America Fererra, the actress who made a career our of being Ugly, is featured on the cover of the new issue of Latina magazine. In her coverphoto, America is lookin’ anything but ugly … here is her new photo and a couple quotes from her coverstory interview:

America Ferrera graces the cover of the October issue of Latina magazine and this Betty looks anything but ugly! America is looking classier than ever! La actriz cleared the air about a few things we’ve all been wondering about in her interview, and she even dished on her alleged feud with Lindsay Lohan! “Of course they want to make us look like we fought like cats and dogs, because people are going to believe it. And it’s total BS. It’s not true. It does such a disservice to the image of young women.” America also talked about her continued portrayal of strong Latinas in her acting roles. “It’s not anything I’ve done consciously. I’m just drawn to the characters and trying to make them more than one-dimensional.” Keep doing what you’re doing, America! Que vivan las Latinas! Check out more of America’s interview in this month’s issue of Latina.

Altho I’m not a big fan of Ugly Betty anymore (the show lost me somewhere near the end of Season 2), I am very happy to see Ms. Ferrera gracing the cover of Latina. She is such a beautiful young woman, it cannot be easy for her to be known primarily as Ugly Betty. Even tho she is making lots of moolah for the role, I’m sure it gets tiring having to dress up “ugly” on a day to day basis. I love that she is featured on magazines from time to time lookin’ as beautiful as she naturally is :)

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American icons like pilot Amelia Earhart, athlete Brandi Chastain, First Lady Michelle Obama and the inspirational symbol of female empowerment Rosie the Riveter (who was based on a real woman named Rose Will Monroe) are honored in the new issue of Glamour magazine which has enlisted a group of young Hollywood starlet to portray various female American icons in an amazing new photo shoot. Here is a photo of Lindsay Lohan’s homage to Madonna:

You can do anything! That’s the message of the seven decades of female risk takers, rule breakers and style makers here. We celebrate them with the help of some very-2009 young talents.

What a great idea for a magazine photospread! I love how each iconic woman is represented by a younger member of Young Hollywood to portray her. After the jump, check out a bunch of my fave icons who are featured in this new issue of Glamour along with a short explanation of their iconicness …

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Last night the 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out here in Hollywood at the Shrine Auditorium and were broadcast LIVE on TBS and TNT for all the world to see (including me, on my JetBlue flight home from NYC). The SAG Awards, which are given out to actors by fellow actors, is the last major awards show to take place before the Academy Awards are handed out next month … and may give a sneak peek as to what may go down come Oscar time. Slumdog Millionaire won the big prize for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture while Meryl Streep (Doubt), Sean Penn (Milk), Kate Winslet (The Reader) and the late Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) won the awards for Best Actress, Actor, Supporting Actress and Supporting Actor respectively. Here are a few photos from the red carpet arrivals last night:

Amy Adams and Emily Blunt looked amazing … Jon Hamm (of Mad Men) looked weird without his now trademark slicked-back hair. I don’t like the longer locks on him. Katrina Bowden, who stars in NBC’s 30 Rock, wore a beautiful blue dress designed by Project Runway season 4 winner Christian Siriano. She looked really supercute fierce in her dress, I think.

As I mentioned above, some of my fave actors took home the top prizes last night … here are pics of the big winners accepting their awards (called Actors) on stage or posing with them in the press room after winning their awards:

The actors of “Slumdog Millionaire” won outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture, and Heath Ledger posthumously won best supporting male actor at the 15th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday. “It was overwhelming enough to be nominated, but to win this is unbelievable,” said “Slumdog” actor Anil Kapoor of the award given to him and his cast mates at Los Angeles’ Shrine Exposition Center. The cast’s win comes two weeks after the modestly budgeted movie, about a poverty-raised orphan in Mumbai who goes on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” won the Golden Globe award for best drama. The film has been nominated for 10 Oscars, including for best picture. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the big name when the Academy Award nominations were announced earlier this week, was shut out at the SAG Awards. The movie leads all films with 13 Oscar nods. Ledger, who was 28 when he died just more than a year ago of an accidental prescription drug overdose, won his award for his role in “The Dark Knight,” 2008’s box-office king. Ledger’s performance was widely praised, and he won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor two weeks ago. He also is considered the front-runner for an Academy Award for supporting actor. Actor Gary Oldman accepted the SAG award for his friend. “He was an extraordinary young man with an extra ordinary talent, and it is wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight,” Oldman said. Josh Brolin, one of four actors who lost to Ledger on Sunday night, compared the SAG awards to “a big campfire we’re all showing up for.” “It’s not a competition,” Brolin said. “We’re just happy to party together.” Meryl Streep echoed Brolin’s words when she accepted for best leading actress in a movie for her role in “Doubt.” “Can I just say there’s no such thing as the best actress,” Streep said. Streep was dressed as if she might ready for Brolin’s campfire, wearing black pants, a black blouse and no jewelry except for earrings. “I didn’t even buy a dress,” she said. Sean Penn, chosen as best leading male actor in a movie for “Milk,” told the four actors he won against that he wept when he watched their work. “You’re stunning,” Penn said. Penn’s took a brief political turn when spoke about “Milk,” the story of a gay San Francisco politician assassinated in 1978. “This is a story about equal rights for all human beings,” Penn said. Kate Winslet’s win as best supporting actress for her performance as Hanna Schmitz in “The Reader” could help her best actress Oscar nomination for the same role. Winslet was nominated for SAG’s lead actress in a movie for “Revolutionary Road,” but lost to Streep. The SAG Awards are watched closely by Oscar fans, but they’re not always a guarantee of Oscar gold. Last year, for example, Julie Christie won the SAG’s outstanding lead actress for her work in “Away From Her.” At the Academy Awards, she was beaten by Marion Cotillard, who played French singer Edith Piaf in “La Vie en Rose.” Most of the SAG trophies handed out during the first half of Sunday night’s show were for TV categories. Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney won for their roles in HBO’s “John Adams.” Giamatti got the trophy for best male actor in a TV movie or miniseries for his role as President John Adams, while Linney won the female actor award for her portrayal of first lady Abigail Adams. Veteran actress Sally Field won her first SAG Actor trophy after seven nomination over the past 14 years. Field won outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for her work on “Brothers & Sisters.” Hugh Laurie won best male actor in a TV drama series for a second time for his work in “House.” He won the same trophy two years ago. “I actually had $100 on James Spader,” Laurie said. “This is just not my night.” Spader was also up for the best actor award. The TV drama ensemble award was given to the cast of AMC’s “Mad Men.” The evening began with NBC’s “30 Rock” sweeping best actor and ensemble trophies. Tina Fey won the outstanding performance by a female actor in a comedy series category, while Alec Baldwin won the male honor for his “30 Rock” role. The 10 actors in the “30 Rock” cast also captured the trophy for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series. The 16 SAG categories include honors for both television and film actors. James Earl Jones was given SAG’s 45th Life Achievement Award. “Whatever medium he tackles, he consistently delivers,” actor Forest Whitaker said. Jones’ trademark deep voice has been heard in movies as “the most evil voice in the entire universe… and the voice of God,” Whitaker said.

Woot! I am THRILLED that Meryl finally won an award for her work in Doubt. My fave part of the ENTIRE awards show was when she was announced as the winner and then ran with her arms in the air in shocked excitement all the way to the stage to collect her trophy:

She gave my fave female performance this year and I sincerely hope that she wins the Oscar next month. Things don’t look so good for Benjamin Button. Another awards show, another shutout. I’m still pretty sure that it will win something next month (Best Makeup?) but I am not really counting on the film winning any of the big categories. Up against Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke, Brad Pitt ain’t got chance. The same goes for poor Angelina Jolie … no chance, no way. I love that Slumdog Millionaire won another of the big prizes … could it win the Oscar for Best Picture? I sincerely hope so … but I have to be honest and say that I REALLY HOPE that the insufferable Anil Kapoor is not allowed anywhere near the microphone if the film wins. I get that he’s excited to be in a film that is winning all these major awards (a feat that he will most likely never achieve again) but I find his manner so irritating. How ’bout letting Dev Patel give thanks instead? I was very pleased that Freida Pinto gave shoutouts to the young actors who are featured in Slumdog (Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Rubiana Ali and Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail) … they really made the film for me, they deserve the accolades as much as the adult actors do. In any event, I’m still pulling for Slumdog to win the big enchilada next month. After the jump, check out a few photos that were snapped of the celebs in the audience — mingling, gossiping, canoodling — the pics are not to be missed …

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Saturday night saw the 3rd Annual Hot In Hollywood event take place in, you guessed it, Hollywood, CA. Hot In Hollywood is a celebration benefiting charities dedicated to the education, prevention, testing and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Here are a few pics of some of the celebs who came out in support of this year’s event and some deets on what went down Saturday night:

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi didn’t make it to Saturday’s Hot in Hollywood charity event in Los Angeles; they were busy getting married. But there were plenty of other stars singing and dancing to a ’60s-themed evening of song benefiting the AIDS Healthcare Foundation … Host America Ferrera started off the show with a version of the James Bond theme song Diamonds Are Forever and was later joined by co-star Ana Ortiz on Goldfinger. Ferrera’s TV nephew, Mark Indelicato, threw on a fringed jacket to channel a young Michael Jackson on I Want You Back … How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris, via prompts from the audience, turned Puff the Magic Dragon into the X-rated Ruby the Magic Unicorn … Candis Cayne of Dirty Sexy Money wowed the crowd with a Vegas-ready performance of Thirteen Men, first sung by Ann-Margret. The transsexual actress said she’s still surprised by fans who want her autograph … With nuptial news in the air, talk turned to Grey’s Anatomy’s T.R. Knight and his steady of eight months, Mark Cornelson. When asked if they were planning a ceremony, Knight simply smiled and said, “I’m very happy that you can ask that question. Very, very happy. And I hope it gets asked a lot.”

Awww … this sounds like it was such a great event. Hot In Hollywood keeps getting bigger and better with each passing year and I am thrilled that so many folks in Hollywood are happily embracing an event like this that is absolutely committed to raising money for HIV/AIDS education, prevention, treatment and research. Kudos to all the stars who make it a priority in their lives to give of their time and money to such important causes.

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin; Source]

Last night a few entertainers of the Hispanic variety were honored at the 2008 ALMA Awards (for all y’all gringos out there Alma means spirit or soul in Spanish) which were held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, CA. The ALMA Awards are handed out by the National Council of La Raza in order to honor Latino performers (actors, film and television directors and musicians) who promote positive portrayals of Latinos in the entertainment field. Here are a few pics from the red carpet arrivals yesterday afternoon:

Most of the folks who strutted their stuff down the red carpet looked pretty fantastic. Jessica Alba was lookin’ fierce as hell just a few weeks after she gave birth to her first baby, Honor Marie. Eva Longoria — who was host of this year’s ALMA Awards — showed off one of the 10+ outfits that she reportedly wore yesterday alone. I love that Edward James Olmos brought his moms, Eleanor Huizar, with him to the awards show. She looks so proud of her son. Paula Abdul was in the hiz, lookin’ as wonderfully tragic as usual (who dresses this woman?!), and was seen on the arm of her supposedly ex-boyfriend JT Torregiani. The couple reportedly split in June but they looked pretty friendly together last night.

But anyways, after the red carpet runway show was finished, it was time to get down to handin’ out some ALMA Awards — and it got pretty Ugly … here are a few pics from the show itself:

“Ugly Betty” and its star, America Ferrera, took top honors at the 2008 ALMA Awards, which recognize achievements by Hispanic artists. The ABC comedy series won awards for directing and best performance by a Latino-led ensemble cast. Ferrera, 24, was named Chevy Entertainer of the Year for her on-screen work as Betty Suarez in “Ugly Betty” and her off-screen efforts to encourage young people to get involved in the political process. Shakira was also recognized for her offstage efforts, receiving the Humanitarian Award for her work in early childhood education. A host of artists, including BeBe Winans, Wynonna Judd and Lucero, performed a tribute to Linda Ronstadt, who received the Trailblazer Award for her contributions to American music. The Black Eyed Peas, the Cheetah Girls, Sergio Mendes and Cheech and Chong also performed at the ceremony, hosted by Eva Longoria Parker at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Sunday. Other acting-award winners included Charlie Sheen, Edward James Olmos, Roselyn Sanchez and Judy Reyes. Designer Narciso Rodriguez was honored for special achievement in fashion … The ceremony will be televised Sept. 12 on ABC.

It should come as no surprise that ABC’s Ugly Betty (Performance by a Latino Ensemble in a Television Series) and its star America Ferrera (Entertainer of the Year) cleaned up at this year’s ALMA Awards. The show is a total Hispanoid lovefest and it does an amazing job of portraying Hispanics in a positive light. I commend Shakira on her win as Humanitarian of the Year — she is one of those celebs who really does put her money where her mouth is. I am *THRILLED* that Edward James Olmos (Actor in a Television Series, Drama) is still winning accolades after all of his years in the biz. I’ve been a huge fan of the man since his Stand and Deliver days and cemented my love for his acting abilities after his performance in Selena. As a new fan of Battlestar Gallactica, I gives me great pride and happiness to see this very talented Hispanic actor at the helm of such a great TV Show. Much congrats to all the winners this year and to everyone who was nominated or just came out to help celebrate Latin Pride in Entertainment. Click HERE to see a full list of this year’s ALMA Award winners.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

The new movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (or, as I like to call it, Sisterhood of the Ugly Gilmore Gossip Girls, Too) had its NYC premiere last night at the Ziegfeld Theater and the principal stars were joined by some of their co-stars from their more popular TV shows. I highly doubt that the casting agents that cast the stars of Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls and Ugly Betty (among the more popular shows of the day) anticipated that one day a sequel to the first SOTTP movie would be able to enjoy such a “it” premiere one day. Here are a few pics from the red carpet last night:

Just like with the first movie, I have ZERO idea what this movie is about … but I gather that there are these pants, see, and they travel amongst this sisterhood of friends — and mayhem/hilarity/drama/etc. ensues? Sounds like a good time. You know what else is a good time … little Mark Indelicato’s swanky cardigan. He looks so excited to be, A.) invited to a movie premiere and B.) to be wearing his new sweater on the red carpet at said premiere, that I hate saying a disparaging word about it. I’ll just comment that the sweater looks like something that you would see laying on the couch of the Queens house on Ugly Betty … it prolly reads Guadalajara cross the back ;)

At any rate, I suspect that SOTTP 2 may do much better at the box office than it’s predecessor SOTTP 1 because of all the new starpower that the stars of the film currently enjoy. I doubt it’ll be doing as well as that other sequel that is in theaters these days breaking records left and right but it’ll prolly do better than the first Traveling Pants film. I won’t be there but I’m sure many others will go.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Production has begun on the new season of the ABC show Ugly Betty in NYC this week as new scenes featuring America Ferrara began filming on the streets of Brooklyn, NY today. As you may recall, it was announced that production of Ugly Betty would be moving from LA to NYC for the new season and it looks like the relocation has already taken place. Here are pics of Amercia lookin’ her Ugly best on set earlier today:

It makes total sense that the show, which is set in NYC, would move production to the Big Apple. Now they can capitalize on the same sort of free publicity that TV shows like Gossip Girl and Lipstick Jungle get to enjoy. You know, it just occurred to me how symbolic the last season finale was … the last shot of the ep was of Betty on an airplane bound for destination unknown (would she be going to Arizona for Henry or to Rome with Geo?) … but I suppose it was also the show’s symbolic way of saying, We’re leaving LA, bitches — see you in NYC! I’m sure the show can only benefit from being set on the real streets of NYC. From the looks of things thus far (ie. Betty’s Glinda the Good Witch meets the Wicked Witch of the East outfit) everything appears to be in order.

[Photo credit: Splash News]