rebecca romijn

(S01E01) Is it bad that my favorite character on Eastwick is a supporting character? That would be the fabulous Sara Rue, who starred in Less Than Perfect from 2002 - 2006. I loved that show! She's done other stuff since then, but that's what I remember her for. in Eastwick, she plays the sideline character of Penny, a co-worker of Joanna's (Lindsay Price). Hopefully, Sara will get plenty of screen time.

Let's talk about the show. Eastwick is based on the John Updike book The Witches of Eastwick, which spawned the 1987 movie by the same name, starring Jack Nicholson, Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Of note is that Veronica Cartwright, who played Felicia Alden in the movie, is playing the part of Bun Waverly in this new series. There was also a 2002 TV movie starring Marcia Cross that perhaps had three or four viewers.

The folks at our sister site Cinematical are working hard to give you news and reviews of the best -- and worst -- the silver screen has to offer. Here are some of their latest musings on the latest blockbusters, indies, and everything in between:

• So, if in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Brad Pitt starts off as a tiny old-man, why wouldn't he end up as a giant baby? Cinematical has the answer.
• When we were in high school, my friends and I got together with a VHS camcorder and made Scream 4. It was pretty amazing. What's weird is that even though we didn't get a film deal, Scream 4 is heading to theaters. Neve Campbell needs a job, people.
• Granted, I've missed a lot of movies in the theaters this year, but I still think The Dark Knight is one of the best films of the year. What do you think? Check out Cinematical's top 10 list.
• Hey, want to see something really creepy? Jerry O'Connell and his wife, Rebecca Romijn, are putting her maternity leave to good use by making Mystique and Me, a new Funny or Die video. It's quite funny and quite disturbing.
• As much as I enjoyed The Dark Knight, I don't think Maggie Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale had a ton of chemistry -- at least not enough to make it onto the Cinematical Seven's Best On-Screen Chemistry of 2008 list.

The Emmy nominations won't be announced until July 17, but we can tell you right now without a doubt that Ugly Betty's Rebecca Romijn will not be among the outstanding supporting actress in a comedy category at the Emmys. No, we're not psychic. It's just that her spokesman has confirmed that her name was never actually submitted. DOH! And why was that, you wonder. No good reason, said her rep, "It was an oversight."

According to L.A. Times' Tom O'Neil, this isn't really that far-fetched an occurrence. Tim Allen, at the height of his Home Improvement success, missed a chance for an Emmy nomination when somebody fumbled the ball. The next year, his paperwork was hand-delivered, accompanied by the University of Southern California marching band.

Romijn's omission -- on the surface -- looks like a mistake. Yes, it's true that her status on the show is going from series regular to recurring, but I don't believe she purposely kept her name out of the running to in some way act out in protest against the show. It makes no sense? How is she hurting Ugly Betty by not getting an Emmy nomination? No, this was a screw up, nothing more.

Ugly Betty definitely avoided the sophomore slump, but something was missing from the show's post-strike episodes. Elements that made the first season great were left out of the second part of season two. Fortunately, Ugly Betty only needs to make some small changes to return to its former glory. Feel free to add your own suggestions to my list.

Bring Cliff back - It's nice to see Marc do something besides taunt Betty or do Wili's bidding. Season one's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" proved that Marc has a heart, and his relationship with Cliff continued to explore that sensitive side. Marc found love by looking beyond surface beauty, which is what the show is all about. The post-strike episodes favored Betty's love triangle at the expense of the other characters' relationships. Why have so many well-written relationships if you're only going to focus on one or two? The fantastic ensemble cast had better get more screen time in season three.

Now that we know that Ugly Betty is coming back next season (it was never in doubt) and that the Ugly Betty production is moving to New York, executive producer Silvio Horta has shared a few more bits of news and tidbits about Betty and company.

For starters, the producers are determined to streamline the show, taking advantage of being in NYC and sharpening the focus of the show. Horta said the goal for the Ugly Betty writing team for season three is "to make the show more about Betty's journey and to weave the characters into more unified, emotionally grounded plots."

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Ugly Betty fans will see less of Alexis Meade next season. In a recent interview with the New York Post, Rebecca Romijn admitted that she will not be a series regular when the show returns this fall. Romijn also implied that this change in status could prompt her to leave the show altogether. E!'s Kristin Dos Santos is reporting that the producers went against Romijn's wishes by demoting her.

There have been a lot of personnel changes to the Ugly Betty staff over the last year. Five writers were fired between the show's first and second seasons, and executive producers Marco Pennette and James Hayman were let go in February. According to E!, Pennette "created and championed" Romijn's character.

(S02E13) It might not have been an official season finale (a faux-nale?), but this week's Ugly Betty could be the last one we see for a very long time. I miss the show already. So many issues are up in the air! What will happen with the Henry-Betty-Gio triangle? Will Wili's baby scheme succeed? Is Ignacio ever going to get another storyline? For now, we'll either have to use our imaginations or content ourselves with the Season One DVD. I've never been big on fanfic, so I'm going with Option B.

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(S02E12) Courtroom drama! Perfume that makes you crazy! Baby-making schemes! This week's Ugly Betty had all the telenovela angles covered. In the grand tradition of fictional court proceedings, Claire's murder trial was over and done with in a couple of days. Don't you love that about TV? There was even time to spare for Gio, Wili, and Christina. Good thing, too, because there's only one episode left. Better get your fill of Suzuki St. Pierre now, folks.

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(S02E11) Many weeks ago (man, it's been a while since we've had a new episode) I shared my dream of a Dixie Carter-Vanessa Williams showdown. This week, Amanda visited a psychic played by another Designing Women cast member, the wonderful Annie Potts. So close! It's great to have Ugly Betty back, at least for now. The sad truth--that there are only two episodes left--is beginning to sink in. Who's panicking?

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(S02E10) Even with her Mode days behind her, Wilhelmina had another Betty to contend with. The fabulous Betty White was on hand to take advantage of Wili's bad PR and contempt for the elderly. There were no St. Olaf stories, but it was still one of the funnest Ugly Betty episodes I've seen in a while! I mean, come on--Betty White and a paintball war? It's like Christmas came early!

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(S02E09) Thanks to the Medusa X virus, Wilhelmina Slater nearly changed Mode and Ugly Betty forever. Wili's plans for Slater magazine didn't come to fruition this week, but something tells me that she won't stop trying to destroy Mode. While Wili was busy trying to get money from her father, Alexis, Daniel, and Betty were trying to honor their dead parents. I guess we all have different priorities around the holidays!

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(S02E08) There have been a lot of sad episodes of Ugly Betty this season, and this week was no exception. Don't let the above photo fool you; the wacky antics were few and far between. For the most part, "I See Me, I.C.U." dealt with the fallout from the disastrous Meade-Slater wedding. Guest star Mo'Nique (as the cleverly named L'Amanda) did her best to lighten the mood, though.

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(S02E07) This week's Ugly Betty was all about the lavish, star-studded Brad-elmina wedding. Fashion guru Vera Wang was on hand for Wilhelmina's final dress fitting, and Posh herself nearly stole the spotlight from poor Wili. Back in Queens, Ignacio was preparing for a ceremony of his own. The Suarez sisters' inability to keep secrets nearly ruined both events.

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(S02E06) Ugly Betty made it to Broadway this week! Half the cast went to a performance of Wicked, Betty and Henry ended up onstage, and Justin broke out his collection of Playbills. That boy snapped out of his delinquent phase just in time. Wili and Marc busied themselves with wedding arrangements, and Hilda got a surprising new job. The biggest surprise? Gio made another appearance and managed to be less abrasive.

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(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."