Ugly Betty "The Box and the Bunny"

America Ferrerra is still warming my heart but the one that won it over last night had to be Ana Ortiz who plays Betty's sister Hilda. Between her skank beat down, weave pulling, and "Justin, cover your ears... 'BITCH'" moments she was killing me! She's my new favorite character on the show.

I also love how Gina Gambarro has become this mythic figure to those outside Betty's neighborhood and a mythic pain in the ass to those within. The constant cattyness and old school rivalry between the good girls of the Suarez family and that whore Gina Gambarro will forever be in my heart and mind! It's like Laverne's rivalry with Big Rosie Greenbaum on Laverne & Shirley! Sheer Brilliance.

The Brit Imports are also on my "love" list this week. I'm completely enamored with Ashley Jensen who plays closet girl Christina. She was just frakkin' genius on Extras (returning January 2007) so anytime I get to see her, it's a real treat. Also a surprising treat last night was seeing Dawn Tinsley aka Lucy Davis as the Fashion TV slag bombarding the airwaves. Busy week for her (appearing on both Betty and Studio 60).

Now let me tell you what's troubling me about Ugly Betty. There is an element of VIP, Silk Stalkings, Baywatch cheesiness to it that I can't shake. I was hoping it would go away or that the cause of it would become clearer to me because really I want to love love love this show and I almost do...

I'm not 100% sure but I think that the cause of most of my dairy aversion here is the heinous Vanessa L. Williams. Her character Wilhelmina is supposed to be this uber-bitch clawing her way to the top caricature of a fashionista (which ideally I should love -- you know, as a gay man and all) but her acting ability is so bad that I think the pink bunny could do a better job. It's seriously a casting issue. If they could just recast the role or kill her off, or do something I think the quality of the show and the acting would increase while at the same time decreasing the cheese factor. There is a good way to be a bitch and a cunning way to go about it and then there is Vanessa L. Williams' way.

Honey, stick to sitting on George Burns' lap while topless because acting is not your bag baby.