Ugly Betty patriarch Tony Plana celebrated a birthday yesterday (I wonder if he and America Ferrera, whose birthday is April 18th,  have a mutual celebration each year?).
Plana was born in Havana, Cuba in 1953.  In 1963, his family moved to Miami. He is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and was trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, UK. He has been married to actress Ada Maris since 1988 and they have two children.
Plana has been an outspoken advocate/spokesperson for Latinos in the entertainment field.
I will say this, and I’m pretty sure that many …read more

Today is an historic day in the United States. It would be if it were any presidential inauguration (sometimes we overlook how miraculous it is to have a peaceful transfer of power every 4 or 8 years). Of course, history looms extra-large over this inauguration with the swearing in of America’s first African American persident.
I’ve been wondering if any Ugly Betty stars made it down to Washington DC for the festivities, and what do you know? The first one I find is Tony Plana, who attended Sunday’s Voto Latino Inaugural Party.
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Remember all …read more

Here are a few photos of Ugly Betty’s Mark Indelicato and Tony Plana on Good Morning America yesterday morning. 
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They are quite a hoot (especially one of them).  Did any of you see this?  I’m trying to figure out what was going on.  So far, I haven’t been able to find video at YouTube or even ABC.com.  The caption isn’t really much help, either.
It’s almost as if Indelicato has surprised with something.  The look on Plana’s face is priceless.
If anyone saw this and can fill me in, I’d be forever grateful.
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EOnline’s Kristin has a pretty shocking spoiler in her Spoiler Chat column about Ignacio and Betty.
Mel in Temecula, Calif.: How about some Ugly Betty news?I’m hearing that Betty’s father will suffer a heart attack soon. Fortunately it’s not fatal, but it will prompt Betty to move back home.
Holy cow!  That’s huge.  I’m not sure how I feel about this one yet.
On the one hand, there is a great opportunity for some real drama, which America Ferrera can handle deftly.  Not to mention the fact that Tony Plana would have a major storyline for the first time this season.
But on …read more

America Ferrera, Tony Plana, and Ana Ortiz have gotten involved in a very direct way in California politics. Here is the video:
 

I guess now would be a good time for a little UBN policy reminder:  we don’t directly discuss politics here, but if Ugly Betty stars are in the news, we will discuss THAT. 
Here is a primer on Prop 8.
It is interesting that the three now technically spend most of their time in New York City, yet felt compelled to submit this ad in the middle of California politics.  However, Ferrera is a lifetime California resident, so it’s quite …read more

Ugly Betty’s Tony Plana and Mark Indelicato recently spoke with ETOnline, and of course, we’ve got the video!
There are no true spoilers in the interview (they talk about Christian Siriano, Nina Garcia, and Eddie Cibrian, who will be guest starring). However, it’s nice to see Indelicato in an interview – he really interviews well for such a young man. And of course, Tony Plana is a classic.
Plana says that Siriano is just the start: next season there will be more designers on the show, and for many of them, a line will debut on Ugly Betty! What …read more

Here’s the final set of photos of the Ugly Betty cast at the Alzheimer’s benefit “A Night at Sardi’s” in Hollywood on Wednesday. Let’s get to the MEN, shall we?
Mark Indelicato looks cool (although he’s so skinny I think David Blue needs to take that boy out for a few cheeseburgers), Tony Plana looks CLASSIC, we’ve already seen that David Blue cleans up pretty good, and chris Gorham is quite hansdsome here.
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MAN – I can’t wait till they get back to work. At this event, Ana Ortiz …read more

Ugly Betty’s Tony Plana (who we hope to see a little more in the coming episodes) will be appearing on Food Network this weekend.  He’ll be the guest on Simply Delicioso with Ingrid Hoffmann this coming Saturday, February 16.  Chek your local listings.
Plana’s character, Betty’s father Ignatio, is a great cook (a man after my own heart), it will be awesome if Plana knows his way around the kitchen in real life.  It would appear he does.  This episode of Simply Delicioso revolves around Hoffmann and Plana preparing dinner for friends who are joining them to watch TV.
Recipes include Black …read more

Tony Plana, Ugly Betty’s Ignacio, is part of a telenovella being posted at DeclareYourself.com .  It is called La Pasion de la Decision, and it’s all about getting young (I’m assuming Latino) voters to register.
In the first installment, Plana only makes an appearance during the opening credits, so there is obviously more to come.  But, I have to tell you, once I started watching, it had me hooked.  It doesn’t hurt that Rosario Dawson (Sin City) and Wilmer Valderrama (That 70’s Show) star as well.
Check out the first installment
It’s very well done, funny, and made me want to go register!

This past Saturday, a couple paid $50,000 for a walk-on part on Ugly Betty, and lunch with Tony Plana and the cast.  This occurred at the “Drive the Dream Gala”, held in Scottsdale, Arizona.  This event kicks off the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event.
Carole and Bob Machiz bought the walk-on role as part of a fundraising auction, one of many swanky, high-dollar auctions held during the night.  Tony Plana , (Ignacio) and his wife actress Ada Maris (Nurses), were present at the event.  They were joined by Caspar Van Dien and his wife Catherine Oxenberg, along with politicians like U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl and …read more