When Stars Collide

I'm a little behind on this one. Did anyone else catch Project Runway winner, Christian Siriano, on Ugly Betty last week?

He did a wonderful job. He was playing an over-the-top version of himself, but still, not everyone can pull that off (are you listening Kirstie Alley?).

Heres the clip in case you missed it. 

Welcome Back Everybody!

Tonight was my first busy night of television since before the Strike. ABC's Thursday night line-up (Ugly Betty, Grey's, Lost) premiered tonight and NBC tried out a new time-slot for 30 Rock. Both of these tidbits were great news for me, especially on the same night. The time slot switch made it possible for me to watch all of my shows in one sitting. It was like a new lane opening up on a busy highway.

Anyone else settle in for a night of superb comedies topped off by perplexing drama (thanks LOST)? It was really nice to have so many options again. Not only that, but the episodes were really well done. I'm officially back in the swing of things...

just in time for things with SAG to heat up. I won't be able to take another strike. Hopefully it won't come to that.

I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Hump Day Update

Why does so much good TV news happen just in time for the Hump Day update? The world may never know.

• Aging, (literally) slap-happy, supermodel Naomi Campbell is doing a guest appearance during the season finale of Ugly Betty. I don't know how they'll write in all of the cast's black eyes and broken arms into the episode. That's what makes them professionals people.
  

• In other diva-of-color news, Jennifer Lopez is working on a reality show with TLC. It's going to focus on how she juggles mommy-hood with all of her business ventures. It will be like Jon & Kate Plus 8, except more like Jen & Marc Plus a 100 person staff and millions of dollars.
  

• Orlando Brown, best-boy-friend to Raven on Disney's popular That's So Raven, went missing for just over a day. Apparently he left his manager's house yesterday morning to make a quick 7-11 run. When he didn't return, the search was on. Brown turned up today and said he just needed some time to himself. I think this is just a publicity stunt for his new album and Disney show. Too soon to say? Come on, no one else thought that? I bet half the people who read his name today thought Orlando Bloom went missing.
  

Hump Day Updates!

• I finally watched The Salt-N-Pepa Show on VH1. Needless to say, I can finally confirm that I much prefer SWV.

• Lindsay Lohan is back in fashion...magazines that is. Rumor has it she's doing a three episode arc on Ugly Betty. I would be all over that. Before she was washed out and frail she was a pretty good actress. Plus, any scene with Vanessa Williams and Li-Lo would be a nice clash of the divas.
  

• The CMA Awards are on live and direct from Nashville. I tried to watch, but the second I flipped it on, a mustachioed man was singing about how, "God must be busy." I don't even want to know what he's talking about.
  

• The 8th and final season of Full House was released on DVD yesterday. Don't act like you're not sad. It's truly the end of an era.
  

Week In Review

Things I just couldn't blog about fast enough.

Pageant Place
How about that? Hot girls living in a house together (pictured), sharing secrets and getting in to bitchy fights. MTV is all about innovation. We haven't seen a show like this in three hours. On the upside, by virtue of the show, the girls are a bit more dynamic than the usual ladies of music television.


Ugly Betty
Did anyone catch the following in last week's episode?

• High School Musical's " Get'cha Head In The Game" during Justin and Daniel's basketball scene. Nice cross promotion Disney.
  
• Marc's (Michael Urie) hot plaid outfit
• Betty singing...almost to Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart."
  
• James Vanderbeek is guest starring next week. I don't wanna wait for that!
  

The Office
Something is a little off about The Office. I'll be happy when the 22 minute episodes are back. There is just too much slack in the long ones. 15 minutes about Michael kidnapping a pizza boy? I call bullshit. If it weren't for Andy's acapella rendition of ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me," I would've fallen asleep. The one liners can't be the only thing that keep this show going. It's not Family Guy you know.

I am excited about next week. We will have a lot of things to talk about. Amy Finley's New Show, Christina Applegate's comedy Samantha Who and maybe I'll finally watch/write about Bionic Woman. We'll see.

America F*@& Yeah!

Ugly Betty star, America Ferrera, was named Hispanic Woman of the Year by Billboard Magazin and the Hollywood Reporter.

I am an Ugly Betty convert and I must say, any award Ferrera takes home is well deserved. However, her honor brings other issues to the surface.

The award is meant to honor Hispanic women in film, television and music. Sadly, when I think of all of the TV I watch, and its a lot, I can only name a few other Latina women with lead or supporting roles. The short list includes:

• Salma Hayek (Producer, guest star, Ugly Betty)
  
• Eva Longoria (Desperate Housewives)
• Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty)
• Rita Moreno (Cane)
  

4. I'm know there are more, but it's sad that I can't make it through one hand. The addition of Cane, to the fall line-up helped , but it didn't put the problem to bed.

Representation is an issue for all people of color, but this is even more unsettling due to the growing Latino/a population in our country. Is it too much to ask for our TV characters to catch up with quickly shifting U.S. demographics? Judging from the list above, apparently it is.

Congrats America.