Newton, along with her husband Chris Diamantopoulos will find love on stage in the Encores! presentation of the Gershwin musical Girl Crazy, under the direction of Tony-winner Jerry Zaks in November.  The two will play lovers Danny Churchill and Molly Gray.  Wayne Knight (Chicago) is cast as Gieber Goldfarb.

The show will run Nov. 19-22 at City Center. Finian’s Rainbow director and choreographer Warren Carlyle will choreograph, with musical direction by Rob Fisher.

Girl Crazy has music and lyrics by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and Jack McGowan. According to Encores! notes, "The Gershwins’ fanciful Depression-era musical of 1930 is the tale of a sophisticated New Yorker (Diamantopoulos) marooned in a dusty Western cow town with no one who understands him but the Yiddish-speaking cabbie (Knight) who brought him there and no one to love but the only woman (Newton) within 50 miles."

Becki has shown glimpses of musical brilliance in snippets on Ugly Betty.  Though farce, her performances of My Milkshake and Gene Simmons is My Daddy revealed some pretty good pipes.

Becki and Chris have some pretty big shoes to fill, considering the roles were initially filled by Allen Kearns (Mickey Rooney in the film) and Ginger Rogers (Judy Garland in the film).  Becki, here’s the standard you have to live up to

Seriously, though, this is going to be awesome!  If you are in the New York area Nov. 19-22, you REALLY should go see Becki and Chris in this one!

Image: SplashnewsOnline.com

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Her seven things?

• Writing for a magazine (which she did with this story)
• Gymnastics – she face-panted trying to do a handstand, but still had a blast.
• Be a real-life magazine assistant.  She hung up 3 times on The Biggest Loser’s Jillian Michaels!  HA!
• Kayaking!  She did this on the Hudson with Self’s editor-in-chief Lucy Danziger.
• Learning the proper way to hold a paintbrush from her artist mom (awwww…)
• Having her husband photograph her first thing in the morning, sans makeup (Gutsy — awesome!)  Check it out here.
• Learning Salsa from choreographer Luis Salgado (I sense a Dancing With The Stars future for Becki)

This was a very endearing feature (but what’s not to love about the beautiful Becki Newton?).  Newton is a very good writer.  I like what she said about the view when kayaking:

“…And when I looked behind me, I saw my New York: beautiful, surreal, majestic. Who knew a kayak could give you such a fresh perspective on a city you thought you knew from all angles?”

Check out the whole thing!

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

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Becki is absolutely radiant here.  Her hair is pinned back (it is a makeup audition, after all), and she just shines.  Newton was around 26 years old when she filmed this, and though it’s obvious she’s really making an attempt to be charming, she succeeds in spades.

The story she tells (about being excited about buying a cappuccino maker to put in her brand new, first  apartment), reminds me so much of Betty at the end of episode 3.01, The Manhattan Project.  There is something wonderfully appealing about a young woman’s excitement about striking out on her own.

I don’t know if Ugly Betty can recapture that spirit, although the writers have a wonderful opportunity with Betty finally getting promoted to editor in season four.  Please, Ugly Betty writers, do not make Betty’s new responsibilities a reason to make her more angsty and sulky.  I realize America Ferrera does that well, but we fans have already seen that.

We’d love to see Betty excited and full of life, almost bursting off the screen. 

Just like Becki Newton does in this video.

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She gets a fireworks show every year on her birthday, that’s got to be awesome.  To have the figure she does, she probably doesn’t pig out on BBQ every year, though. 

Newton was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised in Guilford, Connecticut.  She graduated with a BA in European History from the University of Pennsylvania.  (I had forgotten this – I would imagine it would make her recent trip to the UK more meaningful).

On Ugly Betty, Newton has played Amanda Tanen (Sommers), Fey Sommers, and Ruthie (in 1.12 – Sophia’s Choice), a role she absolutely shined in.

She also was in the great movie August Rush.

Becki graced the July cover of Lucky Magazine (beautifully).  She told them at the time of the shoot, “I get excited around summer clothes—it’s the one season when you can put together a whole outfit without spending tons of money.”

Happy Birthday Becki!  I hope your hubby Chris Chris Diamantopoulos gives you the Queen for a Day treatment, then you get to enjoy some fireworks!

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

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Hmmm.  Simon Cowell?  I mean, I can see the personality compatibility, but it couldn’t last.  (Although I’d REALLY love to see Cowell’s very frank reaction to Betty’s wardrobe!)

Of course, she’s kidding, but on a serious note, I think I’m not alone in saying that Amanda most definitely needs a love interest.  Every other character (except Justin) on the show has had a go at a serious relationship – but Amanda is stuck in one night stand mode.  I guess you could count Tavares, the closet straight designer, but that was more of a fling.

I would suggest Matt, but I don’t think I can duck fast enough.  The pairing just doesn’t have any zing, although I could totally see Amanda going after the Sugar Daddy.  It would be interesting to see Amanda totally infatuated or even in love – her season 1 fling with Daniel showed a side we haven’t seen since.

Am I hawking this idea because I secretly wish to see more scantily-dressed Amanda bedroom scenes?  Well, that’s a pleasant side effect.  But really, although I’ve enjoyed Newton as the wacky sidekick, her character hasn’t had much to do in a while, and in a show with soap opera touches, falling in love is something to do.

Newton seems to be enjoying her European summer; I had never heard of “T4″ until I saw this video.

So, Ugly Betty writers, we’re reaching a consensus at UBN: Betty’s romantic entanglements are getting old – give us Amanda in love!

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A little more info: Challenged to turn last night’s party outfit into work appropriate attire, the contestants get crafty with anything and everything one would normally find in an office. For the elimination challenge, the designers are taken to a surprise location and find themselves working for a major force in the fashion industry — Veronica Webb will guest judge!

I love this premise, and it’ll be fascinating to see what the contestants come up with.  Becki serves as guest judge for the challenge, and adds a little insight herself.

You can see more preview clips at Bravo, and watch the episode on the network tonight at 10/9c!

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As a refresher, Fey Sommers was the “just-deceased” editor-in-chief of Mode as the pilot of Ugly Betty aired.  It turns out that Bradford Meade was having a longtime affair with Sommers.  As a twist, Fey poisoned Claire Meade using tainted perfume, which ironically drove Claire to murder Fey.  In yet another twist, Fey Sommers turned out to be Amanda’s biological mother (father unknown, although Gene Simmons pretended to be for a while). 

In the middle of all of that is something most Betty fans have forgotten: Fey’s casket, it turns out, was empty.  Since that moment, in season 1 I believe, the writers pretty much dropped the subject.

Some have speculated that Fey was the person Wilhelmina saw in the season 3 finale – whomever it was, it shocked her.  That WOULD be an interesting way to bring back the character.

Several actresses have portrayed Sommers (including Becki Newton!), but I am going to watch closely this summer to see if a middle-aged woman is cast in a recurring role.  OR, they could just let Newton play her.  THAT would make for some interesting episodes.

If it happens, I believe it will be solely because of internet chatter. Trust me, when Gene Simmons said he “Googles himself every morning”, he wasn’t too far from the truth.  You’d be amazed when you comment here and other places who is listening.

Be that as it may, I hope it happens, mainly because it will help return some of that wonderful season 1 intrigue to Ugly Betty.

Image: Newscom

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Here are some photos of the Ugly Betty star at the 2009 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in the UK.

(Image: SplashNewsOnline.com)

Well, that’ll wake you up in the morning.

I can’t decide if I love that pattern, or hate it.  Since it really seems to accentuate Newton’s beauty, I’d say I love it.

I do not know the results of the awards (news seems to be rather scant from the event – save for red carpet pics), but I do know that Becki was nominated in the “Comedy Actress” category, along with Vanessa Williams, Tina Fey, Jamie Pressley, and several actresses I’m not as familiar with:  Joanna Page, Karen Taylor, Katy Brand (from Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show – heh), and Olivia Colman.

It’s good to see a red carpet pic of Newton; there haven’t been many lately, and considering there seems to be something in the water on the set of this show, I was beginning to wonder…

More pics after the break.

(Image: Newscom)

(Image: SplashNewsOnline.com)

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They ran this one during Ugly Betty episode 3.24, The Fall Issue, and it just made me smile.  To see many of the characters from the various ABC shows “living in one house” is wonderful.

This one, of course, heavily features Becki Newton as Amanda.  First, Ty Pennington annoys her with his megaphone.  Then, at the end, she opens the bathroom door to see Sloane from Grey’s Anatomy, looks him over, and says in disgust, “Puleeease…”  Next, she opens the door to find Hurley from Lost brushing his teeth, who exclaims, “Dude…”, which she lustily returns.

Also, there is a quick shot of “Betty” (I’m assuming it’s a look-alike) at about the :38 mark.

But, it’s Amanda and Hurley that make this promo.  That, and Supernanny telling the Wipeout guys to “clean your balls before you come in the house”.  (Wipeout returns tonight, if your inner 12-year-old is dying to be found again)

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Whew, that was a mouthful.

Oh, my.  Even bling-less, Newton is just strikingly beautiful.  I like this dress (green is my favorite color anyway), and it fits her perfectly.

As Betty said in episode 3.18, A Mother of a Problem, opera, like fashion, is art.  And Newton took the time last night to partake in a wonderfully big event based on that art, and one of its most famous artists, Placido Domingo.

Ugly Betty has such an ensemble cast, by necessity it has to give at least one character short shrift on screen time.  This past week, we learned that the show suffers if Amanda gets almost no screen time.  I love Claire and Christina, and even Justin, but when they take a week off, it isn’t as noticeable as when Amanda is missing.  A show without Marc and Mandy just seems like it’s missing something.

Anyway, enough of my opinion.  Here’s another pic of Becki:

Those shoes!

Images: Splashnewsonline.com

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