• 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

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Wow – what an absolutely beautiful, classic dress.  It’s from Rafael Cennamo, and this color is not only daring, but quite perfect for Vanessa.

But, what absolutely makes this look work is the incredible makeup by Sam Fine.  For an in-depth look at how Fine worked around the challenge of not only a very hot day, but this wonderful dress as well, check out this post.

“Because Vanessa’s dress choice was such a strong color, this forced me to re-address the neutrals I had in my kit,” admits Fine. “I wanted to go for a little more color in the cheek, as well as the lip, so I needed to find the perfect coral-pink shade, because true pink can be hard to wear.”

She was so perfect – she looked like a perfect porcelain doll – albeit one with great charm and humor.

Of course, Vanessa didn’t win Outstanding Supporting Actress (again).  It’s hard to be mad at the fact that the very deserving Kristin Chenoweth won.  I think Vanessa’s going to have one more chance, though.

But, congratulations to Williams for the nomination, and for showing the youngsters how you do the red carpet!

Images: SplashNewsOnline.com

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Pardon my fawning, but Salma is still one stunningly beautiful woman.

I love the jewelry, and how it seems to match the hem of her dress.

Spoiler alert: the awards show airs tonight on ABC, so if you don’t want to know who won, quit reading, just hit the ‘more’ button to get more Hayek.

The awards themselves were an Ugly Betty-palooza.  Hayek was given the Anthony Quinn Award for Industry Excellence.  Lauren Velez (UB’s Elena) won TV Drama Actress for her work in “Dexter”.

But the night belonged to Freddy Rodriguez and Nothing Like The Holidays, which won three awards.  Excellent!

The wires just don’t have much info about any of the other awards, so we’re just going to have to watch them together tonight to find out if there were any other Ugly Betty related winners!

More Salma after the jump!

And I would be remiss if I didn’t include this one: 

Images: SplashNewsOnline.com

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Basically, Vanessa sang a re-worked version of Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You”, with new lyrics singing the praises of various daytime stars.

The coolest part was the video playing simultaneously that inserted Vanessa into all of the shows she was singing about.  Some of the video work was VERY good, in others it was obvious that Williams was inserted.

The best line (and scene) was probably “I know that Ellen approves”.  Vanessa really showed of her comedic skills at that point.  When she looked at the camera it was impossible not to laugh out loud.

I thought overall Williams did an excellent job with the material she was given.  Her dance with Gilles Marini was not quite Dancing With The Stars season finale good, but it was good nonetheless.  She looked wonderful in all of her costume changes (I counted five).

As a whole, the show was entertaining, although it got a little uncomfortable about 45 minutes in when the show was obviously running behind, and they rushed through everything.  I felt as if some of the nominees and winners were shortchanged.  You just can’t fit an awards show into 2 hours.

All was made well, though, by the spectacular Sesame Street number.

Good job, Vanessa!  You’ve got a future in hosting, if this acting and singing thing doesn’t work out! 

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I normally skip the Daytime Emmys, but I’m not going to miss this one.

Vanessa is going to dance with Dancing With The Stars runner up Gilles Marini.  Also, in addition to introducing guests who will hand out 17 awards, she will open the telecast with a parody number.  Vanessa has become quite the comedienne.

On top of that, the award ceremonies have moved from the Kodak Theatre to the downtown historic landmark, where Judy Garland performed her vaudeville act in the ’30s and where “American Idol” has held auditions.

"We’ve returned the glamour to these awards to match the glamour of that old theater and beautiful building," said executive producer David McKenzie, president of Associated Television International. "The Orpheum is one of the greatest assets we have in this city and we need to preserve all of these theaters that exist downtown."

About hosting the Daytime Emmys for the first time, Williams says,  "Live TV is wonderful because it’s like theater, so there’s a certain energy that you certainly have when something is being performed live — and I’m always up for an opportunity to perform.  I think having a musical theater background lends itself to being versatile in terms of not only reading copy but, in my case, being able to break into song. And that’s always my comfort zone."

There will be a tribute to “Guiding Light”, which goes off the air on Sept. 18 after 72 years.  (I didn’t know that!)

Also, “Sesame Street," which turns 40 this year, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Sandra Oh ("Grey’s Anatomy"), who played a Cookie Fairy on the PBS show last year. Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Gordon and Oscar the Grouch will perform. 

40 years – dang I feel old.

Here’s one part I like:  there will be a fashion show segment featuring couples from all of the soaps in a nonstop photo shoot, anchored by Tyra Banks.  This pays tribute to the behind-the-scenes costumes and makeup folks.

The Daytime Emmys air on the CW at 8 p.m EDT.

Image: Fame Pictures

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Guess who else is nominated in this category?  Ugly Betty stars America Ferrera and Ana Ortiz. 

Will Ferrera lose once again to someone on 30 Rock?    Just kidding.  Hayek was VERY funny on 30 Rock and would deserve the award if she wins.

There’s no TV Movie Drama category, or certainly Ortiz would have been nominated for her work in Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story, as was the case with the Imogen Awards.

The ALMA Awards, in their 15th year, celebrate Latino achievements in film, TV and music.  This year they will be hosted by Eva Longoria Parker.

Salma is also receiving a special achievement award, the Anthony Quinn Award for Industry Excellence. 

For the testosterone set, Ugly Betty’s Tony Plana and Mark Indelicato (yeah!) received nominations as Best Actor in a TV Comedy. 

Also of Ugly Betty note: alum Freddy Rodriguez was nominated for his work in Nothing Like the Holidays, along with co-star Elisabeth Peña.

Ugly Betty honorees in the behind-the-scenes category include Salma Hayek and Silvio Horta as executive producers, and hairstylist Mary Ann Valdes.

The ALMA awards will be held/filmed September 17 at the Royce Hall Auditorium at UCLA and will air Friday, September 18 (8:00 to 10:00 p.m., ET/PT), on ABC.

See the whole list of nominees at the official website.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

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The Imagen Awards were established in 1985 by Helen Hernandez and producer Norman Lear to encourage and recognize positive portrayals of Latinos in the media.

America Ferrera won Best Actress in Television (an award I was surprised she did NOT win last year).

Ana Ortiz won best supporting actress in Television; she has long deserved recognition for her great work in Betty.  Based upon the spoilers we’ve heard thus far, I think this coming season will offer more opportunities for accolades for Miss Ortiz, if Betty can survive the Friday night curse.

Speaking of Ortiz, Betty did NOT win Best Primetime Television Program because it was beaten by  a TV movie that Ana Ortiz co-starred in: Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story.  We first told you about Ortiz’s work on the docu-drama here.

Perhaps the greatest honor of all, though, went to Ugly Betty executive producer Silvio Horta, who was presented the Creative Achievement Award.

Interestingly, Beverly Hills Chihuahua won Best Feature Film. 

Noticeably absent were the categories of actress in a feature film and supporting actress in a feature film. They were eliminated from contention this year because they failed to meet the minimum number of entries required for award consideration.

Congratulations America, Ana, and Silvio!

Source: Hollywood Reporter

IMage: Newscom

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First, the good news.  Vanessa Williams was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.  She has been nominated in this category for each of Ugly Betty’s 3 seasons.  Maybe the third time will be a charm for her. 

"I’m thrilled and honored to be nominated again this year," Williams told Insider. "I love my show and my character, Wilhelmina, and this recognition is truly icing on the cake."

Nominated alongside Vanessa in the Supporting actress category are Kristin Chenoweth, Amy Poehler (SNL), Kristin Wiig (SNL),Jane Krakowski, and Elizabeth Perkins.  All deserving, I’ll admit.  I think Williams has a better than average chance of finally snagging the award, but that could just be me being a homer.  Nevertheless, I think this year is her biggest chance.

The other nod for Ugly Betty from the Academy was for costume design, which I know is just going to delight some of you .  Say what you want about Pat Field’s designs this year: yeah, many times they were weird, most of the time unrealistic, but they stood out, they caught the eye, and you knew when you saw them you weren’t seeing some run-of-the-mill sitcom.  Yes, Ugly Betty deserves this one, although Pushing Daisies and Mad Men will give the show a run for its money.

Read about the bad stuff, after the jump.

Now for the elephant in the room.  No, America Ferrera was not nominated as Best Actress.  I’m mostly in shock, because since the show’s debut, Ferrera has never NOT been nominated for any major comedy acting awards.  And, I thought she was just as good, if not better, in season 3 than season 2.  However, Sarah Silverman’s nomination effectively knocked Ferrera out.

I had high hopes for Michael Urie, Ana Ortiz, even (as a longshot) Eric Mabius in the supporting categories.  Alas. 

The snubs that most surprise me the most are…art direction, makeup, cinematography, hair.  Ugly Betty is STILL the most beautiful show on television.  And they did it all in a new city in season 3.  I’m flabbergasted at those snubs.

And the more I think about it – didn’t Bernadette Peters deserve a nomination for Guest Actress on a Comedy Series?  Yes, Tina Fey deserves to win this category (she singlehandedly brought SNL back from the dead with her portrayal of Sarah Palin), but Peters was outstanding in Ugly Betty.  Had she guested on 30 Rock, I would bet she’d have been nominated

Is it just me, or do many of the nominations, which you can find here, signal the further decline of broadcast scripted shows?  Cable and animation, that’s the future, apparently.  Unless you’re 30 Rock, of course. (No sour grapes from me this year, I promise!)

Anyway, congratulations Vanessa Williams, and Pat Field’s costume team!

Image: Bauer-Griffin

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He doesn’t give an entire list, but Slezak is operating under the assumption that Vanessa Williams is a hands-down favorite for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy for her portrayal of Wilhelmina Slater on Ugly Betty.  And, although I agree (she’s shown some incredible range in season 3), we Vanessa Williams fans have been burned before when it comes to television’s highest honor.

Williams has been nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Ugly Betty seasons 1 and 2, but she was beaten by Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl) in 2007, and Jean Smart (Samantha Who?) in 2008. 

Considering those two shows have been canceled, perhaps it’s finally Vanessa’s turn?  Maybe Williams will be the favorite this year.

Slezak lists four dark horses for the supporting actor/actress awards.  He gives a nod to Keir Gilchrist, United States of Tara,  Hamish Linklater, The New Adventures of Old Christine.  He then says the following about Michael Urie: 

Watching Marc strive for love and a better career proved alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, and proved Urie is every bit as valuable to the Ugly Betty cast as the more heralded Williams and America Ferrera.

I couldn’t agree more – like I’ve said, Urie has absolutely shined this past season, becoming almost a co-star.  Granted, the writers gave him more to work with than Becki Newton or Eric Mabius (who was also great this year!), but Michael ran with it.  I’d love to see him get the nomination, but it’s hard to break past the usual suspects (Neil Patrick Harris, Jon Cryer, half the cast of Entourage).  We’ll see.

Finally, Slezak gives props to Ana Ortiz.  In the past, I’ve clamored for Becki Newton to get a Supporting nomination instead of Ana, but this year, Ana probably deserves it a little more.  (Sorry Becki – it’s not you – the writers struggled all year with Amanda).  Ana Ortiz, however, has not only been hilarious at times, but she got her drama on several times (most notably, episode 3.12, Sisters On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – not my favorite episode, but Ortiz had some great scenes nonetheless).  AND, she had two romances!

All this being said, most likely Vanessa Williams will be the only cast member to get a supporting nomination.  I don’t think the Academy was very fond of Ugly Betty’s second season, and they probably won’t give Ugly Betty the look it deserves for season 3, which is a shame.

But, here’s hoping they ALL get nominations! 

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• The show was nominated for Choice TV Show – Comedy (along with Hannah Montana, How I Met Your Mother, iCarly, and The Office).
• America Ferrera was nominated as Choice TV Actress – Comedy (along with Miranda Cosgrove, Miley Cyrus, Jenna Fisher, and Eva Longoria Parker)
• Vanessa Williams was nominated for her portrayal of Wilhelmina in the Choice TV Villian category (along with Spencer Pratt, Zachary Quinto, Michael Rosenbaum and Ed Westwick).
• Michael Urie received a nom in the “Choice TV: Fab-u-lous” category.  His competition is Perez Hilton, Carson Kressley, Rex Lee and Miss Jay.
• Urie also recieved a nomination for Choice TV: Sidekick (along with Jake T. Austin, Allison Mack, Jennette McCurdy, and Emily Osment). 
• Tony Plana was nominated in one of my favorite categories:  Choice TV: Parental Unit (along with Billy Ray Cyrus,Rob Estes and Lori Loughlin, Molly Ringwald and Mark Derwin, and Matthew Settle).

I love it!  And this means I’ll definitely watch the awards show this year (Airing Monday, August 10 from 8-10 on FOX).

Of course, in the past, All the nominations for Ugly Betty had a hard time overcoming the lure of Hannah Montana to the target demographic, although based on my daughter’s taste, I’d say iCarly is stealing some of Miley’s thunder.

The best chance, I think, is Michael Urie’s nominations.  He really deserves the “Fab-u-lous”  win, if I’m reading the meaning of the category correctly.  I mean, hasn’t Marc been incredible this year?    He’s practically become a co-star, all the while retaining his, er, fab-u-lousness.

And Urie’s sidekick nomination is a no-brainer.  He’s deserved that since season 1.

Congratulations to all the Ugly Betty nominees!

Image:

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