Let’s take a  break from all the Ugly Betty ratings/schedule/ending craziness (yes, I know Lost is not going to Wednesdays – but ABC hasn’t announced what IS, as far as I know). 

Let’s skip an episode – we have all week to talk about episode 4.07, Level(7) With Me.  Here is a cool video someone assembled from the promo pics for episode 4.08, The Bahamas Triangle (Warning -MUCHO SPOILERS!).

Warning to the hearing-enabled: this has a Shakira soundtrack. 

Everyone looks incredible.  Vanessa Williams is gorgeous as usual.  Is that one-piece Becki Newton wearing at the :40 mark incredible or what?  It looks like they let Pat Field and crew go nuts.

One question I have: is this AFTER Daniel’s cult de-programming, or do you think the trip IS Daniel’s de-programming?  He just looks so lost in many of the photos.

The 1920’s flashback scene looks like it will be awesome.

Bigtime spoilers happening at the 2:12 mark.  Funny, the promo pics I’ve seen of Connor in the Bahamas had him kissing Wilhelmina on the beach – this is quite different.  I can’t WAIT to see how this plays out.

I did not see Matt Newton (Troy) in any of the photos – did I miss him?  (although the pic at 1:06 is probably from a scene between Troy and Marc – he looks quite enamored).

This is going to be the most incredible episode!

EW’s Ausiello weighs in on the "Ugly Betty’s in trouble" sweepstakes with this Q&A:

Question: I heard that Ugly Betty is on the verge of being canceled. Can you give me any inside information on that? —Michelle
Ausiello: I really don’t think Betty is in any immediate danger of getting pulled off the schedule. I mean, the ratings are bad but they’re not Dollhouse bad. Do I think ABC will renew it for a fifth season? Conventional wisdom says it’s probably a long-shot. For his part, Silvio Horta is preparing for either scenario. “Obviously, we all want the show to continue, but I don’t want to get caught off guard and have them tell me it’s the last season and have to wrap everything up in one episode,” he says. “So I have two season-ending arcs planned — one where it’s the last season and one where we continue for another one.”

Interesting that he doesn’t get into the question of Betty moving nights or staying on Fridays – which is THE critical question for Betty right now.

But, I’m glad that the show’s producers are working on two season-ending arcs.  First, it shows they aren’t giving up yet. At the same time, it means they are actually putting some thought into how the series will end.  Obviously, many of us disagree with the whole Benry finale idea, but at least it’s a real ending.  (Plus, it gives the other writers time to talk Horta out of it).

Ausiello also gives us some insight into what’s going to happen with Justin:

Question: I loved last week’s episode of Ugly Betty. Justin’s storyline was heartbreaking and triumphant at the same time. When will he finally come out? —HH
Ausiello: I’m guessing by the end of the season, but Betty boss Silvio Horta would only say that Justin will continue “struggling with his identity and his journey is going to be funny, heartbreaking, moving and powerful.”

Horta has always been more sure of where he’s taking Justin as the show progresses (compared to other characters); that’s why Justin, IMHO, is the most compelling character on the show.  

Image: Bauer Griffin

If the producers of Ugly Betty wanted to increase interest by whipping up controversy about the show’s romantic endgame, well, executive producer Silvo Horta put an end to it rather quickly.

(and foolishly, IMHO)

According to TV Guide Magazine, Horta wants to reunite Betty and Henry (Christopher Gorham), if indeed season four is the final season.  Guide says Horta believes Henry "is the true love of Betty’s life."

Hey, I’m just the messenger here. 

Let me first say this:  I don’t think a Benry pairing would be the worst ever ending for the show (that would be if they brought back Walter and Betty ran off with him   ). 

Even though Betty/Daniel is the pairing I’d most like to see, and that hookup has happened in every previous version of the show, I just think Horta shouldn’t have said anything about his Benry preference yet.

Why dash the hopes of Daniel, Gio, Matt, and Bobby fans so soon in this (most likely) final season?

The Ugly Betty writers have been wonderful this season with surprises (did anyone see Justin’s "I’m not gay" declaration coming?), so I have no idea why Horta would tip his hand in such an important area.

Now, for what it’s worth, the TV Guide article does not have a direct Horta quote, but this IS TV Guide, so we have no reason not to believe the gist of the story.  They DO, however, quote Chris Gorham:

“I’m certainly attached to the idea of Henry and Betty being together.”

I’m trying to figure out how this news fits in with EOnline’s Kristin’s story about a divided Ugly Betty writers team.

I’ve told you what I think.  So, tell me what you think of this (let’s play nice!).

Popping popcorn…

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

Speculation has begun to run rampant since Chris Gorham posted this on Twitter yesterday:

On the Ugly Betty set . . . visiting. Just visiting. : )

Then today:

Notes from Ugly Betty set – Everyone is well. Ana Ortiz’s daughter is beautiful. Giant hanging props (you’ll see) are hilarious.

Needless to say, Chris Gorham on the Ugly Betty set raised a lot of eyebrows, since many assume that if Ugly Betty gets cancelled and has its season finale THIS season,  characters from seasons past would show up – something that often happens in series finales.

Chris posted a clarification:

And, again, NO, I’m not back on Ugly Betty. Just dropped by to visit my friends. 

Alas, Ugly Betty fans are a little on edge right now, with the horrible season 4 ratings and all, and we worry that Gorham’s appearance might mean a little more than just a friendly visit.

EOnline’s Kristin picked this up and ran with it.  She says, “Inside sources tell me that ABC has been working on ways to try to save Ugly Betty (including the possibility of moving it to Wednesdays, as previously reported); however, if ratings don’t improve by mid spring, it’s possible that Betty will be canceled in May.”

(I think it’s safe to say that if the ratings don’t improve, Betty WILL be canceled).

A Betty insider says to Kristin:  "The writers have accepted that this season may be the last and are brainstorming endings now, just in case. The big question is: Who will Betty end up with? The writers room is deeply divided."

Hoo boy.  If this does come about, and I pray it doesn’t, we get to go through the ship wars again.  Those season 2 days were crazy, but in a way they were fun, too. 

And to you Gio fans, he is in the writers’ discussion, according to Kristin.

I hope we don’t have to worry about these things till next season, but Betty cannot survive on Fridays, critical buzz or not.  It’s all going to come down to whether or not Ugly Betty gets moved to another day/time. 

I haven’t given up hope yet, but at the same time, I’m preparing for the possibility that this season is the last.

Image: SpalshNewsOnline.com

I DID almost forget to tell you this (thanks for the reminder, Anna).  Ugly Betty’s America Ferrera is nominated for a People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Comedy Actress.  I think she has a pretty good chance; here is the complete list of nominees:

• Alyson Hannigan
• America Ferrera
• Amy Poehler
• Eva Longoria Parker
• Tina Fey

If this were not the People’s Choice Awards, we could go ahead and crown Tina Fey, but when you get outside of NY/LA entertainment circles, things aren’t quite so one-sided.  Tina Fey is seen as smart, but not necessarily the genius who should automatically get every comedy award.  She’s funny, but she’s not any funnier than any of the other nominees.

(And yes, I think 30 Rock is a great show)

I think Amy Poehler is funny, but she’s stuck on a not so good, not particularly funny show.

I think Ferrera is due, especially if you count her work on Ugly Betty season four. 

So, Ugly Betty Fans, I urge you to go to The People’s Choice Awards site and vote for America!

Image: INF

There has been a little confusion about the upcoming schedule for Ugly Betty, mostly caused by the previously announced preemption for Shrek the Third on November 20th.  Here is the latest ABC official press release about the next Ugly Betty episode (that I can find), which was from November 9.

"Level (7) with Me" — Daniel lets the leaders from the Community of the Phoenix call the shots at Mode, and Bennett’s promises to reunite Daniel with his dead wife prompt Betty to action. She schemes with Claire on breaking through to him with an ingenious plan and finds unlikely allies in Matt and Amanda. Meanwhile, Wilhelmina has let herself go, wearing sweats and garden clogs in public, prompting a tabloid feeding frenzy and spurring Marc to dig deeper into Nico’s mystery, on "Ugly Betty," FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Note: This program was originally scheduled to air November 20.

"Ugly Betty" stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, Judith Light as Claire Meade, Becki Newton as Amanda, Michael Urie as Marc, Mark Indelicato as Justin, Daniel Eric Gold as Matt Hartley and Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater.

Guest starring in "Level (7) with Me" are Jamie-Lynn Sigler as Natalie, Dylan Baker as Bennett Wallis, Alec Mapa as Suzuki St. Pierre, Sarah LaFleur as Molly, Yaya DaCosta as Nico Slater and Piter Marek as Oskar Castelar.

The episode was written by Chris Black and directed by John Fortenberry.

I have seen nothing that says that this episode will not air November 27.  (As an aside, isn’t it weird that they still call Piter Marek’s character Castelar?)

After the jump, I’ve got the press release about episode 4.08 (The Bahamas Triangle), airing December 4, which has some mild spoilers!

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Here is the full recap for Ugly Betty episode 4.06,  Backseat Betty.  Quick thoughts:

What a great episode!  The show seems to be getting more realistic (more on that in a bit), but isn’t losing any of its appeal – in fact it’s getting better.

Of course it was a dramatic episode, but there were some quick comedic gems –

• Ignacio:  “I think he’s the one who stole our Baby Jesus.”
• Amanda: “At least I’ll always have that cold sore”.
• Claire (after Matt fumbled with calling her a “girl”):  Good.  Now I know I won’t spend my time texting and worrying about boys.
• The eye-narrowing stare-down with Marc when WIlli insists there are plenty of models “in their upper 30’s”.
• Amanda worried about how the beads frame her “Chest-icles”
• Wilhelmina’s quip about Angela Landsbury wanting to rat her out to the co-op board.
• Amanda: Level 5?  Is that where we touch each others’ junk and call it a massage? I want to do it!
• Bennett asking for Amanda’s beads back (Silvio Horta is almost trying to get sued by the Friends of Tom Cruise, I think!)
• Wilhelmina: You [the press] had me sleeping with everyone from Madonna to JFK…only one of which was true.

The drama: Marc’s look when Justin’s embarrassing moment happened was so perfect.  That whole storyline was compelling from end to end.  And Hilda’s storyline with Ignacio and their Homecoming past explained a lot, and was also fun to watch.  I like when Ignacio gets all heated in an argument.  But, of course, this episode was Justin’s

I’ll say this right now:  although many of us are tired of Betty’s romantic angst, and many of us have already chosen our ‘ship’, I really like what Bobby (Adam Rodriguez) brings to the show.  His scene where he he made the jaywalker apologize to Betty reminded me of Santos in his best moments. No, I don’t want him to end up with either Betty or Hilda, but there’s just something about him that brings something the show has needed for a while.  (Part of me wants to say ‘testosterone’  )

That being said, certainly his episode arc will end with him going to jail, right?

Speaking of, although I don’t like how Archie is being blown off, I can tell you, what’s happening with him  and Hilda is realistic.  Having spent my life as an Archie (and some as a Larry), I can tell you, girls, especially the “good ones” are going to go for the dangerous guys every time, and we “safe” guys always lose the comparison.  (The good news is, to any “nice guys” reading this, we end up running the world, so it evens out).  I sincerely hope Hilda stays with Archie.  But, I have to admit, this storyline is quite interesting.

It’s taken them most of 4 seasons, but I think they’ve finally hit the right tone on Betty and Hilda’s sibling rivalry.

Justin’s declaration at the end, when you think about it was realistic, too.  And Marc’s reply was brilliant.  And it leave us wondering where all of this is going to go.

Oh, and if you think you-know-who is really dead, I’ve got a bridge I’d like to sell you.    BUT, I’d love to know what the heck he’s up to, how he’s pulling it off.

Full recap after the jump.

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It looks like the promo for tonight’s episode of Ugly Betty didn’t give any clue about the big stuff that will be happening on tonight’s episode (4.06, Backseat Betty).  EW’s Ausiello gives tonight’s episode mucho amor, then gives us some cryptic spoilers.

It  looks like, based on what’s being said by Ausiello and at AfterElton, this is going to be an excellent episode, keeping par with what has already an excellent season.  Low ratings or not, I’m starting to see buzz about Ugly Betty that I haven’t seen in a couple of seasons. 

Anyway, according to Ausiello, it looks like tonight:

• “CSI: Miami’s Adam Rodriguez kicks off his multi-episode arc as Hilda’s bad-boy ex and promptly finds himself embroiled in a love triangle with the sisters Suarez. One minute into his debut, and I couldn’t believe Miami let this guy go.”  Even though a (hopefully short-lived) love triangle is not what many of us want to see, I like the sibling rivalry aspect of it, and Adam Rodriguez is very good, so he will add some spice to the show.
• “An embarrassing-turned-empowering incident at school leads to a major turning point in the ongoing saga of Justin’s sexuality that is alternately shocking and heartbreaking.”   Hmmmm.  All indications to me are that Justin will all but come out this episode.  “Embarrassing-turned-empowering” almost sounds like some of the things Betty went through early in season 1.  I expect the writers to handle this brilliantly.  Brent Hartinger of AfterElton puts it this way:  “Finally, Justin does answer the question, "Are you gay?" and it is — and isn’t — the answer you think.”

Some interesting spoilers after the jump…

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Ugly Betty gets a little highbrow street cred (wait – that’s an oxymoron!) with this Michele Norris interview of Michael Urie on NPR.

They talk about the character Marc’s beginnings, how Vanessa Williams made it possible for Urie to shape the character from a temporary throw-away into one of the show’s main characters.  Urie has told this story many times before, and still shows a great deal of humility and gratitude to Vanessa.

There is a great deal of discussion about Justin (and Marc’s mentor relationship with him).  They replay that wonderful scene with Patti LuPone in episode 1.18, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, in which Marc finally comes out in response to his mother scoffing at Justin. 

Then they talk about tonight’s episode, 4.06, Backseat Betty, where Marc gives Justin advice on how to handle bullies. 

"Marc’s advice is to befriend the cheerleaders, because the cheerleaders are the mean girls, and the mean girls lead to popularity," Urie says. "And if he’s with them, he won’t get messed with. And so that’s what he does."

There is also a fascinating exchange about Justin serving as a role model, and how the show treats gay characters in general. 

“And they’re not just a joke anymore," says Urie. "They deliver the punch lines, but they are not the punch lines."

Marc may oftentimes BE the punch line,  "but not for being gay, for being silly. We don’t make gay jokes on the show. … They’re smarter than that. And we’re not catering to an audience who thinks jokes like that are funny."

There is a video sneak preview on the interview page that I haven’t seen anywhere else (sorry, I can’t embed it) – it involves Marc and Justin in what will probably be the most interesting story line tonight (and strangely, the least hyped).

The page has some on the interview, but you really must listen to the audio – it goes in depth, and has that wonderful All Things Considered tone to it. (Click ‘Listen to the Story’)  Go check it out.

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

I don’t know what the heck is going on over there at ABC, but EW’s Ausiello is saying that the move of Ugly Betty to Wednesdays isn’t going to happen.  From his Ausiello Files post:

Question: What’s the latest word on Ugly Betty moving to Wednesdays? —Alec
Ausiello: All signs point to… it not happening. ABC insiders tell me Betty is staying put on Fridays for now. The most likely candidate to inherit Eastwick’s Wednesdays at 10 p.m. timeslot early next year is Lost. Speaking of Betty, is it just me or is the show kind of on fire right now? Every episode this season has been a winner. I’m even staying awake during the Daniel scenes!

So, I don’t know what to believe anymore.  EOnline’s Kristin and AfterElton painted a completely different picture, all from "inside sources". 

Until ABC makes an announcement about the midseason schedule, we just won’t know what’s going to happen.  Don’t forget, with Hank cancelled, there’s going to be more shuffling around (will The Middle stay at 8:30 ?).  Wednesday at 8 is another possibility for Betty, although the ratings would still suffer against behemoth American Idol.

As for part 2 of Ausiello’s answer, it seems to be universally accepted by most critics and fans that Ugly Betty is MUCH better this season than it has been in a long time.  It would be a shame for Betty to go all Pushing Daisies on us, and get considered for Emmys while getting cancelled at the same time .

More, including spoilers, after the jump.

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