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

Post from: Ugly Betty News

I’ll agree with the commeters who have said that something is not quite happening with the dress. From the waist up? Gorgeous. The bottom half would have been good, too, had the dress been floor-length. There’s just something…I don’t know…poofy about it as it was.

That being said, America’s hair and makeup was absolutely beautiful. In fact, it might be the prettiest I’ve ever seen Ferrera “made up”.

It’s a shame that Ferrera didn’t win Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for her work in Ugly Betty, but really, we expected it. The Academy is in love with Tina Fey.

More Ferrera pics after the jump.

Post from: Ugly Betty News

From the beautiful, classy, extra-long strapless dress, to the blingage to the perfect makeup – Jensen was nothing less than the classiest lady on the red carpet.

Hopefully, one day, she’ll win for her work with Ugly Betty, which I think is underrated (Vanessa Williams and Becki Newton get more screen time, so they are usually first in line for Supporting Actress nominations).

I love this pic with her husband, Terence Beesley:

More pics of Ashley (and husband) after the jump!

Post from: Ugly Betty News

BUT, this year was kind of spotty for Ugly Betty. So, if you want Ferrera to win (and I so desperately DO – we get it, Hollywood, you like Tina Fey – enough already), it would be of concern just which episode was submitted to showcase America’s talents.

I am pleased to let you know that somebody bought a clue and submitted by far the funniest America Ferrera episode of the season: 2.12, Odor In The Court.

I think she has a chance. This was the episode where they just let Ferrera do her thing. Because of the plot (a drugged perfume made her hyperactive and Henry-crazed), she was uncharacteristically the strangest person in the room.

This was a great choice! To refresh your memory, here was one of the best moments from that episode:

Good luck, America!

Post from: Ugly Betty News

After an absolutely awesome shout out from his blog, a little birdie told me that ABC considers David Blue an Emmy-worthy guest star.

Update: Here’s the submissions from ABC for Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty (David Blue – “A League of Their Own”)
Ugly Betty (John Cho – “A League of Their Own”)
Ugly Betty (Victor Garber – “Grin and Bear It”)
Ugly Betty (Freddy Rodriguez – “Bananas for Betty”)
Ugly Betty (James Van Der Beek – “Grin and Bear It”)
Ugly Betty (Mo’Nique – “I See Me, ICU”)
Ugly Betty (Annie Potts – “Zero Worship”)
Ugly Betty (Marlo Thomas – “Something Wicked This Way Comes”)
Ugly Betty (Lorraine Toussaint – “How Betty Got Her Grieve Back”)
Ugly Betty (Gabrielle Union – “A Thousand Words by Friday”)

(Hat tip: Sarah)

As seen on this blog, Ugly Betty has seen some incredible guest star appearances (although I’d really say that IMHO, only Blue, Gabrielle Union, and Mo’nique had appearances that were Emmy worthy – Mo’nique, just because she made me laugh so hard!).

Unless Freddy Rodriguez is considered a ‘guest star’ on the show; if so, he should be considered as well.  OK, one more I’d add: Jayma Mays.

But, if the academy is seriously considering Britney Spears, and would have considered Lindsay Lohan had she not withdrawn her name from consideration, then why not one of the many Ugly Betty guest stars?

Hopefully, Blue will be added as ‘recurring’ next year (would that fall under ‘Best Supporting Actor – Comedy’?)  In any event, we’ll have to see if Blue makes it through the committee to a nomination.

Nevertheless, congratulations are in order for David Blue!

Image: Newscom

Post from: Ugly Betty News

Ugly Betty cast members are well represented in the dream ballot. The following were “nominated” on the dream ballot:

• America Ferrera, Lead Comedy Actress. She’s on this list along with Marcia Cross, Dana Delaney,Tina Fey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss. America is, as usual, a no-brainer, if only for her performance in episode 2.16 ,Betty’s Baby Bump. The academy seems to prefer Tina Fey’s “I’m oh-so sardonic and smarter than everyone else” style of comedy, though.
• Vanessa Williams, Supporting Comedy Actress. I like it – Wilhelmina has been wonderfully evil this season. However, I would have found a way to nominate Becki Newton. She stole more scenes this year than anyone.
• Michael Urie, Supporting Comedy Actor. Finally! Somebody gave the Julliard grad his due. Ausiello says, “Urie, meanwhile, went beyond flamboyance, hitting a bull’s eye himself when Cupid took aim at his character.” True, True.

Ausiello’s list does, however, bring up something that has always bugged me: Ugly Betty does not have a male lead. Not really. I know that Eric Mabius comes close, but his character is, when you boil it down, a supporting character. Most weeks, his screen time is about the same as Michael Urie. None of the romantic characters in Ugly Betty are leads, either. Chris Gorham and Freddy Rodriguez are supporting cast.

Of course, a show doesn’t have to have a male lead, but it bugs me that Mabius, Gorham, and Rodriguez will never be nominated for awards, because they are supporting actors, and, let’s face it, Urie gets 80% of the male comedic lines per show. They supply more drama than comedy. They do a great job, but they are kind of stuck in no-man’s land when it comes to awards nominations. When you think about it, Ashley Jensen, Ana Ortiz and Judith Light are in the same boat. It’s going to be hard for any of them to be nominated ahead of Williams and (hopefully one day) Becki Newton.

But heck, I’m just waiting for Urie to get his due.

Ausiello’s full list after the jump:

Lead Comedy Actress
Marcia Cross (Bree, Desperate Housewives)
Dana Delany (Katherine, Desperate Housewives)
America Ferrera (Betty, Ugly Betty)
Tina Fey (Liz, 30 Rock)
Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (Christine, Old Christine)

Lead Comedy Actor
Alec Baldwin (Jack, 30 Rock)
Larry David (Larry, Curb Your Enthusiasm)
Adhir Kalyan (Raja, Aliens in America)
Jim Parsons (Sheldon, Big Bang Theory)
James Roday (Shawn, Psych)

Supporting Comedy Actress
Kristin Chenoweth (Olive, Pushing Daisies)
Swoozie Kurtz (Lily, Pushing Daisies)
Amy Pietz (Franny, Aliens in America)
Wanda Sykes (Barb, New Christine)
Vanessa Williams (Wilhelmina, Ugly Betty)

Supporting Comedy Actor
Neil Patrick Harris (Barney, How I Met Your Mother)
Tyler Labine (Bert, Reaper)
Jack McBrayer (Kenneth, 30 Rock)
Chi McBride (Emerson, Pushing Daisies)
Michael Urie (Marc, Ugly Betty)

Image: Newscom

Post from: Ugly Betty News

Im curious, who was your favorite?  For reference, check out the pics here, here, here, and Vanessa Williams is inside my live thread here.  I didn’t have a pic at the time, but here’s Eric Mabius:

Now, I’d like to hear what you think.  Who was your favorite?

Post from: Ugly Betty News