Let me tell you about my love/hate affair with UGLY BETTY. On the one hand, it’s colorful, often hysterically funny, beautifully shot (in high-def) on location in my favorite city, New York, and is set within the publishing industry, something I know a little bit about, having worked on magazines all my adult life.

On the other hand it’s infuriating: sad, bittersweet and repetitive. It’s lead character, Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), seems to have not learned a thing in her four years working at Mode magazine; she remains too trusting, unable to read others’ personalities, and thus too willing to help those who are only going to stab her in the back in return. She is frustratingly unaware of the fact that there’s a fine line between being a sweet naïf and being a doormat.

I give more credence to this argument than the one that says Betty should be a fashionista by now after being at Mode for 3 years (although the show is entering its 4th season, theoretically Betty’s only worked there for 3).  Some people just do not have ‘the eye’ for fashion, no matter how much they are surrounded by people who do.

But the mere passage of time should have ensured that some of Betty’s innocence should have worn off by now.

Don’t get me wrong – the writers have a very fine line to walk here.  Sure, they have to address concerns like this; the show does tend to get repetitive.  At the same time, to borrow a phrase from executive producer Silvio Horta, Betty must retain her “heart”, else the show will lose a major ingredient in the show’s original popularity.

Betty has to grow, yet remain likeable.  I think in the season 3 finale, the writers mostly succeeded.  Yes, Betty’s actions treated Matt badly, but at the same time she was human in a perfectly understandable way.  That’s life; sometimes that which we desire is not what is right for others we love.  It’s one of the conflicts grownups face all the time – and Betty’s getting old enough to qualify for that distinction.

Next season, Betty will finally have that editor’s job, and she’ll finally lose the braces. I think these will be outward signs of more subtle changes in her character.  We’ll see if that happens. 

Image: Newscom

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Field herself calls Betty’s style “kooky couture.”  What amazes me is that the enthusiasm for Betty’s kooky look has been spilling over into the tents at Bryant Park during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, on and off the runways.

Designer Catherine Holstein’s Fall 2008 collection featured models in oversize thick-framed black glasses, blunt bangs and tight neat buns. They were hipster librarians in long men’s-style cardigans over vivid yellow, blue and patterned miniskirts.

“The glasses I didn’t expect to be so prevalent in the collection,” Holstein said backstage before her first runway show for Spring/Summer 2009 this week.

“I didn’t mean for it to be geek chic. It did end up that way in the end, and I was more than happy for it to be that way because I think it’s cool.”

She’s stayed with the nerdy theme this year, adding a look inspired by Nintendo pixilation.

The Betty invasion of the fashion world continues:

“I looked at Marc Jacobs’ show from Monday night and I felt like, ‘Wow, that’s a Betty silhouette,’” says Molly Rogers, associate costume designer for “Ugly Betty.” “The colors and the patterns and the mix of everything.”

Now, there are some who might say that the fact that Betty is becoming a fashion icon destroys the spirit of the show, but I would disagree.  Betty has not compromised herself – the world has embraced her as she is.  This is a good thing!

Check out this slide show of ‘Betty Couture” from the runways and on regular New Yorkers!  This is so cool.

What do you think?

Image:Newscom

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She says, “Betty’s a hero now. People come up to me and say, ‘I love that show. I love the message it’s sending’. 

The best thing, as far as Jensen is concerned, is that the show has “changed people’s expectations”, highlighting “honest and true” qualities over superficial ones.

“Betty is such an important role model for young girls. What she stands for is great. It’s OK to be real and honest and true.

“It’s insane that we’ve all got to be thin, brown and perfectly groomed. People don’t care about whether you’re a kind or honest person.”

I’ve noticed that many, many more lead characters in films and television shows feature “real” women, flaws and all. Although Betty is a caricature, she has opened the doors for the “geek chic” that we’re seeing in Hollywood today.

This is a good thing, and the producers of Ugly Betty deserve much credit for blazing the trail.

Also, it’s good to be hearing from Jensen – she has had a lot of tabloid news come out this summer; it’s refreshing to see her in the news in a more normal context.  It looks like her character is going to be VERY important in Ugly Betty season 3, helping Betty as she becomes independent (not to mention carrying Wilhelmina’s baby).

Source: Showbiz Spy

Image: Newscom

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I love the fact that it is sixty seconds long, and they take their time with it.  If there was any doubt about Ugly Betty becoming a Single Girl in the Big City series, this promo should put that to rest.  I really think this will be a good move – now there are endless possibilities for stories outside Mode and the Suarez house.  Think “Mary Tyler Moore”.

Betty obviously gets her own apartment, and quite possibly the Val Emmich character is going to be a “crush” for Betty.  We’ve yet to see Betty have an unrequited love – this is the stuff of music montages.

I love when Betty surprises her family as they are painting her apartment.  It took me several viewings to figure out it was them.

I am very, very excited for this coming season!

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What she is wearing is noticeably not-quite-fashionable, yet is pleasing to the eye nonetheless. 

It looks like this new Carrie-Bradshaw-wannabe Betty will be present from the very first episode in season 3.

I’ll be honest:  the whole idea is growing on me.  It’s Betty, yet it’s not her at the same time.  It reminds me of when my wife gets a drastically different haircut – she’s familiar, yet mysterious at the same time.

I know many have problems with this direction.  It is awful sudden, and it kind of goes against the Betty ethos that clothes do not make the person.  I hear you, and on a certain level I agree.

However, I think this new ‘un-style’ of Betty’s is serving two purposes:

1. It lets Betty grow as a person, even though she’s not quite sure what she’s doing.
2. It is a visible and outward sign that the show is going to go in a radically new direction from season 2.

Finally – see what Betty’s wearing again?  Her Boleyn “B”!

So, now I leave it up to you.  What do you think?  Do you like the fact that Betty is attempting to be more fashionable?

Image: Newscom

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As an aside, I know that the world is upside down when I do an image search for “America Ferrera” and have to sort through three pages of Lindsay Lohan photos before I get to the first one of Ferrera.

Now, I know many of you have a problem with the slightly more fashionable Betty, and in a way I understand the sentiment.  Betty is Betty – we love her as is. 

But, I’m not so sure it should stay that way.  I recently saw an interview with Patricia Field (if anyone can find a link, I’d appreciate it) where she basically said that Betty’s style would be evolving.  Her reasoning was that there is no way Betty could be immersed in the high-fashion world and not have some of it rub off.

I don’t know much about fashion, but I know people.  This is pretty spot on, IMHO.

Now, what we are seeing in the set photos, I believe, is a manifestation of the show’s theme this year: Betty is stepping out on her own, declaring her independence, and discovering who she is.  These are Betty’s first, halting steps toward her own style.

She’s been around the fashion world long enough to know what the elements are – she just doesn’t know how to put them together.  Kind of like when a really smart toddler starts using big words, but out of context.

Now, I am still a firm believer that Betty should never “become beautiful” not only because I disagree with the Hollywood and Madison Avenue definitions of beauty, but also because the Raison D’Etre for the show would cease to exist.  And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I really like writing about Ugly Betty.

Image: Newscom

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As expected, Lohan’s character, Kimberly (I’ve also seen it as “Kimmie”) is working at a fast food restaurant. Some captions have described this scene as a fight between Lohan and America Ferrera (or rather, their characters). Indeed, in one of the photos, you can barely see Ferrera inside the restaurant, Lohan outside, and what looks like milkshake all over the just-closed door.

Apparently Betty and Kimberly aren’t getting off to the best of starts.

It’s good to see some of the Lilo filming finally underway. The 40 or so seconds in the finale last year was quite a letdown.

BTW, a little teaser. Betty is wearing a ridiculous outfit in this scene. We’ll discuss that tomorrow, and the fact that I think I know where Patricia Field is going with the costuming, and I think I like it.

More Lohan, Lohan, Lohan! pics after the jump!

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Image details: Diesel Hosts The 13th Annual Gen Art Film Festival Launch Party served by picapp.com

Actor Val Emmich (Cashmere Mafia) is joining the cast of Ugly Betty as a recurring character.

I’m always glad to see new faces on the show.  What I didn’t expect, though, is the story line Emmich will be involved in.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Emmich will play Jesse, a potential love interest for Betty (America Ferrera).

What????  Another one?  Of course, this gives credence to my theory that Betty “chose herself”.  It also makes me wonder if EITHER Henry or Gio will have major roles this year.  That ought to make for some interesting conversation.

But I worry about this.  I’m afraid Betty’s love life just isn’t enough to sustain the show.  Are we going to have still another “ship” pop up?  And what the heck would you call it?

There’s also this (and this is where I get into trouble, I’m afraid).  If the premise of the show is that Betty is not-so-beautiful, and is trying to fit in where everyone IS beautiful, isn’t it quite a stretch that every man she runs into wants to be her boyfriend?  Even Bow Wow?  Yes, I know she’s beautiful in her way (I love her, too), I’m just thinking of how things are out there in the real corporate world.

But then again, these romances stir interest in the show (and subsequently, this blog), so what do I know?  I trust Silvio Horta and the new writers to do what’s best.

I will be REAL curious to find out the story line of this one.  I hope they keep it at the “sexual tension” level throughout the season – that’s always funnier.

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This one highlights all three of the Ugly Betty ’ships’:

• Benry (some people call it Hetty): Betty and Henry
• Detty: Betty and Daniel (their relationship is strictly platonic right now)
• Getty: Betty and Gio.

The video uses the song by Natasha Bedingfield, “I Wanna Have Your Babies”, which is hilarious, IMHO.  The video is edited in a way that shows romantic possibilities with all three men (although Henry had a head start on the other two).

Betty will be going in a new direction next year, but looking back, it was fun while it lasted!

This post is part of a 24-hour marathon being held on June 20th called The Blog Off. I’ll be posting one post per hour all day for charity. You can help contribute, by offering posts (which enters you in a contest) or donating to The Actors Fund charity.

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Placing the picture of Gio and Betty in the park into the picture frame Betty was packing was a nice touch, and couldn’t have been easy to do.  And, of course, since my love heyday was the 80’s, I love the choice of song, Survivor’s “Is This Love”.

Don’t worry Henry fans, you won’t be left out!  There have been some wonderful Benry fan videos, and I’ll share one of my favorites soon.

This post is part of a 24-hour marathon being held on June 20th called The Blog Off. I’ll be posting one post per hour all day for charity. You can help contribute, by offering posts (which enters you in a contest) or donating to The Actors Fund charity.

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