Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun

Blanche is gone.

She came out of the deep south to bring us a message.

A message of hope, and of love, and of the joys of middle-aged promiscuity.

Without her, the 80s would have been nothing but biting sarcasm and rustic idiots.

With her, it also had a bunch of sex jokes.

She knew the fine line between having a good time and being a wanton slut, and how entertaining that line could be.

But in the hands of Rue, the character of Blanche Devereaux was more than just a brazen sex-crazed hussy. She was a mother, and a friend, and an art gallery employee apparently, although evidence for this was scant.

A piece of the 80s just slipped away, and we are poorer, wearier, and sadder for it.

Farewell, Rue. I will think of you whenever I think about the irresistible sexuality of 50-year-old women.

Which is, let's be honest, a hell of a lot.

The Rue McClanahan Hour

The first Rue McClanahan Hour on Triple R, hosted by myself and Cam Smith, went off without a hitch, unless you count Cam's awful taste in music and his ignorance of Brittany Murphy's career trajectory.

You DO NOT want to miss the next episode, as it will be the one in which we:

a) reveal our secret identities, and

b) party with hot chicks

It's laughter, it's banter, it's wondrous tales of magic and incredibleness, it's occasional swearing and a burgeoning bromance that warms the cockles of the heart and vice versa.

You can listen to it on 102.7FM in Melbourne, and worldwide you can listen to it at http://www.rrr.org.au.

Or go to http://gatheraroundme.libsyn.com, which is where the podcast of the first show (sans music) is right NOW, and where future episodes will be posted as they arrive. That's also, of course, where you can download all previous Gather Around Me podcasts, and bonus tracks. Keep up to date on GAM and RMH news by checking out Cam's and my joint blog, http://gatheraround.me. But of course you're all devoted enough to know this already.

Don't forget, The Rue McClanahan Hour, Mondays in January, 7pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time and so forth. Go listen, sweetcakes.