Wake-Up Call at “Ugly Betty”
9 a.m. Morning after the Golden Globes. Yeah, the cast of “Ugly Betty’’ really want a group of critics showing up on the set when all they want to do is recover from a night of partying after picking up a win for their show and their star, America Ferrera.
At the entrance, there’s a omelet bar set up for the cast and crew, a little thank you for all the hard work they’ve done, compliments of star Vanessa Williams.
“I had that arranged weeks ago,’’ Williams says later, sitting at her oh-so-cool desk at Mode. Well, at least the set. “I wanted to let everyone know that whether we won or not, we all deserved it.’’
Let’s just mention at this point that the Golden Globe award, which is a major award in this town, looks like a participant’s trophy from a soccer tournament. The base is a heavy white-with-brown marble; with an odd little golden orb at the top looks like a deflated game ball.
When Ferrera came off the stage after her best actress in a comedy win, some obnoxious TV reporter first shunned her then slammed her during the telecast by asking her to comment on the fact that she wasn’t the producer’s first choice for the role.
Huh?
“I didn’t know what to say, because it just stunned me,’’ Ferrera says. “I don’t think that was true.’’
Ferrera is known for being able to turn even the most blasé insider to tears with her heartfelt speeches, and the Golden Globe acceptance speech was no exception.
“I knew I wanted to say something about the show and the character and I didn’t want it to sound contrived,’’ Ferrera says in the same endearing voice cadence of her character. “I didn’t write anything down. I knew that if I got a chance to go up there, I would know from my heart what I wanted to say.’’
Also on the ultra chic white set accented with hot orange was Berkeley’s Rebecca Romijn, who has a big part in tonight’s show (8 p.m. on ABC-7).
“It’s a Golden Globe winning show,’’ says Romijn of her new gig. “Now it’s up to me to ruin it.’’
Romijn’s the new regular cast member on the show, and she say she was going to a lot of meetings with a lot of networks, but this show was far and away her favorite.
“The tone of the show, which has that comedy element, was like my (canceled WB series) `Pepper Dennis,’ ‘’ Romijn says. “They pitched this idea to me, the part of which I can’t reveal yet, and I was sold. It’s nice to be on a team. It’s even nicer to be on a team that wins.’’
Romijn plays the mystery woman who has been hidden behind the bandages, plotting with Vanessa Williams’ character.
“I was watching the show just as a fan and thinking, this storyline is going nowhere. Let’s get on with the real stuff,’’ Romijn says. “Then I got the part and said, hmm, this is a very interesting character.’’
Romijn says she just finished a film with Sissy Spacek titled “Lake City,’’ where she plays a cop with no make-up and her famous blonde tresses dyed brown. She says she has no problem doing that, since she grew up in Berkeley in the days of Birkenstocks and baggy sweats.
“It’s not exactly the fashion capitol of the world,’’ Romijn says with her generous laugh. “I was very average in height until I was about 15 and it was so painful. I remember lying in bed and it just hurting so bad. I had scoliosis because my bones couldn’t keep up it. None of my clothes fit. I used to layer my clothes with long johns just to pad myself. I wore them under my jeans, under everything I wore. No one noticed.’’
Romijn gamely listened to various ideas about her character: That she’s actually the dead editor-in-chief Fay, that she’s someone who just had plastic surgery to LOOK like Fay…the ideas went on.
“Hmmm. Interesting theories,’’ she says, stroking her chin with a playful look on her face.
“You’ll just have to wait. My mom knows, my best friend knows. But I have another friend who calls me 10 times a day asking and I won’t tell her. I probably would if she didn’t care so much.’’
There’s going to be a lot of guest stars popping up this season, but everyone who is a “Project Runway’’ fan is excited to hear that fashion guru Tim Gunn will be one of them. Oh, make it work, Tim.