Edith Wharton

EMILY: Well I wanted everything to be perfect. What do you think?
LORELAI: I think Edith Wharton would have been proud, and busy taking notes.

Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author whose work centres on the lives on the American upper classes in the late 19^th century. Her novels and stories are noted for their ironic tone, and the critical eye she turns on a world which was fading away. Most of the wealthy people in Wharton’s works lead quietly miserable, empty lives, which is probably a dig from Lorelai at Emily.

Farrah Fawcett

EMILY: Oh, yes, and there was a tee-shirt with a Farrah Fawcett face.
LORELAI: A hero to many who aspire to the perfect feather fluff.

Farrah Fawcett (1947-2009) was an American model and actress. Having already appeared in commercials and TV shows, she became famous in 1976 after posing for a poster wearing a red one-piece bathing suit. That same year, she got her breakout role as Jill Munroe on crime drama series Charlie’s Angels, becoming an international star. Her hairstyle was a phenomenon in itself, with the “Farrah-flip” a sought-after look well into the 1980s (during Lorelai’s teenage years).

A link with other references in this scene is that Farrah Fawcett played Barbara Hutton in a 1987 TV movie.

Barbara Hutton

EMILY: Please be serious, we’re shopping for Rory.
LORELAI: No Mom, I’m shopping for Rory. You’re shopping for your imaginary granddaughter, Barbara Hutton.

Barbara Woolworth Hutton (1912-1979) was an American socialite, and as heiress to the Woolworth fortune, one of the wealthiest women in the world. She was called “The Poor Little Rich Girl”, in part because of her unhappy private life.

The Queen of England

EMILY (showing Lorelai a hat): Oh, isn’t this lovely?
LORELAI: Oh, yeah. As soon as we have her crowned Queen of England we’ll give it to her.

The throne of England actually came to an end in 1707; after this the kingdoms of England and Scotland merged into the Kingdom of Great Britain. In 1801 this merged with the Irish kingdom to become the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. After most of Ireland left the union, its name was changed to the Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, otherwise known as the United Kingdom. The last Queen of England was Queen Anne (1665-1714; became queen in 1702).

The Queen of the United Kingdom is Elizabeth II (born 1926), which was also the case in 2000. By tradition, the Queen (like other royals and the upper classes generally) always wears a hat in public during formal occasions. That’s probably why Lorelai connects hat-wearing with royalty. Her opinion is not shared by Amy Sherman-Palladino, who is a notorious wearer of hats.

Justin and Britney

(Sees Rory on the phone)
LORELAI: “And Justin is just so dreamy. He can’t marry Britney, I’ll just cry and cry and cry.”

Lorelai mockingly supplies imaginary dialogue for Rory, based on a stereotype of what teenage girls talk about on the phone. She is referring to singers Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, who began dating in 1999, and who were frequently rumoured to be engaged. They broke up in 2002 and eventually married other people.

Rory is actually talking to the pizza delivery service.

Elvis and Jim Morrison

Lorelai jokes that Elvis and Jim Morrison will attend Rory’s birthday party and bring chips.

Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was an American singer and actor. One of the great icons of the twentieth century, he is often referred to as The King of Rock and Roll or The King. Elvis’ first single, Heartbreak Hotel, came out in 1956 and went straight to #1. Later that year he made his film debut in Love Me Tender. Successful in rock, pop, blues, and gospel, Elvis is one of the biggest-selling musical artists in history. He won three Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achivement Award, and has been inducted into numerous musical halls of fame.

James “Jim” Morrison (1943-1971) [pictured] was an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He was the lead singer of The Doors, an influential rock band founded in 1965 that also included Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, and John Densmore. The band shot to fame in 1967 when their song Light My Fire went to #1. Since his death, Morrison has remained famous, and is regarded as as the archetypal sexy, rebellious rock star. He, along with the other members of The Doors, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

The Pope

Lorelai jokes that the pope already has plans, but he’s trying to get out of them so he can attend Rory’s birthday party.

The pope is the Bishop of Rome and the leader of the Catholic Church, also the head of state in Vatican City. One of the most enduring institutions in the world, the papacy has played a prominent role in world history. By tradition, the popes trace their line of succession back to St. Peter, and the title is from the Latin for “father”.

In 2000, the pope was John Paul II (1920-2005), who was elected in 1978. Born Karol Wojtyla in Poland, he was the first non-Italian pope since the 16^th century, and one of the longest-serving popes in modern history. He greatly improved the Catholic Church’s relationship with other religions, and is credited with helping to end Communism in Europe. He was canonised a saint in 2014.

Barbra Streisand

RORY: So, is this party Grandma’s having going to be a big deal?
LORELAI: Not really. The government will close that day. Flags will fly at half-mast. Barbra Streisand will give her final concert … again.

Barbra Streisand (born Barbara Streisand in 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and film-maker who is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time, and is the best-selling female artist. She is the only recording artist to have a #1 album in each of the last six decades. She has won ten Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achivement Award and the Legend Award, two Academy Awards, five Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and numerous other awards.

In 1999-2000, Barbra Streisand undertook her Timeless tour, which she said would be her last one, and might signal her retirement from the concert stage. Her final concert on the tour was given September 28 2000 at Madison Square Garden, about a month before Rory’s birthday (so if she appeared at Rory’s party she would be giving her final concert again).

However Streisand has toured twice more since then, and given eight other concerts.

During the show, it became apparent that Barbra Streisand was one of Lorelai’s favourite entertainers, and her movies in particular got several mentions.

Henny Youngman

EMILY: Everything’s a joke. Everyone’s a punch line … My daughter – Henny Youngman.

Henry “Henny” Youngman (1906-1998) was a British-born American comedian and violinist famous for his one-liners – his most well known being the classic, “Take my wife … please”. He was known as The King of the One Liners. His routine consisted of simple one-liner jokes, broken up with interludes of violin playing. The hyper-successful Youngman performed on stage until the end of his life, and made many appearances on television.

Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton

LORELAI: You can’t always control who you’re attracted to, you know. I think the whole Angelina Jolie-Billy Bob Thornton thing really proves that.

Hollywood actors Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton married in May 2000 after a brief courtship. Their marriage was often in the gossip pages, due to their frequent public gestures of love for each other, including reportedly wearing vials of each other’s blood around their necks (Thornton later explained they were actually lockets containing a single drop of blood). They suddenly separated in 2002, and divorced in 2003.