America looks GREAT, and she’s really got this red carpet thing down (thanks to time and Vanessa Williams).  America is wearing a black Moshino safety pin-embellished crepe dress paired with gold peep-toes.

Speaking of Vanessa:

The lady can still bring it in this LBD.  Check out the two-toned shoes!

Becki Newton was there.  She wears this ruffled Prabal Gurung Fall 2009 sleeveless top and striped tulip skirt well, although with my agricultural ancestry,I have an overwhelming urge to get clippers and shear her.

Congratulations to America Ferrera and the Ugly Betty cast for supporting such a wonderful cause.

There are many more photos after the jump, including a very layered Tony Plana, Michael Urie looking a little tired after a whirlwind few days (sun and sand notwithstanding), and an old friend Ugly Betty fans will recognize right away.

Also, Ted Allen (my favorite foodie nerd) was there, so I had to throw in a pic of him!  Check them out…

Images: Fame Pictures

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I see that we have the return of Bearded Mabius, who always appears in the Ugly Betty offseason.  Since filming on Betty season 4 is already underway, I think we have to assume the Mabius’ beard will make it onscreen.  Perhaps it will be an outward sign of Daniel’s mourning of his departed bride, Molly.

Mabius’ real bride, Ivy, looks lovely here,  That is an extremely flattering dress.

And, of course, Mr Mabius always looks sharp.

Also at the special screening were George Hamilton, Eli Roth, Vanessa Ferlito, Mike Myers, Gina Gershon and John Stamos, and many others.

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The event was hosted by  Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore.  As I side note, have we seen the end of Peters on Ugly Betty?  Plot wise, after stealing Betty’s dream job, is there anything left for Jodi to do?  I still think it would be cool for her to pop up from time to time, allowing Betty a chance to get even a little.  Any excuse to have Peters back on the show – every time she’d do that sing-talk in season 3 I just had to smile.

And I’s like to put Mary Tyler Moore on my list of hopeful Ugly Betty guest stars.  Since Betty keeps oscillating between lover and single girl in the city, who better to give a little advice to Betty about the latter?

The event, in its 11th year, was founded by Peters and Moore to connect homeless dogs and cats with potential pet parents.  Dozens of celebrities were at this year’s event, including not only Urie and Newton, but Angela Lansbury, Hope Davis, Sutton Foster and David Hyde Pierce, and many more.

More after the jump!

“In 2002, the rate of euthanasia among shelter animals was at 74 percent of total intake, Moore told Playbill. “We are proud that as a result of our efforts in 2008, the number of animals killed in New York City shelters has dropped to 39 percent of total intake.

“That means nearly 15,000 fewer animals have been euthanized in our city’s shelters compared to 2003.”

“We’re moving steadily toward our goal of ensuring that every healthy and treatable dog and cat in New York City has a home,” Peters added.

As a side note, Perez Hilton was quite smitten with Urie:   “Michael Urie was looking super ridiculously cute this weekend while participating in the 11th annual Broadway Barks event to help a number of homeless cats and dogs find new homes! But more importantly… Who’s cuter: Michael or the adorable pup Michael’s holding????”

As for me – hey, Michael is great, but c’mon!  Becki Newton in a short skirt with a pug?  Ruff! 

BTW, for those of you on Facebook, check out Broadway Barks Facebook page – filled with info and lots of pics!

Images: SplashNewsOnline.com

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Nightline did a story about it last year, and Urie was one of the people featured:

Hi-larious.  It’s kind of a funny push-back from our “tell and show everyone everything all the time” reality society.  I believe I remember where Urie once read from Miley Cyrus‘ book, which would have been so funny you couldn’t see straight.

Joining Urie at The Gramercy Theatre, 127 East 23rd Street (at Lexington) are B.D. Wong, Kristen Johnson, Jackie Hoffman, Rachel Dratch, Frank DeCaro, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, and they’ll be reading from fellow celebrities like Madonna, Miley Cyrus, Diana Ross, Elizabeth Taylor, Ivana Trump, Star Jones, Burt and Loni, Tommy and Pamela, Zsa Zsa and more.

The show starts at 9:30 pm, and you can get Orchestra cabaret table seating for just $25 (normally $40).  See Urie’s blog for more details.

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Vanessa doesn’t wear black much in these public events (forgive me if her dress is navy). The pattern is really interesting, but doesn’t distract from the overall look.

The NewNowNext Awards (produced by cable network Logo),  are celebrate the best in pop culture from a GLBT point of view.  From the website of the awards:

The NewNowNext Awards are bringing you another celebration of fresh, freaky and up-and-coming pop culture, celebs and saliva-inducing stuff. Every year we hand out awards to the new, now and next stars of film, TV, music – and your iPhone.
This year, the awards will air on Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. The event is hosted by none other than the legendary drag racer RuPaul, and will feature tons of special guests and performers like Vanessa Williams, Britney Spears, Cheyenne Jackson, Morningwood, and more.

I have no doubt they will be absolutely fabulous.

As for Vanessa, and her character Wilhelmina, I didn’t think they could pull it off, but the writers of Ugly Betty were able to bring the character back to the scheming, clawing, evil character we knew from season 1 and parts of season 2, almost seamlessly.  I found it interesting that they also added a bit of intrigue with the search for Connor. It reminds me of the intrigue in season 1 with the Fey Sommers mystery.

As an aside, I don’t think the man Wilhelmina hired was a “hit man” per se, but y’all are probably right- he’s not a private detective either, because killing Connor may or may not be part of the deal.  For now, we’ll just call him a “shady character”.

More great pics of Vanessa after the jump!

Image: Newscom

All other images: SplashnewsOnline.com

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Hey, if you’ll remember, David Blue had a killer Subway commercial.

Gold is really starting to grow on me.  I think where his real comedic talent lies is playing it straight while ridiculous things are happening all around him.  Sort of like Bob Newhart back in the day.  There’s no better environment for that kind of comedy than the world of Mode and Meade, and the Suarezes.  Throw in a dysfunctional, rich family, and Gold has a, er, goldmine of opportunity to look confused and bemused.

I thought they went overboard in Ugly Betty episode 3.20, Rabbit Test, with Matt’s “disappointed” look.  But, I think Gold’s stint on the show can produce some great comedy, if the producers use him correctly.  Just put him in a room with Marc and Amanda and let them go!

Oh, and the commercial is funny – I love the spot of spray tan!

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Pictured are Miss_T, the fabulous Becki Newton, and Meg.  Strike a pose, ladies!

Anyway, a LOT was revealed during the Q&A.  It’s all recapped nicely at the Futon Critic, but they requested that other sites link only (no quotes), and I always honor that type of request.  So I’ll only summarize what was discussed:

• Vanessa Williams will be singing “The Man that Got Away” with Christine Baranski in an upcoming episode.  Woot.
• The musical episode (according to Silvio Horta) will happen next season.
• The mode set was inspired by the iPod.
• We’ll discuss these in depth soon, but upcoming guest stars will be Rachel Dratch (as twins), Tommy Hilfiger , Billie Jean King, Rachel Maddow, Adele, and Antonio Sabato Jr.
• The wedding (which we now know will be Daniel’s) was filmed at The Planetarium.
• Tony Plana would like to release a cookbook entitled, “Ugly Recipes for Beautiful Food”.
• There will be a “new boss” at Mode, and it will be someone who has already appeared on screen.  I say it’s Betty.
• The braces will come off next year.
• Pat Field finds many of Betty’s clothes at consignment stores and Century 21.

There was, of course, much more.  I am told that the Getty Girls in attendance REPRESENTED, and that Silvio Horta knew of their existence.  How could he not?  The GG’s are nothing if not persistent. 

What an awesome night, and we’ll be discussing some of these things for months to come!

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According to EOnline, Williams will be performing along with Natasha Bedingfield and the legendary Barry Manilow, along with several characters from Sesame Street.

Jimmy Smits will be hosting.  Awesome!

The same EOnline report mentions the lineup at the DC Memorial Day Concert.  At that shindig, Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna will be hosting, and Katie Holmes will also be taking part!

The fireworks at the DC Independence Day celebration are some of the best you’ll ever see.  I really wish I could be in Washington that day, to see diva Vanessa Williams and take in the fireworks.

Apparently, Vanessa did this same gig in 2006.  Here’s video (although it’s a little rough) of her singing a duet with Elmo at that year’s Capitol Fourth celebration:

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Beautiful!  America is stunning in this light blue Malandrino Resort 2009 dress.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear a dress with such a plunging neckline, even at the Emmys.  And, the cover photo behind her is quite beautiful as well.

Also present were Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alum Alexis Bledel , along with Chrishell Stause, and of course, Becki Newton, Vanessa Williams, and Tony Plana.

Newton wore 3.1 Phillip Lim winding zipper ruffle dress, which looks wonderful on her, but kind of makes me dizzy.

Vanessa Williams wore a Matthew Williamson Ambroise georgette dress.  It’s one of those prints that only Williams can get away with. 

You can find an in-depth view of the fashion of the event here.

More pics after the jump!

Images: Newscom

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Vanessa and daughter Sasha both look quite spring-like (which kind of gives me spring fever).  In case you didn’t know, Williams plays Miley Cyrus’ pushy agent in the film.  I think most of her part of the story line occurs at the beginning of the film, but I do know that Vanessa spent some time in Tennessee (where the bulk of the movie was filmed), so perhaps she has a bigger role than I am imagining.

Also at the premiere, which occurred at the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood, were the members of Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, and of course a plethora of the usual Disney Channel stars.

It’s funny, my daughter has kind of outgrown Hannah Montana (so she says), so that takes away my cover for wanting to go see this movie.  Having had the television show on in the house for three hours each day for over two years, I’ve become quite attached to the characters, and would like to see what becomes of Hannah and her friends. 

More pics of Williams after the jump!

Images: Bauer Griffin

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