Betty la fea
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Yo soy Betty, la fea ("I am Betty, the Ugly One") was a popular telenovela (soap opera) filmed in Colombia, written by Fernando Gaitán and produced between 1999 - 2001 by the Colombian network RCN. It aired on Telemundo in the United States. Its popularity led to the creation of several similar programs in other countries, as well as its rebroadcast in other languages around the world.
The show's main character, Beatriz Pinzón Solano (aka Betty), is an unattractive but intelligent woman working for a fashion design company called Ecomoda. She constantly faces the scorn of her prettier workmates, but eventually she is promoted to a senior job, becomes involved with her boss, and gets a makeover.
The show was so popular that it was aired to a wide Latin American audience. Its success spawned a short and unsuccessful sequel called Ecomoda, filmed in Colombia and produced by RCN and Univision. Some scenes from the first episode were filmed in Buenos Aires and some scenes for the opening sequence were filmed in Miami, Florida. Then an animated series called Betty Toons was released.
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[edit] Cast and crew
[edit] Cast
- Ana María Orozco as Beatriz Aurora "Betty" Pinzón Solano [1]
- Jorge Enrique Abello as Armando Mendoza Sáenz
- Natalia Ramirez as Marcela Valencia
- Lorna Paz as Patricia Fernández de Brickman "Marcela's best friend"
- Luis Mesa as Daniel Valencia
- Julián Arango as Hugo Lombardi
- Ricardo Vélez as Mario Calderón
- Mario Duarte as Nicolas Mora and as Himself
- Kepa Amuchastegui as Roberto Mendoza
- Talú Quintero as Margarita Sáenz De Mendoza
- Celmira Luzardo as Catalina Ángel
- Jorge Herrera as Hermes Pinzón Galarza
- Adriana Franco as Julia Solano Galindo de Pinzón
- Pilar Uribe as Maria Beatriz Valencia
- Júlio César Herrera as Freddy Stewart Contreras
- Dora Cadavid as Inés "Inesita" Peña de Gómez
- Stefanía Gomez as Aura María Fuentes
- Paula Peña as Sofía de Rodríguez
- Luces Velásquez as Bertha Muñoz de González
- Marcela Posada as Sandra Patiño "La Jirafa"
- María Eugenía Arboleda as Mariana Valdéz
[edit] Guests
- Andrea Serna as herself
- Cecilia Bolocco as herself
- Laura Flores as herself
- Gloria Calzada as herself
- Franco De Vita as himself
- Ricardo Montaner as himself
- Thais Araújo as herself
[edit] Crew
- Original Script by Fernando Gaitán
- Script Writer - Liliana Hernández
- Assistant to Script Writer - Elsa Cortés
- General Producer - María Del Pilar
- Production Management - Amparo Gutiérrez
- Production Assistants - John Sierra and Guillermo Andrés Vega
- Director - Mario Ribero
- Director Second Unit - Mario A. Galindo
- Cinematography - Alirio Farfán
- Set Design - Liliana Cortés, Enrique Linero, Juan Fernando Peréz
- Wardrobe Design - Rosita Cabal
- Makeup Design - Rossio López
- Makeup Artist - Clara Inés Cubillos
- Music and Musicalization - César Escola, Canaroy Pelay and Diego Fernando Páez
- Coordinator - Pablo Emilio Henríquez
- Editing - María Vásquez
- Singer of Main Theme: "Se dice de mí" - Yolanda Rayo
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Germany
In February 2005, the German TV network, SAT 1, began airing a version called Verliebt in Berlin (In Love in/with Berlin), starring local soap opera star Alexandra Neldel as Lisa Plenske and Swiss actor Mathis Künzler as David. Due to its immense popularity (5 million viewers daily), the show was extended beyond its initial 250 episode run in early 2006. A few weeks later it was announced that the show would be renewed for a second season, but without Neldel and Künzler. The focus will shift onto a male lead character named Bruno Plenske (Lisa's half-brother, played by Tim Sander). Verliebt in Berlin has also been broadcast in dubbed versions in Hungary (as Lisa csak egy van) and France (as Le destin de Lisa).
[edit] Greece
Mega Channel in Greece is preparing its own version for the autumn of 2006, titled Maria, i Aschimi (Μαρία, Η Άσχημη - Maria, The Ugly One).
[edit] India
In 2003, Sony Entertainment Television India licensed the show and adapted it to local contexts to create the popular, Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahi ("There Is No One Like Jassi"), which concluded in 2006.
[edit] Israel
In 2003, Keshet broadcasting adapted a local version for Israel titled, Esti Ha'mechoeret (Ugly Esti).
[edit] Mexico
The Mexican company, Televisa, is producing its own version named La fea más bella ("The most beautiful ugly woman"). This version is currently airing on Univision in the United States, where it made its debut on April 24, 2006. In this version, the main character is named "Lety".
[edit] Netherlands
In 2006, the Dutch TV network Talpa began airing Lotte, starring Nyncke Beekhuyzen as the main character and Lars Oostveen as Vico Maesland.
[edit] Russia
STS broadcasting in Russia created a hugely popular version of the show called, Ne Rodis' Krasivoy (Be Not Born Beautiful, a reference to the Russian proverb, "be not born beautiful but be born happy"), starring Nelli Uvarova in the title role of Katya. This version is also broadcast throughout the former Soviet Union.
[edit] Spain
Despite being a Colombian production in Spanish, Telecinco launched an adaptation in Spain called Yo soy Bea in July, 2006. The Spanish adaptation screens weekdays at 4:45 pm and pulls in an average of +3 million viewers (+30% share of the audience). Series´ share record is a 35,4 %. It has become Spain's top-rated daytime programme. Ruth Núñez, known to Spanish viewers for her portrayal of a Yugoslav student in teen soap, Compañeros, plays the heroine.
[edit] United States
In 2004, actress Salma Hayek, through her production company and a joint venture with Touchstone Television, acquired the licensing rights to Betty la fea, turning it into an English-language comedy-drama series. The American version was picked up by ABC under the title, Ugly Betty. Initially, the show was slated for broadcast in the summer of 2006 as a daily series (five shows per week), but given the buzz and positive feedback ABC decided to go with a weekly series instead.[2] The hour-long series airs every Thursday at 8:00 pm (Eastern time) with the first episode airing on September 28, 2006. America Ferrera plays the title character - an unattractive but efficient assistant working at a fashion magazine. The series also airs in Canada on CHUM Limited's Citytv and A-Channel stations. The series will also air in the UK on Channel 4 and has been sold to television networks in Italy, France, Sweden, Australia and other territories[3]. The show has been aired against CBS' game opera Survivor and is holding its' own, sometimes winning the Nielsen ratings. Because of this success, ABC has ordered a full season of 22 episodes.
Although ABC bills Ugly Betty as a dramedy, the series also serves as a backdrop for a serial as well, since the main character is also an unexpected pawn in how she got her job in the first place and in a behind-the-scene sinister scheme involving a hostile takeover of the publishing company that Betty works for in the wake of the mysterious death of a much-revered editor (the aptly-named "Fey Sommers," whose first name is an "homage" to Betty la fea).
[edit] Other Countries
The original Colombian version of the show has been dubbed and broadcast in Romania, Mexico, Brasil, Malaysia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Japan, Turkey, the Philippines and China. French and Belgian versions are also planned.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- (English) Ugly Betty TV - Episode Guide, photos, videos, podcast, cast, message board
- (English) The Phenomenon of Yo soy Betty la Fea - Brief summary of the show; includes its ratings
- (English) Ugly is the New Beautiful - Comparisons to other international versions, episode guide, and cast information
- (Spanish) La suerte de la inteligencia - Analysis of the show's appeal.
- (Spanish) 'La fea más bella' - Official website of the Mexican version of "Yo Soy Betty la Fea," which airs on Univision and Televisa.
- (German) 'Verliebt in Berlin' on the German TV network SAT 1.
- (Russian) 'Ne Rodis Krasivoy' (Не родись красивой). Not born beautiful.) Official website of the Russian version of "Yo soy Betty la fea"
- (Dutch) 'Lotte' Official website of the Dutch version of "Yo soy Betty la fea"
- (English) Previews of Betty the Ugly at ABC (United States)
- (English) Platypus Comix: article on the Betty Toons spinoff
- (English) 'Video clips' Ugly Betty, Betty La Fea - English, Spanish, Russian clips
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