Betty White Nights

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on May 3, 2010 5:20PM

Clear your calendar or set up your TiVo, because six short days from now Betty White is hosting Saturday Night Live. By now you probably know the backstory: after some hilarious TV appearances and a Super Bowl commercial that went viral, a Facebook campaign to draft White as host caught fire. And the powers that be at NBC actually went for it.

Thus far she's been cagey about what to expect, saying only, "I haven't any idea what I'm going to be doing. All I know is I have veto power if it's something I really don't want to do. And they promised me I wouldn't have to do any nudity." The Oak Park native will become the oldest person to ever host the show, beating out 80-year old youngins Ruth Gordon and Miskel Spillman. Jay-Z is the scheduled musical guest. (Dear God in heaven, please let them do a song together.) Also appearing for this special "Mother's Day" show: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer and Rachel Dratch.

White's most famous role was on The Golden Girls of course, but she's appeared in dozens of TV series over the years. Starting tonight at 7 o'clock, for the next two weeks Me-TV presents "Betty White Nights," highlighting her recurring guest spot as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. She played the character for five years, winning two Emmys.