icon – Topical Fruit

Happy Birthday to Dolly Parton! Today she’s 80 years old.

Dolly has always been one of a kind, but her iconic style didn’t just fall from the rhinestone-studded sky. A throwback interview is making the rounds online — and it’s pure gold.

Turns out, Dolly’s look was inspired by a woman from her childhood that her mother really didn’t want her looking up to.

“We didn’t go to town that much, but when I would, I would go to see her,” Dolly recalled, referring to a local woman she found absolutely mesmerizing. “She had these long red fingernails, wore bright lipstick, she had peroxide blonde hair, tight clothes, short… and I thought, she is the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.”

Her mom, however? Not so impressed. “My mother said, ‘Oh, she’s just trash. She’s just a tramp.’ And I thought, that’s what I want to be when I grow up,”

That bold, bedazzled look would go on to define her career — from big hair to even bigger personality — and inspire countless others along the way. Dolly has never shied away from her love of glam, once famously saying, “It costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”

All these stories resurfacing for Dolly’s birthday are fun to watch. But this one hits differently — because it reminds us that the Queen of Country didn’t just break the mold, she chose a completely different one and ran with it in high heels.

And we’re all better for it.

At 99 years old, Dick Van Dyke is still cracking jokes, singing, dancing, and proving that time may pass—but his sense of humor never will.

The legendary entertainer, who turns 100 on December 13th, made fans laugh and cringe just a little during a recent appearance at the Vandy High Tea event in Malibu. Surrounded by fans and his wife Arlene, Dick joked:

“That’s right, I’m not officially a hundred until December. Two months. Two months. It’d be funny if I didn’t make it.”

Fans roared, though the collective prayer afterward was definitely “please make it.”

The event, which benefited The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and the upcoming Dick Van Dyke Museum, featured music, stories, and performances by Dick, Arlene, and his singing group The Vantastic. True to form, Dick led a singalong for a six-year-old fan’s birthday and treated the audience to classics like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”, and even “The Dick Van Dyke Show” theme.

When the conversation turned to his upcoming centennial, Dick got reflective—well, as reflective as Dick Van Dyke gets.

“I brag sometimes about how I made it to a hundred,” he said. “The truth is, if I had known I was going to live this long, I would’ve taken better care of myself. And it is frustrating because I don’t know what I did right. Other than [my wife Arlene], I didn’t do anything right.”

Dick and Arlene, who’s 54, have been married since 2012. The two are often seen together in cheerful clips and public appearances that show off Dick’s energy, wit, and that signature dance step that hasn’t faded in the slightest.

In fact, Rick Springfield recently spotted him at the gym, of all places, working every machine at 99. Springfield joked, “I thought I was doing well at 76, but Dick got up from the chest press and did a little dance step before I left! Amazing!”

Even as he approaches 100, Van Dyke’s career hasn’t slowed. In June 2024, he became the oldest-ever Daytime Emmy winner for his guest role on “Days of Our Lives”, adding to his already glittering collection of six Emmys, a Grammy, and a Tony.

After accepting the award, he summed up his legacy perfectly: “I hope to be remembered for laughter. I’ve been making people laugh for 75 years—and I can’t believe I’m still here and performing.” Then, with a classic twinkle in his eye, he added, “I’m looking for work if anybody has some.”

At nearly a century old, Dick Van Dyke isn’t just surviving—he’s thriving, singing, dancing, and reminding everyone that joy is the real secret to longevity.

Tag: icon

Dolly Parton’s Signature Look Was Inspired by the Town Tramp

Happy Birthday to Dolly Parton! Today she’s 80 years old.

Her mom, however? Not so impressed. “My mother said, ‘Oh, she’s just trash. She’s just a tramp.’ And I thought, that’s what I want to be when I grow up,”

Dick Van Dyke Jokes That It’d Be “Funny” If He Didn’t Make It to 100

At 99 years old, Dick Van Dyke is still cracking jokes, singing, dancing, and proving that time may pass—but his sense of humor never will.

When the conversation turned to his upcoming centennial, Dick got reflective—well, as reflective as Dick Van Dyke gets.

Even as he approaches 100, Van Dyke’s career hasn’t slowed. In June 2024, he became the oldest-ever Daytime Emmy winner for his guest role on “Days of Our Lives”, adding to his already glittering collection of six Emmys, a Grammy, and a Tony.