo joins 'Color of Purple' on Broadway
Cynthia Erivo will join Jennifer Hudson on Broadway this fall when the musical "The Color Purple" returns. Erivo, who starred in the Menier Chocolate Factory production in London in 2013, will reprise her role of Celie in her Broadway debut. The production, which begins previews in November at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, is directed and designed by John Doyle. Hudson will play Shug Avery, a sultry blues singer in the story adapted from Alice Walker's novel about one woman's triumph over adversity. Music and lyrics are by Grammy winners Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray. It is being produced by Scott Sanders, Roy Furman, Oprah Winfrey, David Babani and Tom Siracusa.
D&G boycott brewing: Fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's endorsement of traditional families has unleashed harsh criticism and calls to boycott their label. The designers, under growing social media pressure, issued a statement saying their comments in an interview with Italian magazine Panorama supporting traditional families with a mother and a father weren't intended to judge the choices made by others. Elton John added his voice to the call to boycott, expressing offense at their skepticism about the use of in vitro fertilization and surrogate mothers. The musician's two children were conceived by IVF.
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