Ugly Betty: Family/Affair
(S02E02) The photo says it all, doesn’t it? The humor, campiness, and wickedness were back in full effect. There were some sad moments left over from Santos’ death, and I’m worried about Justin’s newfound interest in basketball, but apart from that the episode was perfect. I’m suddenly hungry for a Naomi Campbell Tuna Meltdown.
I was thrilled that last week’s tearjerker episode was followed by the kind of cute, comedic elements that Ugly Betty does so well. There was plenty of physical comedy–Dwayne putting Betty in a choke hold, Betty knocking over the bagels, and Betty and Christina texting each other while hiding under Wilhelmina’s bed. We also got some great “evil Wilhelmina” moments, like Mark’s thunder simulation on the roof, and the flames shooting up as Wilhelmina left Bradford’s office in anger. My favorite moment was when Henry showed up drunk (was he drinking a wine cooler?) at Betty’s and told her that he drank milk to coat his stomach first. Those two are soulmates, mark my words.
Vanessa Williams’ ex, Rick Fox, made his guest appearance tonight, and the fact that he barely spoke reveals a lot about his acting ability. It’s nice to know that not all Hollywood divorces are bitter and messy, though. The two even did a love scene together! Actually, Rick Fox wasn’t as bad as all that. I laughed when he said that, like Betty, he didn’t know what the song “Afternoon Delight” referred to. Betty and Christina’s break-in was hilarious, as were the items seen in Wilhelmina’s apartment (photo with Dick Cheney, anyone?).
Unfortunately, Betty’s Buenos Dias earrings were her undoing. Wili got another shot at bribing Betty, and this time the stakes were even higher. I understand Betty’s decision. Her vision of Ignacio made it clear that she’s missing her father and his role as her moral center. I have a feeling that Betty will break down and spill the beans eventually, though. She’s not entirely without a conscience. Besides, Ignacio might not make it back to Queens next week after all. Last season, we learned that someone wanted to kill Ignacio, and the gun-toting man finally found his way to Aunt Mirta’s house. Will Ignacio be killed? Probably not, but it’s likely that his trip home will be delayed. I’m glad that the writers are giving Ignacio more to do than hang out in the Suarez kitchen, but I’d really like him to be reunited with his family soon.
Betty wasn’t the only one keeping secrets this week. Daniel, still guilty about the accident, told Alexis that she crashed the car after she swerved to avoid a deer. How much do you want to bet that his lie will come back and bite him? Also, how long will it take Wilhelmina to pay Alexis a visit and put her wedding to Bradford back on track?
Amanda lost the weight (that was fast), and gained a pet. I couldn’t tell what kind of dog Halston was–either a really awful-looking Chihuahua or a Chinese Crested. Dog lovers, sound off! In addition to the weekly allowance, perhaps she can enter Halston in those World’s Ugliest Dog contests. It’s sweet that she wants to know more about her biological mother, and the D.N.A. test should get her closer to learning about her biological father. I wonder what Marc meant about the test not being his first one? I love when the characters make little offhand comments like that.
Hooray for Justin the Intern! I love the idea of Marc as Justin’s mentor, even if he did use him to get dirt on Betty. After watching Hilda deal with her grief last week, we finally saw how Santos’ death affected Justin. He’s definitely missing his Dad, and felt guilty about enjoying himself at Mode. It looks like he’s going to try to be the athlete that Santos always wanted him to be. Considering that he once mistook a cup for a Phantom of the Opera mask, I’m guessing that things won’t go so well. I hope he doesn’t completely give up on his love of fashion. Mode needs him!
Henry was back at Mode, but not for good. I really had to suspend disbelief with that whole “I can’t get a job with benefits anywhere in Arizona” thing, but I’ll take Henry any way I can get him. Thank goodness for Christina and her big mouth! I doubt that Betty will forget about all her hurt feelings and start dating Henry, but at least things are moving in the right direction. I want to see some awkward flirting within the season! No more of this arm-punching buddy business.
Next week: Tons of daddy drama, and Freddy Rodriguez makes his first appearance. Betty-Henry ’shippers beware!
Best lines of the episode:
- “Oh, Betty. Dear, Pie-eyed, pie-eating Betty.” Wilhelmina, insulting Betty in the conference room.
- “Yeah, and I wish I got to know Marlon Brando before he got fat.” Marc, on another of his celebrity crushes.
- “The famous Mode cafeteria? Where Naomi Campbell had a tuna melt and a meltdown? They now have it on the menu. The Naomi Campbell Tuna Meltdown.” Justin, refusing to bring his lunch to Mode.
- “Marc, I need to fire Chloe in Production. I want you to stand next to me and nod thoughtfully.” Wilhelmina.
- “Ten bucks says there’s a coat in there made of Dalmatian puppies.” Christina, on Wilhelmina’s closet.
- “Sending Warren Beatty a 60th (yeah right) birthday card, telling David Sedaris his 5,000-word piece is now a 50-word piece, getting yelled at by David Sedaris, and asking Chris Rock to write a ten-minute toast that Wilhelmina is giving to Patty Hearst to mark the 33rd anniversary of her kidnapping.” What Marc did in the last five minutes (my favorite line of the night).
- “Am I some kind of animal? No! Yo soy Shakira!” Marc, on Shakira’s need for a bendy straw.
- “I’m looking for a package for Alexis. Ironic, as I say that out loud.” Nick Pepper.
- “Come on, girl. I am black, you’re Mexican. Let’s not talk around this like a couple of dull white people.” Classic Wilhelmina!
Black Snake Moan Movie Review
“God seemed fit to put you in my path and I’m gonna cure you of your wickedness.”
The Sundance Film Festival runs 10-days. The first weekend is usually a madhouse, but when Wednesday comes around - everyone starts to become a walking zombie. Living off 3 hours of sleep a night can only get you so far. It got me to Black Snake Moan, Craig Brewer’s follow-up to Hustle & Flow.
After discovering Rae (Christina Ricci) knocked out in the middle of the road, Lazarus (Samuel L Jackson) chains her up inside his home in an effort to cure her of here nymphomaniac ways. Things are complicated when Rae’s husband (Justin Timberlake) returns from the army. Black Snake Moan doesn’t go anywhere you wouldn’t expect it to. In fact, if you’ve read the description than you probably don’t need to see the film.
Jackson performs the blues in a few sequences, and is surprisingly good. In Hustle & Flow the music was infused into the story, but in Moan it seems nothing more than an afterthought. It’s unnecessary to the story and rests inside the film like an awkward word inserted in the blank of a mad-lib page.
Why does Justin Timberlake want to be an actor? Does he know that screaming really loud doesn’t necessarily translate into a great performance? Apparently not. Justin, PLEASE give up on your acting dreams and return to brining the sexy back. You’re so much better doing your dancing money stage performance, millions of screaming teenage girls need you. So please spare us from your quarter-life career experiment.
But the real problem of Black Snake Moan coms in it’s pacing. It offers too much of the southern atmosphere and flavor and not as much of the story (but who needs that anyways?). If you were to look up “Sophomore effort” in a dictionary, I’m sure Black Snake Moan would be listed as an example. The poster and advertising promises something the movie never truly delivers. You will leave the theater unsatisfied, wanting and needing more.
Annette Bening Biography
The preternatural poise exuded by versatile, attractive performer Annette Bening is a byproduct of her years of successful stage work in regional theater that culminated with a 1987 Tony-nominated portrayal in Tina Howe’s “Coastal Disturbances”. Although her feature debut as the sexually frustrated wife of Dan Aykroyd in the lackluster comedy “The Great Outdoors” (1988) may have disappointed, audiences soon took note of her streamlined carriage and superb vocal instrument when she etched an aptly uneasy portrait of wickedness as the Marquise de Merteuil in Milos Forman’s “Valmont” (1989). The cool subtlety of her performance caught the attention of Stephen Frears, who ironically had directed his own version of the same tale, “Dangerous Liaisons”, six months earlier. (Bening had, in fact, auditioned for Michelle Pfeiffer’s role in that film).
Frears cast Bening alongside John Cusack and Anjelica Huston in his classy film noir, “The Grifters” (1990), adapted from the novel by Jim Thompson. Although it was her nude scenes in the film which generated the most publicity, Bening injected considerable verve and authority into her portrayal of a tough young hustler who coolly uses her body as one of the tools of her trade–a performance intentionally modeled after Gloria Grahame’s in Fritz Lang’s landmark noir “The Big Heat” (1953). The role earned Bening a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, propelled her into the front rank of Hollywood leading ladies and prompted references to her as the “thinking man’s sex symbol.” She went on to demonstrate her versatility by portraying nurturing, supportive wives in “Guilty By Suspicion” and “Regarding Henry” (both 1991) before returning to a more seductive role opposite future husband Warren Beatty in “Bugsy” (1991), surprising everyone by winning the heart of the Playboy of the Hollywood World.
After a three year hiatus to marry and start a family, Bening and Beatty again co-starred, this time in “Love Affair” (1994), the second remake of a 1939 film of the same title. They played two people engaged to others who fall in love after an accidental meeting. While many hoped to draw comparisons between the couple’s real-life romance and their film characters, the pair vehemently denied any connections and the on screen results were less than stellar. Juggling motherhood and a career, Bening has made sacrifices, relinquishing the coveted Catwoman role in “Batman Returns” (1992) when the stork first flew into her life and dropping out of “Disclosure” (1994) due to her second pregnancy. She won acclaim for her deft comic turn as a lobbyist romanced by “The American President” (Michael Douglas) and as Queen Elizabeth in Ian McKellen’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Richard III” (both 1995).
After appearing in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!” (1996), Bening starred alongside Bruce Willis and Denzel Washington in “The Siege” (1998) and teamed with Aidan Quinn as a psychic with telepathic connections to a killer in Neil Jordan’s “In Dreams” (1999). She followed with what many felt was her best work in years, playing the domineering real estate broker wife of a man undergoing a mid-life crisis in the acclaimed “American Beauty” (also 1999). For her performance, she netted a Best Actress Academy Award nomination. Bening followed with a comic turn opposite Garry Shandling in the Mike Nichols-directed comedy “What Planet Are You From?” (2000). After a lengthy hiatus from the screen, Bening—who dropped out of the Disney comedy remake “Freaky Friday” shortly after filming began—took on the role of actor/director Kevin Costner’s spirited and refreshingly age-appropriate love interest Sue Barlow in the under-appreciated Western revival “Open Range” (2003). The actress then accumulated some of the best reviews of her career when she starred as a diva stage actress caught up in a May-December romance with a young social climber only to end up plotting a delicious revenge in “Being Julia” (2004), a bravura turn that ultimately earned her a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Hot off the heels of her Golden Globe win, Bening grabbed an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role and was considered a heavy favorite going into the awards.
- Born:on 05/29/58 in Topeka, Kansas
- Job Titles:Actor, Dancer, Cook, Secretary, Teacher
Family
- Brothers: has two, both older
- Daughter: Ella Corinne Beatty. born on April 8, 2000; father, Warren Beatty
- Daughter: Isabel Ira Ashley Beatty. born on January 11, 1997; father, Warren Beatty
- Daughter: Kathlyn Elizabeth Bening Beatty. born on January 8, 1992 by Caesarean section; father, Warren Beatty
- Father: A Grant Bening.
- Mother: Shirley Bening.
- Sister: older
- Sister-in-law: Shirley MacLaine.
- Son: Benjamin Beatty. born on August 23, 1994; father, Warren Beatty
Significant Others
- Husband: J Steven White. married in 1984; divorced in 1991; former director of the American Conservatory Theatre; also a noted fight choreographer; met Bening when he was directing her in 1981 production of “Romeo and Juliet”
- Husband: Warren Beatty. married c. February 1992; couple deliberately kept exact date and place of wedding secret
- Companion: Andrew Lack. worked at NBC News; dated; no longer together
- Companion: Ed Begley. dated briefly
- Companion: Ned Bellamy. dated in college; co-founder of the Actors’ Gang
Education
- San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, theater, BA
- Patrick Henry High School, San Diego, California
- San Diego Mesa College, San Diego, California
- American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco, California
Milestones
- — Cast as the abandoned wife (Norma Shearer’s role in the original), in the remake of the 1939 comedy “The Women” (2005)
- 1980 Performed with Colorado Shakespeare Festival
- 1985 Performed with Denver Center Theater Company, starring in “Pygmalion” and “The Cherry Orchard”
- 1986 Moved to New York City
- 1986 Off-Broadway stage debut as Holly Dancer in “Coastal Disturbances” (November)
- 1986 TV-movie debut in “Manhunt for Claude Dallas” (CBS)
- 1987 “Coastal Disturbances” moved to Broadway; Bening received Tony nomination
- 1987 Landed guest spots on episodes of “Miami Vice” (NBC) and “Wiseguy” (CBS)
- 1988 Feature film debut as Dan Aykroyd’s onscreen wife in “The Great Outdoors”
- 1988 Played small role Central Park Zookeeper in Off-Broadway production of Michael Weller’s “Spoils of War”
- 1989 Portrayed the manipulative, seductive Marquise de Merteuil in Milos Forman’s “Valmont”; first starring role
- 1990 Delivered brilliant portrayal as the bubbly, treacherous con-artist Myra Langtry in Stephen Frears’ “The Grifters”; earned an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress
- 1990 Offered a strong turn as a ditsy wanna-be actress in Mike Nichols’ “Postcards From the Edge”
- 1991 Garnered further acclaim in “Regarding Henry” (reteaming her with Nichols), “Guilty By Suspicion” and “Bugsy”, the movie which paired her with future husband Warren Beatty
- 1994 Starred with Beatty in “Love Affair”, a pallid remake of “An Affair to Remember” (1957) and “Love Affair” (1939)
- 1995 Played Elizabeth to Ian McKellen’s modern dress “Richard III”; also received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her work opposite Michael Douglas in Rob Reiner’s “The American President”
- 1996 Appeared in Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!”
- 1997 Received second annual Peter J Owens Award at 40th San Francisco International Film Festival
- 1998 Starred with Denzel Washington and Bruce Willis in Edward Zwick’s “The Siege”
- 1999 Acted the role of a woman who discovers she and a serial killer share the same psychic vision in Neil Jordan’s “In Dreams”
- 1999 Played the shrewish, status-seeking wife of a man undergoing a mid-life crisis in the acclaimed “American Beauty”; received Best Actress Oscar nomination
- 2000 Co-starred with Garry Shandling in “What Planet Are You From?”
- 2002 Voiced Abigail Adams on the short lived PBS animated series “Liberty’s Kids”
- 2003 Starred opposite Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall in the western epic “Open Range,” directed by Kevin Costner
- 2004 Stared as a successful actress who escapes from her loveless marriage to her theatrical producer (Jeremy Irons) in “Being Julia,” based on the novel “Theatre,” by W. Somerset Maugham; received SAG and Oscar nominations for Best Actress
- Apprenticed with the American Conservatory Theater, where she performed as a pregnant Lady Macbeth, Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Laurel in “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” and Emily in “Our Town”
- Family moved to San Diego, California in the mid-1960s
- First show business job as a dancer in “The Green Show” presented outside San Diego’s famed Old Globe Theatre
- Passion for scuba-diving led her to work as a cook on a charter scuba-diving boat at age 17 before college
- Pregnancy forced her to give up the coveted catwoman role to Michelle Pfeiffer in “Batman Returns” (1992) and to drop out of “Disclosure” (1994)
- Raised in Wichita, Kansas until the age of seven
- Returned to the stage after a decade as “Hedda Gabler” in an L.A. production
- Went to Hollywood where she appeared in pilot for TV series, “It Had to Be You”
- Worked as a secretary for her father beginning at age 14