(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…

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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.

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• 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!

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Ugly Betty

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.

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Ashley Jensen

(The Ugly Betty related baby boom continues.)

People Magazine reports Jensen and actor husband Terence Beesley welcomed son Francis Jonathan Beesley.  The boy already has a nickname:  "Frankie Jack".  That would really roll off Jensen’s Scottish tongue – what a great name!

Jensen and Beesley did not know the gender of the baby, and it wasn’t accidentally, it was on purpose. 

"We thought there are so few surprises left in the world," Jensen, 40, explained. "We wanted to be surprised, so we don’t have the room painted pink or blue."

Jensen, since leaving Ugly Betty, has been starring in the Jenna Elfman CBS comedy Accidentally On Purpose.  She is going to be going back to work soon.

Congratulations Ashley and Terence, and welcome to the world, Frankie Jack!

Image: Bauer Griffin

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What does she know about the role?  “They told me that Natalie is eccentric, spiritual and a little bit out-there. She takes [Daniel] on a wild night around Manhattan to break him out of his shell. And he ends up depending on her enough that he makes her his assistant. They also told me that, throughout whatever’s going to happen, her intentions are always pure. She has no [ill will], though at times it may seem so.”

So, I was wrong.  She won’t be “the bad guy”, but she may lead Daniel down the wrong path, I think.

Also, about that new haircut:  “The look, as we go on, is going to change. She’s going to have a bit of a transformation, not a big makeover, when she starts working at Mode, because I think she realizes what kind of place it is and what it stands for and maybe her look won’t necessarily fit in that well. So she does some adjustments to her look”, she says.

Of course, Sigler hasn’t proven me wrong enough yet, so how about this one, about a Natalie/Daniel relationship?  What does Sigler say?  

“No. They told me that from the beginning. This is not going to be a typical love interest role. Being a fan of the show, I don’t think it would be right so close to Molly’s death for him to meet a woman in a bereavement group and start dating her. All they told me was the plotline for the first episode and where it could go, which I think is more fun when you’re playing a character on episodic television. You can’t anticipate too much.”

(So, Maybe there’s something the writers aren’t telling Sigler )

Jamie Lynn also says that Bennett (from the Community of the Phoenix) will actually start hanging out at Mode.  She also confirms that Natalie has a five-episode arc (tonight is the third).

This is a great interview, and there’s more.  Go check it out, and come back and tell us what you think!

Image: Bauer Griffin

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You’ll recognize Stevens right away, because he always plays “that creepy guy”.  I remember a recurring role on CSI NY where Stevens was spectacular.  Then, of course, there’s the role he played on Lost (George Minkoski)

On Betty, he will play Mr. Z., a dry and sarcastic landlord.  When they cast the role, they were looking for a "New York actor who could go head-to-head with America Ferrera."

Personally, I love Stevens, and I think I’ll love what he brings to the show.

One thing we know his character will bring to the show is the fact that Betty will move back out of the house again.  We know this because Stevens cannot be the Suarezes landlord, because they bought their house last season.

I wonder, though, is this the apartment Amanda is living in (which supposedly Betty still leases), or will they get Betty another one? (I think she should get her own place in Queens). 

The whole “Betty moves back home” story line, I think was a mistake – especially since Ignacio was better and fooling around with his nurse a few episodes later.  I also believe that the production crew and writers did not all agree that this should happen.

Regardless, if Betty is going to get a new landlord, I can’t think of a better actor to play him than Fisher Stevens!

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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!

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Mark Indelicato

As far as Justin entering high school, Indelicato says, “Justin is a freshman in high school this year, and he’s not what the other kids are. The kids are superficial and don’t look at him for who he is. You’re new in a school, you’re around people you don’t know, you’re intimidated by kids who’ve been there longer than you. So that’s kind of the gist of his whole problem.”

[Me] – I’ve always loved how they’ve handled Justin’s “different-ness”.  Anyone who’s ever been to high school knows this was coming, and although the writers work around the edges of what makes Justin different, the effect is still the same.

Indelicato agrees, I think:  He says, “I am a sophomore in high school, so I know what it feels like. It’s a comedic show, but they’re not sugarcoating it at all — it’s real. The way they are portraying Justin is something, I think, that could change someone’s life. I’m trying to portray this as reality because I’ve seen this happen. I’m in it, so I know exactly what’s going on there.”

According to Mark, when the troubles start in high school, he will have an ally.  “Marc helps him out. I think he sees that Marc went through the same type of thing. He went to a public school and dealt with being different. I think he’s kind of a role model. [Justin] just loves fashion and is fascinated by Mode and the people who work there. And I think Marc is there to be a mentor and to say, "Look, it’s OK to be different, it’s OK to not be a jock and not do what everyone else is doing. Do your own thing because you’re going to be great no matter what." And that’s a big thing for Justin.”

[Me] – I’ve always though these scenes between Marc and Justin have worked well.  And, they kind of reflect reality, I think.  At Justin’s age, the last thing you want is your mother stepping in to save you when you get into troubles.  And for a young man, an older male mentor, who has been through what you are going through, carries more influence in your life.

About Hilda: “She wants to protect him [Justin] so much, but she can’t anymore because he’s growing up and she can’t really tell him what to do. It’s hard for her, but I think it’s something every mom goes through. She’s really trying to cope with him taking that step towards being a young adult and making his own decisions and fighting his own battles.”

Tonight is the night!  The Ugly Betty season 4 premiere begins at 8/7c on ABC.  I won’t be doing a live blog this season (those rarely attracted people who actually read here – they were…interesting), but I WILL be Twittering.  If you aren’t following UglyBettyNews on Twitter, now’s your chance!  And, of course, come back later for my quick thoughts and famous novel-sized recaps!

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