ABC Announces New "Ugly Betty: Mode After Hours" Webisodes  3/20/09

ABC.COM PREMIERES NEW "UGLY BETTY: MODE AFTER HOURS" WEBISODES

Six All-New Webisodes of the Popular Short-Form Series to Premiere on ABC.com

Starting today, ABC.com will debut the first of six all-new "Ugly Betty: Mode After Hours." The popular short-form series follows Marc (Michael Urie) and Amanda (Becki Newton) in different adventures at the Mode office after the work day is done and everyone has left.

A new episode of the online series will roll out each week, leading up to the May 7 return of "Ugly Betty" to ABC's primetime schedule. Fans will also be treated to an exclusive special of behind-the-scenes outtakes, including the making of "Mode After Hours," following the last original webisode.

Nominated for a NAMIC Vision Award for original short-form webisode content, "Mode After Hours" originally premiered last September on ABC.com. They quickly became a fan favorite and ABC.com's most successful short-form series to date with the initial six webisodes garnering over 10 million views.

In addition to the new webisodes, ABC.com is also offering an expanded selection of full episodes from the current season of "Ugly Betty" on its Full Episode Player, increasing the number of episodes currently available online from four to ten.

As the online home of the ABC Television Network, ABC.com is dedicated to providing users with innovative ways to experience their favorite shows. ABC.com's Full Episode Player delivers a high-quality viewing experience to users and premium to advertisers, attracting a young, highly educated and loyal audience. Season to date, over 106 million episodes have been initiated through the ABC.com Full Episode Player. Last fall ABC.com launched a new short-form video player, which allows users to embed videos throughout the web, including their own blogs and third-party social networking sites. The ABC.com short form player is home to over 2000 pieces of content, including original webisodes, exclusive sneak peeks and interviews with the stars of ABC's most popular series, as well as ABC.com's original daily online series "Start Now." Additionally the site offers viewers of ABC's hit series a wide variety of games, blogs, community forums, photos and downloadables, as well as the ABC Store which provides fans access to unique ABC-related merchandise. ABC.com is available anytime, anywhere on mobile devices at m.abc.com.

About Ugly Betty Sweet, intelligent, hard-working and - undoubtedly -- fashionably challenged, Betty Suarez dreams of a successful career in magazine publishing. After taking a job at Mode Magazine, the bible of the fashion industry, Betty's indomitable spirit and bright ideas wins over the respect of her Mode cohorts despite continuous predictions of failure. She thrives in the ultra-competitive environment in spite of her lack of fashion sense. Betty forms an unlikely team with her boss, Daniel Meade, the co-editor in chief of Mode Magazine, as they help one another navigate the choppy waters of NYC's shark infested fashion scene. Now she must prove that she is not just a super assistant with no fashion sense, but an aspiring career woman and editor-to-be while balancing her tumultuous love life and her familial responsibilities. The award winning series returned for a diva-licious third season on ABC Thursdays this fall, shooting at its new home at Silvercup Studio East and on location in New York City.

"Ugly Betty" stars America Ferrera as Betty Suarez, Eric Mabius as Daniel Meade, Tony Plana as Ignacio, Ana Ortiz as Hilda, Ashley Jensen as Christina, Becki Newton as Amanda, Mark Indelicato as Justin, Michael Urie as Marc, Judith Light as Claire Meade and Vanessa Williams as Wilhelmina Slater.

Based on "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," the groundbreaking Colombian telenovela that became an international phenomenon, "Ugly Betty" is from ABC Studios. The series has been awarded Golden Globe, Peabody, NAACP, ALMA and Imagen awards and earned three Emmy awards and 16 nominations, the most for any comedy series on any network. Executive producers are Silvio Horta ("Urban Legend"), Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award winner Salma Hayek, Jose Tamez and Richard Heus. Co-executive producers are Sheila Lawrence, Victor Nelli Jr., Henry Alonso Myers, Bill Wrubel and Chris Black.

Source: ABC Press Release

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