Harper’s Island star Christopher Gorham says his return to Ugly Betty (this Thursday at 8/7c on ABC) was not entirely unexpected. 

“I got a call from creator Silvio Horta.  When I left the show the first time, he made it clear to me that he was hoping that I would be able to come back at some point. So it wasn’t a totally unexpected phone call. He wanted me to come back and do an episode near the end of the season and, of course, I was happy to do it.”

On his exit from the show, he says the responsible party was “the writers. It was a story problem. I always felt that Henry was kind of accidentally written off the show.”  (I always had that feeling, too, like they backed themselves into a corner and said, “whoops”).

Gorham says, “Everybody got so excited about America Ferrera and I together, so the writers immediately tried to save that relationship for the long term on the show, and their way of doing that was to start throwing obstacles in the way to keep us apart. I think what they underestimated was deciding to give him a baby. I don’t think that they realized what that really meant.”

Apparently, something we discussed at Ugly Betty News during season 2 was discussed behind the scenes: “At first, there was a lot of talk that they wouldn’t make the baby Henry’s. That they’d make it Dr. Farkas’ or something. But they didn’t want to cop out and not make it his. So we had long conversations about how Henry could come back with the baby having left his girlfriend Charlie and be a very sympathetic single dad in New York and how that could be really interesting because Betty’s dad is a single dad, too. But as Season 2 was winding down and they started breaking stories for Season 3, I think they realized the show isn’t called ‘Ugly Betty and Henry.’ It’s ‘Ugly Betty’ and there’s a lot of other characters and to really service that single dad storyline you’d really have to spend a lot of time on it. It just wasn’t going to work.

More (including some interesting quotes about the S2 love triangle) after the jump.

Read more

This is absolutely astonishing news: Henry (Chris Gorham) is coming back to Ugly Betty!  Ausiello breaks the news:

Christopher Gorham has closed a deal to reprise his role as Betty’s ex-love Henry, setting the stage for a geektastic showdown with her current beau, Matt (Daniel Eric Gold).

Un-freakin-believable.  There’s more:

Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta confirms to me exclusively that Gorham — who’s currently trying to stay alive on CBS’ Harper’s Island — will reappear in the show’s two-hour season finale on May 21 when Betty runs into Henry and his new girlfriend Chloe (played by Gossip Girl’s Dream Walker) in the Big Apple. To prove to themselves that they’ve moved on, Betty and Henry agree to go on a double date to a Mets game with their respective significant others.

[Me] Uh…stammer,stammer,deer in the headlights look, stammer, stammer…

Horta says, "As Henry and Betty reconnect, it could potentially threaten her relationship with Matt.”  He adds that he’s "really happy" to have Gorham back in the fold. "Chris has always been, and will always be, part of the Ugly Betty family."

Horta will not say if Gorham will be back next season.

But, you know what?  This shows me that the producers have figured out where their bread is buttered.  Yes, this probably means a return to the “ship” wars (although the Matt fan club seems kind of lukewarm, at least based on the comments here). 

Henry fans, out of nowhere, it seems, you have new hope.  Gio fans, this has got to be a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, you’ve got to be thinking “why not Gio (Freddy Rodriguez)?   On the other hand, this shows that the producers are open to the return of an old suitor.  The “single girl in the city” storyline is over.  Matt fans, if you weren’t here at the end of season 2, you have no idea what you’re in for.  All I can say is, fasten your seat belts.

I am absolutely gob smacked by this.  I THINK it’s a good thing, as long as it’s not a big tease.  I can’t wait to find out.

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

Check out this preview for the upcoming mystery / horror show Harpers Island.  One of the stars/victims/suspects is Ugly Betty’s Christopher Gorham, and he’s shed the geek look.

It seems like a combination of an Agatha Christie murder mystery and an 80’s slasher film.  It seems a little intense for us to watch with the kiddies, but intriguing just the same.

In the video, there’s a short snippet of interview with Christopher Goham, and several clips of some of his scenes (amongst others).  At the Harper’s Island web site, there’s also “biographies” of each character, including Gorham’s  (who is, once again, named Henry).

About Island’s unorthodox filming, Gorham admits it was a little unsettling. 

“As an actor, it requires an unprecedented amount of trust in your producers, because none of us knew what was going to happen,” he said. “None of us knew what our story arcs were going to be. There was no planning in advance. There was no planting of seeds. In a situation like that, you just have to trust your instincts, and trust that the producers know what they’re doing.”

“You say to yourself, ‘OK, I’m going to play what’s in front of me, and only what’s in front of me. And trust that when we get five episodes down the line, I’m not going to look back and regret the choices that I made, because something changed, because a relationship changed, because someone died . . .’ There was an extraordinary amount of trust involved.”

“On the flip side of that, I think it brought an incredible freshness to what we were doing. It made it incredibly alive, incredibly in the moment, and it made the whole experience a lot of fun. The funny thing is that, by doing it that way, we got to experience, as actors, what the audience is going to experience when they’re watching it.”

I know I’m going to at least DVR this show.  What about you?

Here is the info released by ABC about Ugly Betty episode 3.16.  It is entitled “Things Fall Apart”.  I’ll let you decide if that title is ironic, whole hiatus thing.  Here is the synopsis:

 Betty makes a surprising discovery when an assignment from YETI finds her and Marc analyzing Mode’s budget for the past year. Meanwhile she has to deal with increased attention from Matt (tastefully three-named Daniel Eric Gold) and the knowledge that old flame Henry has posted some unexpected news on Facebook.

I can’t WAIT to see what Betty and Marc find in the budget.  Remember Wilhelmina’s trip to Mexico that Henry uncovered?  Now THAT was funny.

Speaking of Henry…what the heck?  Henry?  Don’t get me wrong, this is actually a very good idea, production wise.  Whatever the news Henry posts about, having Facebook as a vehicle allows the producers to use the Henry character, without needing the presence of Christopher Gorham, who is otherwise quite busy.  (I saw the previews for Harper’s Island the other day, it looks incredible!).

So, here’s the Ugly Betty schedule, up to the hiatus:

• Episode 3.14, The Courtship of Betty’s Father, airs this Thursday, February 12
• Episode 3.15, There’s No Place Like Mode, airs February 19
• Episode 3.16, Things Fall Apart, airs February 26.

Now, the hiatus isn’t supposed to begin till March 26, right?  Does that mean there’s room for more episodes before the break?  Or am I missing something?

Anyway, I’m looking forward to the (virtual) return of Henry!

Image: Pacific Coast News

The baby boom surrounding Ugly Betty continues unabated. Christopher Gorham, Betty’s beau Henry from seasons 1 and 2, has become a new dad. He and his wife Anel have welcomed a baby girl into their family Saturday, Jan. 10, reports People Magazine.

Her name is Alondra Cecilia Lopez Gorham (love that name!). According to Gorham, she’s “perfect”. He and his wife also have two sons, Lucas and Ethan.

Gorham is only a part of keeping the baby-making streak for the show alive. First it was creator / executive producer Salma Hayek, and more recently new parents Eric Mabius, Rebecca Romijn and the newly expecting Ana Ortiz.

I hope when (and I say whan, not if) Ugly Betty renews for its fourth season, they include a nursery in the contract.

And of course, keep an “eye” out for Gorham on CBS, where he will be playing the lead in the upcoming new serialized drama “Harper’s Island,” in which he plays a groom at a wedding that soon becomes a nightmare when the guest get picked off one by one by a mysterious killer among them.

Congratulations Chris!

Image: Pacific Coast News

This week’s print version of TV Guide has a blurb about Christopher Gorham and his new show, Harper’s Island.  You can view a scan here.

Gorham says, of his Ugly Betty character Henry’s relationship with Betty, “The show got us together and had to think of ways to keep us apart”. 

There’s really no disagreeing with that.  We can argue whether the producers jumped the gun with the Henry/Betty relationship (as much as I like him, I think they did - romantic tension is always better, dramatically, than a healthy relationship), but there’s no denying that the whole love triangle thing was not handled well. (This is assuming that the story just abruptly ends early in season 3)

Back to the blurb, it mentions that Gorham’s character on Harper’s Island, Henry Dunn, is a “dashing groom”.  The plot of the show has friends and family gathering on the island, only to get picked off one by one by a mysterious killer. The killer is revealed in the season finale.

But there’s an interesting Ugly Betty connection: Adam Campbell, who plays a guest and subsequently one of the suspects, is married to none other than Jayma Mays, who of course played the girl we loved to hate, Charlie.  Asked if she could be the killer, Campbell says, “I live with the girl, so I know she’s got a sinister side.  Nothing would surprise me.”

Source: SpoilerTV

By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Christopher Gorham has signed on to star in CBS’ midseason drama “Harper’s Island. (What is is with CBS taking the stars of Ugly Betty when they leave the show?).

This was reported at the Hollywood Reporter.  The two trade magazines, Variety and Hollywood Reporter, are impeccable sources.  If HR says it, I have to believe it’s true.

(As a side note, HR, a spoiler of this magnitude needs to be hidden behind a jump!  Yeah, you have a “spoiler alert”, but at that point, it’s hard to stop reading).

What was VERY surprising in the article is that there was a blurb about Freddy Rodriguez, saying he “is not expected to come back for more than one episode”.

I really, really didn’t expect that.

They’re going to have to have a heck of a season premiere to explain this one.  Both exits are abrupt, especially Rodriguez (the plot of the show, and the producers had been dropping hints about Henry’s exit for a while).

I would imagine that Gio will stay in Italy, Henry in Tucson.  I was kind of hoping one, or both of them could be guest characters, dropping in from time to time to add extra tension.  Apparently, Silvio Horta did not agree, and decided that Betty Suarez needed a clean break.

I kind of thought this might happen, but I’m still surprised and a little disappointed.  Let’s hope Val Emmich can create enough heat to fill the void.

Image: Newsom

Here is the second segment of Christopher Gorham’s appearance on the Martha Stewart show. Pay VERY close attention to the beginning! He lets slip a very important plot point about the season finale of Ugly Betty!

I am pretty convinced that this means that Henry is coming back next season. Betty is NOT going to go away with anyone, and if someone like, say, Gio, were to go to a certain European country shaped like a boot, certainly he wouldn’t be on the show anymore.

I know all the hints have been about Henry leaving the show - now I’m not so sure.

By the way, the chicken they cook looks scrumptious!

Here is the video of the first segment of Ugly Betty star Christopher Gorham’s appearance on Martha Stewart’s show today. It’s quite funny when he banters back and forth with Martha, and he brought a clip!

(BTW, I created this clip myself, and it’s my first, so forgive any sloppy editing!)

Henry hits Gio! This wasn’t entirely unexpected, in fact, youkind of knew they’d come to blows.

After introductions, they cook chicken. Most of this clip is of Chris and Martha cutting up whole broiler chickens. I didn’t realise how funny Gorham is in real life till I saw this appearance.

BTW, there is another clip (coming very, very soon). Chris has an interesting (maybe) spoiler. My jaw just dropped when I heard him say it. Stay tuned, because you don’t want to miss it!

OK, so we Ugly Betty fans have all drawn the lines on who we would rather see Betty end up with, either Henry, or Daniel, or Gio. I have my own opinion which I’ve shared quite a few times. But now, I’d like to ask a question that I simply cannot answer, because I’m a straight male. So, you ladies (and gents) who are experts on male attractiveness, help me figure out who is hotter.

I mean, at first is wasn’t a contest; at the beginning of season 1, Eric Mabius was the man. There was no Henry or Gio yet, and although Marc (Micheal Urie) has his own unique attractiveness, Daniel was by far the best looking man on the show. Even after Henry first appeared, many found him adorable in a dorky kind of way, but no one would describe him as terribly attractive at the time (would they?).

And then came the dream sequence in episode 2.05 (A League of Their Own). OK, there’s obviously more to Mr Gorham than meets the eye.

Finally, there’s Gio. I included him because I don’t want to tick anybody off. I make no secret that I really love Gio’s character, but does anyone really consider Freddy Rodriguez to be particularly attractive? Maybe; what do I know?

So you tell me, who ranks higher on the hotness scale: Chris Gorham as Henry, Eric Mabius as Daniel, or Freddy Roriguez as Gio?

Play fair, ladies (and gents), but tell me what you think. You can base your hotness rating on the character, or on the actor. I would make this a poll, but I’m really interested in hearing your comments.

And remember, no matter how heated these discussions get, we can all agree that it’s a wonderful thing that whiny Walter is no longer in the picture.

Speaking of pictures, here are some photos (after the jump) to help you make up your minds:

Read more