michael urie

(S02E04) I felt like I was watching a bizarro version of Ugly Betty this week. Betty was a cheater, Justin belched, and the guy from Dawson's Creek was an insensitive jerk! What's next--Hilda dressing conservatively? There were several unpleasant surprises in this episode, but Gio's absence probably made some of the viewers happy. It's always difficult to watch the episodes where obstacles are set up for each character, but how else can there be a happy ending later on? Still, it took a while to get over the shock of seeing Justin wearing his Dad's leather jacket and hearing him say things like "Whatevs."

(S02E03) I've been waiting all season for it (OK, just three episodes), and it finally happened. Gio, the rumored new love interest for Betty, made his way into the Mode offices and Betty's heart. While it wasn't love at first sight, Gio made a strong impression on our green girl. Lunch will never be the same! Let's save the juiciest development for last, though. On to the rest of the Mode-Suarez saga!

(S02E02) The photo says it all, doesn't it? The humor, campiness, and wickedness were back in full effect. There were some sad moments left over from Santos' death, and I'm worried about Justin's newfound interest in basketball, but apart from that the episode was perfect. I'm suddenly hungry for a Naomi Campbell Tuna Meltdown.

(S02E01) Betty's back! The season premiere was an excellent bookend to last season's finale. While the finale ended on a sad note, tonight's premiere let the characters confront their problems and look ahead to the future. This episode was all about letting go of the past and starting fresh, something that many of the characters desperately needed to do.

(S01E22) Before we get started, I need to get something out of the way.

"A boy like that. He'll kill your brother."

Who wants to live in America? Rita Moreno does! I'm just one big fag haggis experiencing her inner theater queen. We all know that there's a Betty musical episode in the works, but I think we might be in for a preview next week. The episode is called "East Side Story," guest stars Kristin Chenoweth and is timed perfectly for Justin to save the day for middle school-aged thespians everywhere. Until then, let us reflect on tonight's mystical Mexico tour.

(S01E20) Betty is back and in fine form. The writers have officially ditched all the weak links - Constance, Nico, the warm-hearted version of Wilhelmina. The bitches are out in full force, and the camp is in overdrive. And, oh my god, I think we have a new word in the pop culture vernacular - "faux-mo!" This week was great, but we're clearly just setting up for next week's Medieval meltdown. Who doesn't want to see a bunch of fashionistas plopped down at a RenFaire to dissect the tragedy? But, that's next week, let us focus our attention on Betty as Carrie, hairapy and little orphan tranny.

Acting is a funny business; one day, you're anonymously playing a waiter or waitress in a silly commercial, and the next day, you have a major supporting role in a new hit series. The interesting part is when the struggling and non-struggling phases of that actor's life collide on the screen, and you begin to recognize the actors in those previously-anonymous bit parts.

Many people have already noticed that Becki Newton, who plays the mean-but-vulnerable receptionist Amanda on Ugly Betty, plays a waitress on an Olive Garden commercial that's currently in pretty heavy rotation across the dial (heck, the ad was shown during a Betty episode where Newton played both Amanda and a Betty look-alike). But, did you know that Michael Urie, who plays Marc, Amanda's partner in cattiness, also played a waiter in an ad?

An explanation, and the video of Becki's Olive Garden ad, is after the jump.

Chicago Tribune television critic Maureen Ryan has spent the past week regaling readers with "Betty-palooza" - a treasure trove of Ugly Betty-related interviews and features.

The centerpiece of the Betty fest is a nice tribute to the Norman Lear-ish quality of the series' concerns with class and ethnicity, but the big fun comes in the forms of revealing interviews with Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie, Ana Ortiz and the show's creator Silvio Horta. There's also a piece on Justin's sexuality and Marc's guide to being the perfect assistant.