Watching Ugly Betty

Extras Says Goodbye: Before Ashley Jensen played the loveable Scottish seamstress and Betty’s best friend at Mode in Ugly Betty she starred in the British and HBO hit Extras. The show revolves around two extras Ashley Jensen’s character as Maggie Jacobs and Ricky Gervais (from the British version of The Office) as Andy Millman and Stephen Merchant as Ricky’s inept agent. Maggie and Ricky struggle to make end meets while playing extras and looking for a big break. After filming two seasons the show has returned with a Christmas special series finale. Check out HBO for show times.

Alan Dale Leaves Us Wanting More: New episodes of Ugly Betty won’t air again until January 10, 2008 when the 11^th episode “Zero Worship premieres (more on that later). Episode 10 marked the end of Alan Dale’s role as Bradford Meade. After passing away Bradford Meade came back for two more episodes. First he appears to Betty to provide assistance and then in a final appearance in a video message to his children.

Oddly enough Alan Dale has been killed off of three television series with a heart attack. Besides Ugly Betty he died on Neighbours the long running Australian soap opera and on The O.C. from fatal heart attacks (Thanks to Wikipedia for this bit of trivia.) I loved Alan Dale and will definitely miss his dramatic performances on the show. At least I can look forward to seeing him again on the Doctor Who spin off Torchwood.

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The nominees for the 14^th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced. Ugly Betty, The Sopranos and 30 Rock received the most nominations with 3 apiece. Both America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams received nominations for best actress in a comedy series.

The show was also nominated for best ensemble cast in a comedy giving both America and Vanessa 2 possible options of winning. ABC and HBO tied for the most nominations with 11 each. The SAG awards are the only awards completely voted on by other actors. This year the SAG awards will also honor ensembles for stunts in TV and film.

The winners will be announced live on January 27 at 8 pm ET/PT on both TNT and TBS.

Need to know more?: If you missed the nominations being read watch as Jeanne Tripplehorn and Terrence Howard make the announcements. The complete list of nominees can be read at the SAG Online.

Related link from the archives of Watching Ugly Betty: Read my very first blog post here! Celebrating America Ferrera winning a SAG Award for Season 1 of Ugly Betty. Oh how time flies.

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Look’s like some of out favorite Ugly Betty stars will be joining the campaign to get you guys off you couches and at the voting polls. “Our Time To Vote” is a 5 million dollar campaign launched by leading cable provider Comcast. Both Tony Plana and Ana Ortiz have joined in the cause to educate and register to vote individuals.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging voters of different cultures and diversities. Other celebrities involved in the project include George Lopez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Margaret Cho all notable African American, Asian Americans, and Hispanics. Four public services announcements featuring diverse casts have been made in support of the nonpartisan campaign.

I think this campaign is a wonderful idea but am I the only one who thinks it’s odd that Native Americans have been ignored by a multicultural voting campaign?

To learn more: Visit Our Time To Vote

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The American Film Institute picked Ugly Betty as one of its 10 Best TV Programs of 2007. The exclusive list contained mostly cable programming but another ABC comedy managed to squeeze onto the list, Pushing Daisies. The show was created by Bryan Fuller the creative genius behind Dead Like Me. Now is the perfect time to catch up on the show if you haven’t been tuning in.

Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigel, might be surprised that her movie Knocked Up made the list for 10 Best Films of 2007. Since in her recent Vanity Fair interview she stated that the movie was sexist. The American Film Institute is a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the legacy and unique culture of American film.

AFI will hold a luncheon to honor Ugly Betty and the rest of the best on January 11, 2008. Scholarships have also been established in the names of all 20 honorees to the AFI Conservatory.

For more information on Katherine Hiegel visit Grey’s Anatomy. You can see the complete honorees at the American Film Institute site.

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If you’re a fan of chick lit than Gina Gershon’s new film P.S. I Love You may just be worth checking out. The impressive cast lists stars veteran actress Kathy Bates, Oscar winner Hillary Swank, Friends star Lisa Kudrow and 300 star Gerard Butler. The movie centers around a young widower Holly played by Hillary Swank who has to learn to get on with her life after her husband Gerry dies.

After his death she begins to receive letters from him. One letter a month for an entire year. Somehow after finding out he was going to die from a brain tumor he is able to concoct this scheme before he dies to send her these letters after his death. Each letter is designed to help her move on with her life.

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Congratulations to America Ferrera for being the sole representative of Ugly Betty for the 2008 Golden Globe nominees. Somehow the show didn’t receive a nomination for best comedy series and their was a surprising lack of love for Vanessa Williams. In Season 2 she’s been even more evil and calculating than Season 1. How could this go unrecognized?  Theirs no way she didn’t give one of the best performances of the year as Wilhelmina Slater.

Luckily the Satellite Awards recognized her performance and nominated her in best supporting actress in a comedy. The Satellite Awards also nominated Ugly Betty for best comedy and America Ferrera as best comedy actress. Other programming that received nods from the Satellite Awards and the Golden Globes includes Showtime series and Queen Latifah’s well buzzed role in HBO’s Life Support. 

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Even TV stars sometimes have to do deal with the hard knocks of real life. David Blue who plays Cliff the adorable average guy that Marc(Micheal Urie) falls in love with on Ugly Betty was robbed over the weekend as he left a Hollywood Party.

David and an unidentified female friend were held up at gunpoint after leaving a Season 2 Wrap Party for Ugly Betty. David showed he was just as adorable in real life as he is on TV when he stated on his Myspace blog that he was glad it was him rather than one of his richer costars.

David also revealed that the show is not done filming. The wrap party was in celebration of the holiday season. Ugly Betty finished working on the completed scripts with no writers on set and the strike still on the show has completed all it can do.

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Is anyone else’s head spinning over all the Ugly Betty guest stars this Season? Not just ones who have been confirmed to guest star but all of those who also make it to the rumor mill? Now here is one guest star that I truly don’t have an opinion on good or bad, Gene Simmons singer of rock group KISS. This is truly one guest star I didn’t expect to see. At first I didn’t think he could fit into a show all about fashion.

Then I remembered the sex and fighting so this could work. TV Squad is speculating that he could be playing Amanda’s real daddy which would actually make perfect sense. I could definitely see him and Fey Summers getting it on at Studio 54 and now the thought of him with a Tweety Bird tattoo on his butt is ingrained in my head…

Check out these other “rocking males” on 451press.com (and two of my favorites) Ne-Yo and Robin Thicke.

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“I know what I look like, and so do my friends and family. And like all women out there should, I love my body. To all girls with butts, boobs, hips and a waist, put on a bikini — put it on and stay strong.” Jennifer in her personal blog

Congrats to America Ferrera and Ugly Betty for putting another trophy in that bulging Ugly Betty case. Ferrera won best actress at the 9th Annual Family Television Awards. The show also won for best comedy. High School Musical 2 cutie Zac Effron won for best actor and his Disney Channel original movie won for best drama. Now since Ugly Betty has won so many awards its time for me to give out one as well.

This award goes to Jennifer Love Hewitt for most Betty like behavior in real life. Just like Tyra Banks last year very unflattering pictures of Jennifer have surfaced while wearing a bikini. The pictures were taken while vacationing in Hawaii with her fiancé. What’s so damaging about these pictures nothing but a little cellulite! Is the image even that accurate? The angle is odd and it’s taken from the back and could possibly be Photoshopped.

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