EW’s Ausiello weighs in on the "Ugly Betty’s in trouble" sweepstakes with this Q&A:
Question: I heard that Ugly Betty is on the verge of being canceled. Can you give me any inside information on that? —Michelle Ausiello: I really don’t think Betty is in any immediate danger of getting pulled off the schedule. I mean, the ratings are bad but they’re not Dollhouse bad. Do I think ABC will renew it for a fifth season? Conventional wisdom says it’s probably a long-shot. For his part, Silvio Horta is preparing for either scenario. …read more

I don’t know what the heck is going on over there at ABC, but EW’s Ausiello is saying that the move of Ugly Betty to Wednesdays isn’t going to happen.  From his Ausiello Files post:
Question: What’s the latest word on Ugly Betty moving to Wednesdays? —Alec Ausiello: All signs point to… it not happening. ABC insiders tell me Betty is staying put on Fridays for now. The most likely candidate to inherit Eastwick’s Wednesdays at 10 p.m. timeslot early next year is Lost. Speaking of Betty, is it just me or is …read more

Our friend Ausiello at EW.com has a sneak peek of the second episode of the Ugly Betty webisode Mode After Hours.  Go here to check it out.
(Of course, since Ausiello has an exclusive on this, it’s not embeddable.  Dang, first Ausiello turns me down on a bro-date, then he won’t return my calls, then he won’t let me embed his exclusive Ugly Betty video – life is tough.  Just kidding.  I made the bro-date part up.  Although I’m sure it would be fun. )
Anyway, this video kind of shows you what they mean when the actors and …read more

It’s been no secret that Ugly Betty is planning to give its lead character, Betty Suarez, an updated look in the upcoming season four. Both executive producer Silvio Horta and costume designer Patricia Field have stated or hinted, for example, that Betty’s braces are going to come off. They’ve also hinted that her "getting there but not quite there" fashion sense was going to evolve.
According to Ausiello, how much that look evolves is going to depend on focus groups being conducted by ABC.
The executives are "showing test audiences two scenes from early in the season, both featuring a newly …read more

Our friend Ausiello at EW.com has some interesting Ugly Betty scoopage:
Question: Regarding Ugly Betty, got any spoilers that don’t involve Matt and Betty? –Kelcy Ausiello: Mode’s getting a new editor! Her name’s Amber, she’s in her 20s, she’s Asian, and is a master at the backhanded compliment. Casting is under way. Also, I’m hearing (and already laughing) about a possible mob subplot involving Hilda.
Interesting news about the new editor.  I like the backhanded compliment idea because it’ll add some missing snarkiness to the show (if you’ll remember, Charlie did this sort of thing …read more

Ugly Betty executive producer Silvio Horta confirms an eyewitness report from the filming of the show (via EW’s Ausiello):
Question: I’m writing you as I watch Ugly Betty film a scene outside the Woolworth Building, which doubles as Meade Publications Headquarters on the show. It looks like someone important has fallen from the building and onto a car. Who is it?! –RachelAusiello: Let’s ring-up executive producer Sylvio Horta and find out! (And by “ring-up” I mean conduct the interview I had previously arranged through ABC that just happened to coincide with your eyewitness report.) “Yes, someone plummets to their death …read more

EW’s Ausiello has a couple of Ugly Betty spoilers today.  First, in his Ask Ausiello column, comes this little tidbit:
Now, the bad news: Daniel is going to have to sell his soul to bail out Meade. And by sell I mean dress up in a bunny costume at the behest of some rich tycoon named Hartley. Oh, how the boring mighty have fallen.
Does that last sentence mean we can count Ausiello amongst those who are tired of the Daniel / Molly pairing?  Although, I don’t think Daniel himself has been boring; it’s been interesting watching him grow.  But, the …read more

EW’s Ausiello addresses an Ugly Betty question in his Ask Ausiello column, and I’d be remiss, even with everything that’s going on, if I didn’t pass it along.
Question: Is Ugly Betty killing off Ashley Jensen? –Henry Ausiello: Nah. My Ugly mole assures me that a much happier ending awaits Cristina. One that involves a kidnapping, a medical test, and a reunion with the two men in her life.
So, those lingering doubts I had in the back of my head about the writers killing off Christina are turning out to be needless.  They aren’t …read more

EW’s Ausiello moved his “Ask Ausiello” report to Thursdays, and boy, oh boy did he make it worth the wait for Ugly Betty fans:
Question: Anything good coming up on Ugly Betty that you can tease? — Sandra
Ausiello: You mean aside from a fourth season? (Phew!) Um, let’s see… someone will get married, someone will die, and Betty will find herself with a surprising new boss.
OK, we knew someone would die (we’ve all been assuming it’ll be Molly based on Kristin from EOnline’s hints). But MARRIED? Where did this come from? Based on where the …read more

The news about Ugly Betty’s future has been all over the place. The original press release from ABC about the show’s benching was way too open-ended, and caused all kinds of speculation. Many web (and even news) sites erroneously reported that Ugly Betty was being “cancelled”, or the almost-as-ominous-sounding “shelved”.
[...Pats self on back for resisting and sticking with the word "benching"]
Thank goodness for blogging. Yesterday, Michael Urie, one of the show’s stars, helped calm many of us with this posting at his blog. He says,
come on, really? Here are the facts:
We are going …read more