Thanks god the writer’s strike ended because now I can anticipate the return of my favorite unibrowed fashion magazine assistant, Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty

In celebration of the return, the doll maestros at Madame Alexander have created a collection of Betty dolls that will be available at FAO Schwarz and specialty doll shops - complete with Guadalajara poncho and all!

Check out this bit of news I heard through the grapevine about our favorite ugly gal:

HOLLYWOOD - Hit sitcom Ugly Betty is set to be adapted for Chinese TV.

Chinese network Hunan Satellite TV has unveiled plans for Invincible Ugly Woman, a localized version of the Salma Hayek-produced series about a nerdy assistant working at fashion magazine Mode.

The lead role in Invincible Ugly Woman has already been cast to a female with no prior acting experience, Hunan Satellite TV has confirmed.

Ugly Betty, which has been a major ratings success for ABC since its premiere in September 2006, is an adaptation of the popular Colombian soap Yo Soy Betty, La Fea (I Am Betty, The Ugly One).

COPYRIGHT 2008 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.

With the way Asian television is, I am excited to see how the style is gonna be - hopefully it’s uber-wild! It looks like “ugly” is taking over the world! One TV at a time.

And how about the title of the Chinese version: Invincible Ugly Woman - that’s fierce.

Click photo for a larger view

I am sure that the blogosphere has exploded with the latest “Hollywood Issue” of Vanity Fair and it’s probably old news - but I just can’t stop staring at it. These are the real ladies of Hollywood. For once, it was nice to see a magazine that didn’t have the mugs of Brit or Paris - these females live up to the image of a lady. The spread (shot by Annie Liebowitz) includes actresses Emily Blunt, Amy Adams, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Alice Braga, Ellen Page, Zoë Saldana, Elizabeth Banks, Ginnifer Goodwin, and America Ferrera. All of them look flawlessly fresh and stunning, dressed in feminine “Old Hollywood” garments drenched in an Easter egg color palette.

For real, I can just stare at this picture for hours.

Last week, I got to see a screening of The Other Boleyn Girl in order to prep for my upcoming interview with costume designer Sandy Powell. The costumes were stunning, but out of all the ornate and dramatic ornate gowns and puffy shouldered jackets, there was one small thing that I could not take my eye off of:

Anne Boleyn’s (played by the talented Natalie Portman) “B” necklace - the same necklace that America Ferrera wears in Ugly Betty.

Okay, I am about to admit some of my fashion ignorance. I was thinking throughout the soap operatic movie, “Why is Natalie wearing the Ugly Betty necklace? Did Sandy Powell copy the necklace from the TV show?”

Then it occurred to me: it was Anne who actually wore a necklace like this and made it famous - not Betty. It was one of those days when I felt unbelievably stupid.

In my defense, the first time I saw the necklace was on Betty, so I am more naive than moronic. When I saw her wearing it, I thought that it was kind of tacky and it looked as if it was made at craft camp.

Now that I know the history of the necklace, I have a big appreciation for Betty and the historic piece of jewelry. Even so, I still think it looks a little crafty.

Well, if you are interested in snaggin’ a “B” necklace like this (or another alphabet accessory) visit Parrish Relics, a company that makes replicas of these royal goodies.

I still feel kind of dense and ditsy because I didn’t know this information. But now I know - and knowing is half the battle.

AP Photo/Chris Pizzello

Can America Ferrera look anymore beautiful? It seems like she has an affinity for Monique Lhuillier gowns (she wore a dress by the designer when she won the Golden Globe). And why shouldn’t she? The “Ugly Betty” star looks anything but in this single strapped gray wonder.

Fabulous!

With so many female celebs going to jail, getting DUIs, showing their crotches, getting sloshed, making a mockery of Hollywood and giving tabloids gossip meat to feed on like vultures to rotting carcasses, we seldom see the real ladies of Hollywood.

Now I am sure these ladies are not perfect angels, but they know how to keep their stardom and personal lives separate while maintaining dignity. We see them for what their talent and nothing else. They are great role models of style and are far from that trash heap that many other female A-minus-listers hang around too often. They prove that you can be famous without being sleazy.

So this is dedicated to all the ladies of Hollywood who are genuinely ladies:

Jennifer Hudson, the girl of our dreams

Scarlett Johansson - the perfect example of a modern Hollywood starlet

Harvard graduate and she can act (not to mention gorgeous) - Natalie Portman is fabulous from all angles

Ali Larter is a “Hero” who knows how to keep her life, looks and talent in order

America Ferrera knows how to work the red carpet and the homegirl has an Emmy - and I don’t think she has ever shaved her head and had mental breakdown in public

Sassy, stylish and a Grammy winning singer - I heart Alicia Keys

Anne Hathaway has shown that you can be racy, funny and dramatic in her movies, yet still keep it together in the public eye - YOU GO GIRL!

Gorgeous! Glamorous! And she can act AND sing! Emmy Rossum stays under the tabloid radar and still remains on the A-list

Best Actress nominee, America Ferrera stuns in this bold blue column dress with a sweetheart strapless bodice. It’s flattering, it’s sexy, it’s demure - I think I smell a winner - both on and off the red carpet.

America knows her body and knows how to work what she has. The cascading detailing on the gown is impeccable and just does wonders for the silhouette.

There’s no “ugly” here!

When I say “ugly,” I, of course mean “stylish” because I am describing the show Ugly Betty, the most fashionable show on ABC! AND! I would like to give my congrats to the show and to America Ferrera for snagging wins at the Golden Globes!

But back to my time at TCA in Pasadena. I was chatting with Silvio Horta, executive producer of the show (pictured on the right). He donned a weather-appropriate contemporary textured blazer and paired it with some basic black slacks. Also, his hair was spiky and bared resemblence to the show’s endearing womanizer, Daniel Meade. Of course, Horta told me he was a fashion maven, but I had to ask him about the Gucci purse episode (read more on that episode by clicking here). It wasn’t necessarily the first purse he had in mind.

“I thought the bag was too loud for the episode,” laughs Horta, “but I only had three days until they started shooting, so I didn’t have time to find another bag. I just made it work!”

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the purse either, but it matched the personality of the show - and Horta agreed.

America Ferrera saw eye-to-eye with me when it came to the Gucci purse. She liked it, but it wasn’t necessarily her style - and her own style was so savvy at that evening’s ABC soiree. Ferrera was wearing this magnificent Stella McCartney trench coat with slightly oversized banded collar - which I thought was her dress to begin with. She also did justice to a fabulously flattering BCBG dress:

Ferrera’s dress sans jacket. Photo by: Matt Sayles/AP

Eric Mabius also impressed me with his newfound appreciation for the fashion industry becuase of the show and with his sleek blue Ozwald Boateng suit. He told me: “They send over suits to us all the time at the show.”

I was so jealous.

Mr. Mabius with his wife Ivy. I so wanted to steal his Boateng suit.

But the most daring look from the Ugly Betty cast that evening was that of Vanessa Williams:

Invoking the style of Diana Ross. Photo by: Matt Sayles/AP

I noticed how diva-esque she was: unruly hair, short shimmery skirt, bold clutch, sexy shoes - although it may seem this is “too wild,” she made it work - and thensome!

Michael Urie was there and Susan said he was wearing a Disney couture belt buckle - I didn’t get a chance to ask him about it because he was busy droppin’ it like it’s hot on the dance floor with castmate Ana Ortiz. Also, I caught glimpse of Tony Plana, Kevin Sussman and Mark Indelicato. I think they may have been the only ABC show where the majority of the cast showed up. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl in knee-high socks and Christian Louboutin Mary Janes.