Ugly Betty - America the Beautiful

Pilot

In a word? Beautiful! America Ferrera is simply FANTASTIC as Betty Suarez, or our adorable Ugly Betty and the whole show is one big ball of cornball candy confection and heartbreaking and wonderful in all the right places! Not as hilarious I thought based on the commercials but much more real emotions that I would have expected from something based on a telenovela. It's the basic tale of Betty Suarez, an "ugly" girl from Queens, who lands a job at one of the top fashion magazines in Manhattan, where the people are vicious to the non-beautiful.

Ugly Betty has a perfect balance of comedy, heart, camp and soap opera antics with a fun diva performance by Vanessa Williams as a bitch in heels, Ana Ortiz (great last year on Boston Legal) as Betty's doubtful sister, and Ashley Jensen (so hilarious as Ricky Gervais' partner in crime on Extras) as a coworker that Betty can trust. I can't believe I'm saying this but I actually REALLY enjoyed Eric Mabius (bland in Eyes, creepy The OC) as Daniel Meade, son of the magazine owner Bradford Meade played with confidence by Alan Dale (also The OC).

This is the Cinderella story that never gets old, and brought with gusto performance by America Ferrera, who, no matter what happens to her, through her perserverence and positive attitude, keeps bouncing back, and I imagine through the series will slowly makeover the others hearts and souls, as opposed to the fashion industry making over Ugly Betty.