I am blessed to have lived 70 years today. My heart is truly full. Most of those years have been filled with honest affection, thoughtful kindness and profound tenderness.
I want to thank my two sisters — Barbara Reed Bates and Julie Reed Bell — for always helping me to celebrate my milestone birthdays in style. One year they rented an entire yoga studio for a birthday dance party, including a rockin’ DJ. The year I happened to be on vacation in Mexico, they hired a mariachi band and other singers to rouse me from sleep by serenading my balcony.
This year, of course, is different — no party, mariachis or gathering of any kind. But they still rose to the occasion. I received a personal video message from Colin Mochrie, the Scottish-born Canadian actor, writer, producer and improvisational comedian, best known for his appearances on the British and U.S. versions of the improvisational TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” hosted by Drew Carey. Here's what he said:
Hey there Mary! Colin Mochrie from “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” — international comedy icon and dream boyfriend to women everywhere since 1990. I can feel the waves of excitement coming through the screen here. Should we just take a breath together, just to calm down? (Takes a breath.)
Here’s the thing, your lovely sisters Barbara and Julie who you know quite well asked me to give you this little video and basically it’s to say happy birthday. Congratulations on another turn around the sun, turning 70, well. You’re officially middle-aged now — if you live to 140, which if you hydrate and stretch, you’ll be fine.
I’m so sorry you can’t have a party due to all the craziness that’s going on now, but hopefully it’s not cancelled, it’s just postponed. A little later you guys can get together and paint the town red or whatever color you wish. Barbara and Julie tell me that you all love to watch me, so obviously three women of high standards and incredibly high intelligence, so well done. And you saw us in Charlotte. Thanks for coming and seeing that.
They told me a little bit about you Mary. You love to travel. I wish more people traveled. I really believe the world’s problems might be a little lesser if everybody actually went to other countries and saw how people lived and other cultures. Well, you know. You write a blog, you walk. Yeah, me too! Dance, read and entertain, volunteer at church. So, you are quite the gal; you got stuff going on.
The only way I think I can make this birthday better is to do a “hoedown.” It goes something like this:
This hoedown’s for Mary,
She’s turning 70.
I hope the day is everything
That you hope it can be.
I hope this little hoedown,
Gives you quite a lift.
Cause Barbara and Julie
Didn’t get you any other gift.
Yeah, this is it. This is the present that signifies your 70th birthday. Happy birthday Mary.
My sisters knocked it out of the park AGAIN. They are the best!
According to Aaron Kassraie’s December 24, 2019 article “Look Who’s Turning 70 in 2020” at aarp.org and Megan Reidlinger May 11,2020 article “Stars Turning 70 in 2020” at wonderwall.com, here are some celebrities who turn 70 this year:
Morgan Fairchild, February 3
This beauty made a name for herself on TV shows including the soap opera “Search for Tomorrow” and the nighttime drama “Dallas.”
Cybill Shepherd, February 18
The heartbreaker next door in “The Last Picture Show” in 1971, Shepherd is probably best known as Maddie in ABC's 1980s drama-comedy “Moonlighting.” She played the mother of her real-life daughter Clementine Ford on Showtime's “The L Word” in 2007-2009 and has long been a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community.
Julius Erving,
February 22
With his aerial moves and slam dunks, Dr. J helped the American Basketball Association's New York Nets win the championship in 1974 and 1976 before joining the National Basketball Association in 1976 to play for the Philadelphia 76ers. When he ended his stellar career on the court in 1987, he was the third-highest scorer in history.
Martin Short, March 26
Emmy winner Martin Short is best known for his work on “Saturday Night Live” and his roles in classics like “Father of the Bride.”
William H. Macey, March 13
Macy was a wonderfully despicable hot mess as car salesman Jerry Lundegaard in the Coen brothers’ black comedy “Fargo” in 1996 — and has aced many other smaller roles. Since 2011, he has played Frank Gallagher — a mooching father of six — in Showtime's “Shameless.”
Jay Leno, April 28
Leno was a staple of late-night TV for 21 years on “The Tonight Show,” but these days he's all about cars — he has more than 150 of them. Since 2015, the comedian has hosted “Jay Leno's Garage,” an NBC series about cars and motorbikes.
Stevie Wonder, May 13
A legend with timeless hits like "My Cherie Amour” and “Superstition," Wonder has won 25 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He took a temporary hiatus from performing in July after a kidney transplant.
Huey Lewis, July 5
It's been almost 40 years since Lewis recorded “Sports,” the album that produced — among other hits — “The Heart of Rock & Roll” and catapulted his band, Huey Lewis and the News, to international success, with a little help from MTV. Lately he’s been struggling with hearing loss caused by Ménière's disease.
Dr. Phil McGraw, September 1
We first met McGraw and his signature mustache in the late ‘90s on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” where he discussed health and relationship issues; he took off with his own daytime talk show in 2002. It's still a hit on CBS, and he's signed on to stay with the show through 2023.
Bill Murray, Sept. 21
What is it about Murray that makes him so quotable? He's had some great lines in classics such as 1980's “Caddyshack,” 1984's “Ghostbusters” and 1993’s “Groundhog Day.” He was also wonderful, if less quotable, in 2003's more serious “Lost in Translation.” Next year, he'll be Dr. Peter Venkman in “Ghostbusters 2020.”
Jane Pauley, Oct. 31
The supremely likeable Indiana native and former cohost of NBC's “Today” is now the face of “CBS Sunday Morning.” She's been married for some 40 years to “Doonesbury” cartoonist Garry Trudeau and — living with bipolar disorder — is an advocate for mental health issues.
Wendie Malick, Dec. 13
Anyone who has watched “Just Shoot Me!” from 1997-2003 or “Hot in Cleveland” from 2010-2015 knows how funny this actress and former fashion model can be. She'll costar as the voice of a witch named Eda in an animated fantasy-comedy from Disney, “The Owl House.”
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