Ugly Betty Iran

In 2007, Iranian State Television bought the TV format rights to the hit fashion world dramedy Ugly Betty. In this version we examine the ill-fated adaptation of the hit reality show 'Ugly Betty' (AKA "Ugly Betool") as it aired in Iran. This was the result...

Video courtesy of http://nationallampoon.com

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Betty La Fea Finally Meets the Beautiful Bea Alonzo

There was an episode before in I Love Betty La Fea where Betty was eager to see the 4G endorser Bea Alonzo in person but Hugo didn't permit Betty to go with him to the commercial shooting. Well, not so soon, Betty's dream to meet Bea Alonzo herself finally came true. However that rare encounter never happened in the actual series, as it was just a VTR Promo for 4G antioxidant product shown in ASAP '08, originally known as simply A.S.A.P. (All-Star Sunday Afternoon Party) is a Philippine noontime variety show aired every Sunday.

 
Here are the other trivia happened in International "Betty La Fea" of the actors who portrayed themselves, have multiple roles in the series, or have crossed over with other Bettys.

 

• Mario Duarte (Nicolás Mora) portrayed himself in an episode in Yo soy Betty, la fea
• In La fea más bella, Sergio Mayer (Luigi Lombardi) portrayed himself in a couple episodes that took place at a performance of "Solo Para Mujeres," a live stage show featuring male celebrities dancing like the men of Chippendales. Eduardo Rodrigues, who would later appear as Galo Rivera in some of the "Vidas de Fuego" scenes on "Ugly Betty," and who would also appear in an episode of LFMB as Aurora's boyfriend Lalo, was a member of the "Solo Para Mujeres" troupe.  
• Angélica Vale appeared in the first-season finale of "Ugly Betty" as a character named Angélica, who looked exactly like the pre-makeover Lety. In the episode, Betty had to visit her orthodontist's office, where Angélica worked as a dental assistant.
• In one episode of La fea más bella, Mariana Seoane not only played her character, Carla Santibañez, but she also appear of ed as herself, singing at an event to celebrate the launch of Aldo's gastronomic tourism idea. During Seoane's performance, Carla makes some slightly disparaging remarks about the singer's style to Fernando, then Omar mentions to Fernando that Mariana and Carla look exactly the same.
•   "Ugly Betty" producer Salma Hayek appears as a maid on the telenovela that the Suarez family watches. Later became Sofia, a popular author of books that help to empower women and recruited Betty to join her company.
  
  
  
  
• In "Ugly Betty", Ruthie was the Assistant Editor of MYW magazine, working directly under the publication's Editor-in-Chief, Sofia Reyes. She's played by none other than Becki Newton, known also as Amanda, the Mode receptionist. Becki Newton (Amanda) also played Fey in some early 1980s flashback scenes and still photographs.
• On July 10, 2008, Angeliki Daliani ("Maria, I Asximi"), Veerle Baetens ("Sara"), and Nyncke Beekhuyzen ("Lotte") appeared at Roma Fiction Fest to participate in a celebration of "Yo soy Betty, la fea" and all of its international incarnations. The event, entitled "Fenomenale Betty", took an in-depth look at the cultural impact of the show's various incarnations and their effect on pop culture worldwide. Fernando Gaitán, creator of the original telenovela also appeared, along with representatives of other versions, such as Marianna Cortes McAllister, who was responsible for adapting Spain's "Yo soy Bea", and Michael Esser, who wrote Germany's "Verliebt in Berlin".  To read details of the event, click here 

Trivia and Images courtesy of Tony Lagarto's International Bettybase

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Tony Lagarto's International Bettybase Update: The Philippines' "My Big Love"

 The official announcement of Bea Alonzo's hiring ended a long period of casting speculation, during which actress/singer/TV hostess Toni Gonzaga and her frequent co-star Sam Milby were mentioned for the lead roles of Betty and Armando in I Love Betty La Fea. The false news of Gonzaga and Milby's casting was probably derived from descriptions of their upcoming movie, My Big Love, in which Milby wears a fat suit and Gonzaga's character falls in love with him unconditionally, despite his appearance.

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The Philippines' "My Big Love" was a movie that was released in February 2008 and starred Sam Milby as Macky Cordova, Kristine Hermosa as Niña, and Toni Gonzaga as Aira Capistrano. Macky was a 300-pound chef who had been sending flowers and gifts to the beautiful Niña, the woman of his dreams. Because of his weight, Macky couldn't bring himself to actually meet Niña, so the two only communicated online. When Macky did get the nerve to finally meet Niña, it turned out that his fears were justified because Niña made it clear that she could never get past his appearance. Niña's personal trainer, Aira, saw how heartbroken Macky was, so she volunteered to help him to lose weight and to gain some confidence in himself. During the time that they spent together, Aira started to fall in love with Macky. The two were separated when Aira had to go to Japan for family reasons, and Macky decided to go away to work on bettering himself. They lost touch for a while, during which time Macky lost a lot of weight, returned to Quezon City, and was pursued by Niña, who liked the new Macky much more than the overweight one she'd spent a disastrous date with about two years earlier. Just as they were celebrating their first anniversary together, Aira returned and reunited with Macky. He soon came to discover just how incompatible he and Niña were, and just how much Aira loved him for who he was, even when he was fat. Niña didn't want to lose the gorgeous Macky, but she realized that she couldn't fight the love he obviously felt for Aira, so she did the right thing and let him go. Macky ran to find Aira and the two mutually confessed their love for each other.

My Big Love Video with Lyrics / Subs

• Click here for Other Uglies Around the World

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Poland's BryzdUla Episode Videos and Photo Stills

Poland's adaptation of the Betty story, "BrzydUla" (Ugly), pronounced ZHUH-doo-luh, premiered on October 6, 2008, on the TVN network and stars Julia Kamińska as Ula Cieplak and Filip Bobek as her boss, Marek Dobrzański. Ula lives in the village of Rysiowa and works at a prestigious Warsaw fashion house called Domu Mody Febo & Dobrzański. The series airs Monday through Friday at 5:55pm, with each episode being rerun the next day at noon.

BryzdUla Episodes

• Click Here For More Episodes

BryzdUla Photo Stills

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Lindsay Lohan Kicked out of Ugly Betty Set After Feud with Lead Star America Ferrera

Lindsay Lohan's 'Ugly Betty' Stint Ends Early, But Co-Star Says No Cast Feud Is To Blame
By Jocelyn Vena
Source: www.mtv.com

Just four episodes into her scheduled six-episode guest-stint on "Ugly Betty," Lindsay Lohan has left the ABC drama. According to the New York Post, Lohan was asked to leave early due to her bizarre behavior (which allegedly included obsessively cutting out tabloid photos of herself and leaving her dressing room a disaster) and a rumored feud with star America Ferrera.

"I think it's hysterical," co-star Becki Newton told MTV News of the Post's report. "It's like right out of a script for 'Ugly Betty.' "

Newton admitted that she'd heard rumors about the actresses' supposed feud, but she insisted that it's nothing more than idle gossip. "We had a great time shooting [with Lindsay]," she added. "I'm not sure how many episodes she did, but if you watch the show, you'll see that her story line ended exactly the way it was supposed to end, and we had a great experience filming with her."

A source told the Post that things were so bad on the set that during a rehearsal of a scene in which Ferrera is supposed to pull down Lohan's pants, she made the guest star cry. But Newton said the story was false and that everything was just fine between the two actresses.

"I'm clearing the air that real life is never as interesting as the drama people make up," she said. "America is grateful to have had [Lindsay] on the show and thinks everyone should tune in to see how great the episodes are," Ferrera's rep told the Post. Meanwhile, Lohan's rep said that "Lindsay was scheduled for six episodes and is appearing in four but had a lovely time."

Becki Newton Reaction

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Bettyful Site of The Day: Official Poland's Bryzdula Site - Premieres Today

The Betty La Fea Remake in Poland is called "Bryzdula", a polish word for "ugly". The show's title is a mixed up of words which forms our heroine's name,  Brzyd-Ula. This version stars Julia Kamińska as Ula Cieplak and Filip Bobek as Marek Dobrzańsk, her boss and love interest. The official website is full-flash driven where it contains a lot of promo pictures, videos, and behind the scene footages .It premieres today, October 6, 2008, on the TVN network. Click here to jump to Bryzdula site.

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"The Ugly Girl Without Rival" Arrived in China with Welcome Brace!

The 400-episode series Chou Nu Wu Di (丑女无敌) has finally arrived in China and warmly embraced by the TV viewers since its debut last September 28, 2008 in Hunan Satellite TV. The 19 year old newcomer Li Xin Ru, with no prior acting experience or TV exposure, is challenged to prove the audience that she can play the title role with justice. Our heroine's knight in the shinning corporate suit is played by actor/music instructor Liu Xiao Hu as Fei De Nan.

There are reports before that the Chinese audience were upset with how their Betty version looks like as they had been expecting that she should be uglier and fatter. I remember, it's the same scenario happened in "I Love Betty La Fea" when a group of people complained that Bea Alonzo is too pretty for the role. However, they changed their minds after they have watched the premiere episode, and agreed that Bea is perfect for the role. I believe that whatever role is given to an actress, whether too pretty or not, if she can internalize the character deeply and express the right emotions, she can be able to convince the audience that Betty is a real personality. Check out the Chou Nu Wu Di photo stills after the break.

Chou Nu Wu Di Photo Stills

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Chou Nu Wu Di Episodes 丑女无敌

• Pilot Episode 1 丑女无敌 第1集
• Episode 2 丑女无敌 第2集
  
• Episode 3 丑女无敌 第3集
• Search for more Episodes

Images courtesy of hunantv.com

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The Malaysia Franchise of Mi Gorda Bella - The Other Uglies outside Betty's World

Remember "Taba Tina" (Fat Tina) that was shown in ABS-CBN's rival network GMA? The real title of it is " "Mi Gorda Bella" and it's originally  produced by Venezuela's Radio Caracas Televisión. This telenovela is not officially based on Yo Soy Betty,la fea, but was probably inspired by it; lasted 178 episodes and distributed internationally by RCTV International. After Malaysians were seduced by the beautiful fat Valentina and her antics in "Mi Gorda Bella", a private television station has decided to buy the rights from Venezuela's RCTV to produce a local-flavored version of the telenovella called Manjalara. Using the same format but with a bit alteration to suit Malaysian cultural sensitivity, the serial is shown every Monday to Thursday at 6.30 p.m. on TV3. Starring Jehan Miskin, Emelda Rosmila as Manjalara, Sheila Rusly, Mustapha Kamal and former national gymnast Raja Farah.

Manjalara Pilot Episode

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Fat is the New Beautiful: Ugly Betty goes to Brazil

by: Admin

About 3 months ago, we reported that Brazil's second largest network "RedeTV" were planning to develop its own Portuguese-language version of Ugly Betty. It seems the adaptation is getting near to its materialization as producers are currently looking a fat actress who will fit(or overfit) to a T with the Betty role. They believe that people today can relate more with a fat character on screen than the traditional ugly look as obesity or over-nourished is a current worldwide epidemic. Brazil will call their version "Betty, a Feia" and premiere target date will be on March 2009. Despite of your look and size, you can show your beauty to everyone around you with a positive outlook about yourself. As Mika said in his video(below), "Big Girls, You are Beautiful!".


Mika - Big Girl (You are Beautiful) Official Video

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The Ugly Betty Broadway Musical Premiere?: America Ferrera and the cast singing "New York New York"

There's a new youtube video that came out recently which the song "New york, new york", popularized by Frank Sinatra in the late 1970s, is being sung by the whole cast of Ugly Betty. Sorry to say but this is just a promo spot for the Ugly Betty Season 3 Premier on September 25th, not the rumored adaptation of Ugly Betty for the Broadway. No one will get surprise with such diva-voice of Vanessa Williams because before she took the infamous diva-attitude role as Wilhelmina Slater in Ugly Betty, she already have been a multi-platinum singer for a long time. I also wish that "I Love Betty La Fea" will also have a Musical episode as many in the cast are singers and have a theater background, like Sam Concepcion, Ronnie Liang, Bea Alonzo, and Sheryn Regis, Thou Reyes, John Prats , Vhong Navarro, and Dido dela Paz (Roberto Solis).

"New York, New York" Promo Video for Ugly Betty Season 3

Related Articles:

• New 30-second Promo Spot for Ugly Betty’s 3rd season
  
• 60-Second Preview of Ugly Betty Season 3
  
• Lilo and Dumbo: US Ugly Betty News  
• Hey Betty You Are Beautiful (Trailer Music)

 

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Yu Hao Ming gets ever first acting role in China's Ugly Betty "Chou Nu Wu Di" (丑女无敌)

The actress to play the role of "Lin Wu Di", their version of our heroine, has not yet been revealed as they will keep her a secret until the premiere of the show that may happen between September and October. However, i recently found out that Yu Hao Ming (俞灏) has joined the cast of Chou Nu Wu Di and will be playing as a famous singer and dancer, very much like the actor. Yu Hao Ming is a mandarin pop singer from Guangzhou, China. Yu Hao Ming was on the singing competition Superboy (快乐男声) AKA Kuai Le Nan Sheng, a popular guys singing competition, and received 6th place. (2007). Based on what I've read on a Yuhaoming website, he will have lots of interaction and scenes with the main female lead.



Yu Hao Ming's Behind the Scenes in Chou Nu Wu Di

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Relive the original Yo Soy Betty La Fea that started the phenomenon

Catch the all new Laugh-Out-Lunch beginning September 15 with the comeback of the Columbia's Yo soy Betty La Fea in Studio 23. Relive the story of the original Betty La Fea that started the phenomenon that now has a dozen versions of this telenovela have been remaked in other countries including the Philippine's version "I Love Betty La Fea". Discover out how Betty survives in the world of fashion despite being the oversized square peg in the petite round hole. Watch it every Monday to Wednesday, 1:00-2:00 pm.

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The Miss Ugly Betty Pageant 2008

If you just came out from your cave rock, this is the bettyful pageant recap for the year 2008!

1. Legendary Queen of Bettyful: Columbia
   Betty: this is tweazer. Tweazer: this is Betty, now Pluck
2. Worst Eyewear: Germany
   There must be something cooler at Das LensCrafters
3. Most Stylish: Vietnam
   What's with the hat? Doing an Audrey Hepburn impersonation, eh?
4. Blockbuster Princess: Israel
   Box Office Horror in Water: Jaws - Domestic Total Gross: $260,000,000
   
5. Audrey Tauto-est: Netherlands
   Straighten the Hair, lose the glasses, and you try telling them apart
6. Truth in Advertising: India
   Our eyes...our eyes!
7. Truth in Advertising Runner-up: Mexico
   Way to be honest, Mexico!
8. Most overexposed: America (as in America Ferrera)
   The girl is everywhere
9. Miss Congeniality: The Philippines!
   With her child like chuckle in her laughter she wins a million hearts...ngork ngork ngork!
   

Image: Scanned and Modified from Entertainment Weekly (Stack, 2006)

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The Central Paradox: The different versions of Betty La Fea

Contributed and Written by:
Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru

The Spanish newspaper El País published a story titled Hay 'feas' por todo el mundo (There are 'uglies' all over the world, describing the characteristics and success of the different remakes of Yo soy Betty, la Fea, underscoring the local differences of each of these "Bettys."

This news story generated in me two reflections:


Reflection 1.- The success of Fernando Gaitán's telenovela suggests that there are universal storylines that work everywhere. At the same time, each of these versions is adapted to the local culture that produces and consumes it. Therefore, even though all these "Bettys" use eyeglasses and sport braces, each one of them is a different version that is culturally acceptable in the social formation that consumes it. (Following are: Lisa-Germany, Katia-Russia, Jassi-India, Betty-USA, Lotte-Neatherlands, Letty-Mexico, Bea-Spain and Maria Asximi-Greece)

The success of Betty and its versions begs the question of whether her global success is due to the universal nature of the tale of the Ugly Duckling, or if it's because its versions are tailored to each culture. This question underlines one of the facets of the local-global debate that permeates the telenovela both as an industry and a form of art and entertainment.

Reflection 2.- These days the number 120 is frequently used as the standard number of episodes for a telenovela. There is such strength in this standard that many often lose sight of the fact that some stories cannot or should not be told in 120 episodes. As I read the article in El País, I couldn't help noticing that these versions of Betty are way longer than 120 episodes: Spain (300+ episodes), Germany (364), India (556), Russia (700). This presents an interesting paradox: The 120-episode standard is frequently use to gauge the "export-ability" of a telenovela. The argument is that only 120-episode telenovelas sell well in non-Latin American countries. However, when these cultures produce their own telenovelas, they are longer. What is the meaning of this apparent contradiction?

In sum, the success of Betty and its different remakes suggests a set of interesting questions re: the universal quality of storylines and their ideal length, measured in episodes, and highlights some of the paradoxes and tensions inherent to the genre.

About the author:
Dr. Carolina Acosta-Alzuru is an Associate Professor in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia. She was born in Caracas, Venezuela. For the last ten years telenovelas have been the main focus of her research, the locus where she study the inextricable and fascinating links between media, culture and society, and the thrust of her intellectual journey. She's also the author of the book Venezuela es una Telenovela: Melodrama, Realidad y Crisis. You can visit her blog at http://telenovelas-carolina.blogspot.com

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New 30-second Promo Spot for Ugly Betty’s 3rd season

The 3rd Season of Ugly Betty premieres on Sep. 25th 8/7c in ABC. A 2nd TV promo spot has been released and teases us of what's to come and whereabouts of our beloved(or hated) characters in the series. Has Wilhelmina Slater hit by "Portpartum Depression" after the most anticipated delivery of her new baby -- the youngest kin of Meade family! Oh, And how do you like the new Kimberly, yes Lindsay Lohan is back!


New Promo Video for America Ferrera's Ugly Betty Season 3

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• 60-Second Preview of Ugly Betty Season 3
  
• Lilo and Dumbo: US Ugly Betty News  
• Hey Betty You Are Beautiful (Trailer Music)
  

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The Czech Republic's "Ošklivka Katka" (Ugly Katka) Update

Contributed by: Sizlard & Eileen of Telenovelaslatinas Forum

The Czech Republic's "Ošklivka Katka" (Ugly Katka) premiered on March 3, 2008, and starred Kateřina Janečková as Kateřina Bertoldová and Lukáš Hejlík as Tomáš Meduna, her boss at KM Styl. The Prima network originally aired two episodes per week, on Monday and Wednesday nights, with a planned run of 168 episodes. On June 6, 2008, Prima began airing three episodes per week—on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights at 8:00pm—in anticipation of a brief summer hiatus, which would take place from June 14 to August 25, to allow for football broadcasts to take Katka's time slot. Episodes were rerun on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, for those who missed the airings during the week.

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On another note they are on episode #31 and they are following pretty close the original but kinda on a hurry.

• Hugo  and Tomas are at the gay bar and Hugo kisses Tomas
• Katka will be in charge while Tomas, Mark, and Marcela are gone (Paris)
• While Katka is in charge Patrice makes her life miserable
• Then Tomas receives a call telling him there's something wrong with the new collection. 

I'm kind of surprised that they're rushing things, though.  Yo soy Betty, la fea, Ne Rodis Krasivoy, and Co Gai Xau Xi didn't get to the gay bar scene until around episode 40.  They're supposed to do 168 episodes of Katka, which is only one episode fewer than YSBLF and CGXX, so if they go too quickly, I wonder what they'll fill in the rest of the episodes with... Not a Czech Aldo Domenzain, I hope.


Osklivka Katka Music Video
The show's theme song, "Jaký to je" (What it is), is sung by 14-year-old Polish, Czech born pop singer Ewa Farná.

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Unilever turns Ugly Betty "Chou Nu Wu Di" into China brand vehicle

by: Ella Fitzsimmons
Source: Brand Republic

BEIJING - Unilever’s partnership with Beijing Nesound and Hunan Satellite TV’s remake of classic telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea - which in its US incarnation spawned the hit show Ugly Betty - is hoping to inject renewed vigour into the multinational’s famed Dove brand in China and sister brands Clear and Lipton’s Milk Tea.

While dramas in China usually only run for three months, the series is set to run for five seasons with over 500 episodes, making this Unilever’s most extensive content initiative globally.

The brand campaigns will be closely aligned with an integrated push leading up to the launch of the show in September, as suspense builds over who will play the title character of Betty.

The actress, who is reputedly being hidden from the public until the launch of the show, lies at the centre of the run-up campaign, which has already included an official opening by the governor of Hunan.

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Though Dove’s ‘Campaign for real beauty’ has been very popular elsewhere in the world among feminists and consumers alike, it has struggled to gain traction in China’s booming beauty industry. The Chinese version of Ugly Betty is expected to remain more true to the original’s idea of Betty being distinguished by her inner - or ‘real’ - beauty.

“This version will continue to ask the questions ‘What is confidence? What is beauty?’ while being more romantic,” said Mateo Eaton, managing director at MindShare Performance which is working with Unilever. Characters will be associated with products, both in the actual show and through use in advertising around the show. Betty’s character will be associated with Dove while her boss, Fernando, will be associated with Clear.

Anthea Foong, associate planning director at MindShare Performance said: “Betty has a beautiful heart, which makes her a really good fit with Dove. But anti-dandruff shampoo Clear, which was launched in China last year, is aimed at a primarily male, urban audience.

“Lipton’s Milk Tea fits well too, because they will be taking tea breaks in the office,” said Foong, adding that the show will emphasise improved moods among Betty and her colleagues following tea breaks. Unlike the US version, where Betty works at fashion magazine Mode, the Chinese Betty will work at an advertising agency.

“This offers a natural integration with different products,” said Eaton. Future products are rumoured to include high-end watches, such as Patek Philippe.

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Fresh Promo Video for America Ferrera's Ugly Betty Season 3

This is the Newest Season 3 Promo for Ugly Betty this coming September 25, 2008, which features a couple of exclusive new teaser scenes of Betty from Season 3 with a little re-cap of Season 1 and 2


Quick 60-second Ugly Betty’s 3rd season Youtube Video

Related Articles:

• Lilo and Dumbo: US Ugly Betty News  
• Hey Betty You Are Beautiful (Trailer Music)
  

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Get to know the original Armando Mendoza in "Yo Soy Betty La Fea"

Contributed by: Faye Bettina
Source: fayebettina.multiply.com

In the original version of YO SOY BETTY LA FEA, Betty’s love interest was Armando Saenz Mendoza. He was the son of Roberto Mendoza and Margarita Saenz de Mendoza. His younger sister Camila lived permanently with her husband in Switzerland. Armando Mendoza was engaged with Marcela Valencia, a childhood sweetheart and co-owner of Eco Moda.

Eco Moda was a fashion design company owned by two families – the Mendozas and the Valencias, with Roberto Mendoza as the President/CEO. When Roberto retired, Armando replaced his father for the presidency. Well. It wasn’t an automatic replacement. The board members made their votes, of course. The other candidate for presidency was

(click read more below to continue)

Daniel Valencia, the brother of Marcela (Since their parents have already passed away and Marcela wasn’t interested in running the whole company. Marcela and Daniel’s sister, Maria Beatriz, wasn’t interested in the business. She was just busy spending her money for her own vanity.). Daniel was determined to get the presidency, but it was Armando who got the most votes – his mom’s, his best friend’s (Mario Calderon) and his fiance’s (Marcela) – while Daniel got only the vote of Roberto and Maria Beatriz.

Armando was the kind of man almost every girls dream of because of his looks and his status in society. However, he is the kind of man that would break every girl’s heart. He would easily make a girl, or a woman, fall for him by his looks, his moves and his sweet talking. But he would easily dump her for another. Most often, he would have relationships with several women at the same period of time. But, none of them was serious, except for Marcela.

However, aside from the models and female celebrities who gather around him like birds, the others were in so much fear of him. He was only charming with those beautiful and sexy ladies, but a monster in front of the ‘ordinary’ employees. His shout would make one start and tremble, especially when that person makes mistake or says something stupid. He was an arrogant and domineering boss… until he met Betty.

Well, he was arrogant and domineering with her at first. But, her efficiency, intelligence, diligence and loyalty made him change his attitude toward her. He respected her and even protected and defended her from his own girlfriend. He made some huge mistakes along the way, by using her and abusing her trust for his own self-interests. However, he learned his lesson from these mistakes. In the end, he had fallen deeply in love with Betty, and had changed into a better person – a lot better than who he used to be.

Armando Mendoza was portrayed by Jorge Enrique Abello. JEA is a versatile Colombian actor who had also made movies and soaps in other countries near Colombia. He has been recognized by award giving bodies. Among his telenovelas were the original version of “La Viuda de Blanco” (The Widow in white) 1996, as Dr. Dimas Pantoja, opposite Yolandita Monge as Haydée Blanco, Las Ejecutivas (The Executives) 1996, La Mujer en el Espejo (The Woman in the Mirror) 1997, Perro amor (Dog Love) 1998, and the leading man in the original version of Betty La Fea (Betty, the ugly) 1999, opposite leading lady Ana Maria Orozco, Julius 1999, Eco moda (Echo Fashion) 2001, La Costeña y el Cachaco (The woman from the coastline & the Cachaque man) (2003), Anita no te Rajes (Anita don't give up) 2004, opposite leading lady Ivonne Montero & Merlina, Mujer Divina" (2005-06)& En los tacones de Eva" (In Eva's heels) (2006). In this last soap, he won a best actor award.

Beside soap operas or telenovelas and movies, Jorge Enrique Abello is also a theatre actor, director and a UNICEF ambassador. He played Horacio in the 2005-2006 play “HAMLET”.

He’s also a very athletic person who enjoys scuba diving and horse-backridng. His fascinations are books, artworks, dogs and religion (especially Hinduism and Buddhism). He was very imaginative and creative ever since he was a kid.

JEA was born on February 28, 1968 in Bogota, Colombia; divorced to Marcela Salazar,
and a doting father to a beautiful 8-year-old Candida (Candy). The last thing I know of him is that he’s been dating Colombian model and actress, Natalia Jerez.

In the Philippine version, Armando Mendoza is Armando Solis portrayed by the Philippine Blockbuster King, John Lloyd Cruz. Notice their similiraties in looks?


Image: Tony's International Bettybase

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Malaysia's "Emil Emilda" - The Other Uglies outside Betty's World

Contributed by: Tony Lagarto

Malaysia's "Emil Emilda", which premiered on TV3 in 2007, seemed to have elements from "Yo soy Betty, la fea", "Mi Gorda Bella", and "El Amor no es como lo pintan", among other Ugly Duckling/Cinderella stories. The program was shown at 10:30pm, Tuesday through Thursday, with a total of 25 episodes.

Sharifah Amani starred as Emilda, a bespectacled geeky filing clerk who worked at a television station in Kuala Lumpur. She had moved to the big city to become the next Normala Shamsudin, Emilda's idol. Through her combination of intelligence and diligence, Emilda caught the attention of the station's CEO, Tan Sri Baseera (Jalaluddin Hassan). The CEO soon discovered that his long-lost son, Boboi, who had been missing following a plane crash in Pahang 20 years earlier, had supposedly been sighted. En route to a follow-up regarding the information about his son, Tan Sri was killed when his private helicopter crashed. It was then revealed that he had specified in his will that Emilda should be his temporary replacement as CEO until his son and rightful heir could be located.

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Emilda was then thwarted in her efforts to be successful in her new position by Tan Sri's petty and vain niece, Darleena (Zizie Ezette), who wanted the company's top post for herself. Apparently, in order for Emilda to maintain her position she had to be married, so the company's lawyer, Nazeem (Roy Azman), and Emilda's two gender-confused friends, Mac (Isma Yusoof) and EJ (Noorkhiriah), helped her by finding Emil (Aaron Aziz), who agreed to become Emilda's husband, even though he just thought of the marriage as a paying job with health benefits.

At first, Emil's behavior towards Emilda was demanding and brusque, but eventually his attitude softened and Emilda started to fall in love with her pretend husband. Matters were complicated further by a woman and child that Emil would have secret meetings with.

Darleena had two accomplices: her mother, Darweena (Hamidah Wahab), and Shasha (Nadia 'Luscious' Aqilah), the office bimbo who dreamt of becoming an actress. The three women tried to sabotage Emilda at every turn. At one point, Shasha was disguised as an Indonesian maid so she could be installed in Emil and Emilda's luxurious loft to spy on them.

• You can visit Tony's Other Uglies — shows that were probably inspired by Colombia's Betty here 

You can check out EmilEmilda's YouTube Video below:

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