There is an interesting take on Ugly Betty in this article at Soap Opera Digest (hat tip: Angel25).  The writer, Michael Karol, both loves the show and has major problems with it at the same time.

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

Attention Silvio Horta: I now officially forgive you for Jump. 

For the uninitiated, Jump was Ugly Betty’s season finale for season 2, and it left the show in a mess.  Gio fans were mad.  Henry fans were mad.  Fans of Betty and all the other characters wondered, “What the heck is this all about?”  (Not to mention ABC hyped a 30 second Lindsay Lohan appearance, that foreshadowed her disastrous stint on the show in season 3). Like I said, it was a mess. And Silvio Horta,the show’s creator and executive producer, was solely responsible for the script.

As he was for the final hour of last night’s season finale, entitled, “The Fall Issue”. 

Incredible.  Bravo.  I wish I had an “11″ paddle.

The first hour, entitled “Curveball”, was OK.  It was a good setup, with a properly sad and cliff-hanger-ey ending.  But, there was a noticeable change in the writing (and even the acting), once the second hour. It was much crisper, with the smart-alec banter we all love (which was almost entirely missing from “Curveball”). 

For some strange reason, Amanda totally changed personality once the episodes changed.  In “Curveball”, she reverted to downright mean.  Then, she came back to wacky Amanda in hour two.  This is the problem with back-to-back episodes, written by different people.

I’ll save the spoilers for the recap (boy, two hours is a real haul!), but I can tell you that there were more OMG moments last night (especially in the second hour) than in the entire season.  The last 5 minutes, all I could do was stammer in the live blog.  Some of the moments we knew were coming, but the way they were executed still was shocking.

In case you haven’t figured it out, the writers of the show like to make Betty’s suitors less likeable before a breakup.  They really did that with Matt last night.  Although, to be honest, I don’t blame him for being mad at Betty.

You could tell, the whole Henry storyline was the producers’ way of saying “I’m sorry we didn’t give you Benry fans your proper closure…we’re making up for it tonight”. And it was good closure for the story line, better, I think, than Gio’s - which would have been great had he and Betty remained on-screen friends.

Horta really knows how to write the Marc/Justin scenes.  You can tell, they are really coming from his heart.  Michael Urie and Mark Indelicato are on the same page as Horta - last night’s scene was one of the best the show has ever had.

I want to watch the episode again before I say anything about America Ferrera’s performance. Betty was bounced around like a pinball in the finale, so Ferrera’s job was mostly to react.  Although her kiss with Chris Gorham was hot. 

Eric Mabius proved he could bring the drama last night.  I didn’t really care for the “Molly joking about being dead” story line, but it was carried out beautifully.  When Daniel finished his speech, and Molly wasn’t there next to Betty anymore…we knew.  Then the music started and the tissues came out.  So well executed.

(For those who complain about this - does anyone remember East Side Story?  This was one of the best ever UB episodes.  Remember Hilda and Betty falling to the floor sobbing?  It’s part of Ugly Betty, especially season finales).

The Claire/Wilhelmina story line gave us the two things we’ll wonder about all summer.  Who and where is the adopted child, and who did Wilhelmina see at the end? (OK, I’m slightly giving away spoilers).  It all happened so fast.

The Detty moment at the end just felt right.  The whole Marc/Betty rivalry did not. 

Next season will be interesting.  If it didn’t separate Marc and Amanda, I’d love to see Marc go work for Vogue.

I’m working on the monster recap.  Had “The Fall Issue” been at the level of “Curveball”, I’d really be complaining right now.  But hour two of the finale was so good, I think it made what was a lackluster season a success.

Image: SplashNewsOnline.com

Remember those stories early on when we discovered that Ashley Jensen was leaving Ugly Betty, the ones that said her main reason for leaving was that she wasn’t happy about the move to New York City from Los Angeles?

Never mind.

The show’s creator, Silvio Horta, told UK tabloid The Sun that, as reported, the split was mutual, but the reason was actually the lack of good story lines for Ashley’s character Christina.

“From the get-go, we found some really good stories for her, but we never found enough to service her character the way we wanted to and the way that she wanted,” Horta said.

Then, he said something that sounded eerily familiar.

“She wanted to do more, but it was difficult with a large ensemble like this to give her more. I hope in the future she’ll come back. She’s an important part of the show.”

Hmmm.  Chris Gorham.  Rebecca Romijn.  Now, Ashley Jensen.

Horta is starting to sound like a character from the Sopranos.  :)  Beware, if Silvio ever says how important you are to the show, and how he hopes you’ll be back!

So, I guess Freddy Rodriguez is safe?

Anyway, from all the reports I’ve seen, it definitely was a mutual parting, so it’s hard to be too angry about it.   Ashley is an incredible actress, and like Gorham and Romijn, she’ll be starring in another show in no time.

And, she can stay in LA!

Image: Newscom

The Point Foundation is giving Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta a big award at their annual gala, and the cast of the show is going to be there to celebrate.

America Ferrera, Mark Indelicato, Ana Ortiz, Tony Plana, and Michael Urie will all attend the Point Foundation’s Point Honors…New York gala on Monday, April 27, 2009.  Also attending, and performing is Vanessa Williams.

The Point Foundation is the nation’s largest scholarship-granting organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students of merit.  They are honoring Silvio Horta with the Point Courage Award.  Also, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC) will receive the Point Inspiration Award; and the inaugural Point Legend Award will be presented to play writer, librettist, screen writer, novelist and director, Arthur Laurents (Gypsy, West Side Story).

Also attending will be a plethora of Broadway talent:  Craig Bierko (Guys & Dolls), Curtis Holbrook (West Side Story), Angela Lansbury (Blithe Spirit), Karen Olivo (West Side Story), Thomas Roberts (CNN), John Tartaglia (Avenue Q, Shrek the Musical), and Leslie Uggams.  Also performing are West Side Story” stars Matthew Cavenaugh & Josephina Scaglione.

More information about the Point Foundation can be found at the organization’s web site.

Congratulations to Silvio Horta!  Hopefully, we’ll get some great pics of the cast.

Image: Newscom

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.

You might have watched the Ugly Betty season finale, episode 2.18 (Jump) from the comfort of your living room, or maybe you held a viewing party with friends. Well, according to Women’s Wear Daily, fashion Magazine Elle hosted a viewing party at the Tribeca Grand in New York City. (It would seem that the cast and crew are already settling into their new home).

Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta was there, along with Becki Newton and other crew members. Of course, Elle editor in Chief Roberta Miles and creative director Joe Zee were there.

It would seem that both Myers and Zee were self-critical of their performances. Zee had a hard time watching himself on screen (I can relate). “It’s so hard for me to sit in that room! I hate watching myself,” he said while standing outside at the bar during a commercial break.

I found it interesting that both Myers and Zee, editors that they are, reworked their lone zingers. Myers changed her original line “Bite me!” to “Bite this!” because the former seemed too crude. Zee’s line, one of the funniest of the night, was his own creation: [To Wilhelmina] “I’m not going to be distracted by how fat you look in white.”

Maybe we’ll see more Elle/Mode collaboration in the future?

Image: Newscom

Ugly Betty creator and executive producer Silvio Horta recently spoke at length about the show. He touched on what was right (and wrong) with season 2, what’s coming in season 3, Lindsay Lohan, the move to NYC, and much much more.

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!

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There is a GREAT interview with America Ferrera in USA Today, in which she talks about her life the past few months, and the direction of the show. Apparently, it wasn’t just Silvio Horta who had been upset with the direction the show had been taking.

“I’ve always loved the show, but we went through some creative shifts,” says Ferrera. “Because so much was happening in each episode, there wasn’t enough time given to certain story arcs.”

I’ve felt this way for a while. I’m hoping that in season 3, now that Ugly Betty is pretty well established, the writers feel comfortable enough to spread the different story lines out - even skipping episodes. It looks like that’s actually going to start this year.

Silvio Horta says, “You’ll find there’ll be two or three story lines — the biggest one being Betty’s. And when we get into Marc, Amanda and Christina, there will be a little more interaction with Betty and her point of view.”

Bravo! Ferrera agrees. “I think the show’s journey is Betty’s journey. There’s a lot going on in these five episodes, but it’s very focused. An arc begins and kind of ends for Betty, specifically concerning her love life.”

Ahem. Just remember, fellow shippers: I’m just the messenger here.

But that quote from America sounds awful “final”, does it not? Benry folks, you might want to turn away before reading the next quote.

Ferrera describes Betty’s two-year romance with Henry as “the type of love that makes you sick.” Gio represents “the type of relationship where everything seems so easy…When Gio’s character got introduced, I found a whole other side of Betty,” she says. “He brings out the side of her that is the street-smart girl from Queens and dares her to be her most stripped-down, raw self.”

As for Henry: “They definitely have obstacles. And that’s definitely going to be confronted in these five episodes.” Horta refuses to reveal if both actors will be back next season).

Ferrera also talks about her looks, and how they’ve changed since the pilot episode of Ugly Betty. “My face looks different. My body looks different. I definitely feel like I’m growing up, which … means Betty will have to grow up, too.”

Apparently, Horta is accounting for these changes. He says, “There’ll maybe be a little something next season and down the line something more.”

There is much more in the interview, and an awesome video here. Check it out!

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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!

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Did you see the Spring TV Preview recently posted by EW? It’s quite a handly little reference guide, and the page that focuses on Ugly Betty gives us some great new insight on the refocusing on Betty we’ve previously talked about.

After giving a recap of “where we left off”, they let us know where things are going, and provide a much more in-depth quote from America Ferrera (about the direction of the show) than we’ve seen before. Apparently, she spent hours with Silvio Horta watching the show. What they realised was surprising:

”In the second season we lost a lot of what we loved about Betty,” says Ferrera. As Horta explains it, ”We were getting away from Betty’s point of view. The show had become incredibly funny, but it started to lose some of its heart.” As we know, Horta wrote the word “Heart” on a dry erase board and left it there to inspire himself and the writers.

They started working with a new executive producer, Joel Fields, the replacement of Marco Pennette. They’ve forged a new direction, which focuses on the love triange (Shippers Unite!), the return of Wilhelmina to Mode, and, get this: a Meade Publications softball game, perhaps featuring Naomi Campbell! I LOVE this idea, it could be an even better version of the paintball match.

Ferrera is happy: ”If anything good came out of the strike, it’s that we were able to step back and breathe,” she says. ”We’re coming back with our heads on straight.”