Q&A Interview with “Gnomeo & Juliet” actress Ashley Jensen (J!-ENT Interviews and Articles)

 

With the upcoming release of “Gnomeo & Juliet” on Bli-ray and DVD on May 24th, J!-ENT will be featuring Q&A interviews with a few of the talent who lent their voices to the animated film.

We kick off with Ashley Jensen, an actress who won the hearts of Europe and Hollywood for her breakout performance as the loveable loser Maggie Jacobs on the BBC/HBO series “Extras,” in which she stars opposite Ricky Gervais. For her work in “Extras,” she has received two British Comedy Awards (Best Actress, Best Newcomer), the Golden Rose of Montreaux award, Best Actress at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival, Glamour Magazine’s Comedy Woman of the Year award and she was nominated for a BAFTA and Emmy® Award.

Other notable television work includes ABC hit drama “Ugly Betty” and the new CBS comedy series “Accidentally On Purpose.” Jensen’s film credits include “Topsy Turvy” and “Cock and Bull Story.” Jensen appears in the upcoming television drama “The Reckoning” and will star opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal in the feature film “Hysteria.” In “Gnomeo & Juliet,” Jensen lends her voice to Juliet’s best-friend, the romance-obsessed frog, Nanette.

ASHLEY JENSEN won the hearts of Europe and Hollywood for her breakout performance as the loveable loser Maggie Jacobs on the BBC/HBO series “Extras,” in which she stars opposite Ricky Gervais. For her work in “Extras,” she has received two British Comedy Awards (Best Actress, Best Newcomer), the Golden Rose of Montreaux award, Best Actress at the Monte Carlo International Television Festival, Glamour Magazine’s Comedy Woman of the Year award and she was nominated for a BAFTA and Emmy® Award. Other notable television work includes ABC hit drama “Ugly Betty” and the new CBS comedy series “Accidentally On Purpose.” Jensen’s film credits include “Topsy Turvy” and “Cock and Bull Story.” Jensen appears in the upcoming television drama “The Reckoning” and will star opposite Maggie Gyllenhaal in the feature film “Hysteria.” In “Gnomeo & Juliet,” Jensen lends her voice to Juliet’s best-friend, the romance-obsessed frog, Nanette.

What attracted you to taking part in “Gnomeo & Juliet”?
Well, the fact that it’s an animated film was a huge appeal. This was the first animated film that I’ve done and I thought it was such a clever and charming idea. And I think it’s always good to bring things like Shakespeare to children, and what a fun way to do it. The animation is beautiful, it’s so colorful and it’s so accessible and funny.

Do you see yourself in your character Nanette?
The first image that I saw of myself I thought, “That’s amazing. That’s great.” But then the next time I went in, they said, “We’ve kind of gone this way with it.” They had made me more feminine with lovely long lashes and voluptuous lips and they had definitely made my mouth bigger because—well because I have quite a big mouth.

Did you find the process of doing an animated film challenging?
It was a whole new way of working, which is great and very exciting because you can really let go. I got very carried away with my frog acting. The special thing about doing voice work for animation films is that you become uninhibited the way you were as a child in your own room playing. It’s those parts of the imagination you are calling upon. After a three-hour session you are pretty exhausted, because it is incredibly physical, but it is also quite freeing being in this little recording booth on your own in the middle of nowhere and you can just let your imagination go wild. So it was good fun. I really enjoyed it.

GNOMEO & JULIET on Blu-ray™, Blu-ray 3D™ and DVD May 24, 2011

The greatest love story ever told, starring…garden gnomes? In the upcoming “Gnomeo & Juliet,” Shakespeare’s revered tale gets a comical, off-the-wall makeover. Directed by Kelly Asbury (“Shrek 2”) and showcasing both classic and original songs by Elton John, the film features the voices of James McAvoy and Emily Blunt as Gnomeo and Juliet, who have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and thrilling lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?

Gnomeo & Juliet (a J!-ENT Blu-ray Disc Review)

“Gnomeo & Juliet” is a charming and fun family film!  While some may not have a care towards garden gnomes, if you can get over that, I personally have found the animation for the film to be well-done and its storyline inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” was well-executed especially for the younger children who may be watching.

Images courtesy of © 2011 Buena Vista Home Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Gnomeo & Juliet

DURATION: 84 minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition (1:85:1), Audio: English 7.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish

RATED: G

COMPANY: Touchstone Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 24, 2011

Inspired by the William Shakespeare Play “Romeo & Juliet”

Directed by Kelly Asbury

Story by Rob Sprackling, John r. Smith, Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil, Kelly Asbury and Steve Hamilton Shaw

Screenplay by Andy Riley, Kevin Cecil, Mark Burton, Emily Cook, Kathy Greenberg, Steve Hamilton Shaw, Kelly Asbury

Original Screenplay by Rob Sprackling, John R. Smith

Producer: Baker Bloodworth, David Furnish

Executive Producer: Elton John

Producer: Steve Hamilton Shaw

Co-Producer: Igor Khait

Associate Producer: Kara Lord

Music by Chris Bacon, James Newton Howard, Elton John

Edited by Catherine Apple

Castin by Gail Stevens

Production Design by Karen deJong

Art Direction: Karen DeJong, Andrew Woodhouse

FEATURING THE VOICES OF:

James McAvoy as Gnomeo

Emily Blunt as Juliet

Ashley Jensen as Nanette

Michael Caine as Lord Redbrick

Matt Lucas as Benny

Jim Cummins as Featherstone

Maggie Smith as Lady Bluebury

Jason Statham as Tybalt

Ozzy Osbourne as Fawn

Stephen Merchant as Paris

Patrick Stewart as Bill Shakespeare

Julie Walters as Miss Montague

Hulk Hogan as Terrafirminator

Kelly Asbury as Red Good Gnomes

Richard Wilson as Mr. Capulet

Dolly Parton as Dolly Gnome

From a director of Shrek 2 comes your chance to step into the secret world of garden gnomes — Gnomeo & Juliet. Perfect for the whole family, this fresh and funny makeover of one of the world’s most timeless stories features music from Sir Elton John, and the voice talents of Emily Blunt, James McAvoy and Sir Michael Caine. Caught up in a feud between neighbors, Gnomeo and Juliet must overcome as many obstacles as their namesakes. But with flamboyant pink flamingos and epic lawnmower races, can this young couple find lasting happiness? Complete with hilarious never-before-seen bonus features, Gnomeo & Juliet is an out-of-the-ordinary animated comedy your entire family will love. We just gnome it!

Charming, delightful and fun for the entire family!

In Feb. 2011, Touchstone Pictures first animated feature since “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993) titled “Gnomeo & Juliet” was released in the U.S.  The film topped the worldwide box office earning over $176 million.

But “Gnomeo & Juliet” was a film that has been in limbo for many years.  Originally to be produced by Walt Disney, the film would exchange hands with Miramax Films but eventually was picked up and produced by Starz Animation in Toronto and released by Touchstone Pictures.

Directed by Kelly Asbury (“Shrek 2″, “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”), the film would be inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” and would feature voices by talent which include Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Sir Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham, Ashley Jensen, Ozzy Osbourne, Julie Walters, Hulk Hogan, Dolly Parton and many more.

And now the film will be released on Blu-ray ala 3D (includes Blu-ray 3D and 2D, DVD and Digital Copy), a 2-Disc set with Blu-ray DVD and a normal DVD version.

In the film, Mrs. Montague (played by Juliet Walters) and Mr. Capulet (played by Richard Wilson) were a couple who now despise each other.  Now each live next door to each other and Mrs. Montague’s yard is filled with blue garden gnomes, while Mr. Capulet’s garden has red garden gnomes.   When the two are away, the gardens come alive and both blue and red gnomes despise each other as well.

But its time for the lawnmower race and representing the blue gnomes is Gnomeo  (voiced by James McAvoy) and for the red gnomes is Tybalt (voiced by Jason Statham).  While Gnomeo was about to win, Tybalt cheats and wins the race.

Gnomeo and his friend Benny (voiced by Matt Lucas) are upset and insult Tybalt for cheating and now the two want revenge.

So, both Gnomeo and Benny try to infiltrate the red garden with a disguise.  Their plan, to spray paint the red lawnmower with blue paint.  And Gnomeo nearly accomplishes their goal but Benny accidentally sprays Tybalt’s well and a security light is activated, which alerts the red gnomes that they the blue gnomes has infiltrated the garden.

Fortunately for both Gnomeo and Benny, the two escape but Gnomeo ends up in a different garden and accidentally runs into the red gnome named Juliet (voiced by Emily Blunt), the daughter of Lord Redbrick (voiced by Michael Caine) of the red gnomes.

Immediately, Gnomeo becomes smitten with Juliet and she with Gnomeo.  For Juliet, she can’t help but confess her love of Gnomeo to her friend, a frog named Nanette (voiced by Ashley Jensen).  The two continue to see each other by planning secret meetings.

But both may be pulled apart as tensions mount between the blue and red gnomes.  Will the love between Gnomeo and Juliet remain strong despite their people despising each other and may fight against each other?  Or will they be separated and looking at each other as enemies?

“Gnomeo & Juliet” features music by Elton John with collaborations with Lady GaGa and Nelly Furtado.

VIDEO:

“Gnomeo & Juliet” is presented in 1080p High Definition Widescreen (1:85:1).  I’m not too familiar with the work of Starz Animation (Arc Productions) but what I can say about “Gnomeo & Juliet” is that one would want to see these characters show detail of their wooden ornamentation.  So, while these garden gonmes to come to life, the animation is able to capture these characters but also showing the detail of their wooden surface.  In fact, there are scenes where you can see wooden surfaces that are wet with water and it’s soaked to paint that has come off the wood.   I was very pleased by how the CG was rendered for each character and the Blu-ray brings out those details.

You can see the dirt and grime including chips on the gnomes but also see the detail of the road, the ground, the trees and grass, even when Juliet is wearing a sock, you can see the cotton fibers.   I was quite pleased by the film’s overalll look on Blu-ray.  The film is vibrant and picture quality is very good!  Blacks are also nice and deep and once again, you can compare the DVD included with the Blu-ray and noticed how much detail you are able to see when watching in HD.

AUDIO:

“Gnomeo & Juliet” is presented in English 7.1 DTS-HD MA (48 kHz/24-bit) and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound.  The lossless soundtrack was very well done.   From the more action-based sequences, there is a good use of the surround channels including moments that the LFE was used.  Also, because there is a lot of music utilized throughout the film, you can hear the music being utilized on the surround channels as well.  And if you are familiar with the Elton John musical classics, you will definitely enjoy how his music was utilized in the film.

Subtitles are in English SDH and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Gnomeo & Juliet” comes with the following special features:

• Elton Builds a Garden – (5:47) How Elton John played a big part in the film and how he had been in the process of the varying production process.
• 2 Alternate Endings – Featuring two alternate endings (sketches) with commentary at the beginning.  The following is in standard definition.  Alternate Ending 1 – All’s Well That Ends Well (1:34) and Alternate Ending 2 – Dance Routine (1:29).
• Deleted & Alternate Scenes – (42:25) Featuring alternate opening sequence and seven deleted scenes with filmmakers introduction commentary.  Presented in standard definition.
• Frog Talk with Ashley Jensen – (1:46) Actress Ashley Jensen talks about doing her first animated role and providing the voice of Nanette the frog.
• Crocodile Rock Music Video – (1:32) Featuring the recording of “Crocodile Rock” with Nelly Furtado and Elton John.
• The Fawn of Darkness – (1:29) Ozzy Osbourne talks about doing a voice of a fawn.

EXTRAS:

“Gnomeo & Juliet” comes with a slip cover case.

“Gnomeo & Juliet” is a charming, fun, family film.

But I also believe that for one to be open to it, it being the “garden gnome”.  It’s one thing for a CG animated film to come out and have fresh, unique characters and sure, animated films such as “Toy Story” are able to capture one’s imagination because everyone grew up with toys.  But not everyone grows up with having garden gnomes in their garden.

Elton John even said on the special features of how garden gnomes are popular in the UK and I would assume that they are popular in Europe, especially in Germany where they first originated in the 19th century.  According to Wikipedia, the first garden gnomes were made in Grafenroda and a man named Philip Gribel made terracotta animals as decorations (which are featured in the film) and produced garden gnomes (which many are featured in the film) based on local myths as a way for people to enjoy the stories of the gnomes willingness to help in the garden at night.

It quickly spread across Europe wherever gardening was  a serious hobby.  And once in awhile, you will drive and see someone in America having one in their garden, some having more than others.

While many people are unaware of the history of garden gnomes, I know when commercials came out, my little one was wondering why there was an animation on small people.  I told him they were garden gnomes…statues in the garden that come to life and he gave me a dumbfounded look. Until I told him that people put pranks on them and people dress them up with weird clothing or bring them along on vacation trips where people take a picture of them… and then he became amused.

I think that there are people who may feel the same way in the US, of why a film was created using garden gnomes?  I suppose if there a movie about spy hamsters, ninja turtles or dogs with super powers can be made to films, why not garden gnomes.  OK, I understand that spies, ninjas and super powers are cool but this movie is not too ridiculous as one may think.

There is a storyline which is inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet”, blue gnomes and red gnomes who despise each other (and no, this was not done to emulate Los Angeles gangs) but these garden gnomes have personality.  Like the Montague’s and the Capulets, these garden gnomes are constantly at each other’s throats until Gnomeo of the blue and Juliet of the red fall for each other.

And of course, because this is a children’s film, it has to have a happy ending.

But I was open to the film, the whole garden gnome character and without any feeling of “oh, garden gnomes, this movie is going to suck” mentality, I watched it and I was impressed by the animation.  The garden gnomes, even when alive, look like their real-life counterparts with grime, aged dirt, chips on them.  But also seeing closeups of the road, the wood and all these textures to make things more realistic was quite impressive.  Granted, you’re not going to have the Pixar color pallette of everything so vibrant but yet, this film holds up well on its own for being a modern animated Disney-related film.

I also liked the voice talent that were involved in the film.   You can tell which voice was Dolly Parton, Patrick Stewart, Hulk Hogan and Ozzy Osbourne but it was good to see talent such as Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Jason Statham and Ashley Jensen involved in the film as well.  Their performances were well-done and with the music of Elton John, you have this sense that the film an International feel to it.  Which is good considering the fact that garden gnomes are popular overseas.

As for the Blu-ray release, it’s important to remind people that if you have a 3D-enabled TV and Blu-ray player, then you may want to check out the 3D version which comes with both the 3D, 2D, DVD and digital copy version of the film.  For this release that I am reviewing, it comes with the Blu-ray and DVD release and it makes a very good family film to take on those long commutes as summer vacation is around the corner.  The picture and audio quality is very good and there are a few short special features that are fun and amusing and are included in this release as well.

Overall, “Gnomeo & Juliet” was a film that I enjoyed.  If one has negative feelings towards garden gnomes, I’m sure that’s going to affect one’s appreciation for this family film.  But if you could care less and just want a film that young and old can watch together, then “Gnomeo & Juliet” is a film worth checking out!

UGLY BETTY – The Complete Third Season (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“A lot of drama, a lot of crazy moments but for the most part, an entertaining, solid third season for ‘UGLY BETTY’.   Top notch writing and wonderful performances by the cast.   Expect a lot of surprises and celebrity guest appearances in the third season and a DVD with plenty of entertaining special features!  Highly recommended!

Images courtesy of © abc studios/Disney. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: UGLY BETTY – The Complete Third Season

DURATION: 24 episodes (1032 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, French and Spanish Subtitles, Widescreen (1:78:1) – Enhanced for 16×9 Televisions

COMPANY: abc studios

RATED: TV PG DLSV

RELEASE DATE:  September 22, 2009

Based on the Colombian telenovela “Betty la fea” by Fernando Gaitan

Directed by Victor Nelli Jr., Matt Shakman, John Terlesky, Tom Verica

Written by Silvio Horta, Henry Alonso Myers, Sheila R. Lawrence, Bill Wrubel, Jon Kinnally, Trace Poust, Chris Black, Brian Tanen, Fernando Gaitan, Peter Elkoff

Executive Producer: Salma Hayek, Silvio Horta, Jose Tamez, Benjamin Silverman

Co-Executive Producer: Sheila R. Lawrence, Teri Weinberg, Victor Nelli Jr., Henry Alonso Myers, Jon Kinnally, Tracy Poust, Richard Heus, Billy Wrubel

Producer: Jim Weiss

Co-Producer: Jerem Beim, Samantha Thomas

Associate Producer: Gregg Fishman

Music by Jeff Beal

Cinematography by Michael A. Price

Edited by Jennifer Pulver, Sarah Boyd

Casting by Geoffrey Soffer

Production Design by Mark Worthington

Art Direction by Charles E. McCarry

Set Decoration by Rich Devine

Costume Design by Patricia Field

Starring:

America Ferrera as Betty Suarez

Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade

Michael Urie as Marc St. James

Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater

Tony Plana as Ignacio Suarez

Ana Ortiz as Hilda Suarez

Ashley Jensen as Christina McKinney

Becki Newton as Amanda Tanen

Mark Indelicato as Justin Suarez

Judith Light as Claire Meade

Christopher Gorham as Henry Grubstick

Alec Mapa as Suzuki St. Pierre

Anna Kuchma as Modie

Sarah Lafleur as Molly

Grant Bowler as Connor Owens

Daniel Eric Gold as Matt

Ralph Macchio as Archie Rodriguez

David Rasche as Calvin Hartley

Christine Baranski as Victoria Hartley

There are underdogs and then there’s Betty Suarez. In the snooty world of high fashion, Betty is the ultimate “fish-out-of-water.” Her efforts to fit in with her colleagues at a glossy magazine may bring unintentionally hysterical results, but they also have audiences rooting for their favorite fashionista. In Season Three, Betty’s success shocks her co-workers at Mode—she’s leaving the old neighborhood in Queens for a Manhattan apartment and a slot at YETI (the prestigious Young Editors Training Institute). But it wouldn’t be Betty without some hilarious setbacks along the way!

A lot of drama, a lot of excitement, a lot of wild and crazy moments…overall, highly entertaining and another wonderful season of “UGLY BETTY”.

“UGLY BETTY”, a series that captured the attention of millions of viewers with its heartwarming and hilarious storyline and it helps that the series is an adaptation of the popular Colombian telenovela “Betty la fea” by Fernando Gaitan.  The series revolved around Betty Suarez (America Ferrera, “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” films, “Lords of Dogtown”), a woman with a kind heart and is always giving.  The problem is that she is not fashionable, known for her thick hair, eyebrows and big glasses and braces.

In Season 1, we see how Betty gets a job at the fashion magazine known as Mode Magazine and work as an assistant for Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius, “The L World”, “The O.C.”, “Eyes”)., the Editor-in-Chief.  Despite her looks and how badly she is treated at the workplace, Daniel sees the kindness in her heart and she manages to reach out to him and help him through his troubles.

The stories tend to focus on various storylines that revolve around Betty’s world.  Betty lives with her father, Ignacio Suarez (Tony Plana, “24″, “Commander-in-Chief”) who happens to be a God believing man and very protective over his family.  Her sister Hilda (Ana Ortiz, “Boston Legal”, “Batman: Gotchic Knight”) who moves back at home with her son Justin (Mark Indelicato).  They are a strong Latino family with Betty more proper, while her sister is more street smarts.

At Mode Magazine, there is a bit of strife as behind-the-scenes Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams, “Hannah Montana: The Movie”, “Boom Town”, “South Beach”) tries to find ways she can move up and own Mode Magazine and in Season 1, she goes after Daniel’s father Brandon Meade (Alan Dale, “The O.C.”, “LOST”) and has an affair with him. Wilhelmina trusts her loyal assistant Marc St. James (Michael Urie) to do her dirty work.  Meanwhile, Marc and receptionist Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton, “American Dreams”) are like two peas in a pod as they gossip about those who work for Mode Magazine, constantly make fun of Betty but yet despite their trash talking, they somehow also end up getting closer to Betty.  As for Betty, she can always depend on her friend and Mode Magazine costume designer Christina McKinney (Ashley Jensen, “Extras” and “Eleventh Hour”) to go, if times are tough at work.

In Season Two, Wilhelmina will do anything to own Mode Magazine but her goal to marry Brandon Meade doesn’t go quite well but she manages to have sex with him and gets pregnant right before he dies.  Meanwhile we are introduced to Daniel’s brother Alex turned woman named Alexis (Rebecca Romjin, “X-Men” films, “Pepper Dennis”) who is like another rival to Daniel and we also meet his mother who just escaped prison, Claire Meade (Judith Light, “Who’s the Boss”).  Meanwhile, two men – Henry and Gio vie for Betty’s affection and one asks her hand in marriage.

In Season Three, we see Betty taking a more proactive approach in her job and trying to rise in the ranks of Mode but things get a bit crazy when her high school rival Kimmie (played by Lindsay Lohan) enters her life once again and takes part in the Young Editors Training Program (YETI).  Meanwhile, Hilda’s salon is doing well but the city shuts it down, meanwhile Cliff and Marc become closer and eventually want to marry or will they?  As for Daniel and Wilhelmina, the two must work together in ensuring that Mode Magazine becomes profitable.

Featuring even more celebrity guest appearances and exciting episodes, “UGLY BETTY – The Complete Third Season” features 24 episodes on six discs.  Included are (spoiler-less summaries):

DISC: 1

• EPISODE 42 – The Manhattan Project – Wilhelmina is now Editor-in-Chief at Mode, while Daniel runs another magazine and Betty makes her return.  While her father Ignacio get s a job at a fast food restaurant.
• EPISODE 43 – Filing for the Enemy – Daniel knows he is up to a custody battle for Daniel Jr., meanwhile Betty becomes Wilhelmina’s assistant.
• EPISODE 44 – Crimes of Fashion – Christina is injured and Wilhelmina’s baby is in trouble.  But who at Mode Magazine is responsible for the accident?
• EPISODE 45 – Betty Suarez Land – With Gio’s return, Betty thinks they can continue to be friends but she finds out that he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 46 – Granny Pants – Kimmie visits Betty and asks for help to get her a job at Mode.  But despite all the bad things Kimmie did to Betty in the past, maybe she’s changed.
• EPISODE 47 – Ugly Berry – Kimmie has become Assistant Editor at Mode and steals Betty’s spotlight.
• EPISODE 48 – Crush’d – Jesse becomes attracted to her neighbor/musician Jesse.  Amanda needs a place to live after being evicted and lives with Betty temporarily.  Can Betty stand her new roommate?
• EPISODE 49 – Tornado Girl – With the MODE Magazine upper management on a retreat, Betty is in charge but with a tornado on its way, Betty must avert a PR nightmare.  Can she pull it off?  Meanwhile, Marc must make a major decision.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 50 – When Betti Met YETI – Betty and Marc apply to YETI (The Young Editors Training Program) and become each other’s rival.  Daniel starts to become more attracted to his friend’s wife, Molly.
• EPISODE 51 – Bad Amanda – Betty and Amanda must work on an article “How I Blew Ten Grand Without Spending a Dime”.
• EPISODE 52 – Dress For Success – Betty wants to impress her idol Jodie Papadakis, editor of YETI.  Meanwhile, she meets her match with ELLE Magazine’s Teri.
• EPISODE 53 – Sisters on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown – Betty and Hilda have sister problems and Daniel and Molly, Wilhemina and Connor have an affair.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 54 – Kissed Off – Connor tries to find out who is admiring his wife, Molly.  And musician Jesse starts to distract Betty once again.
• EPISODE 55 – The Courtship of Betty’s Father – Betty works on a  video tribute for Claire Meade’s 60th Birthday but by leaving the camera at home, she discovers something about her father.
• EPISODE 56 – There’s No Place Like Mode – Wilhelmina starts to worry that this affair is affecting her job and a new face joins MODE Magazine.
• EPISODE 57 – Things Fall Apart – With YETI having Betty and Marc analyzing the magazine’s budget, she discovers a surprising discovery.  Meanwhile, Betty sees that Henry is trying to friend her on Facebook and we learn something surprising about Molly.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 58 – Sugar Daddy – With the Suarez’s landlord wanting to sell their house, they must find a rental home. Meanwhile, Ignacio takes part in a TV cook-off.
• EPISODE 59 – A Mother of a Problem – The Suarez family try to hook Hilda up with City Councilman, Archie from Queens.
• EPISODE 60 – The Sex Issue – Wilhelmina and Daniel decide to do an issue all about sex.  Matt wants to take his relationship with Betty to a higher level.
• EPISODE 61 – Rabbit Test – The Suarez get an invitation to meet Matt’s billionaire father at his Easter Egg Hunt event.  Meanwhile, Wilhelmina thinks that William might not be her biological son.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 62 – The Born Identity – Matt’s billionaire father is willing to bail Mode Magazine, meanwhile baby William has been kidnapped.
• EPISODE 63 – In the Stars - Betty must work with Matt and Marc on their final YETI project.  Meanwhile, Claire and Wilhelmina square off against each other.  Someone gets married…
• EPISODE 64 – Curveball – Betty agrees to move in with Matt but while things go good in her new relationship, her former fiance returns to New York.
• EPISODE 65 – The Fall Issue – With the passing of an editor at Mode, this leaves a position open and Betty and Marc compete for it.  Meanwhile, Wilhelmina has dirt on Claire and wants her to resign.  Meanwhile, things go terrible for Betty and a someone dies.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“UGLY BETTY” is presented in Widescreen (1:78:1) and is enhanced for 16×9 televisions.  Production for “UGLY BETY” is quite slick and for a drama series, picture quality is along the same lines as abc studio’s other DVD releases.  Which is pretty good and compression artifacts and low light noise is not as visible.

As for audio, “UGLY BETTY” is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.  The series is front and center channel driven.  Dialogue is clear, music is clear and overall, not a series to expect a lot of sound effects on your surround channels but for the most part, dialogue is understandable.

Subtitles are in English SDH, French and Spanish.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“UGLY BETTY – The Complete Third Season” includes the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Mode After Hours: Six “Mode After Hours” episodes featuring Marc St. James (Michael Urie) and best friend Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton) in hilarious episodes featuring what they do at Mode after hours.  Included are the following episodes:  “Gwadalaharahh”, “Friend-iversary Vlog”, “Bowling for Cliff”, “Slumber Party Secrets”, “Sommer’s Seance” and “Trapped in the Elevator”.
• Deleted Scenes – Three deleted scenes are included on Disc 1: What Are You Doing Here?, Don’t Let that Foam Fizzle, Lettuce

DISC 2:

• Audio Commentary for “Crush’d” with Executive Producers/Writers Tracy Poust & Jon Kinnally and Co-Executive Producer/Director Victor Nelli Jr.
  
• Deleted Scenes – Five deleted scenes are included on Disc 2: A Bitch Never Changes Her Stripes, You are My Hag, The Roof, Go Get’Em, You Must Be Molly

DISC 3:

• Deleted Scene – Only one deleted scene Disc 3 titled “No Shoes!”

DISC 4:

• Deleted Scenes – Two deleted scenes on Disc 4: Either Way I’m Cool and Good Amanda

DISC 5:

• Look Who Keeps Popping Up – View “The Sex Issue” with video commentary hosted by Michael Urie & Becki Newton along with several surprising guests.  We see two screens side-by-side, on the left there is commentary with the right screen showcasing the episode.

DISC 6:

• Coming Home to New York City – (12:43) We learn how “UGLY BETTY” is shot in Los Angeles but how the series moved to New York and how the cast found out that the show is moving to another location and how they all reacted. How New York is essential to “UGLY BETTY” and the best way to capture the city is to go back to New York.  Interviews with the executive producers and cast members.
• Mode After Hours – Two “Mode After Hours” episodes featuring Marc St. James (Michael Urie) and best friend Amanda Tanen (Becki Newton) in hilarious episodes featuring what they do at Mode after hours.  Included are the following episodes: “I Spy” and “Prank Calls”.
• Deleted Scenes – Seven deleted scenes are included on Disc 6 which include You Can Wow Anyone You Set Your Mind To, Padded Walls, I Fell Like I’m Dating Daniel, To Be Terminated, It’s Just a Nice Buff, Your New Trophy Wife and the Wedding Dance
• Betty Bloops – (8:39) Bloopers from “UGLY BETTY” Season 3.

“UGLY BETTY” continues to have another solid, stellar year with season 3.  If there is one thing that is consistent with the series is that the writing has always been top notched since the very first episode and most importantly, the cast has been quite awesome for the series.  The series has been nothing but a pleasure to watch and see Betty’s journey as a professional but also in her personal life.  Everything seems to come together and work.

With this third season, there is quite a bit of laughter, typical backstabbing but even more emotional, dramatic scenes.  The season finale for this third season of “UGLY BETTY” was very well done and the best so far.

Of course, this season had a lot of hype with what went on behind-the-scenes between Lindsay Lohan and the cast and crew.  Whether or not the gossip surrounding what took place behind-the-scenes were true or not, the gossip definitely made people want to turn in to see this rivalry between Betty and Kimmie.  Another actor who brought some interest in the show was “Karate Kid” actor Ralph Macchio who played the city councilman that Hilda was interested in.  Pretty interesting role and hopefully we see more of him.

The third season also had featured episodes that had focused on character development of Marc, Amanda and Claire’s character.  Also, the other characters brought in to the series helped bring out emotions that we have never seen from our main characters.  For example, Molly brought out the best in Daniel Meade.  In fact, this season was a dramatic season for Daniel as he had to deal with a custody battle, a family member who may go to prison and then facing loss.  It was good to see Daniel being put through these rollercoaster type of events.

Last but not least, this DVD release of “UGLY BETTY – The Complete Third Season” is solid.  I found the featurettes such as the “Mode After Hour” web episodes and the “Coming Home to New York City” cool special features but also seeing the “Look Who Keeps Popping Up” video commentary.  I hope in the next season’s DVD release, we get more of that.

Overall, there’s nothing negative I can say about this season of “UGLY BETTY”.  Last year, was hit by the Writer’s Guild Strike and thus shortened to 18 episodes but fortunately, this third season, the move to New York, solid acting performances and writing definitely made this season the best in the series thus far.

“UGLY BETTY” fans, “UGLY BETTY – The Complete Third Season” is highly recommended!