By Charlene Giannetti

Warning! If you hope to be totally surprised by events in upcoming episodes of Ugly Betty, stop reading now. But if you would like a small peak behind the scenes, inside talk from some of the cast and crew and hints about plot twists next season, then continue.

On Tuesday, April 29, the Paley Center hosted an Ugly Betty get together. Although Betty herself, America Ferrara, could not attend, five other cast members (Vanessa Williams, for one) were there along with five members of the production staff, including Silvio Horto, Executive Producer and Creator.  The audience, filled with enthusiastic fans of the program, saw a new episode, “The Rabbit Test,” that was televised on April 30, marking the show’s return to the air after a short hiatus. (May 7’s episode will involve kidnapping and political campaigns, as well as the usual focus on romance and fashion). Horto gave the audience good news when he said that Ugly Betty will return for a fourth season.

When Ugly Betty premiered, many critics were skeptical. Would the public be interested in a show about an Hispanic girl from Queens with a very ethnic family, who wears braces, huge glasses, badly-styled hair, and, to be kind, displays an eclectic fashion sense and goes to work, not in a bodega, but at a high fashion magazine, called Mode, working among beautiful, bitchy people? Well, we know the answer to that question.  America has embraced America and the entire cast.

Ugly Betty was always set in New York, the fashion magazine capital, but shot in Los Angeles in order to save money. This season, however, the show was able to take advantage of some cost-saving measures offered by the city and returned to New York. “The city is a great wallpaper behind Betty,” said Victor Nelli Jr., a co-executive producer. “We can be out in a city park or at CitiField,” the new home of the New York Mets where parts of an upcoming episode were filmed. Added Tony Plano, who plays Betty’s father, Ignacio Suarez: “Filming in New York has added a dimension to our characters. We’re New Yorkers. Rather than be in L.A., we’d prefer to be in New York.”

Becki Newton (shown above with Ferrara), who plays Mode’s self-absorbed receptionist, Amanda Tanen, said that New Yorkers are not shy about approaching the cast on the streets while the show is being filmed. “They talk to us like we are the characters,” she said. “We were in the middle of a dramatic scene, and a man came up and began to talk with America like she was really Betty, complimenting her on a pair of gloves she had worn. I was like, `You know she’s not really Betty, right?’” Becki, however, delighted the crowd snapping into character as Amanda when someone’s cellphone went off while she was talking. “Whose phone is that?” she demanded.

If the Paley Center audience is typical, viewers scrutinize every aspect of the show—plot twists, romantic entanglements, character developments, and guest stars. So here are some semi-spoilers (Horto declined to reveal major plot-busters), what viewers may expect to see in upcoming episodes:

Betty will lose her braces! Yes, it’s time for Betty to shed those bits of metal and reveal her pearly whites. (Although Ana Ortiz, who plays Betty’s sister, Hilda, laughingly related one cast suggestion: that Betty come out of the dentist’s office, fall on her face, damage her teeth, and need to have the braces reattached).

Horto wouldn’t say whether Betty’s makeover would include ditching her trademark glasses for contacts or getting a good haircut.  “The most iconic things about Betty are her braces and glasses,” he admitted. If she gets rid of one, will she keep the other? Stay tuned.

An entire episode will be a musical one. “All of us have musical backgrounds, said Williams, who just released her thirteenth album. Adds Horto: “The entire cast can sing. Its amazing!” Mark Indelicato, 14, who plays Betty’s brother, Justin, has already amassed an impressive resume singing on stage and recording an album for children. In one episode, he was shown singing in his school play.

Betty will be promoted. We already know that Betty runs Mode, so it’s only right that she receive a bump up the ladder. We have to wait to see what her new position will be.

There will be a wedding at the Planetarium. Whose? No one would say.

Juicy secrets about Claire Meade, played by Judith Light, will be revealed. Is there a lesbian romance in her past or future? Not known.

There will be a new boss at Meade Publishing, besides the billionaire played by David Rashe. Horto hinted that this role would be assumed by a major star, but wouldn’t reveal a name.

Betty’s fashion sense will endure. Patricia Field, costume designer, said that Betty’s clothes will continue to reflect her upbeat attitude and she believes the trick of wearing clashing patterns is beginning to influence designers. “I got off on the fifth floor at Sak’s and said, `This place looks like Ugly Betty!’” she said to loud laughter from the audience. “Betty is a happy, sweet girl,” said Field. “She wears happy colors and the way she dresses has to reflect the honesty of the way she feels.” (To find out where Field shops for the cast’s wardrobe, see “Shopping Around”).

Guest stars in upcoming episodes will include Rachel Dratch (who will play twins), Tommy Hilfiger, Billie Jean King, and Rachel Maddow.

So if you have read through to this part of the story, you now know more about upcoming episodes of Ugly Betty than most viewers. One last secret revealed, not by the cast or crew, but by a member of the audience. (We told you the audience was filled with big fans). If you’ve wondered where Mode’s offices are located in Manhattan, uptown or downtown, we found out. It’s the Woolworth Building, located at 233 Broadway, where outdoor scenes are often shot. The audience member works in the Woolworth Building and has watched some shoots. Now you know.

Ugly Betty
ABC-TV
Thursdays at 8 p.m.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/uglybetty/index?pn=index