America's Dad Passed Away

I have very sad news- I just learnt today that America Ferrera's father had died last Monday from various complications, but most notably of diabetes.

It was also reported in Latin Gossip.com that he had died alone and in poverty, given that him and his wife split up when America was a young girl.

We wish to send our condolences to her and her family at this very time.

Latin Gossip.com: America Ferrera's Father Passed Away

Mozilla Firefox Ugly Betty Personas!

If your main internet browser is Mozilla Firefox, then you might be interested to know there is an add-on called 'Personas'. Personas are easy- to- install themes used to personalise the look of your browser bar/site of Firefox.

By typing 'Ugly Betty' in the search box, you can find a few Betty personas that people have created! This is the one that Pam has created which I have right now! (thanks Pam, it looks cool! :-) ) :

It's great as well as you can tell. 

You can create your own Betty themed persona and add it to Firefox. You need to meet the following requirements:

- It has to be 3000 px (pixels) wide x 200 in height
- Must be in either  JPG or PNG format
- Also subtle, soft photos and images work best

- Highly detailed looking images work well also
- Must be no larger than 300 kb in size
- Images over 3000 px x 200 px are not permitted
- You can't use images you have no legal rights to

Hmm... come to think of it, I might create my own Ugly Betty persona and share it on Firefox!

It is definitely worth a try; therefore, if you have Firefox,  I'd fully reccomend it.

Personas For Firefox- Dress Up Your Browser

Season 4 UK Ratings

As usual, each week I will post figures for the season 4 episodes shown on E4 in the UK from Wikipedia. Surprisingly, on the site it doesn't list Channel 4's figures from Sunday afternoon's repeated airings, which is odd given on the main show's page, it lists both E4 and Channel 4's figures for seasons 1-3 (Season 3 moreso), which are generally over the 1 million mark. But If I manage to get hold of them somewhere I will make them avaliable on this blog. 

I do not know as to whether this is because of the news that Channel 4 would no longer broadcast Season 4 on Wednesday evenings; therefore, the main night's viewing of the episodes would be on E4 and not Channel 4.

Still, so far so good, the final season premiere did pretty well, based on these figures although as incredibly small as they were, even though it was the weakest season opener of all for Ugly Betty in terms of the episode itself, material-wise. Plus it was on digital, as opposed to terrestrial television: with E4 showing it at 9.00pm, and then an hour later with the repeated airing of the same episode on the same night on E4+1.
We'll see how the rest of the episodes do in the next coming weeks on E4.

For now, here are the figures for August 11's showing of the debut episode from series 4:

The Butterfly Effect (part 1)  air date: August 11 2010 at 9.00pm

E4 figures: 974 viewers


Rank: #1


E4+1 figures: 233 viewers


Rank: #6 


Total number of viewers: 1, 207 

Wikipedia- Ugly Betty Season 4

Did You Know? 'Betty' Facts & Trivia (Part 1)

Here are some interesting trivia and facts on Ugly Betty that you may not know or read, which I have collated from various sources. Makes for good reading and making you go 'wow!' :

Did you know...

1. In the pilot episode (see above for image), Betty's hair is America Ferrera's real hair. When she didn't know Ugly Betty was going to be picked up for a full 23 -episode season, she later cut it. From then onwards, she wore a long wig.


2. In the previously on Ugly Betty segment intro of Fey's Sleigh Ride, there is the scene where Hilda tells Betty that HMO won't cover their father anymore. Watch the season 1 DVD of the show and you'll realise that scene was misplaced. It originally came from the 'Swag' episode, which was originally supposed to air on TV BEFORE Fey's Sleigh Ride, episode 4- Yet this was never ever televised on ABC.


3. Amanda Tanen was named after Brian Tanen, one of the show's production crew members and writers. The Fey Sommers character is based on real-life Vogue editor, Anna Wintour.


4. Although Alexis is the older sister of Daniel, the actress who plays her, Rebecca Romijin is 19 months YOUNGER than Eric Mabius in real life.


5. Though Ugly Betty has been a massive success throughout the world, one country it did not fare so well in was Germany. Due to low ratings after 2 episodes of the first season, the show got cancelled and the remaining seasons never got aired.


6. Wilhelmina played by Vanessa Williams only mentioned Amanda's name once throughout the show- in Swag, season 1 when Amanda is seen running at Mode trying to evade her attention she says 'Dignity Amanda!' (see below screenshot)

*Facts collated from TV.com, IMDb and watching the eps!

Vanessa: Housewives 'Not Ugly Betty'

 Williams: 'Housewives is not Betty World'

Monday, August 23 2010, 15:31 BST

By Ryan Love, Entertainment Reporter

WENN Ivan Nikolov

 

Vanessa Williams has said that she had no reservations about joining Desperate Housewives.

The actress told the Toronto Sun that she was flattered to have received the offer after Ugly Betty was cancelled by ABC.

"The day I met Marc [Cherry, Desperate Housewives creator], I thought it was just a general meeting," she said. "But I sat down and he said, 'Listen, Steve McPherson [ex-ABC president] would love you to join our cast. Do you watch the show? Would you be interested? If so, we'll come up with a character together'."

She continued: "I said, 'Wow, let me think about it'.Then we talked about Broadway for the rest of the meeting, and when we left, he said, 'I'll have the agents get into it'. And it was done in four days. It was the fastest deal ever."

Williams - who played Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty - added that she appreciated being valued by the network.

"I just thought, it's an established show, you're not in a dog, it's ABC, it's a well-oiled machine, and I'm being valued for what I bring, which is nice to hear," she said.

"It's nice when they say, 'We value you as a company gal, you got three Emmy nominations in three years back-to-back, and we want you to stay on our team'."

The 47-year-old will play Renee Filmore-Jones in the show. Reports have suggested that she will become interested in Brian Austin Green's new character Keith.

"I understand the reason they would want me to come and play to my strength, which is to stir stuff up," Williams said. "It's the seventh season, I know they want a shot in the arm and to bring in a different kind of mix, so I understand why ABC said, 'Aha, that makes sense'."

She added: "So I hope I bring a little glamour, a little of the outside, out-of-town girl into Wisteria Lane. But I can't be in another show. It's not Betty World."

Digital Spy- Vanessa Williams In Desperate Housewives

Downloadable Betty Soundtrack By Jeff Beal Now Available

Jeff Beal, the Ugly Betty music composer, who came up with the music score for the show has his own official website where you can listen to the songs, which have been included throughout the series.

These tracks can also be downloaded with the Orbit Downloader, which is a free software that allows you to download audio from various websites for listening onto your MP3 or phone, as well as sharing on social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare.

The links can be found below:

Jeff Beal.Com- Pages: Ugly Betty

Orbit Downloader

Ugly Betty: What would've Happened In Season 5....

I was thinking the other day what would've happened had Ugly Betty had a fifth season. This is how I would've planned things had I been the writer:

*btw, all these events/occurances would take place right after the end of the series 4 finale- and NOT replace it; therefore, it is a continuation of the plot and show in season 5.

• Betty is working in London and later on meets up with Christina. They get together and discuss about working together on a new fashion line, but when things don't work out for Christina in London, her (along with her husband, Stuart and son,William) and Betty decide to go back to New York and return to Mode. 

• Betty offers Christina a job at Mode- much to the displeasure of Willie, given her ill-feelings towards Christina, but as opposed to her old job working at the closet, her and Betty work on new set of fashion designs . 

• Wilhemina is the new creative director of Mode and after her battle against Claire, calls it a truce and hence, the pair end their rivalry. However, it isn't long before Willie has a new arch- rival interested in winning Mode from her clutches and running it. Cue the arrival of Debbie Allen's character (in a re-occuring role) - Willie's nemesis- and her own assistant, Marc St James type on hand. Marc once again is on hand to help his ex-boss out and defeat the pairing.

• Connor is freed from Jail and later onwards proposes to Willie- to which she accepts.

• Amanda having found her father is now concerntrated on her career and with the help of him and Marc, she works on becoming a designer/stylist for real, getting designs ready and raising money for her new venture. Along the way, she moves out of the apartment she shares with Marc and into a new one, finds love and a possible marriage proposal on the cards. 

• Later on, Marc and Amanda propose a challenge to Christina and Betty, and the pairings compete to see who will come up with the best designs and come out on top, in anticipation of 'Fashion Week' where they display their creations down the catwalk.  

• Marc and Troy are living happily together; however, Marc then bumps into his ex- Cliff, who then tells him that he has moved on and has found someone else. He then tells Marc he got married-, which surprises Marc at first, but later on he is happy for him.     

• Also, Marc's mother Jean Weiner (Patti Lapone) returns in one episode... and still bitchier as ever; though this time she has become to be more accepting of her son's sexuality and tries to go out of her way to mend their broken relationship.

• Daniel returns to Mode and finds Willie in charge; at first he is upset that she has taken over the company, but later sides with Willie when he realises that Willie's nemesis (Debbie Allen) is more evil and powerful and poses a bigger threat to himself in her attempts at winning Mode. Daniel then goes out of his way to find love also. 

• Hilda and Bobby move out of the house they share with Papi Ignascio in Queens and live a few blocks away from them starting a new live together. Leaving just him and Elena together. Hilda and Bobby are then shocked to discover their new neighbour is none other than... Gina Gambaro! Hilda is pregnant again, and this time round, everything turns out to be ok and she and Bobby have a new daughter.

• Justin breaks the news to his mum that he intends to move out also, as well as to live with Austin. 

• Claire tries to mend the bad patch between her sons Daniel and Tyler, in addition to finding love for herself. She also reacquaints with her jailmate friend, Yoga who she bumps into and of whom has turned over a new leaf , hence, finding herself a husband. And in addition, giving birth to a son! 

• Gio and Matt return but no love triangles; Gio gets a part-time job working at Mode's cafeteria, serving sandwiches and other food, as well as making the general quips. Whereas with Matt, he returns from his trips abroad to break the news to Betty.... his talent as an artist has been recognised and discovered and plus, he has been commissioned to paint works for numerous companies, organisations.  

• Oh and I'd make it more funnier and have plenty of Marc and Amanda comical moments, after the much drama-filled season 4. 

Betty Fan Montana Thomas's Views on Season 4 DVD

 Here are Betty fan Montana's brief thoughts on the season 4 DVD one by one:

• The packaging is sleek, new, pretty, and simple, but lacks a cast photo.
• The content in the beautiful case is slightly lacking.
• Besides the wonderful episodes, the special Features are kind of "Ehh", 60% of the deleted scenes are good
• The webisodes are great as always, the commentary with Mark Indelicato and Michael Urie is nice, but the bloopers are sorely lacking comedy, and you find yourself staring at a screen with people making mistakes, but it was not always funny.
• However, I loved the "Betty Goes To The Bahamas". The menu was almost identical but not as good and does not quite match the beautiful music.

Which is unprofessional. Still, this was one of my favorite box sets yet.

Any Betty fan must have this.

I Give It A -4 1/2 Out Of Five.

Season 4 DVD Review By Jazmine!

I've reviewed season 4 already but as the series itself- and NOT the dvd set. 
The Season 4 DVD is now out to buy in the U.S and Canada and with that in mind, here is the first in the few of fan-based reviews of season 4 of Ugly Betty on DVD. 

Ugly Betty Season 4 DVD Review by Jazmine Harper-Davis

“Complete your Ugly Betty collection with the show’s most inspiring and surprising season ever. Relive all 20 episodes of the Final Season – uninterrupted- and enjoy never-before-seen bonus features, available only on DVD.

It’s a must have for every Ugly Betty fan!”

Packaging

That description on the back cover couldn’t be truer about the Ugly Betty Season 4 DVD.


Packaging is a slide- on and off cover that has a picture of lead character Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), with a title “Ugly Betty, The complete fourth and final (which is highlighted in green) season''. The tagline cleverly reads “From Poncho to Honcho”, and has a picture of Season 1 Betty next to Season 4 Betty.

The back cover is a quick overview of that the show is about, a cast picture which is all of the individual cast photos pieced together, like season 3. When opened, there are various small pictures of the cast on the inside flap and on the left side the first disc. On Disc one we have a picture of a butterfly, and the disc has episodes 1 – 5 and bonus features. The disc cases flip and fit into their holding places perfectly unlike the previous seasons where they slipped out occasionally. Disc 2 is orange and has a picture of a MODE chair and episodes 6-10 and bonus features, Disc 3 is red with the famous Guadalajara poncho with episodes 11-15 along with bonus features and Mode After Hours and lastly disc 4 had a mannequin and a dress with episodes 16-20 and hold the majority of bonus features. Opposite that is a list of the episodes in order along with the titles. They could be bigger, but they are there.

4/5

Menu

Menu style is like Season 3, on the side has various clips from the season with really cool, funky music playing in the background. Features include a menu that reads, Play All, Episode Selection, Bonus Features, and Set Up. For the Episode Selection the five episodes on each disc show up in boxes with the episode title underneath a quick clip of the episode. Very colorful and pretty nice.

4/5

Technical Specifications

• As usual Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound so it sounds great on your TV.
• French and Spanish as well as English Subtitles, also subtitles for the commentary to read what the actors say. Helps a lot.
• Widescreen
• Clear Perfect Picture, Ugly Betty is already amazingly shot but looks beautiful on your TV screen, nice to look at.

5/5

Special Features

While the season itself is great, it is seriously lacking some bonus features. The bonus features however, are amazing for what little we have.

Disc One
2 deleted scenes.
• “Connor Checked Out”
• “The Steam Room”

Though very funny, you can see why it was left out, added nothing to the plots.

Disc Two
3 deleted scenes
• “I’m Available”
• “What is Level 5”
• “Breathe”

Again, nice to see, but really pointless.

Disc Three
• Mode After Hours – 4 episodes
2 deleted scenes
• “Elevator”
• “No Male Models”

I enjoyed the first one quite a lot and thought it could have stayed but was probably cut due to time, and the second one I felt also could have been added to the episode for we, the viewers, were given a reason for no modes in episode 4.15 “Fire and Nice”

Disc Four
3 deleted scenes
• “Guy Talk”
• “Wedding Planning”
• “Going Too Far”

Nice Scenes really enjoyed the “Wedding Planning” that could have been in episode 4.19.

Audio Commentary for Episode 4.16 “All the World’s A Stage” with Michael Urie and Mark Indelicato:

Nice commentary; those two are insightful and funny, as I watch and comment on the history making episode. I wish there were more of these like the four we got on the Season 1 DVD, but it was great nonetheless.

Betty Bloops

Shorter than Season 3 Bloopers. Has titles such as “Gags”, “Noise” , “Smooches”; no cursing section which most people seem to like, but they are still fun, and show what a great sense of humor the cast and crew have.

Betty Goes Bahamas

My favorite Bonus Feature of all four seasons. The hilarious duo of Michael Urie and Becki Newton travel to Atlantis looking for their cast members, on a scavenger hunt adventure. As they make their journey, various clips of the cast whereabouts are shown. Such as Mark Indelicato and Ana Ortiz swimming with dolphins; Tony Plana, Judith Light, and Vanessa Williams making sushi; Grant Bowler, Eric Mabius, Daniel Eric Gold, and Adam Rodriguez receiving spa treatments, and America Ferrera lounging in a beach chair.

This is my favorite because you see how well the cast interacts with each other and even those who don’t share screen time ( Tony with Vanessa and Judith) still hang out and have fun. Very fun and of course our tour guides are super hilarious.

3/5

Overall:

I liked the sleek and smaller design its very compact and easy to store anywhere; however, the inside design I felt was rushed in being put together, and the lack of a cast photo is disappointing. The Bonus Features, were few and far between but still nice to watch.

Overall, I’d rate the DVD a 4/5.

If you love Ugly Betty as much as I do, it’s a must- have for your collection. Enjoy!

Poll Results:

Polling for the last question has now closed and here are the results:

What Is Your All-Time Favourite Season?

Season 1	0 (0%)
Season 2	3 (18%)
Season 3	2 (12%)
Season 4	11 (68%)

Sorry for the late posting of this!

I didn't want to keep this one open for too long but I am slightly surprised that season 4 got the most votes.

I understand many of the critics and cast members insisting the writing was stronger and consistent, as well as it was the best season.

I for one was expecting season 1 to be up there at the top- yet it received NO votes. Season 1 was a favourite for many fans, so I can't quite understand why no one voted for it. As you can tell from some of my season 1 postings, it was undoubtedly my favourite- it was funnier, sharper, had a great blend of comedy and drama, the writing was unbelievable- yet virtually consistent throughout. I loved every single ep.

Whereas with season 4, well re-read my comment on the Season 4 dvd of Ugly Betty and you'll see.

But yeah, Season 4 won out in the end. Thanks for your votes!

Ugly Betty Scoops 3 Imagen Awards

25th Annual Imagen Awards Held in Beverly Hills

Imagen Awards ceremony held at Beverly Hilton.

Updated: Sunday, 15 Aug 2010, 11:21 PM PDT
Published : Sunday, 15 Aug 2010, 8:48 PM PDT

Beverly Hills - The winners of the 25th Annual Imagen Awards, honoring positive portrayals of Latinos and Latino culture in entertainment, were announced tonight at a star-studded black-tie gala held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," Lifetime's "Little Girl Lost," Maya's "Maldeamores" and ABC's "Ugly Betty" all scored multiple wins at tonight's event.

In addition to winners in twenty-one different categories from film and television, as well as live stage productions, special honors were presented to veteran motion picture agent Emanuel Nunez (Lifetime Achievement), television executive producer and writer Silvio Horta (Creative Achievement), screenwriter Roberto Orci (Norman Lear Writer's Award), and Latino community leader Dolores Huerta (President's Award).

The awards were handed out in front of an audience of over five hundred attendees representing the entertainment industry and Latino community. Among the celebrities in attendance were Andy Garcia, Benjamin Bratt, Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos, Nadine Velasquez, Judy Reyes and Paul Rodriguez.

The Imagen (pronounced ee-mah-hen, Spanish for "image") Awards program was established in 1985 from a suggestion by veteran television producer Norman Lear to encourage and recognize the positive portrayals of Latinos in the media.

Later, as The Imagen Foundation, it expanded its programs and initiatives to further its mission to serve as a bridge between the Latino community and the entertainment industry in providing access, education, and resources for Latinos both in the industry, as well as those seeking careers in entertainment.

Major sponsors of the Imagen Awards event included Nielsen, The Walt Disney Company, ABC, The Lear Family Foundation, CBS, Warner Bros., Paramount, Latino Public Broadcasting, The Hollywood Reporter, Fox, A&E, GSN, NBC/Telemundo and Variety.

Winners were selected by an independent panel of entertainment industry executives and Latino community leaders.

Here is the complete list of winners: (Note that the categories of Best Actress/Feature Film and Best Supporting Actress/Feature Film did not meet the minimum number of entries required for award consideration and therefore were eliminated from contention.)

- Best Primetime Television Program: Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story (Lifetime)

- Best Actor/Television: Hector Bustamante, Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story (Lifetime)

- Best Actress/ Television: America Ferrera, Ugly Betty (ABC)

- Best Supporting Actor/Television: Raymond Cruz, The Closer (TNT)

- Best Supporting Actress/Television: Ana Ortiz, Ugly Betty (ABC)

- Best Children's Programming: Dora The Explorer (Nickelodeon)

- Best Documentary/ Television: A Class Apart (Latino Public Broadcasting)

- Best National Informational Program: Despierta America - De Lava Platos a Chef (Univision)

- Best Local Informational Program: Vista L.A. (KABC)

- Best On-Air Advertising: FSE Strings (Fox Sports en Espa-ol)

- Best On-Air Advertising (PSA's): University Health Systems - Child in Injury (Creative Civilization)

- Best Variety or Reality Show: Quiero Mis Quinces -Cristina (MTV Tr3s)

- Best Feature Film: Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

- Best Actor/Feature Film: Luis Guzman, Maldeamores (Maya Entertainment)

- Best Supporting Actor/Feature Film: Manolo Cardona, Beverly Hills Chihuahua (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

- Best Director/Feature Film: Carlitos Ruiz, Maldeamores (Maya Entertainment)

- Best Feature Documentary: Beisbol (Winston Davis Assoc.)

- Best Theatrical Short: St. Paul (Varona Prods.)

- Best Live Theatrical Production: 8 Ways to Say I Love My Life and Mean It!

Imagen.org Awards

Interesting to see that the best actress and supporting actress in a feature film were deemed void and ineligible for the Imogens - America Ferrera was supposedly nominated for both The Dry Land and Our Family Wedding in Best actress, but given the lack of contenders, the organisers probably thought it was best to pull those catageories out altogether. Which is rather unfortunate.

Nevertheless, congrats to America and Ana Ortiz, as well as Silvio for their wins. As of yet, no photos from this year's Imogens have been released on Pic App, but as soon as they are, I'll share them on this blog.

America Ferrera Wins Imagen Award

Imagen Awards: America Ferrara wins, sheds a tear for 'Ugly Betty'

By Carina Adly MacKenzie

August 16, 2010 6:24 PM ET

At the 25th annual Imagen Awards, which celebrate the achievements of Latinos in television, America Ferrara picked up her third award for her work on "Ugly Betty" as reported by the LA Times. Of course, it was a bittersweet moment, since Ferrara's Betty made her final appearance last April.

"I'm going to try and not cry right now," Ferrara said through her tears as she accepted the award. When someone shouted that he was sad from the audience, Ferrara agreed. "Me too. I just love her. I love the show. It was a period of my life that was just magical."

Not that she's concerned. "I'm not afraid I'm not going to work again. That's not why I'm crying," she clarified.

See below for a full list of the winners, announced Sunday, August 15 at the Beverly Hilton.

Best Primetime Television Program or Movie-of-the-Week: "Cold Case"
Best Actor/Television: Danny Pino, "Cold Case"
Best Actress/Television: America Ferrera, "Ugly Betty"
Best Supporting Actor/Television: Kevin Alejandro, "Southland"
Best Supporting Actress/Television: Maria Canals-Barrera, "Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie"
Best Children's Programming: "Handy Manny"
Best Documentary/Television: "Which Way Home"
Best National Informational Program: "CNN Presents: Latino in America"
Best Local Informational Program: "Vista L.A."
Best On-Air Advertising: "Hispanic Heritage Month - Tito Puente"
Best Variety or Reality Show: "Quiero Mi Boda"

Zap2it Blog- America Ferrara Wins

Congrats to America- she was well deserving of that award, as we saw her character in season 4 really make strides and progressed forwards, both in her career and personally as well. Not only was the writing for Betty great in that last season, but yet again America's performances delivered. 

I'm sure many of us will echo her sentiments when she remarked: "Me too. I just love her. I love the show. It was a period of my life that was just magical." 


Ugly Betty will undoubtedly be sorely and hugely missed by many of us fans, especially come this fall TV season in the U.S, and around the world. America Ferrera, we salute you as our Betty! :-)

Euan Ferguson On Ugly Betty's Season 4 Debut

Grandma's House; True Stories: Digging for Grandad's Gold; Who Knows Best: Getting a Job

Observer's TV Reviews

Scene of the week

It was, of course, a dream. But the shot of Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) sans brace and avec pretty teeth surely raised all spirits. It is hard to exaggerate the joy that Ugly Betty (E4) has given us over the last four years. For all the just-so cutting-edge modishness of Mode magazine, the fashion modernity that leaves you gasping to catch up every passing second with outré hemlines (that's what some girls in the office say anyway), this series and its success has actually been incredibly old-fashioned.

It's the story of virtue beating confection, of backbone beating spun dust, while still loving the game. Betty could have been Katharine Hepburn, Rosalind Russell. I doubt, however, whether either of those silver-screen houris would have had the guts to "go braces", to ugly themselves for even one film, let alone four series, let alone when starring opposite Becki Newton (who plays Amanda), my next dream wife. Ms Ferrera is an incredibly foxy actress who chose to go coyote-ugly – ventured, in fact, to have the entire series named after her character's looks, as if British TV had rechristened This Morning "Fat Eamonn".

God bless America.

 Guardian UK- Grandma's House.... Television & Radio- The Observer

Ana: We Had A Wonderful Run

Ana 'broken-hearted' by Betty end
 

10 hours 39 mins ago

Press Association 

Ana Ortiz has revealed how disappointed she was when she found Ugly Betty was going to be axed.  

 

 

The Latina actress - known for portraying Betty's feisty sister Hilda Suarez in the hit show - was gutted when she discovered it was not being recommissioned, but admitted she had a feeling the end was nigh.

"I was really sad; I was really broken-hearted to be honest - we saw the writing on the wall, I think we knew it was coming because we were being moved around time slots and things, so, but even though you prepare yourself, you're never really prepared," she said.

Ana said it is weird not having Ugly Betty in her life now.

"Especially now, because now is when we would be starting up again," she continued. "It's strange but you know, we had a wonderful run. I'll definitely miss playing her but I'm ready to move on as well."

The 39-year-old has relished being part of such a ground-breaking show.

"Ultimately it's a TV show and I know that, right? But, that being said, for a while we were the only Mexican family on TV in a nation that is one half Latinos, and we're not represented on television at all. I just think it was a really important show at the right time," she added.

Yahoo News UK- Entertainment

Eric In Support Of Ugly Betty Movie

Eric Mabius On An ‘Ugly Betty’ Movie: Everyone Would ‘Jump At That Chance’

by Julie Zied 

Aug 12th, 2010 | 10:24 AM 

 

Whenever a fan favorite series comes to an end, the subsequent chatter invariably turns to a silver screen adaptation. Such is the case for the dearly departed ‘Ugly Betty,’ which wrapped its fourth season in April.

Betty herself, America Ferrera, has expressed her desire to make the leap to film, and her co-star Eric Mabius agrees.“I don’t think there is a cast member who wouldn’t jump at that chance,” he says. Although Mabius cautions he knows “nothing” about when a script might turn up.

Up next for Mabius is a lead role in BBC America’s high concept sci-fi mind bender, ‘Outcasts,’ which is currently shooting in South Africa. Mabius plays Julius Berger, the lone American transporter sent to colonize a new planet after Earth is destroyed.

Jet lagged off a 36-hour flight from Cape Town, a gracious Mabius took some time during a brief trip to Los Angeles to talk about his new gig, whether Julius is good or evil,  and what will become of ‘Betty.’

Would you want to see an ‘Ugly Betty’ movie happen?

Absolutely. Yeah. I would love that. I mean, it’s the closest I’ve ever been to a cast and now – we really miss one another, and it would be great to come back together for.

Are you happy with the way the show wrapped?

Yeah, it was just too soon. I think that everyone was really upset with certain powers that be for ending us prematurely.

Would that be a specific recently-departed power [former ABC boss Steve McPherson]?

No, it’s business and the show is expensive to make. Listen, none of us has made any secret of the fact that we didn’t necessarily feel recognized for the efforts. I don’t think there’s a person involved who would say they felt satisfied to that extent. But we kept doing really fantastic work, in spite of that, because we knew we had the opportunity of all being brought together to do good work.

You had such an impassioned following.

The following in South Africa is bigger than any other country I’ve experienced.

That has to be a little odd walking the streets.

Definitely. I mean my wife was looking forward to getting out of that sort of thing, but there's isn’t a place we can go — and there’s no filter or censoring oneself there because people are just not used to seeing someone that they have in their living rooms. So I’ve got both boys [his sons] on each lap and about to shovel a mouthful of food and someone will go stick a camera or a piece of paper and a pen in – literally, your face. It’s crazy. It just means that they love the show.

How’d you get involved in this project?

I was finishing up ‘Ugly Betty’ in London, and was sent the script, and I really enjoyed it. What made me really want to read it was that I found out that Bharat Nalluri was going to direct the first block. He’s a director I’ve worked with before and I just can’t say enough nice things about him. He’s brilliant and probably the smartest but most ego-free director I’ve ever worked with. He can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned.  This getting out of the Hollywood paradigm really intrigued me after we had such a long run with the show ['Ugly Betty']. You know, it’s a little bit sad after the break-up and I didn’t want to do something that was typical or in this sort of environment that I’m used to working in. And being the only American, [it was] kind of a nice and definite shift for me.

From the clips I’ve seen, there is such an other-worldliness element to where you guys are shooting in South Africa.

Yeah. And a lot of the exterior locations are 10 minutes from where I live.

That is a dream commute.

Yes. I don’t complain. It’s great too, especially because with the ensemble [cast] I don’t have quite the schedule that I did on ‘Ugly Betty’ and I feel like I can appreciate it, and enjoy it with the family -  do some touristy things for a change.

Were you there for the World Cup?

I was. It was great. We all loaded up buses and had a big cast field trip to the England vs. Algeria game, and I’ve been trying to hit up as much rugby as I can while I’m there.

It’s interesting to see the tables turned with you, the American, as a villain and not the Brits, which is usually the case.

Well, the Brits are like, “It’s back in time, mate. We’re always the bad guy in the old programs.’ It’s fun. We don’t make it relevant or we don’t bring it up, which is nice. I just think that what we see in the show is not necessarily a cross-section of the citizens that are there, it just sort of happens a lot of them are British. I mean, the show is produced by a British company [laughs] and it’s just kind of a necessity, but we’re definitely looking forward to introducing some characters from other nationalities.

Eric Mabius On Ugly Betty Movie- Fancast

Montana Thomas's Verdict On Seasons 1-4

Here is fellow Betty fan Montana Thomas's short round-up of comments of each season of Ugly Betty:

Ugly Betty On The Seasons: Season 1

Creativity is at a high. Every episode is full to the brim with humor, heart, drama, and that special bitchy yet loving zing that Ugly Betty gives its fans.

Out of 10 I give this season of Ugly Betty a:

10

Season 2

Ugly Betty always manages to charm its fans in one way or another, but in this season, I found myself uninspired. The plots were overflowing, but, the creativity was like the mush that you don’t care about at the bottom of an almost empty bowl of soup.

Out of 10 I give this season of Ugly Betty a:

4

Season 3

The penultimate season of Ugly Betty was disliked by a majority of people, I am one of the 10% of people who thought it was some of the show's strongest material. The creativity was ripe, the comedy was wicked, and the idea of a woman in a big city making mistakes like any human being would, but still managing to rise up and overcome the cruelty of others was inspiring. This season was in fact one of my favorites. I found myself falling deeper into the love I have built for this show.


Out of 10 I give this season of Ugly Betty an:

8

Season 4

The final season of Ugly Betty was pure art. This season gave us a chance to look deeper into the beautiful and the ugly of the wonderful characters that the writers have built over these past three seasons. I was very satisfied with the ending of the show but, I wish they did have the originally planned 22 episodes instead of 20. I am pleased that the final season was so amazing and inspiring.

Out of 10 I give this season of Ugly Betty a:

9 1/2

http://montanajthomassayswow.tumblr.com/ 

My 7 Favourite Ugly Betty Guest Cast Appearances

There was an article in yesterday's Metro website on the Top 5 Ugly Betty celebrity cameos; you can see the list here:

Metro- As The Final Season Of Ugly Betty Starts: Top 5 Cameos

I for one didn't agree with that list and so thought I'd come up with my own- ok, I listed 7 here but their performances were either not bad or very good, but these were my faves:


Patti LuPone - as Jean Weiner, Marc's mother in Don't Ask, Don't Tell (season 1)

I know what you are going to say: Marc's mother, Jean was horrible and a bitch, and yes she was especially towards the end of the don't ask don't tell episode where she rejected her own son for being gay. But I really enjoyed Patti LuPone's performance- she was just amazing. At first she was bitchy and had a few harsh putdowns towards Amanda but then she then became a cold, calculated heartless excuse of a mother by turning her back on Marc.

A bit of a shame that she appeared in that one episode; If I had been the writer I'd have brought her back and have her grovelling and trying to win back her son's love and respect. And Marc still pissed off and hurt after what she did to him. But nay to Jean and yay to Patti!    






Bow Wow and Omarion - as themselves in Zero Worship (season 2)

Zero Worship was one of the very few episodes I enjoyed from the second season of Ugly Betty.  I liked the theme and storyline of it; thought it had a great social message behind as well.

It also featured urban music stars, rapper Bow Wow and singer Omarion, of whom first carved out a music career by being the frontman of the already defunct, B2K. I thought they were good actually; we saw more of Bow Wow's acting and he played it well. 


Bernadette Peters- as Jodie Papadakis (season 3)

I'd never even heard of her before Ugly Betty began, although I did read on the web, she has performed a few times in London's West End. But when she first appeared on the show in episode 11, 'Dressed for Success' in season 3, she demonstrated not only her acting chops but had a great comedic timing and was at times amazingly humourous.

As Jodie she was at times kooky and shall we say a little mad (!) but her years of experience in performing particuarly on Broadway showed. I loved Jodie- thought she was a riot in season 3. Bernadette was one of my faves and is rated in my top 3 of favourite Betty guest stars, without a question of a doubt.  




Adriana Lima- as herself in Ugly Berry (season 3) 

Yet another celebrity/ famous person I am not so familiar with, Brazilian born supermodel Adriana Lima co-starred with Lindsay Lohan in Ugly Berry, episode 6 of the third season. As Ugly Betty was her first real acting project she'd been involved in, her efforts were not bad here. She was playing herself by being down-to-earth, considerate in contrast to Lindsay's evil character, Kimmy Keegan.

I liked the Ugly Berry episode- was funny and Adriana did well; it's a thumbs up from me for her!




Chris Williams - as Wilheldiva Hater Robert in Chica and The Man (season 4) 

Casting the role of a drag queen/wihelmina slater impersonator was no tall order for the casting directors; in fact, finding someone who looked/beared a slight physical resemblance to Vanessa Williams is going to pose a bit of a challenge. That is unless you do look a little like Vanessa and as it helps a little if one is related to her!

Step forward Chris Williams- the real life brother of Vanessa Williams, and boy did he look like a transvestite/drag queen with all that make-up! He was almost virtually unrecognisable as Wilheldiva Hater a so-called struggling lounge performer.Ok, he looked nothing like Wihelmina, but still he was great. He did some singing and acting and he was good.

It was also a great eppie too.
 


Kathy Najimy- as Dr Frankel in Million Dollar Smile (season 4) 

Kathy played Betty's new orthodentist Dr Frankel/ guardian angel in 'Million Dollar Smile' of episode 17. One of my favourite season 4 eps, she was on hand to show America's Betty her alternate world- had she got perfect teeth and minus the braces.

Great performances in this one, particularly from Kathy; she was amusing too- yet she played it just perfectly.

Connor V Nico

This is a very good entry posted on the Ugly Betty Live Journal community that I saw that provided plenty of food for thought for me, and I'm sure it will for you as well. 


Here, a user going by the name of Mozartbitch offers her take on the roles of Connor and Nico throughout the series. Thanks to Mozartbitch for posting this and good thing she highlighted this issue as well i'd say.  

Connor Verses Nico


I have waited long to post this thought on the final outcome on Ugly Betty characters in Wilhelmina's circle so here I go. I wish to delve into how the series handled Connor as opposed to Niko. I'm not entirely sure I spelled "Niko" correctly, but here are my thoughts:

Both Niko and Connor did some pretty awful, deceptive tricks beneficial to them and none others at the time. In their minds, there was justified rationale, but their selfish actions were harmful to others in the process. Nonetheless, the show's love humanizing apparent villains and dehumanizing apparent good guys worked not as well for this particular instance. Most notably, I did not appreciate the way the show entirely wrote Niko off in such a cold manner and yet made Connor about to be so much more desirable than such a double-crossing snake as Niko turned out to be.

NIKO

She lied to her Mother in attempt to leach off of her financially (in essence, steal) by staging a murder and in essence had no qualms and had no problems abandoning her in the end. That is awful. I don't care how negligent Wilhelmina was. Niko had no right to do that. Fine. Nonetheless, Wilhelmina spent Niko's entire childhood treating her like a distraction as opposed to a daughter. She provided Niko with no compassionate motherhood and the bitterness resulted.

CONNOR

The man abandons his fiance for Wilhelmina, steals millions of dollars from MODE, ditches his now former fiance with no apparent knowledge or care at all that she has cancer, and reduces MODE so close to bankruptcy that they are reduced to receiving a sizeable grant from the manipulative Cal Hartley. Are those the works of a saint? What were his rationales? Vengeance at Daniel for stealing Molly from him while he was secretly having an affair with Wilhelmina anyway? Providing a life for Wilhelmina to live freely and happily while she raises a child whom she has no biological or legal rights to at all?

FINAL THOUGHTS

I don't mind the show working to humanize Connor. He's a definite villain, but the show does a fantastic job constantly alternating your interpretations of characters. I just really felt for Niko a lot in the first season. I would have prefered the fourth season to have either given a more human outlook to her which it just flat out didn't or to have just moved on from like a character.

It is rather evident the writers did not know where they were going with the series at the end of season three. The finale left so many plotlines for season 4, that they evidently had plenty of ideas, but which ones they were actually going to build on I really can't believe they knew. I think they had just moved on from Niko, but wanted to try her out one more time which they did not, so they just abruptly pulled the plug to their best of their abilities.


Mozartbitch aka One Quality Studmuffin

Community Live Journal- Ugly Betty

Ugly Betty Fan Art!

I am hoping to post more Ugly Betty related fan art particuarly in the next couple of weeks on this blog site.

I am trying to negotiate and get permission from Betty fans, of whom are artists on websites such as Deviant Art. I've seen some incredible drawings, paintings, designs ever and I want to post and share them and their amazing talent on here for all of you to see.

I don't want to post their work on here and not ask permission from the actual artist because that would be wrong. 

Above is a drawing of Becki Newton (Amanda Tanen) by Koala45179 aka Kati from Estonia, and it is fabulous!  You can check out the rest of her work by visiting her Deviant Art page below:

http://koala145179.deviantart.com/

Many thanks to Koala45179 for making this avaliable! Thank you. :-)

Happy (Belated) Birthday Michael Urie!

Happy (Belated) 30th birthday to our Michael Urie aka Marc St James, whose birthday was just last Sunday. He was born the year before me in 1980 on August 8 - hence 8-8-1980 in Dallas, Texas USA. Yee-ha!! I guess 8 must be his lucky number. Anyway, I made this and posted it on Twitter.

I added drawings I did of him back in the past. Hope he liked it. :-)

**Artwork by me. All rights reserved. Do NOT reproduce without my permission. 

Adios Betty

I was on Twitter a few days ago- you can check me out on there by clicking on the Twitter button on the right hand side as you scroll down the page- and I wanted to know what fans memories of the show were and things that they disliked about it.  

 
Today's post is by Willie and Vanessa Williams fanatic, Jazmine (JNicole914 on Twitter) from the U.S and it is excellent. 

'As the new Fall 2010 Season starts to unwind, I reflect on one show that won't be in this year's line-up. Ugly Betty. After its cancellation in January of 2010, I spent time re-watching episodes seeing what happened, why people lost interest, and I found a few things.

When it aired in 2006 it was a phenomenon. It was different from anything that came out that year, to be honest the only other shows I remember coming out that year was 30 Rock and Heroes. Ugly Betty had a campy, fun, and colorful humor that other shows happened to lack, nestling into its 8:00 pm slot on Thursday nights before Grey’s Anatomy, the show was a hit.

Season One 'The Best Season'

Season One of Ugly Betty was without a doubt the best season. The writing was top notch, the acting was brilliant, the storylines were captivating. I started watching the show for the pure fact that my favorite actress was in it. Vanessa Williams. However, after the first 3 episodes I fell in love with everyone. I was never bored and I couldn’t wait till Thursday nights would come so I could sit in front of the TV and watch my favorite TV show. Season 1 touched on a lot of issues such as the storyline with Ignacio and immigration, transsexuals, Marc coming out to his mother and being harshly rejected, and the most important one, Beauty isn’t only skin deep. This was consistent through the entire first season which is why it did so well. Not to mention the characters showed growth even with 13 episodes. The “modies” weren’t as heartless as the seemed, they got hurt too. (Nico/Willie, Marc/Mom). Everyone character was relatable.

Latter Seasons Fell Short Off The Mark

The latter seasons however fell flat. Ugly Betty was always its own; in season two it became more campy, more unrealistic so to say. It also had "too many guest stars" that didn't add much to the plot. Another factor in this was the writers strike that happened. I enjoyed it, thought it provided the funniest moments from the show. 

Season three was the big move to New York, and what a difference it made. I loved watching Season three on my TV screen. I enjoyed the development of some of the characters that season. In season 3, I really disliked Betty, I felt the writers forgot who they wrote in 2006. However, the other supporting characters were fantastic. It lost a lot of humor in Season 3 I must admit. I barely laughed at jokes, because most times it was concentrated on the plot, which is great but could have added more of the UB comedy we love. Comedy works well on this show, its makes it much more fun. That’s why I think people lost interest.  

What happened to the funny show we watched in the beginning? The Marc and Amanda banter. The sassy Hilda lines, the witty Justin remarks, and of course the wonderful Wilhelmina Slater quips.

It was shelved to the Friday night death slot, where it would suffer in the ratings and would lead to an uneventful death.

Season 4 And Why Ugly Betty Was Special To Me

Season 4 came back with a tremendous creative resurgence. It had finally found a balance. It was drama and comedy and touched on important issues. Character development was amazing. And it made history, with the first teenage gay kiss with Justin Suarez and Austin, a scene wonderfully done by Ryan and Mark Indelicato. It was back to its old ways, I loved every character, I enjoyed every moment. It was just great.

Overall Ugly Betty had a great run, and I claimed it as part of my life. I own all the DVDs, listened to all the podcasts, supported them at every awards show. It’s become sort of a best friend to me. I was sad to see it go, and probably will miss it more times than I can imagine. One thing about the show that I truly believe made it different from everything else was the AMAZING togetherness and chemistry of the cast. I mean, saying they likes each other is an understatement. They loved each other. They supported each other. They cared for each other. They were a family. And it may not seem important for the viewer, but it really is, because as I sat and watched I could see how much fun they were having with each other, how much they love doing what they do. It’s the greatest reward a fan could have. They brought their A-game to the material that were given, and I’m blessed to have been with them along the ride for the last 4 years. A lot of things I’ve learned in life were from this show. It will forever live in my TV show hall of fame.

I’m gonna miss my little (not really) evil Willie, my dynamic duo Marc and Mandy, sassy Hilda, cooking Ignacio, vivacious Justin, awesome Claire, progressive Daniel, sexy Connor, and our heroine Betty. Also everyone that was apart of the show. My nights just won't be the same. As they all venture out into other aspects of their careers, I will continue to follow and I know that no matter what they always have each other’s backs. Just last week Ashley Jensen and Vanessa went to America’s movie premiere. And Mark Indelicato tweeted he was hanging with Ana and the baby. This cast family is amazing. And in a weird way, I feel the fans are a part of it.
 

Viva La Betty. Cannot wait until August 17^th. My collection is complete.
 

Posted by Jazmine at 5:44 PM

http://yourentertainmentguru.blogspot.com/ 

Below, Jazmine's favourite character and actress Wilhelmina/Vanessa Williams

Back From Brief Absence!

Hey guys! I've just returned. Sorry for the last few days- I had issues with Google Chrome and problems logging onto Blogger as I tried to post my pieces. Just 2 days ago I spent something like 6 hours trying to do it. But because of Blogger and Chrome, it wouldn't let me do so. So I ditched Chrome and switched to another browser called Mozilla Firefox.

So yeah, but I'm back with a new browser and I have a few posts to add today. Hope you enjoy them! :-)

Waiching 

Full Season 4 Fan Comment Of Ugly Betty

The DVD is out in a week's time in America and Canada and so here are my overall comments for the fourth and penultimate season of Ugly Betty.

Ugly Betty- The Complete Fourth And Final Season

From Poncho, To Honcho 

U.S Release Date- 17 August 2010

DVD info details:

4 disc -set consisting of all 20 episodes and bonus special features which include deleted scenes, Mode After Hours webisodes, Betty Goes To The Bahamas featurette and a Betty bloops set.

Season 4 Synopsis -'You've come a long way, Betty!' See how the heart-warming and hilarious journey ends for Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner, America Ferrera in the fourth and final season of ABC's Ugly Betty. 

After years of hard work in the world of high fashion, Betty is finally getting her just desserts. Watch as television's favourite 'ugly duckling' blossoms, both professionally and personally, yet never loses the unique spirit that makes her so special, and discover what is it to become of all your favourite faces at Mode. 


*N.B: As the final series airs in the UK and other parts of the world, this review may contain spoilers. 


For all the problems, both script-wise and throughout the duration of its too brief 4- year run, there's no doubt that Ugly Betty has left a discernible mark in the hearts of millions of fans across the world and in TV history. 


The fourth season of Ugly Betty was well received by many fans and critics alike- probably more so than the previous 2 seasons. They saw that they were less than happy with season 3 and expected season 4 to be a step above the third season. As for me, Season 4 however just never made that huge impression on me.

I'd probably get slated here by saying that the show was so completely different to what it was 3 years ago in Season 1, and as good as most of Season 4 was, yet I felt the writing here just wasn't anywhere spectacular especially humour-wise compared to the first season. Though I say the same for Seasons 2 and 3.

Season 1 was in many people's eyes, especially many fans eyes (arguably) the best or their favourite season. It was my favourite then, and will always be my favourite from the 4 seasons of Ugly Betty. There were more better episodes, better writing, characters were funnier I could carry on and on. There I said it. 

I didn't care much for most of the earlier season 4 episodes- although the story-lines involving Daniel, Natalie and the cult and Nico, Wilhelmina's daughter were thankfully not as overdrawn as the Season 2 ones were. Though I still loathed them. Megan appeared earlier on as Matt's assistant. But she was in many cases annoying and after 5 episodes or so into the season she was later gone, dropped; never to reappear again. Thank goodness. In many ways, it felt soapy, but it had more drama. It did remind me a lot of Season 2; what with the on-going dramatic plot-lines but without the celeb appearances.

Matt Hartley became Betty's boss, and he was not bad; I did notice somewhat that he wasn't as effective as a character during this season when he became a regular, as he was during Season 3. The writers kind of taken a back seat with Daniel Eric Gold's character and they made him, idk, I wouldn't say boring but he wasn't the same Matt from a season before. He was a character that divided many fans- some loved him, others loathed him. After being made a regular in Season 4, a few eps later Matt then became a reoccurring character, and then he and Betty parted at the end of episode 11 or 12 , went their separate ways and he was never seen on screen, again.

Unlike Season 2, which began well but then afterwards it descended into a silly farce and became a childish show, it felt to me as if Season 4 was the far better season in contrast- although hand on heart, I didn't actually love it per se.


Marc and Amanda

The fourth season didn't take away from the lack of development towards the various characters on the show. I was so disappointed to see Marc and Amanda's shortage of on- screen interaction with each other, as well as their roles, which were much more diminished and smaller. During the first few episodes, we see them taking a dislike to Betty, like in season 1- the thing is though Amanda and Marc had grown up since then. Or that is what I was supposed to think. Marc is pissed off at Betty since she got the editor's position ahead of him with Amanda tagging along for company. As much as I love Marc and Amanda being coy and sneaky, it made more sense in season 1 when they did it because they were still bitchy, sarcastic... 3 years on though and one would've thought those two would've grown up and moved on. But their roles in season 4 were an indictment of how those two got far as people on the show, especially individually but not so far . The writers hadn't handled those characters so well.

I would tune into every episode waiting and expecting them to say or do something funny, but nothing. They are 2 of the most popular characters on Ugly Betty, alongside Betty but to not see them being their funny selves as a duo in this season made this show a tad dull. So in terms of that and as they partly generate laughs, which weren't always here in season 4, was I felt to be a bit of a let-down. In fact, if there was one thing I was most disappointed with, it is the lack of Marc and Amanda; being a huge fan of those two, it is sad to know that as it was the last ever season, they were under-used as a partnership, which is regrettable given they are played so brilliantly well by Michael Urie and Becki Newton. Season 4 was an opportunity 'wasted' for those 2 by the writers.

I was also surprised at the writing for Amanda; it seems as if there was more they could've done with her, story lines-wise other than just throwing her in what I would see were 2 God awful love triangles. Both of which in one of them she was a foil to Betty and the other being in the middle between Daniel and Tyler- yet, she ended up with neither of those guys. Or when she did with Tyler, the relationship was short-lived. Silvio did talk about Amanda being and finding love in season 4, but at what cost? Ultimately, unlike Betty who had several love interests, Hilda and Wilhelmina, she had none.

A pity really. Her finding her father storyline was finally resolved, but other than that, nothing. It would've been good to see her dreams in becoming a stylist turn into a reality within the show. Had we got a fifth season, then most definitely we would've seen it happen.

And Marc- so happy that he had a new boyfriend, Troy- who was great still- in but in many fans eyes, they still missed Cliff. I missed Cliff too, but as we know those two broke up in Season 3, episode 8 'Tornado Girl'. Marc is still my favourite character, although he wasn't as amazingly funny and bitchy as in Season 1 and wonderful back in Season 3. Plus, I missed the curly hair!

I did like Betty's family- they were wonderfully written throughout Season 4; Hilda and Papi had shades of Season 1 greatness, whereas Justin really came to life in Season 4. It's startling to think he was just a little kid back in season 1 being happy, boisterous, cheery not having to contend problems.... and when he becomes a teenager, things get more complicated, as he discovers who he is as a person, as he later comes out as being gay in the show.  The individual writing of the Suarez's was terrific in Season 4 than say in Season 3. Hilda, Ignascio and Justin had their own story-lines and it was truly a good thing as Ana Ortiz, Tony Plana and Mark Indelicato were all in top form.

There was just so much unravelling taking place in Season 4, but most of it was pretty good.

Wilhelmina was good

Wilhelmina wasn't the complete evil ice queen that she was in Season 1; if anything, she was the stand-out character in Season 4. She was involved in many of the heavier and for me, the most interesting story-lines of all the main characters this season: her relationship with Nico and finding out her own daughter had blackmailed and betrayed her; Connor returning and later ending up in jail, and the rivalry between her and Claire Meade was just enthralling to watch. My favourite characters in Season 4 were probably Betty, Justin, Hilda and Wilhelmina, though not in that order.

Vanessa Williams yet again, has shown why Silvio Horta and co made the right decision to cast her as that character. Her character has evolved over the 4 seasons and Vanessa's performances, especially in the final season, have really justified her worth as an actress. We're familiar with Vanessa as a singer mostly, but as characters such as Willie, she made that role so believable and coming off as being utterly convincing to the audience.

There were appearances by Gio Rossi- Freddy Rodriguez- and Ashley Jensen as Christina in 'London Calling'; my favourite Season 4 episode, seeing those characters again was great and it was such a brilliant episode. It was just so well- written. My other favourite eps from season 4 were 'The Weiner, The Bun And The Boob', 'Million Dollar Smile', 'The Past Presents The Future', 'Chica And the Man' and 'Blackout'. 

The finale episode felt rushed in a way; but with news of it being cancelled, the writers had to come up with something fast, even if it was although we got closure which is good because otherwise, given the news in January of this year that Ugly Betty had been axed, if we got an unresolved ending, fans would've been distraught and perhaps livid too.

Laughs, Moments from season 1 absent throughout 


I miss the laughs and moments of Season 1, which this season and Seasons 2 and 3 lacked; I hate to say this but personally speaking, UB stopped being completely funny for good by say the second episode of Season 4 onwards. Season 4 was a completely different show to the first ever season; characters have changed dramatically, both in terms of looks and as people, Marc doesn't have to team up with Amanda and Wilhelmina any more and scam Betty and Daniel. Justin has grown! It's incredible! 


I would've loved Season 4 more, had it had more Marc and Amanda moments and a few more of the episodes were more funnier. So those are my main complaints about it. The writers like they did in Season 2 sacrificed many of the laughs and funny moments in favour of more quality drama. They seemed to forget that Ugly Betty is Dramedy- NOT a drama. Yet that was the impression that I was getting from many of the episodes in that it was a drama. Most of it was good, whereas a few of the drama bits were a little too overdrawn for my liking, and really the humour wasn't always there.

I didn't love it, but it was still good... in an okay-ish sort of way nonetheless. I prefer the second half of Season 4 over the first half the longer it went on, even though many fans and TV writers noticed the quality had dipped a little then during episodes 12- 20.

Final words: 


Fans views on numerous seasons of Ugly Betty are in most cases varied on who they ship and who their favourite characters are. I could say that given my Marc and Amanda shipping- ness and my disappointment at their lack of screen time as a duo on season 4, that the mark I have given towards it is considerably lower. 

Overall, I liked Season 4 of Ugly Betty but not as much as many fans. I'm absolutely positively sure that had we got another season, story-lines would've been developed further more and plus, there would've been many more story-lines and guest appearances that we would've seen. We could've had 6 seasons instead of 4, but I would've settled for 5.  


The extras sound interesting, but it would've been even sweeter had it had a retrospective featurette over the 4 seasons of Ugly Betty in the form of the best moments as chosen by cast members or fans too.  It's a great way of looking back on and in reminiscing on those wonderful scenes, gags from the show. 


Besides the fact that it didn't do so well on Wednesday nights, and even worse on Friday evenings ratings-wise in America, this was a somewhat satisfactory season at most for me and a way to end the series that in itself could've benefited with more laughs, funny lines and moments; especially from Marc and Amanda for instance. I rarely laughed at times throughout the final season because the storylines and plot were so heavily centred on the drama and serious elements of the show more often than the humour, so much so I became a little 'tired' with it.  

Ugly Betty Season 4, despite its lack of comedy- which was noticeable throughout, is a pretty sound effort, nevertheless. If we still had those last 2 episodes ABC hadn't yanked off, then the resolution of Season 4's story-lines in the series finale would've made much more sense, as well as it ending on a much more positive and happier note.

Or perhaps Ugly Betty would continue onwards with a fifth season..... which many fans would've preferred. Like me.

Still, if you are looking to complete your Ugly Betty collection, then you can do no wrong in buying this.


Waiching

High Points 

• There were some episodes that I did enjoy a lot- London Calling, Million Dollar Smile and Betty's transformation into pretty Betty for a short while, The Past Presents The Future to name from the second half of the series. 
• Loved the writing of Betty and her family in season 4, after the disaster the writers made with them in Season 3. 
• Seeing fan favourites Gio aka Freddy Rodriguez and Christina aka Ashley Jensen back again! Yay! 
• Wilhelmina Slater- as the series has gone on has become a force to be reckoned with. Vanessa had more material to work with but her performance efforts have paid off.  
• It got more and more interesting as the season gradually went on

Low Points

• The first half, for the exception of The Weiner, The Bun And The Boob did very little for me- most of it was above average. I expected more but it just never materialised. The cult storyline dragged on & on, Betty, Matt and Amanda love triangle I didn't like at all and the Amanda & Daniel fun buddies thing was a waste of time for me
• The series finale was a bit of a disappointment for myself and many other fans, but at least we got resolution to the show. 
• Not enough Marc and Amanda scenes together. Big downfall from this season for me. Plus, the writing for those 2 wasn't as good as it should've been. As a result, it was much LESS funnier than previous seasons. I missed the bitchy humour of that pairing. 
• I disagree with fans saying this is better than season 1; writing- wise, it was more consistent than Seasons 2, 3 but it didn't have the magic, heart and humour of the first ever season. I still love Season 1 so much! Season 1 was perfect, Season 4 was almost perfect. 
• It could've done with a 'look back over the past 4 years of Ugly Betty' with the best, funnier, heartfelt moments by the fans and cast, as part of the DVD extras set. 

My rating (out of 10) 7


Disclaimer: 


*The views expressed in this review reflect those of the author only and as such, does not necessarily reflect general consensus of other fans. 


(Image below owned by Ugly Is In)

It Was Great At Highlighting Social, Cultural issues Yet Its Inconsistent Levels Of Writing Let It Down

Comment: 

Great at highlighting social and cultural issues and themes, but the level of writing was virtually inconsistent throughout.

That is how I would sum up Ugly Betty as a show from my personal view of it in a few words. As much as I am a huge fan of the show and of the cast and characters, the truth is, Ugly Betty would've last a few more seasons, preferably 1, 2 more- if it hadn't been for the terrible viewing figures and some of Horta and his writers' bad writing decisions.

Arguably, the best moments of the entire show were the humour and the funny moments; I knew that whilst watching season 4, that was when I sensed that the writers gave up on the comedy and concentrated on the drama. It stopped being funny whilst at the same time, the drama became more and more the focal point of the show. Marc and Amanda likewise, were missing as a comedy act as again, like in season 2, they were separated and spent a lot of time apart from each other (huge mistake I'd say), whereas the absence of Christina, who briefly returned in the London Calling ep, and her Scottish quips was felt also by some fans.

The first season was just fantastic based on the writing of the episodes but also, for addressing many of the social and cultural themes and issues: these included Betty trying to fit in and to be accepted by her peers, Daniel discovering his dead brother, Alex came back as a transsexual named Alexis, Marc coming out to his mother who didn't know he was gay, and when she did find out she rejected him completely. As well as the second episode where the issue of body image and having thin models on magazines was the main theme of The Box And The Bunny. It is themes and subject matters such as these that were addressed throughout season 1 that partly made it and what I'd argue to be the best season of Ugly Betty IMO. 

There were instances during seasons 2-4 that Ugly Betty was incorporating these cultural and social issues into its story-lines, but these were very few and far between. The show then morphed into different clones in each season; some aspects of it were good, but some of it was pretty dire as well. It had lacked the charm and funniness of season 1, which made it so well loved in the first place.

Ultimately for me personally, Ugly Betty's legacy as a show is it was amazing in terms of highlighting and emphasising cultural, moral and social issues and depicting them on-screen. Yet in terms of the overall story and its plotting based on the 4 seasons (well, make that 3 seasons- seasons 2-4), I was pretty disappointed that it did not go out of its way in developing the characters and story-lines properly. Horta and co had very inconsistent levels of writing, ever since the middle of the second season. The show's strength, but more-so during season 1 was in balancing the equal levels of humour with the dramatic elements, whilst in addition emphasising the individual characters's story-lines. Season 4 was interesting in parts, but without the comedy, Ugly Betty became a shadow of its former self in Season 1. Alas, it became less and less funnier.

Betty also changed and as her appearance improved, she wasn't so much the Betty of season 1; as she knew her way round Mode and knew how Daniel, Marc, Amanda etc act and behave around her. The show neglected not only the fish out of water tale, but because of Horta and the writers, it drifted further away from the first season and abandoned the show's roots as well.

Don't get me wrong- I loved this show, I am a huge fan and in spite of all the bad moments, I continue to stick with it because there are not many shows that I love that have such an wonderful and talented cast, and sets of characters and episodes. Also, many fans gave up on Ugly Betty from the second, third season onwards- some of whom left on their own free will, whilst with others some would argue because of them not tuning in, they were attributing towards the loss of core audience figures and hence, it got cancelled.

A fan of this show would recognise that Ugly Betty was a show like no other: there was nothing else like it on TV. Ugly Betty will go down and be best remembered for as a fan favourite and cult classic than an outright success.  

Either way, I just wished that the writers had made more of an effort in being consistent with their episodes by keeping it dramatic AND funny throughout the entire series.

Final rating out of 10 (based on all 4 seasons of the show) - 8

Waiching