APPARENTLY, I’M NOT ALONE in my Ingalls family fixation. A fair number of you either commented, or sent me messages on Facebook or Twitter saying that you share my enduring love for rebellious Laura and saintly Mary. I’m sure you’ll be as excited as I was to learn that at least some of the Little House crew is yours for the Twittering. Finding Laura and Nellie in the land of social media got me to thinking about other “celebrities” whose Tweets I might want to follow…
For me, the fictional characters are inseparable from their TV alter egos. I haven’t paid much attention to their post Little House onscreen careers, though I knew that both Melissa Gilbert and the unforgettably nasty Nellie Olson, played by Alison Arngrim, have achieved a lot off the tube. (Gilbert is a leader among actors, having served for four years as the president of the Screen Actors Guild. Arngrim has long been lauded for her work on behalf of HIV and AIDS charities.)
But what I didn’t know until recently was that both Gilbert and Arngrim are avid users of Twitter. Their tweets run from comments about the sorry state of their butts post-40 (Gilbert) to upcoming Little House memorabilia fairs (Arngrim.) Nothing earthshattering, but c’mon. It’s Laura and Nellie! And both women use their Twitter presence to fundraise for charities they support–Children’s Hospice for Gilbert, and the National Association to Protect Children for Arngrim.
Thanks to Ashton Kutcher’s well-publicized “battle” with CNN to see who could get up to 1,000,000 followers the fastest, Twitter’s celebrity users have gotten a whole lot of press lately (because, you know, celebrities need more press). To Kutcher’s credit, he promised to donate to a malaria-prevention charity whether he won or lost (he won).
But between the Little House girls and the Kutcher v. CNN smackdown, I started thinking about my favorite celebrity Twitterers. Not everyone on the list will meet everyone’s definition of famous, but to me, they’re superstars.
Already on Twitter? Check out the folks below. And make sure to follow me, and The Sister Project. (Not to mention some of our wonderful Galleries profile subjects: Shauna Ahern, Camilla Engman and Diane Gilleland.) Not a Twitterer? Check it out, and tell us what you think.
Need I say more? Yes: apparently there’s a Little House musical bound for Broadway, and Gilbert has a memoir coming out in June–both might explain her adoption of Twitter. Who cares? She’s still Half Pint to me.
Not nearly as bitchy in real life as in televised childhood, despite the title of her comedy show.
3. Sara Gilbert
Because she’s Melissa Gilbert’s funnier sister, and the only thing I loved about Roseanne.
4. Ree Drummond
If you’re talking prairie and pioneer, you have to know about Ree, and her hysterical blog, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. (She’s got recipes, too.)
5. Ruth Reichl
Ah, now we’re in real foodie territory. Ruth is a friend, an amazing cook, an incredible writer and editor, and if you wish YOU were going out to great meals around the world, follow her Tweets, and salivate.
6. Demi Moore
Twitter has given me a whole new appreciation for Demi Moore. She’s funny! She reads! She’s thoughtful and smart! Her “baby,” as she calls Ashton, constantly, is funny too. Really. I’m not just saying this because I loved St. Elmo’s Fire.
7. Paul Feig
And now, from Demi and her funny man, we move into the funny men I adore. Paul created the cult-following TV show Freaks and Geeks, and is both, not to mention a totally lovely guy.
8. Rainn Wilson
He’s Dwight Schrute, from The Office. He’s also really interesting. And funny, which might be the most important quality any man can have.
9. Seth Rogen
Have I mentioned that I am attracted to funny?
10. Al Gore
I am also attracted to big, preppy geeks. Sorry, Tipper, but I’ve had a crush on your brilliant husband for years. (My husband, who looks nothing like Al Gore–but is both funny and brilliant–is now rolling his eyes.)
Now that you know all my dark, celebrity-fan-type secrets–don’t you have some to share? I know you must. Can you comment in 140 characters or less?
No related posts.
First time here? Here's the idea:
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Still today 30 something years later, when I hear the closing music for Little House on the Prarie, I think it is time for bed.
(Even it the re-run is on @ 10 in the morning. ) When my sister and I were kids, we would watch the show in our night gowns feet away from the Zenith perched on the rolling TV stand. Just as soon as Laura started running down that hill and the closing music began to play, mom rushed us off to bed.