This morning, NBC announced that it plans on taking advantage of the same social networking tool that swept Betty White into Studio 8H and helped rally over 12 million people into actually watching Saturday Night Live this weekend. The network's Facebook-compatible program, Fan It, will reward NBC viewers for talking online to their friends about NBC shows with NBC merchandise. Interested, I clicked over to NBC's web store just to see if there was any swag that could possibly sway me into enlisting in NBC's incestuous PR machine. And there it was, right next to the Biggest Loser Bath Scale ($40) and the Heroes Helix Symbol Pendant Necklace ($15): proof that NBC is still exploiting Betty White.
Sure, there were the Golden Girls box sets, but there was also a t-shirt emblazoned with White's likeness and the phrase "Betty is my Homegirl." Aside from Christopher Walken, White is the only other SNL host with her own official NBC tee. Cast members Will Forte, Kristen Wiig and Andy Samberg all have t-shirts, albeit for their characters MacGruber, Gilly and Shy Ronnie. (What, Kenan doesn't get any Deandre Cole apparel?) What this all means is that Saturday Night Live: The Best of Betty White box set is not far behind. And then around holiday time, expect to see a Betty package deal for the box set and the t-shirt.
Meanwhile, you can bet that NBC isn't finished trying to lure the actress back into its lineup. Just last night, she earned her stripes on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and accidentally let slip that she is a "total pushover" when it comes to TV appearances. That generosity is how TV Land snagged her for a starring role in Hot in Cleveland.
Who's to say that Betty wouldn't be the perfect Marriage Ref panelist, Celebrity Apprentice contestant, or the one person to out-star the next Jonas brother who appears on Minute to Win It? Everyone knows that Betty White could improve any program -- from the NAACP Image Awards to the AVNs -- but Movieline's concern here is not for he viewing public who demands her or the network execs who would personally parade her through Heroes scenes, Weekend at Bernie-style, if it meant improving numbers.
Instead, we worry about the 88-year-old Golden Girl herself. So Betty, before the channel changes its name to Betty TV and replaces the Peacock with your smile, make sure you're getting a cut of the profits, OK?