Norman Lear passed away yesterday at the age of 101, it was announced in a statement on his social media.
“It is with profound sadness and love that we announce the passing of Norman Lear, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Norman passed away peacefully on December 5, 2023, surrounded by his family as we told stories and sang songs until the very end.
“Norman lived a life in awe of the world around him. He marveled at his cup of coffee every morning, the shape of the tree outside his window, and the sounds of beautiful music. But it was people—those he just met and those he knew for decades—who kept his mind and heart forever young.
“As we celebrate his legacy and reflect on the next chapter of life without him, we would like to thank everyone for all the love and support.”
And what a legacy he left behind. He changed television forever with All In the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, Good Times, One Day at a Time, Diff’rent Strokes, The Facts of Life, and 227, to name a few.
Before Lear, television was innocent and didn’t reflect what was going on in society. But then came Archie Bunker, and television would never be the same.
I wish I could say we are a better society because of him. But people didn’t learn from what he was trying to teach us.
So I watch his show as though they are history books. I like to compare how far we have come in 50 years. And on some of the issues he addressed, we have progressed. But sadly, with so many of them, we have regressed.
In 1972, Maude was able to have an abortion because it was legal in New York, but it was not in the country. Fifty years later, we are almost in the same boat. Edith’s friend Beverly was a Drag Queen and wasn’t accepted because of it. It’s still a problem today. And let’s talk about racism. We are still a racist country. I could go on, but you get my point.
Norman Lear shined a light on problems in America, and we should’ve become better people because of it. Some of us did. And sadly, too many didn’t.
So I thank him for giving us laughter with a hard kick to the ass. I know his shows made me a better person because I didn’t want to grow up to be an Archie Bunker. And I am proud to say I am not.
Time Magazine named Taylor Swift their 2024 Person of the Year, and that means she gets to be on the cover of their magazine.
But she wasn’t going to do it alone. So when they told her she got the honor, she thought, “Can I bring my cat.” So she did.
Her stunning baby Benjamin Button sat on his mother’s shoulders, and he is the true star of the cover.
But he was more catty than chatty with the interviewer. So Time interviewed Swift, instead, her first one in four years. I didn’t read the article. And my niece, who is a Swiftie, is at school. So you will have to read what she says about Travis Kelce, Kim Kardashian, and so much here.
Norton wanted to talk to the legend about the fact that someone is going to be playing her in a biopic. So, Julia Roberts yelled out, “Say it’s me. Please, say it’s me.” Then, Cher looked over her, tapped her shoulder, and said, “OK. It’s you.” to shut her up, which Roberts didn’t do.
Julia then imitated the unique way Cher flicks her back. And you can tell at this point Cher was over it because the singer looked at Norton as to say to him that he should pay attention to me and not her.
So he got the message and did. That is when he asked her if they had cast someone to play the part. And she said they haven’t because she can’t find anyone to fit her extraordinary life into a script short enough to be a movie.
So Cher asked for Tom Hanks’ help since he produced Mamma Mia 2, a movie she starred in, and he loved her singing in it. He especially loved the way she sang Abba’s Fernando. So he said as long as someone sings that song, it will be fine.
Hanks accidentally opened up a can of worms because she explained to him that she will be doing her own singing in the film. She hates it when people sing other people’s songs in production because it never sounds like the original singer.
That is when Roberts chimed in again, to explain not all the time. That is because Timothée Chalamet, who was also a guest, had just been cast to play Bob Dylan.
The difference between Cher and Dylan, is she is known for her voice, and Dylan for his lyrics.
Anyways, back to Cher. Roberts added that no one is like Cher and lovingly asked her, “How do you stand yourself?” Cher told, “I don’t! I’m a pain in the ass.”
But not as big of a pain in the ass as Roberts was to her during this episode.
And there was just one more zinger from Cher to Julia. When Cher said that her life was too big for a movie script, Roberts suggested they turn it into a miniseries. Cher didn’t even look at her when she said with disdain, “Yeah. I don’t think so.”
And with that, I love Cher even more! Because she doesn’t have time for anyone’s bullshit, including another Oscar winner who used to be highest paid female film actress.
Kenan Thompson might be 45 years old but he is still a mama’s boy.
Case in point. Yesterday, he was a guest on The View, and as soon as he sat down he called him mom because she wanted to say hi to everyone. Elizabeth was upset that he didn’t bring her with him.
Hopefully, her loving son will make it up to her soon. Because Whoopi Goldberg told him he can join the table anytime he wants. And I hope he takes her up on it because he is such a sweet humble guy.
