White-hot lady

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Xtra recently wrote about a group of Red Hot men, but now things are about to get White-hot.

Betty White, along with the cast of Hot in Cleveland, recently announced she will be taking part in Spirit Day on Oct 17.

Spirit Day is GLAAD’s designated day for people to collectively wear purple and voice their support for ending the bullying of gay youth.

White says she is grateful for her gay fan base.

“I think the gay community seems to like old ladies; they always have,” White told WNYC. “When we were on live with Golden Girls on Saturday night, they’d shut down the music, stop the dancing, watch the show, then turn the music and the dancing back on. We were very grateful, and they’ve been dear friends.”

White says she doesn’t believe gender influences the quality or legitimacy of a relationship.

“If a couple has been together all that time – and there are gay relationships that are more solid than some heterosexual ones – I think it’s fine if they want to get married,” she told Parade magazine. “I don’t know how people can get so anti-something. Mind your own business, take care of your affairs and don’t worry about other people so much.”

All this talk of Betty has reminded Xtra why we love her so much.

In case you need a reminder as well, here are some of White’s recent appearances to remind you just how fabulous the senior-citizen senorita is.

Safety – old-school style

In a recent gig, White starred in a four-minute plane-safety video for Air New Zealand. The video takes place in a retirement home as White, two sexy flight attendants and a ton of seniors teach the viewers all forms of plane safety, ranging from using oxygen masks to using lift vests.

“If you want to know about survival, talk to us, because you’re going to want some advice from people who have been there and done that,” White says in the video.

The video also features Gavin MacLeod, one of White’s costars from The Mary Tyler Moore Show.

She met Obama and was more interested in his dog

White was invited to the presidential office over the summer, and she made herself right at home (it is called the White House, after all). While she was there, she toured the grounds and met with President Obama.

But nothing interested her more than Obama’s dog, Bo.

“It was a thrill to be with Mr Obama,” White told The Huffington Post. “But the big thrill was being with Bo, their dog. He’s the cutest guy you’ve ever seen in your life. I spent a half-hour with him on my lap.”

White is a known animal lover and philanthropist and is the canine-division vice-president for the Morris Animal Foundation, a veterinary research program. She has held the position for more than 40 years.

“It won’t come as any surprise that I love animals deeply and dearly. That’s why I’m so proud to have been with Morris Animal Foundation since 1971,” she says.

Betty White the quarterback

That’s right, Betty White faced off against a men’s football team, and she didn’t even break a hip.

Okay, so this technically was a Snickers commercial, but nevertheless, White gets down and dirty with her teammates and provides such flawless lines as “That’s not what your girlfriend says!”

Word to your . . . grandmother?

Betty White has a rap video — no, actually.

In 2012, White teamed up with singer Luciana, creating the eccentric music video “I’m Still Hot.”

The video features White in a boxing ring, sitting on a throne — tracksuit and all — and rapping whilst surrounded by scantily clad muscle men.

Now, while all the above are good fun, let’s not discredit her real accomplishments.

White, at 91, is one of the most accomplished actresses in the world.

In 2013, the Guinness World Records awarded White for having the longest television career of any female entertainer.

She has been acting nonstop since her debut in 1939, giving her an astounding 74-year career in the business. She was also one of the first women in film to have creative control of her performances.

Having more than 100 acting credits, White has won six Emmy awards, a Grammy (which she won at the age of 90), published seven books, and has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

White has also won a lifetime achievement award and earned multiple awards for her animal activism — including an honorary degree in veterinary medicines, awarded by Washington State University in 2011.

“So now that I have this white coat, if any of you would like to be spayed or neutered, I’m available,” White said in her degree acceptance speech.

All-in-all, White has been entertaining us for more than seven decades, and we can’t wait to see what she has in store next.