Not only is Ugly Betty traveling to the Bahamas, they are taking Shakira with them!  Not only that, but 80’s iconic model Christie Brinkley will guest star in the same episode!

According to TV Guide, Shakira will play herself.

Silvio Horta says the Colombian pop star happens to be in the Bahamas at the same time as the Mode crew and plays a pivotal role in helping save the day after things go awry.

And, it looks like Justin, will be in the Bahamas, too! "Justin’s the one who knows [Shakira's] alias," Horta reveals.  (That’s hilarious!)

Brinkley will actually have an acting part, playing Penelope Graybridge, the editor of a competing fashion magazine. Her character’s will not be going to the Bahamas, she’ll be based solely in New York.

TV Guide says the cast and crew are headed to the Bahamas to film the episode, which will air during November sweeps.  I’ll be watching for tweets.

Let me be one of the first to guess that Shakira’s pivotal role will be agreeing on the spot to do the photo shoot after something happens to the original model(s).  We’ll see.

Image: Splashnewsonline.com

Ugly Betty is once again is TV Guide’s MegaBuzz post, and they verify something many of us suspected since last season’s finale:

How soon before we discover the identity of Willi’s mystery visitor on Ugly Betty? — Jamie
MICKEY [O'connor]: You won’t have to wait very long at all actually, but you may not recognize him or her after the big reveal. In this case, though, it’s not the who that’s important, it’s the why, and it marks the beginning of a storyline that spotlights Willi’s special talent for deception.

***WARNING: SPOILER-LIKE SUBSTANCE AHEAD***

This pretty much seals the deal.  In episode 3.24, The Fall Issue, when Wilhelmina drops her glass and says to an unseen someone, "What are YOU doing here?", many of you wisely guessed that the person she saw was her daughter, Nico.

Well, the fact that O’Connor says we may not recognize the mystery person tells us that yes, indeed, it’s Nico.

The part of Wilhelmina’s daughter is being played by a new person, Yaya Dacosta (America’s Next Top Model).

Nico was always a rebellious young lady, and it looks like she’s gotten herself into some kind of trouble (this is judging from some of the other spoilers floating around).  Apparently, Willi’s going to have to use her considerable talent at deception to get her daughter out of trouble.

I THINK this has something to do with Connor Owens, but that’s just a hunch.

I’m kind of glad Nico is coming back.  She was always that part of Wilhelmina’s life that she couldn’t control no matter how hard she tried.  And I’m curious to see what Dacosta can do with the part.

Image: Bauer Griffin

Here is an official behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the Ugly Betty season 4 premiere (specifically, 4.02, The Butterfly Effect Part 2).

We see the cast and crew filming at the UN, working on Betty’s feature article – which of course goes horribly wrong.  There are fisticuffs!

Daniel Eric Gold says that they have the “two nights here at the UN”, and Vanessa Williams, looking fresh as ever, is surprised that she is giving an interview at 3am.

Something about the quotes from the producers struck me, especially when Jim Klever-Weis says that for the first time we’ll see Betty as a leader.  I think that will add a new energy to the show, even more than Betty’s makeover.

Speaking of which, America Ferrera tells us that Betty’s physical transformation will be gradual (I had guessed it will be Nanny-Mcfee like).  Vanessa Williams says that it’s about time and that people want to see some changes in Betty.

Sheila Lawrence says they are taking the opportunity of Betty’s (practically) starting over, to reshape the character as the “loveable underdog” again.

I am so excited for the upcoming season premiere.  Hopefully, there will be heavy promotion on DWTS and the new hits Modern Family and Cougar Town.  With Dollhouse starting badly, there is an opening for Ugly Betty, I think.  Medium looks strong, though, so I’ll be very interested to see how Betty does on October 9.

TV Guide, in their Fall Preview section, has a photo gallery of TV couples they would like to see hook up.  Or, as they put it:  “15 TV Duos Who Should Do It”.  Well.  No subtlety there.  I’m surprised they didn’t throw in the phrase “Tap That”. 

Anyway, Ugly Betty made the list.  Not surprisingly, the suggested hook up is a Detty hook up.  As their caption (submitted by a fan) to a photo of Daniel and Betty says, “I know [creator Silvio Horta] is saying no, but the fans say yes. I kind of thought it was the point of the show. She was hired by his father to be a competent assistant he was in no danger of sleeping with. In the end, they should absolutely get together and bring it full circle.”

Since every (or almost every) incarnation of this show has ended with the “Daniel” character getting together with the “Betty” character (SirLizard can verify), this discussion will always be there under the surface.

I also think that Silvio Horta, no matter what he says publicly, might be steering us in that direction.  EveryGirl Molly was a surrogate Betty, and sex addict Matt is a surrogate Daniel (especially with his new, slick look).

My thinking on this has evolved a little over the years.  When the show is winding down (and let’s face it, they’ll know this winter if season four will be the last for Ugly Betty), I’d like to see the two get together.  They could have several episodes exploring the excitement and confusion of this. Then in the series finale, I’d like to see Daniel propose.

Betty could accept, and that would surely be a fitting ending for the show.  Even better, Betty could turn him down.

The couple could then declare their eternal friendship, and Betty will have truly grown up before our eyes.

(There is the added benefit that such an ending would leave the Henry, Gio and Daniel love stories still possible in the dreams of the fans of each character).

But, I could also live with Betty and Daniel hooking up, too. 

Image: Zuma Press

Here is the latest Ugly Betty’s Mode After Hours (Harassment of a Sexual nature).  We have seen a preview of the webisode, but this is the whole thing.

IMO, this one could be the best ever.  Both Michael Urie and Becki Newton are on top of their game here, camping it up in the most ridiculous situations.

Here’s the setup: someone has anonymously filed a sexual harassment claim against Mode, so the staff is having to stay late and fill out a sensitivity questionnaire.  Marc and Amanda are both bored with the whole thing, so they spice things up by acting out the scenarios.

First, Amanda flirts with a nerdy "Eugene", played by Marc.  This is the first time I have EVER seen copier/toner maintenance have sexual connotations, but the two pull it off.  The look on Marc’s face when Amanda grabs his behind is priceless.

The next sequence is strange and funny.  Marc plays "the boss", and his entrance is hilarious, with unbuttoned shirt and cigar.  A bespectacled Amanda blows a dog whistle LOUDLY as soon as Marc asks her to do something.  This sends Marc tumbling backwards.

Amanda’s cell phone goes off, and the ringtone is a sexy "oooo baby!"   It’s a text from Mode security.  The texter admits he/she submitted the complaint.  There is then a hilarious sequence where Marc and Amanda yell something at the security camera, followed by a new text from security, complete with "oooo baby! ringtone".

Marc then declares "this is war" and proceeds to destroy the camera.

This one seemed a bit more scripted than some of the other MAHs, but the timing was so perfect that it was impossible not to laugh (especially during the texting sequence).

I’m looking forward to more Mode After hours episodes – hopefully they’ll all be this good!

As promised, here are some set photos of America Ferrera on location filming Ugly Betty. 

A couple of small children, who are quite adorable, joined Ferrera as she exited the trailer.  I don’t think they are part of the shoot – but they sure are cute.

America, in the deep red coat, is beautiful and stylish (love the butterfly pin). I THINK the photos I’ve included with Ferrera totally in costume are from the same shoot.  The shoes, scarf, and gloves “Betty-fy” the outfit, although much more subtlety than in the past (especially Ugly Betty season 3).  Of course, in one of the pics, a dress with big polka dots peeks from beneath her coat, so Betty definitely still has a uniqueness to her style.

I will say that with her parted bangs, trimmed eyebrows and almost-polished look, this incarnation of Betty is quite attractive.  I’ve always loved Betty anyway, but back in the day I would have definitely asked this Betty to dance on ladies’ night. 

She does still have her braces at this point .  I’m going to assume the episode in which the braces are removed will not be done quietly.  Shoot, it might even be a good subplot for the musical episode.  

More pics after the jump!

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Here are some photos of Becki Newton and Judith Light rehearsing lines at a location shoot for Ugly Betty.

Help me out here.  I can’t seem to remember a Claire / Amanda scene before in any of the first three seasons, except maybe just in passing.  Or am I forgetting a scene they had together?  (Notwithstanding Odor in the Court, in which Amanda withheld evidence that exonerated Claire)  I’m curious to see what this is all about.  Maybe Claire is trying to get information from Amanda about something Marc and Wilhelmina are doing?

Or, even more intriguing – the two have a connection, in a way.  One was adopted, and one put up a child for adoption years before.  Claire’s baby was of course a boy, and Amanda was Fey’s daughter, so the connection is only that the two have had their lives touched by adoption before.

But, since we know that both adoption stories will be part of storylines this year (word is that Amanda will restart the search for her biological father), it only stands to reason that Claire and Amanda would cross paths, I would think.

Judith’s hair still looks wonderful, and I love how she creatively makes up for a lack of pockets. 

More pics after the jump, including some of Becki Newton in costume.  If you’ll look closely, that’s America Ferrera with an adorable small child behind Becki. Be looking out for more set pics (including America and that adorable child!) soon!

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As has been discussed here in the comments, ABC has released the title and synopsis of Ugly Betty Episode 4.03 (thanks to SirLizard for posting the synopsis):

The title is Blue on Blue.  The synopsis:

Betty fires on all cylinders to get a big scoop with Gucci’s new designer, Evan York (Hamish Linklater), with the help of Hilda’s connected customer, Sammy (Adam Ferrara). But Marc plots to sabotage her, enlisting a clueless Amanda and Matt in his efforts, culminating in a showdown at the restaurant where Ignacio works. Meanwhile Daniel begins to attend a bereavement group, where he meets Natalie (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), a sexy girl who takes him out for an interesting night on the town, and Wilhelmina flies to Bermuda when she learns Connor may be there.

It looks like there is going to be a cat and mouse type conflict with Betty and Marc for a while early in season 4.  I’ll bet it will be fun to watch, because the whole devious saboteur persona is right up Marc’s alley, and it’s hard to blame him because we know he gave up a good offer at Vogue to stay with Mode, then didn’t get the job he was expecting.  How Betty overcomes the obstacles Marc sets will be quite interesting to see.

It’s interesting that Amanda and Matt are clueless in Marc’s plot, (or is it just Amanda?).  Usually Amanda loves getting in on the Betty torture, and Matt will most likely still be making life hard on Betty at this point.

This is the episode where we’ll meet Natalie, who, like Megan, will hold some secret that might pit her against Betty.

The introduction of Sammy is also interesting.  I think some of his “connections” might be a little unsavory, if his character is the “mobbed up contractor” we’ve heard about.

I love the fact that they are incorporating Ignacio’s job at the restaurant.  That storyline just went away last season, after he got the job at Frankie Burrata’s restaurant.

And, I suppose Wilhelmina’s travel to Bermuda to find Connor will be the pre-cursor to the episode when (almost) the whole Mode crew goes there.  I wonder if she will find Connor there?

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

  Ugly Betty gets a mention in TV Guide’s Mega buzz:

Will Daniel have another girlfriend when Ugly Betty returns? — Michael
MICKEY [O'Connor]: Not exactly. A woman he meets at a bereavement class will become his assistant… and confidante. And what will this Betty substitute look like? She’ll look like Entourage’s Jamie Lynn Sigler, but with a twist. "You won’t recognize me in my hair and makeup," Sigler hints. "It’s kind of a disguise." I’m seeing braces and a poncho, and I hope to Suarez I’m wrong.

First of all, what the heck is with this question?  Let’s recap Daniel’s most recent events:

• He fell in love.  Head over heels, settle-down-and-grow-up-and-show-nobility kind of love.
• He got married to the woman he fell in love with.
• His new wife, and love of his life then died not long after.

Why on earth would anyone think this is a good time for him to get a girlfriend?  [OK, rant over].

Anyway, Mickey, no poncho or braces.  Sigler’s character, Natalie, is just going to be a little eccentric in her style.  Not season 1 Betty eccentric, but eccentric nonetheless.  (see photo).

The term “confidante” is interesting.  My first thought was “that’s Betty’s job!” But, when thinking about it, I think it is time for both Betty and Daniel to move on.  No, I don’t mean they shouldn’t be friends, even close friends anymore. I mean that it’s not good for Betty or Daniel for her to constantly be taking care of him.  I think they can become better friends as sort-of peers. 

Plus, I think Daniel’s friendship with Betty made it possible for him to have a friendship with a woman without immediately sleeping with her.  Bradford’s original purpose for Betty had an interesting consequence.

I’m looking forward to all the new characters – including Natalie!

Image: Bauer Griffin

It would be incredibly wrong of me to go one more minute without posting a couple of pics of Ugly Betty’s Vanessa Williams at the Emmys this past Sunday.

Wow – what an absolutely beautiful, classic dress.  It’s from Rafael Cennamo, and this color is not only daring, but quite perfect for Vanessa.

But, what absolutely makes this look work is the incredible makeup by Sam Fine.  For an in-depth look at how Fine worked around the challenge of not only a very hot day, but this wonderful dress as well, check out this post.

“Because Vanessa’s dress choice was such a strong color, this forced me to re-address the neutrals I had in my kit,” admits Fine. “I wanted to go for a little more color in the cheek, as well as the lip, so I needed to find the perfect coral-pink shade, because true pink can be hard to wear.”

She was so perfect – she looked like a perfect porcelain doll – albeit one with great charm and humor.

Of course, Vanessa didn’t win Outstanding Supporting Actress (again).  It’s hard to be mad at the fact that the very deserving Kristin Chenoweth won.  I think Vanessa’s going to have one more chance, though.

But, congratulations to Williams for the nomination, and for showing the youngsters how you do the red carpet!

Images: SplashNewsOnline.com