Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (September 19, 2008)

MY NIGHT WITH UGLY BETTY
Okay, it was more like "My Night with a bunch of other exhausted journalists with a glittery peppering of Ugly Betty and a downright terrifying human tornado caused by the very presence of Linsday Lohan."

As I mentioned the other day on the blog, the folks at ABC were kind enough to invite me to the preview party for the incredibly gay-inclusive show's third season, which is being filmed right here in my hometown. Although I was wearing an outfit that Suzuki St. Pierre would use to polish the life-sized bronze statues of David Beckham that no doubt flank the entrance to his Upper East Side classic six, I fell in with the journos and was able to snag most of the cast members for a word or two.

But before I get to that, a few observations. First, I always get a bit of a kick when another journalist puts his or her foot in his or her mouth with an ill-advised question or tacky segue ... because it wasn't my ill-advised question or tacky segue. My favorite moment of the evening was when a lady a few steps down from me asked the fabulous Ana Ortiz (who plays Hilda, Betty's sis) if they were working Rebecca Romjin's pregnancy into the show, and Ana had to tactfully explain that Alexis can't be pregnant because "she has no uterus".

Awesome.

Leslie? Something-or-other? Oh, it'll come to me...

And second, the whole LiLoh thing just amazes me. She rolled up in a huge black wheeled fortress, and the second she popped out 300 photographers descended on wires from the sky to scream her name and try to get her to look at them. She did about a minute on the red carpet for the cameras, then went into the club (no Sam Ronson, btw, if you're in on that conversation). Twenty minutes later she came back out, struck a few perfect poses for the paps, and popped back into her Death Star to head off to somewhere even more fabulous.

It was hilarious and terrifying. All I can really say is that she looked pretty, she played well with others, and I would absolutely HATE to be her.

But on to the cast!

America Ferrera

Yes, Betty herself gave me a few minutes of her time on her big night, and when I asked what a series that has done so much already in terms of promoting diversity and gay visibility has in store for Season 3, she had a little dish and a lot of wisdom to share:

"I've heard rumors about a possible new love interest for Marc's character ... I know he has a love interest, but delving more into his relationships with other men. And ... it's so funny, because what I hear mainly when I do functions promoting the show in the gay community is that the character that they relate to most is not any of the gay characters on the show, but Betty. They relate to her being the underdog but not taking on the role of a victim. I don't think any of the characters on our show take on the role of the victim ... whether they're minorities or whether they're gay or they're Latino or short or whatever it is they are on are show, the last thing they are is apologetic about who they are. And I think the gay community sees a lot of strength in that."

Consensus, gents? I think she's on to something.

Next page: More Betty goodies, with more dish on Season 3!