Betty, the Plaigarist?

The dust has settled on the UK Ugly Betty hype, and the second week figures were respectable. 3.2 million tuned in, a drop of 1.1 million from the premiere. But a fair portion of that can be attributed to it’s celebrity big brother lead-in, and a promotional campaign that I feel was misleading, giving people the impression that the show was more laugh out loud comedy as opposed to the light-hearted soap opera that it is. What’s starting to bother me is viewers and even esteemed TV critics saying that Ugly Betty is a shameless rip-off of “The Devil Wears Prada“. Here are the facts.

Golden Globes

No, not the boobs of some shiny statue, the awards given out for outstanding achievement in the fields of TV and Film by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Depending on what you read, the awards are either very prestigious, or the voters are willing to sell their vote for a bottle of Whiskey. Here are the nominations, and I’ve made bold my picks.  Read them after the jump:-

A first week success…

Well I watched it, and the first signs are that it is as cheesy as the Colombian telenovela it was based on… but I like it. Halfway through, my girlfriend asked me if its going to be too girly for me to stick with, but I can handle it! I am safe enough in my masculinity to watch a show with girlie overtones! Anywho, read the full story below…

‘Ugly Betty’ on ABC is TV’s top-rated (AP)

I can’t wait to see Ugly Betty…

Nothing ugly about “Betty” (Reuters)

Reuters – The Colombian telenovela that inspired “Ugly Betty” was titled “Yo Soy Betty, La Fea,” or “I Am Betty, the Ugly One.” It made sense to drop the literal translation and go with something more conversational. And it made even more sense to transform this telenovela into a weekly, less-serialized version to accommodate American viewing habits.

No Beer and No TV make Homer something something…

There is nothing to watch at the moment, but I bring you news of TV to look out for in 2007.

Well the dust has settled at the LA screenings and almost every TV show screened has been bought by broadcasters in the UK. These are the shows that I will give a go (providing they aren’t cancelled with in the first few months), and the UK channels that have purchased them, if you prefer to watch your TV when you’re told to. 😉