News Round-up: Betty, Phillips, DTV, Emmys

UGLY BETTY: Betty's glam new look under review at ABC
ABC is pretty serious about the extreme makeover its giving UGLY BETTY. According to Michael Ausiello, the network is going so far as to conduct a round of focus groups this week to get feedback on the heroine’s season 4 metamorphosis.

In particular, execs are showing test audiences two scenes from early in the season, both featuring a newly glamorized Betty working at her new job as Mode’s associate features editor. In one, she’s rocking a Chanel-esque pastel pink suit; in the the other, she’s sporting a short-sleeved black dress with a ruffled V-neck. “She looks a lot classier,” says one guinea pig, “but she’s still far from perfect.”

Primetime Emmys cut awards from telecast
Eight of the 28 honors in the Primetime Emmy Awards will be prerecorded and then time-shifted into the main broadcast this year, according to a proposal presented to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' board on Wednesday night.

According to sources, the categories affected include outstanding movie and miniseries; writing for dramatic series and movies/miniseries; directing for variety, music and comedy and movie/miniseries; and the supporting actor and actress awards in the longform arena.

African-Americans in Nielsen sample rises
Accoring to BET's Debra Lee: "They have increased the size of the African-American sample to 1,200, which is up from 600. We continue to find ways to make it more realistic and more representative."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Nielsen is supposedly a statistically sound sample, but 1,200 African-Americans in the whole country represent everyone?

Nielsen: 98.9% of U.S. Homes Can Get DTV Signal
Little more than 1 million homes are still without set, converter box, cable or satellite.

Joseph C. Phillips in new film
Rehearsals begin next week for the faith-based musical Church in Southern California. Church is a musical comedy-drama based on typical Sunday services at the fictional “Glorious New Life Greater Faith Tabernacle Church of The Living God In Christ Up on the Hill.” The cast includes Joseph C. Phillips, who played Justus on GENERAL HOSPITAL.

McGovern’s MOVING ON gets second season
MOVING ON, the BBC daytime drama executive produced by Jimmy McGovern and broadcast in May this year, has been commissioned for a second season. Liam Keelan, controller of daytime at the BBC, has ordered ten more episodes of the show - twice as many as the first run.

SORDID LIVES: The Series is hitting the UK
The UK premiere of SORDID LIVES will be shown on Film24 (Sky157) starting August 2 at 10pm.

Sweden's QX Magazine: Gays in Soaps
From pages 48-48 (translation by Susi at Big Purple Dreams): "In Sweden only three of the daytime dramas air and none of them feature any gay or lesbian characters. But in spite of the lack of soap gays in our country, QX-readers have still been writing in about the latest super couple of the soap world, Otalia."