It appears that is the case.

Romijn, who played Alexis on Ugly Betty, tells People Magazine, “They’re really developing their own, very specific personas. They’re starting to think that things are hilarious, like they’re noticing the dogs as being anything other than furniture. The dogs were play-fighting the other day and they thought that was hysterical.”

Keep in mind, the two (Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip), are five months old.

There is nothing sweeter than the sound of a baby laughing uncontrollably.  BTW, did you know that their dogs are named: Taco, Better, and Bim?  You have to wonder about “Better”.  Better than what? 

Anyway, apparently, the twins are especially tickled by their parents bowling skills. 

Jerry and I went bowling last weekend and we put them in their infant seats right in the front so that they could watch us, and they thought it was hilarious," Romijn said. "It probably was. They were laughing at my score. Like, ‘Mommy can’t knock down any! It’s so funny!’ "

Parenthood is such a joy, but it is also very tiring.  "Sometimes I’m so tired, I look down at what I’m wearing, and if it’s comfortable enough to sleep in, I don’t even make it into my pajamas," said the actress. "I’m looking down, and I’m like, ‘T-shirt and stretchy pants? Yup, that’s fine. It’s pajama-y, good night. Sorry, Jerry!’ "

Rebecca Romijn in stretchy pants?  I highly doubt that Mr. O’Connell is complaining. 

Image: Bauer Griffin

Post from: Ugly Betty News

Yes, as you might have guessed, the series is based on the John Updike book, “The Witches of Eastwick”, along with the 1987 movie of the same name.

“Eastwick” revolves around three women who discover they have mystical powers when a mysterious man comes to town.  Jack Nicholson was marvelous in this role in the film.

Here’s an oddity from the Variety story:  Romijn is next going to be in an indie film called “The Love Child of Andy Warhol and Yoko Ono.”  Sweet.  I have no idea what it means, but the title alone makes the film intriguing.

Also, according to the story, Rebecca is still “recurring” on Ugly Betty.  Let’s hope she comes back at least a little.  I’d like to see her every now and then; when the writers actually let her be funny, she was a joy to watch.

Finally, does the woman work out 10 hours a day?  My goodness, you’d never know she just had twins.

Image: Newscom

Post from: Ugly Betty News

It’s Rebecca Romijn week at Ugly Betty News! Today is the beautiful actress/model’s birthday. To mimic Amanda, I won’t say which birthday – all I will say is that it rhymes with “flirty sticks”.

Romijn, who is expecting twin girls and has, according to her husband Jerry O’Connell, gotten “huge”, moved from a regular cast member to “recurring” on Ugly Betty this season.

As many of you know, Romijn was formerly married to actor John Stamos. Depending on who you ask, the subsequent breakup was mostly amicable (Stamos has been quite gracious in every statement I’ve seen him make about Romijn).

I’ll be interested to see what they do with Romijn’s character Alexis when she makes appearances on the show (maybe this spring?) She’s a new “father”, and there are all kinds of wonderful possibilities with that story line.

Alexis has been good, been evil, and at other times been clueless. I sincerely hope when she returns, we see good Alexis again.

Happy birthday Rebecca!

Post from: Ugly Betty News

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.

Post from: Ugly Betty News

On Ugly Betty’s Move to New York City:

Horta says the cast was told about the move, which takes advantage of a huge tax break in New York, last week. He says that all of Ugly Betty’s regular cast members are making the move. (Whew!).

“They’re all moving, they’re all excited, some more than others,” Horta said of the cast’s reaction, who noted that the news of the move was “a lot to process.” “People who have families — it’s a little more difficult. But by and large, they’re excited about it.”

“The move will allow us to use the city more and to use the city in that very romantic, ‘Sex and the City’ way. That was my goal from the get-go, to capture that,” added Horta. Speaking of ‘Sex and the City’, costume designer Patricia Field, who worked on the pilot, will be coming back to the show. Eduardo Castro, costume designer for seasons 1 and 2, will not be making the move.

And thank goodness, Mark Worthington, responsible for those incredible Mode sets, will be making the move.

On the ‘refocusing’ of the show:

As Horta has said before, he repeated, “We lost Betty’s point of view. We kept adding layers and layers to the cake.” (Amen to that!).

“We’d have seven or eight story lines and it started to feel more sitcom-y,” he noted. “We needed to get back to the basics of what you felt in Season 1 and the first few episodes of Season 2. … We think there’s much more that the show can be.”

The show will now be firmly centered on Betty and her journey. Even the upcoming appearances of Lindsay Lohan will fit the new template: “The mantra now is, we will only do [a multi-episode guest arc] in so far as it illuminates our characters and the relationships between our main characters,” Horta said. “We felt this could be a guest arc that could really inform Betty’s journey — where she’s been and where she’s going — in a really cool, fun way.”

Lohan will be seen in the finale in a flashback scene. Her character was a “mean girl” in high school, but her life has taken a turn for the worse when she is introduced.

She and Betty run into each other,” Horta said, and next season Lohan’s character is “going to re-bond with Betty and things are going to be different — but things are going to go a little bit awry,” as they usually do in the magazine assistant’s world.

As far as the drama that is LiLo, Horta says she was “really nice”, and showed up early. “Lindsay now is just known for the tabloids, but she was – she is – an amazing actress,” Horta said. “I hope the magic can be recaptured here, and we all believe it can.”

More (some spoiler-ish) after the jump!

On the Finale and Season 3:

Wilhelmina will be back at Mode, and once again trying to ruin Daniel’s life. “Daniel almost can’t help himself — almost without Wilhemina’s help, he gets himself into trouble. He’s so afraid of her taking over that he’s his own worst enemy,” Horta said. “He’s going to have a shocker of a reveal [in the finale] and it’s going to end up playing into Wilhemina’s hand. It’s going to inform what he’s going to be doing next season.”

[So, the kid IS going to be Daniel's...]

There is, of course, going to be a cliffhanger on the Benry/Getty front: “Betty’s got a choice to make. I can’t say which [romantic interest] is or isn’t going to be coming back,” Horta said. [Note: watch imdb over the summer and see who has more side projects scheduled...]

And here’s some great news: Cliff will be back! The writers have been looking for an opportunity to bring him back and put in him in a story that will have him interacting with Betty and the show’s main cast. The writers don’t want to put him into a “satellite story” that only involves Marc. (This is excellent news! He is, after all, a Mode photographer – put him to work!)

On Rebecca Romijn/ Alexis: “Rebecca is wonderful. [But] there were so many episodes where we had so little for her to do. When we used her, we wanted to make sure we really used her and she was not someone who was just there. [Alexis] is not dying. She’ll be around and hopefully as long as the show is around” the character will occasionally reappear.

Horta also gives the most in-depth answer I’ve seen so far about the departures of riter Marco Pennette and director James Hayman. There were a lot of people who were unhappy – writers, cast, crew – and I was unhappy. There were different styles of working, different ways of seeing the show that just weren’t in keeping with what I had wanted and started. [Their departures were] just growing pains. It happens with every show, every organization – everything’s not going to be perfect, everyone’s not going to get along. They’re really talented and great. They were a big part of the show and what made the show [successful], and sometimes you grow and just grow in different directions.”

Horta says the Betty White episode is the perfect example of what went wrong in season 2. “It’s sort of a tricky thing with serialized shows – you’re going to start a path and it sounds great, but then if something isn’t working and if you’re already in there and you want to shift gears, it’s a little harder to do it. With a show like ‘Law & Order,’ it doesn’t matter what they did last week. I think we felt like the show’s still good and there are good moments in it. But I look back at the Betty White episode, and we had the paintball war going on, the Betty White story line, Betty and Gio dancing and Henry [too]. And it’s like, maybe we could have done without Gio and Betty dancing, what if they were involved in the paintball war? What if [the plot] was a little more of a piece and the stories all blended in more?”

[Why, oh why, could they not have done that? It would have been perfect!]

Finally, Horta talks a bit about stunt-casting. “I will take a pledge: I will never ever hire Paris Hilton for as long as I am associated with this show, which I believe will be ’til the end. There will be no Paris Hilton.”

Read your lips, eh Silvio? Never say never…

Source: The Watcher
Image: Newscom

Post from: Ugly Betty News

Image details: Bebe Spring Ad Campaign Announcement With Rebecca Romijn served by picapp.com

As you’ve probably heard, Rebecca Romijn recently made some comments to the New York Post about taking a smaller role on Ugly Betty. The headlines about this have been all over the place. I’ve seen that she’s “quitting”, or that she’s being “fired”, or any other number of things. When we look at what she actually said, we know none of these are true.

(Full disclosure – I made a big deal out of the possibility that Romijn might be pregnant. I obviously was mistaken, but was also very clear that I was NOT reporting it as fact but conjecture).

Here’s what Romijn told the Post:

“They made a tremendous amount of changes, especially with the writing staff [during the writers' strike]. And while I know I’ll be coming back next season, with all the changes, I’m not sure they can take care of my character they way they have been. So I’ll be leaving, back in a recurring capacity, but time for me to leave and find something else.”

EOnline’s Kristin comfirms that the ‘demotion’, if you want to call it that, was not Romijn’s idea.

As an aside, I still think the young teen who looks like Daniel is going to be Alexis’ son.

Now, I will miss Rebecca Romijn greatly, because Alexis had an incredible potential as a character that I think she never quite reached. The playful way that Romijn played her transgendered character was refreshing.

But, to be honest, Silvio Horta has been quite vocal about simplifying the plots and focusing on Betty, which meant that story lines that barely intercepted Betty’s might have to go. Alexis definitely falls in that category. (For that matter, so do Cliff and Kenny, but they are already recurring characters).

So, we’ll be seeing less of Alexis next season, but we will be seeing her. In a way, this ‘demotion’ is sad, but I really thought last night’s episode struck the right balance, and to be honest, I think the whole “Claire launches menopausal focused magazine with an entirely ex-con staff” has more potential, so I’d rather see Judith Light stick around.

Post from: Ugly Betty News

• Return of the poofy blouse. (Rebecca Romijn does not look pregnant here!)
• Amanda strike a pose as Christian takes off his cape.
• Renee bursts in.
• Daniel doesn’t look too happy.
• More of an uncomfortable Daniel.
• “Nice to meet you“. Amanda is still posing?
• Mr Siriano holds forth. He does command a room, does he not?
• Siriano, Romijn, and the models. I may have to take back my whole “Rebecca is pregnant” statement.
• Black is the new black. Christian wears it well.
• There’s a million things going on in this photo. Amanda appears to be shocked. Nina Garcia and Alexis appear to be discussing good news. Renee and Daniel appear to still be arguing.
• Siriano making an exit. Amanda either looks unhappy or very intense.
• I dont know about you, but it looks like Christian is about to say something catty in this photo. I’ll lay money down that he’s calling Alexis a tranny mess.

All in all, it appears there is going to be a lot going on in this episode, and I can’t WAIT!

Source: SpoilerTV

Post from: Ugly Betty News

Let’s just say that the rumor we reported yesterday is true. And let’s say that our guess about the “father” of the mystery French 13 year old boy is true.

Now, look at this photo:

The last time I posted it, one of you commented that it looked like Rebecca Romijn had a baby bump. I brushed it off – all of us take bad photos every now and then; somebody can get the right angle and show a skewed view of reality.

But the drip, drip, drip of news concerning Romijn and Alexis has caused me to look again.

I really think it’s quite possible that Rebecca Romijn is pregnant.

More (and a poll) after the jump.

Why else would she become “part time?”. Move away (assuming she goes to France)? Why did the photo above appear as if she had a baby bump?

We reported some time ago that Jerry O’Connell and Romjin had plans for a baby. Is this it?

If so, let me be the first to congratulate the beautiful couple!

So, what do you think?

Post from: Ugly Betty News

The actual promo can be watched here. It makes me quite psyched for season 2!

Pssst – notice there’s no Santos (Kevin Alejandro) . One more reason to think he’s dead.

As promised, here is the “Making Of” video for the promo:

Source: Betty A La Mode , ABC

Post from: Ugly Betty News