Episode Recap: "How Betty Got Her Grieve Back" The premiere hour definitely answered some questions, but somehow I'm left feeling worse. So many in Betty's world, including Betty herself, are suffering physically or emotionally, or both. There wasn't a lot of humor tonight. Amanda, reeling from the news that she is Fey's daughter, has "taken a lover, and that lover has a creamy center," as Marc so aptly stated. Despite the added pounds, Marc stands by her side, accompanying her to her parents' house to confront them with the truth. As that secret of her bloodline is revealed, so too is her parents' lifestyle — they are discovered wearing ubershort robes and swinging with another couple. Next up is Amanda's quest to find her real father. There's always something happening inside or near the "Mode" elevators. This time, Amanda's identity crisis came to a boil, then Marc's look of horror at the realization that Amanda and Bradford's identical mannerisms could be genetic. Marc was ...
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OK, first off, how freakin’ hilarious was The Bachelor Monday night? Holy human desperation, I loved it! And Hillary from my hometown made the first cut. Represent, Philly ‘ho!Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk last week’s Emmys. Yes, the in-the-round stage was a hot circular mess and why so many statues went to TV-movies, I’ll never know. It’s not like any of the good Sci Fi Originals get nominated. Hello, Mansquito? So robbed. But Seacrest didn’t totally suck, the opening Family Guy number was inspired and some of the winners were deserving.So if you’re like me and think you suffered a stroke that made the word Gandolfini sound like “Spader,” or ya can’t get your head around anyone from Torque ever winning anything, you might want to grab the champs on DVD. Turns out that the slights are, in fact, slight.Ugly Betty — Much like Betty’s Guadalajara poncho, you could spot America Ferrera’s Outstandin...
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It's incredibly satisfying to know that all the buzz about America Ferrera as the ingenue of last season did not go unnoticed, because the gifted young actor deservedly walked away with the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy. And if tonight's Season 2 premiere is any indication, there will be no sophomore slump for the Emmy-nominated series, which picks up three weeks after last May's cliff-hanger. There are no spoilers here, but let's just say that after a cleverly written and deftly acted setup, one of these resolutions packs an emotional wallop that will have you reaching for the tissues. — Joe Friedrich
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First things first, it's a little overdue but I have been wanting to say, "Congratulations, America wins!" (Makes for a great headline, eh?)America Ferrera, the 23-year-old lead actress who sets the tone for the ABC show Ugly Betty, went off and won herself an Emmy. Not that all the other prizes, most notably a second season, aren't gifts enough, but good for her. She does a nice job and better than that, after visiting the set twice, I can tell you that people without provocation sing her praises. I didn't get to meet her, unfortunately, because "of the demands on her schedule," but that's what people say. (But don't worry, you'll see a lot of America when you tune in to inFANity. I just didn't talk to her. I'm past it now.)I did, however, get to meet the others, many who are terribly underrated. Take, for example, Michael Urie, who plays Marc with a C. Sure his character is flamboyant and, you might say, expected. Next time you watch, though, pay attention to the details. The thea...
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Don’t laugh, but in the summer of 1981, I lived for three things: the birth of MTV, the Royal wedding and the identity of the bitch in the big hat who stormed Blake’s murder trial at the end of Dynasty’s first season.As you can probably tell, I wasn’t a normal kid. Didn’t even climb a tree until I had to outrun the cops in high school. Don’t ask, don’t tell, OK?Anyway, for the kiddies among us, MTV used to show things called music videos and had veejays with gigantic hair. Now, not so much. Chuck and Di? Please, if I never hear “Candle in the Wind” again, Elton John would still owe me. And the hat ho? Let’s just thank the TV gods that some people have stood the test of time. Even if this one did make me wait until November for the new season to begin.Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan, I love you.And not in the “being her for Halloween” way. More like, “I love you for being the first character to show me how t...
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Katherine Heigl and Kevin Dillon by John Shearer/WireImage.com
And some people worried that getting Ryan Seacrest to host this year’s Emmy telecast was going to be the producers’ worst idea. That’s before we got a look at the set, an unwieldy and unappealing theater-in-the-round setup that looked more suitable for the new American Gladiators revival than for an awards show. The nominees, half of whom saw only the backs of the various presenters and performers, had a deer-in-the-headlights look every time Seacrest approached them or the cameras awkwardly cut to them. They appeared to be sitting in penalty boxes, not deluxe auditorium seats.Honestly, though, we poor schnooks at home were the ones suffering the penalty here: as in, confronted with one of the worst Emmy telecasts I can remember. As Emmy years go, I’m actually at peace with the majority of the winners, given who was and wasn’t nominated (and we’ve been over that frustrating ground plenty of times since the July nominations). Learning who won was a lot m...
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10:51: William Shatner and Debra Messing halfheartedly joke that they were going to do a duet, but she wouldn't carry his love child? I know. I didn't get it either.10:52: Yay! America Ferrera wins Best Actress, Comedy! And her boyfriend is cute, too! Oh, the whole Betty cast is in the bad seats except for her. Embarrassing.10:53: Y'know, everybody always says America's really beautiful, but uh, she's really just not Betty is all. 10:54: Jimmy Smits and Kate Walsh are plugging their new series. It's as lame as that time Macy Gray showed up at an awards show with her album release date written across her dress.10:55: Michelle Heller thinks I've been sharing my champers with Kate. As if. (I don't share. Also, I ran out during the parade of dead people.)10:56: James Spader wins best actor in a drama, and he knows The Sopranos aren't happy about it. Luckily, he's wearing glasses, so they can't deck him. He's kvetching about his seat, too. Is it just me, or is he slowly beginning to morp...
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Question: Someone wrote in recently about there not being any shows on the air that have a lead character of color, even in an ensemble show, and you said you couldn't think of any, either. I can think of at least one, and it happens to be one of my very favorites: The Unit. Jonas (Dennis Haysbert) is very much the lead character of that ensemble cast, and a fantastic one at that. Please don't overlook this excellent show: It wouldn't be the same without Dennis Haysbert's Jonas Blaine. He is the star.
Answer: No argument. The Unit is less a classic ensemble drama than a military action adventure with a strong domestic component, but there's no question about Haysbert being the authority figure. Ditto for Regina Taylor as the spiritual den mother. And I missed another one in this discussion, as Jennifer reminds me: "While I won't argue that there should be more minority casting, I did want to point out that a major network has built an ensemble around a minority actor: Ugly Betty. That
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America Ferrera in Ugly Betty by Dean Hendler/ABC
On Saturday, the Imagen Awards, which honors work by and about Hispanics, doffed its sombrero to Ugly Betty. The ABC hit went in with 11 nominations and won best prime-time TV show, best TV actress (for America Ferrera, who was also awarded the Imagen Foundation's Creative Achievement Award), and won the best-supporting-actress for Ana Ortiz's work as Hilda. On the feature side, Pan's Labyrinth came out on top, scoring the prize for best picture and best actress (Ivana Baquero). Dalia Hernandez and Gerardo Taracena (from Mel Gibson's Apocalypto) won best supporting actress and actor on the big screen.Monday's Today's News was written by Ben Katner.
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Kyle Chandler, Friday Night Lights
Question: Well, it's that time again — time to rejoice and weep about the Emmy nominations. I was actually pleasantly surprised this year. After last year's debacle (it can't be called anything else), I wasn't expecting much. But this year, probably 75 to 80 percent of my wish list was granted, which, when it comes to Emmy nominations, is pretty good. Nothing's perfect, of course: In particular, I was disappointed that Lost wasn't nominated for best drama (but Boston Legal was? What?) and that Matthew Fox and Elizabeth Mitchell weren't recognized for their riveting performances. As a new convert to Friday Night Lights, I was also disappointed (but hardly surprised) to see that the show received no nominations at all. But there was good news to balance things out: I was particularly thrilled to see nominations for Ugly Betty, and for America Ferrera and Vanessa L. Williams. I also think they got it right in nominating Sally Field, Michael Emerson and Terry O'Quinn for their great weekly ...
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