There has been a lot of talk the last few days of ABC being on some kind of anti-gay crusade with moves at its shows and that Ugly Betty is part of it. I don’t know enough about the former, but I can tell you that the latter is ridiculous in the extreme.

Some background: on Grey’s Anatomy, lesbian couple Callie Torres and Erica Hahn were broken up, with Hahn leaving the show. Full disclosure: I don’t not watch Grey’s (I know many of you do). I’ll leave it to others to determine if the move was creative or part of some gay-character purge.

There is also talk of other changes in shows like Brothers and Sisters. Once again, I don’t watch many other ABC shows besides Ugly Betty and DWTS. It had always been my understanding that ABC has been, by far, the most gay-friendly network of all.

Maybe there’s something to the complaints. But to claim, as many have, that Ugly Betty is part of some anti-gay crusade, because of the demotion of Rebecca Romijn (and her transgendered character), and the firing of (gay) writer/director Marco Pennette just makes the accusers look silly.

Let me make something perfectly clear: removing Romijn from major character status is due to three things:

1. Romijn is very pregnant. Her character is transgendered. Although UB is an over-the-top soap, how the heck could the writers make that situation work?
   There were creative problems.
2. Several producers have said that Alexis’ story lines were wearing thin, and there was nowhere new to take the character. I agree with the former, and only partially with the latter. But, I trust the writers when they say they were running out of things for Alexis to do. I think that’s why she vaccilated between being good and evil or the last 9 or 10 episodes.
3. Every major move in the show the past 7 months or so has been part of producer Silvio Horta consolidating power and flexing his muscle. Silvio has been very up-front about this; he felt the show had lost its way and needed to get back to it’s “heart” from season 1. Personally, I like where he’s taking the show, but others might disagree.

For you newcomers, Silvio Hiorta, the man with most of the power surrounding Ugly Betty, is himself, gay.

Every major storyline in the show has a gay character (I count Daniel/Wilhelmina, because Marc is always shadowing Willy). Ugly Betty introduced the first gay character that I can remember (Cliff), who wasn’t a stereotype. A gay, fat slob? I’ve known a few, and his character is as refreshing as he is realistic.

And don’t get me started on Justin. Has there ever been a character like him on television? Are the critics blind? If you asked me four years ago if there would ever be a gay child coming of age on TV, I would have said :impossible. Horta has been subtle but revolutionary with the character Justin.

I can’t speak of the other ABC shows. But to lump Ugly Betty in with criticism of ABC for an anti-gay bias is just plain silly.

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Ugly Betty producer Silvio Horta recently spoke with the Los Angeles Times,and in the process revealed some interesting specifics about the upcoming Ugly Betty Episodes. More on those in a bit, but first, let’s look at some of the other things Silvio said in the interview.

On the process that caused him to make moves to bring Betty back to its heart: “Well, I moved into a new place last year, so it was kind of bare and empty. So I started to actually furnish it. So I was picketing, and then I did some traveling around Christmas time. I went to Cuba for a week at one point — and I knew the strike was coming to an end, and when we started working, there’d be no downtime for the foreseeable future — so I cashed in my miles and went to London and Paris. And there I broke my foot. . . . Having that time to do nothing but sit down and think and reflect, I started to just gain a lot of perspective on the show and what we’d done and what we’d done well and what we hadn’t done well. I came back with renewed energy, a renewed clarity on what the show was and what I wanted to do with it.

The heart is really what it comes down to. The show’s always been good and funny, but I started to feel in the beginning of the second season we got away from Betty and her point of view. It came down to basics — and going back to what made the show a success and touched people. It was Betty.”

On how “gay” Ugly Betty is as a show: “Surprisingly heterosexual. A lot of straight white males that are actually fantastic at writing the show. And a lot of females. And a nice assortment, a couple of gays. It’s eclectic. How gay is the show? I think its having a strong kind of delicious villain as Wilhelmina is incredibly appealing to gay men. I loved Joan Collins growing up, and my mom thought I had a crush on Alexis — she didn’t realize I wanted to be Alexis.”

I knew Silvio read here. After all, if you want to know what the most intelligent, loyal Ugly Betty fans are thinking…

Spoiler-age tidbits from Horta after the jump.

• “So the first episode back is going to be Betty’s birthday. And she is imagining a fantasy of the most amazing birthday of her life. It’s going to be her one and only birthday with Henry. And it’s not going to be exactly what she expected. . . .
• And the episode after that, Wilhemina’s sister Renee, played by Gabrielle Union, has become involved with Daniel and things are going to start getting a little crazy. Literally. And Betty will find herself involved in this, and it’s, it’s going to get a little scary. We’ll learn some secrets about Renee. It’s going to inform what Betty’s going through on that episode. And Betty’s going to find herself at Justin’s junior high school dance, and she’s going to have to get a chance to do things that she never got a chance to do in junior high.
• And we’re going to have this finale where there’s a big Elle versus Mode softball game for charity that Betty’s going to be drawn into playing even though she has horrible memories of dodge ball in junior high. But she’s going to get sucked into it, and it’s going to come at a time when she’s going to have to make a big choice in her life. And Daniel’s gonna have a couple surprises — Wilhelmina’s going to come back to Mode. It’s jampacked! Really juicy.

There’s more. Read the rest!

WHat I think I am looking forward to MOST is seeing Marc swinging a baseball bat (oh, please include that Silvio! Remember how funny his “hitting” of Wilhelmina was?)

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AfterElton.com has a two part, in-depth investigative story about the state of gays in prime time television, and Ugly Betty’s co-creator Silvio Horta is featured prominently. The story itself would have been worthy of a referencing post here, but it gets even more interesting because Horta drops a few little Ugly Betty spoiler-ish nuggets into the interview.

For one thing, Justin is gay.

OK, that sound you just heard was the sound of thousands of readers simultaneously saying, “ya’ think?”

Horta says, “It really just popped into my head. … I tried five different types of kids, and they all felt the same. Then suddenly, I thought – What if you had a little gay kid? I wrote him that way, and it was like: This is fun! This is interesting and different.”

I do believe this is the first time anyone in an official capacity with Ugly Betty has ever revealed anything about Justin’s sexuality. I mean, yeah, I know…showtunes, obsessive over his “figure”, the gift of a fashion eye – but the producers have always remained amibiguous. Considering his age, this was most likely a smart move. I just found it interesting that Horta broke the longstanding policy of being coy about the whole thing.

More after the jump!

Other interesting Horta quotes from the interview:

About ABC: “…things have gotten to a point where it doesn’t matter” whether a character is straight or gay, he acknowledged, “Maybe ignorance is bliss. I mean, I am creating gay characters on a network that doesn’t have a problem with it.”

About a possible kiss between Marc and Cliff: Ultimately, Horta said he wouldn’t want to include a kiss just as a political “statement,” but that if it did happen, he wouldn’t want it to be a mere throw away either, because it is something still rare on television.

This is, in my opinion, why Silvio Horta is so successful. He gets it. He won’t introduce controversy for its own sake, but he’s not afraid of it, either.

On Ugly Betty’s diverse fan base: “If you’re a young kid struggling with your sexuality,” or a Latina dealing with body issues, or a trangender person, or “any number of these pieces that stem out of our show … it’s important because people see themselves in these characters and they feel a sense of pride and a sense of ‘I’m not alone.’ There’s something I can look forward to; there’s someone I can relate to.”

He also believes that for the average “middle class, straight, white guy” or for viewers who “don’t necessarily fit into these pieces … it’s funny, and they’ll enjoy it and they’ll be moved by it. And I think subconsciously it has an effect.”

“middle class, straight, white guy” – hmmmm. Silvio, have you been reading Ugly Betty News?

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Of course, they’re right. I think that Cliff’s character may be the most groundbreaking aspect of the show, and that’s saying something. Think about the ways in which Ugly Betty is groundbreaking:

There is more, but think about Cliff for a minute. Quick – name one other gay male character on television who looks like a regular Joe. Scruffy. Chubby. Most definitely UN-fabulous. As far as I know, he’s it.

I have known maybe 2 or 3 Marcs in my lifetime, but I’ve known quite a few Cliffs.

The producers very quietly, almost subversively, introduced a character into the show who is irresistably likeable, who looks like an old buddy from college, and also happens to be gay. It’s subversive not only because it humanizes Marc, but also because he’s a sympathetic male character who isn’t particularly good looking. (David, I’m talking about the character, not you!) Forget gay, that’s rare enough in and of itself.

Now, y’all know my favorite occasional character is Kenny, for sheer comedic value. But, I’ll be honest – I will not be happy if Cliff’s run on the show comes to an end.

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A little background:  recently, the Family Friendly Programming Forum held its annual Family Television Awards on the CW Network.  As we previously told you, America Ferrera was a winner, and Ugly Betty was named Best Comedy Series.  In his January 2 column, Mr Bozell takes exception to this:

But “Ugly Betty” was an even less acceptable choice, because it was presented to FFPF and ABC before it ever aired as a “family-friendly” alternative…anyone watching this show’s first season could see that the “family-friendly” tag just doesn’t apply anywhere near this. The Parents Television Council’s analysts counted 205 instances of sexual content and 154 examples of foul language in just the first season. They also found catty references to oral sex, genital size, pornography, strippers, anal sex, threesomes, kinky and fetishistic behavior, transsexuals, statutory rape, sadism and masochism.

Before I respond to this, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I like Brent Bozell, and his organization.  He and I probably agree politically far more than we disagree.  And I am a parent of two school-aged children, and I am very careful about what I let them watch.

But, in this case, I think Bozell needs to get over himself.  Read on to find out why.

He has a very narrow definition of “family friendly”, I think.  His definition seems to be centered around shows that cater to kids with young children – say, 7 or 8 years old. But what about families with ‘tween kids?  Teen kids?  Wouldn’t the criteria be a little different?  Bozell seems to have a problem with the mere mention of sexuality, or (especially) homosexuality:

With this show set in the fashion industry, the show is heavy on sexual scenes and sex talk, straight and gay. “Ugly Betty” has several gay characters, and a transgendered former man (improbably played by former supermodel Rebecca Romijn). Even Betty’s teenaged nephew Justin is effeminate and loves the fashion industry. …

The writers love to throw gay and lesbian references in everywhere.

Hello?  It’s a show about the fashion industry, right?  My kids are tweens.  We’ve had the “sex talks” with them.  They know what homosexuality is.  I don’t think they are being corrupted by watching a show that acknowleges that there are gay people in the world.  This leads to the part that makes me angry:

This is “family-friendly”? When a show can win both a Family Television Award and a Media Award from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, as “Ugly Betty” has, you know there’s something wrong. With a pile of plots advancing the gay agenda, a GLAAD Award is appropriate. A “family-friendly” award is insulting.

Huh?  “Gay Agenda”?  Mr Bozell, have you even watched the show?  Certainly you know that one of the things that makes Ugly Betty special is that the writing is incredbly subtle: there is no preaching, there is no agenda.  People just…are…on Ugly Betty.  Hilda does not make a scene of supporting Justin, she just does.  Marc had a coming out episode last year, yes, but if you’ve seen the show, you know that one ended in heartbreak.  Not exactly advancing an “agenda”, I don’t think.

If you’ll notice, the writers treat Marc’s gayness about the same as they do Ignaciao’s being Latino.  It’s not the focus of the show, it just is. 

The vulgarities bother me a little, but they are delivered in such a rapid-fire fashion, they go right over my kids’ heads.  My kids are more into the physical comedy.  And, my kids go to catholic school, so I guarantee you, they’ve heard worse, on the playground   .

Again, if we were talking about ONLY young children, that would be one thing, but teens and tweens can handle a little more, don’t you think?  Here is the mission of the FFPF, from their website:

• The definition of family friendly content is purposefully broad. Relevant to today’s diverse and complex consumer, it has multi-generational appeal, depicts real life and is appropriate in theme, content and language. Family friendly content also embodies a responsible resolution of issues. 
• The goal of the FFPF is to support and promote content alternatives that adults and children can enjoy together.
• The group’s focus is evolving with the changing media landscape. Since its inception in 1999, the FFPF has focused on supporting primetime network programming. In 2007, the group expanded its mission to include cable programming, as well as to explore content to additional distribution platforms.

There are legitimate complaints that Bozell didn’t bother addressing, like the fact that Ugly Betty’s writers are a little over-fond of the word “bitch”, and it isn’t usually delivered in the usual rapid-fire.  The introduction of Daniel in the pilot, caught being…er…serviced, was a bit awkward, but the writers never went there again. 

You have to admit, bedroom scenes are down this year, except for their comedic value (Betty and Christina stuck under Wilhelmina’s bed, for example).

I take my job as a father seriously, and I resent Bozell’s insinuation that, by allowing my children to watch Ugly Betty, I do not.  Hogwash.

There are great lessons to be learned by watching this show (for instance, this coming week is apparently going to address female body-insecurity and peer pressure), and those lessons to me outweigh any vulgarities to which my kids might be exposed.  It is far more important to me that my daughter reject the peer pressure starve herself, than for her to be protected from discovering that there are gay people in the fashion industry.  Get some priorities, man.

Or get a ClearPlay.  That’s what I would do if my kids were still little.

In the words of my almost-10-year-old-daughter, Mr. Bozell, “stop being such a poopy-head!”

Post from: Ugly Betty News

He is the calm in the middle of a million storms on Ugly Betty.  Actor Tony Plana plays Ignactio Suarez on the show, and although the character is a former undocumented immigrant and for years considered himself a murderer, he is by far the most “normal” person on the show.  With Santos gone, Ignacio is the much-needed grounding for the show, which would otherwise collapse of its own weight of eccentric characters.

Entertainment reporter Greg Hernandez recently interviewed Plana at the blog Out In Hollywood.  It is a very good read.  Here are some excerpts:

[about playing Ignacio] : It feels like an epiphany for me after so many years of struggling and watching Latinos as a group try to penetrate the industry and become an intregal part of it, an included part of it. The fact that we’re starting to see an evolution of Latino characters in television that are almost automatically included now as part of the central world in most series. That’s huge”

Read on for more.

[on how things used to be] : It was bad. The only time you hired a Latino is when they did the gang show, the drug show or the illegal immigrant show. I believe that ‘Ugly Betty’ has gone a long way towards eradicating these very deeply established stereotypes toward Latinos…It has tackled issues in a very intelligent way and still entertained us. That’s what I think is remarkable about this program.

Then there’s this about Justin.  Is Justin gay?:

“He’s not sexualized yet, he’s a boy. So we can’t really be talking about a gay character. What’s more important is that he’s an artist and he’s extremely sensitive to design, to color, to music to art. So if you have a boy born into your family that is different that way, that is not an athlete or he’s got these special gifts, you need to not supress those gifts but support them, encourage them, nurture them, celebrate them. That’s the real lesson, I think, of Justin’s character. His sexuality will be an issue hopefully in the fourth or fifth season, down the line. And either way, it will be interesting. We could explore the stereotype of the gay. Are they always effeminate? No. There are effeminate gays and there are effeminate straights. It does not define them.”

I can’t tell you how much I wish other shows’ writers would learn to handle complex issues with such sublety.  Many “beat you over the head” with issues,  but the writers and producers of Ugly Betty save the over-the-top stuff for the comedy.  It’s brilliant, and I hope it means Betty and her dad will have a long run on television.

There’s much more of the interview at Out In Hollywood, you should read it.

Source: Out In Hollywood

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 First the EW quote:

“This audacious twist solidifies Betty’s status as the gayest show on TV, in both senses of the word: Not only is it steeped in a queer aesthetic, but there’s palpable joy behind the sweet silliness of it all.”

Now, check out what Arnold says:

That’s right, one of my favorite shows has been called the “gayest show on tv.” As long as Project Runway, America’s Next Top Model, What Not to Wear, and Grey’s Anatomy are on tv, Ugly Betty will never be close to being the gayest show on tv.

…

At first, I thought to myself “this show is just too gay for me.” Betty’s nephew is gay, Wilhemina’s assistant is gay, and it seemed like gay was everywhere, but after watching a couple of episodes, either I got used to it or they toned it down a bit. I think I have seen every episode now (thanks to summer re-runs) and I can honestly say that it’s one of the best shows on tv.

…

I know that most dudes probably aren’t dying to tune into a show about an assistant to the editor of a fashion magazine, but it really is one of the best shows on tv.

Of course, I could ask this question of my friends, and the answer would be, “ya think?”.  Let’s examine why my friends might think that:

• Marc is gay.
• Marc had a coming out episode.
• Alexis is a transsexual.
• The producers do everything they can to give the impression that Justin is gay. 
• There was a character in season one who was a closet heterosexual (he gave the impression he was gay to advance in the fashion design trade)
• There is that certain sense of style at the Mode offices, in both the decor and the fashions people wear, that plays to every gay stereotype ever conceived.
• The upcoming season will feature a musical episode.

 So, it’s a gay show right?  Well, if I were gay, I’d probably claim the show as my own.  But here’s the thing:  if I were part of the Hispanic community, I would claim the show as my own as well.  The show gives middle America a rare peek into Hispanic home life.  Also, being a “plain John”, I identify with the show and claim it for that reason.

I can tell you this: I’ve been watching television for a long, long time.  I’ve watched the best of the best as they aired: Mary Tyler Moore, M*A*S*H*, Happy Days (before shark-jumping), The Cosby Show.  I’ve lived long enough to recognize good comedy writing and direction, and Ugly Betty is one of the best written, ever.  The acting is top-notch for a comedy (especially America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams). 

I do not consider Ugly Betty a ‘gay’ show, because niche shows cannot hold a larger audience, and the show is a runaway hit.  If UB were a niche show, it wouldn’t appeal to me, most likely.  I do, however, consider it “gay-friendly”.  The way I look at it, how can you do a show about a high-fashion magazine and not have any “gayness”?

Most of my male friends are NASCAR watching, NFL season ticket holding, Sunday-go-to-church, Country music-listening, southern men. Most of them have not given Ugly Betty a try, because they assume it’s a “gay” show.  That’s too bad, not only are they missing the best show on TV today, they missed several episodes of scantily-dressed Vanessa Williams and Becki Newton, and Salma Hayek in a push-up bra.  So, as you see, UB may be “gay-friendly”, but it’s quite “hetero-male” friendly as well.

I don’t care if you are a gay model from NYC, or a Tennessee self-descibed redneck, Ugly Betty is great TV.

So, now I pose the question to you:

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