I HEART UGLY BETTY !!!!!

carlo and i just finished watching season 2 of ugly betty. this show is amazing! i never had the chance to watch betty la fea but im aware of it, my mom and sisters watched it back then. when they released ugly betty it took me months still before i decided to sit on it. one thing that influenced me was the word going around re america ferrera’s performance. for a young actress, ferrera is flawless and totally fabulous. im familiar with her early works and to be dressed down for the tv show is no mean feat, she doesnt even look anywhere near her real self! im thrilled she won the globe and the emmy for that.

also, in the original series, betty la fea gears up for a transformation and gets the handsome boss in the end. i dont even think the US show’s direction is towards that. it loses brownie points (or gio’s deli sandwich points) if it does. a huge part of ugly betty’s charm is her independent, smart and optimistic self. she doesnt need to be any way prettier than amanda nor more fashionable than the clackers. she’s in essence the only real person in that office.

in the first few episodes of season 1, the show was way way close for comfort with the devil wears prada, from the geek-trying-to-fit-in thing, to being a fashion disaster, to a devil boss (wilhemina) and a fabulous office, down to the soundtrack (they were playing suddenly i see by kt tunstall). as the story progressed things developed beyond the film and ugly betty just got better and better. the side stories are also funny as hell! among others, there’s amanda’s search for her dad, marc’s new boyfriend, wilhelmina’s whatevers, mystique’s new body este, rebecca romijn’s tranny character, betty’s love triangle and the heartbreaking love story of hilda and santos. also, betty is a fan of WICKED ! (also the writers and producers, ergo why kristin chenowith starred in the s1 finale and betty and henry finally makes a date watching wicked with eden espinosa on broadway).

everybody has their own particular skeletons in The Closet, their own insecurities and disappointments. a lot of the characters in Ugly Betty deal with it by turning in a facade or a cold heart. betty’s a bit pinoy in her mexican sense where family is always important and values are help up despite the office politics and culture. for somebody who works in a closely similar industry, i cant help but question myself of the practices ive done and the kind of attitude i put in my work. thankfully im still in touch with a few realities. friends celebrate nightcaps, family is home, love is treasured and God is ultimate. and maybe sometimes, wearing polyester wont get you that promotion. hehehehe

the unfortunate events of the recent writers’ strike in america caused ugly betty to produce only 18 episodes. hopefully the 3rd season will feature 30 episodes hehehe

love it ! love it ! love it !