Family man plays playboy on 'Ugly Betty'
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Eric Mabius wants to break the "Ugly Betty" chain.
In the original version of the international hit -- known as "Yo Soy Betty, La Fea," a telenovela sensation in Columbia -- ugly duckling Betty Suarez and her dashing millionaire boss ended up as couple at the end.
Mitch Haddad/ABCBetty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, is right hand to boss Daniel Meade, played by Eric Mabius, in ABC's "Ugly Betty."
Click photo for larger image.
Mabius, who plays Betty's playboy tycoon boss Daniel Meade on the ABC version that airs Thursday nights, wants to avoid that.
"That's what killed the original series," he says. "It doesn't work for this show. Unrequited love is the strongest kind of love.
"The audience is rooting for that, and [a pairing] is what they think they want. But once you give them that, people feel cheated because the anticipation is far better than the reality."
He sees Daniel as loving Betty, but not sexually.
In real life, the 36-year-old Mabius is perfectly content with his wife, with whom he went to high school, and their son, born in June 2006.
Newfound parenthood is, however, taking its toll on him: "I am so looking forward to sleep again," he says.
On this day, when he and the cast of "Ugly Betty" are greeting the press, Mabius sits on the set near Daniel's office. His demeanor is low-key but polite.
He blames a late night of work, 70-hour weeks and the demands of a baby for it all. (Prior to "Ugly Betty," Mabius' resume included independent films such as "Welcome to the Dollhouse" and several off-Broadway shows.)
On breaks from shooting "Ugly Betty," Mabius lets go of the Daniel Meade persona easily. His son visits the set. It's not unusual to see Mabius holding the infant outside a dressing room trailer, smiling and cradling him.
"Fortunately, my son is spending most of his time with his mother, which is a good thing," he deadpans. "She is patient, and I am not. She is calm, and I am not. She is understanding, and I am not as understanding as I would like to be."
Mabius says his son "is a happy, giggly boy. I have never seen such a happy baby before."
Before he married, he says, he had Daniel-esque qualities. "I've never worked in an office before, but we all have moments of selfishness, self-centered, arrogant characteristics like Daniel," he says.
How did he overcome his ego?
"It didn't last very long," he says. "People wouldn't take it for long."
(Terry Morrow, Scripps Howard News Service)
'HOUSE' DOES GOOD
In today's cool charity item, the producers and cast of Fox's "House" are showing a bit more social conscience than Dr. Gregory House by raising money for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a respected organization that helps the mentally ill live better lives.
They're selling T-shirts with Dr. House's signature philosophy in front: "Everybody lies." The shirts are $19.95 and can be found at www.housecharitytees.com.
(Rick Kushman, McClatchy Newspapers)
'TRAVELER' MOVES UP
The new ABC drama "Traveler," which had been ticketed for a playing-out-the-string summertime run, will get an in-season debut after all.
The network will air what it's calling a "sneak preview" of the pilot episode, which follows two friends who are framed for an act of terrorism, on May 10, following "Grey's Anatomy." The show will have its regular premiere at 10 p.m. May 30, with a second showing of the pilot.
"Traveler" stars Logan Marshall-Green ("The O.C.") and Matthew Bomer ("Tru Calling") as Tyler Fog and Jay Burchell, grad-school roommates who, on a trip to New York, decide to play a prank and roller-blade through an art museum. Upon their exit, they receive a call from their buddy Will Traveler (Aaron Stanford, "X-Men: The Last Stand") who says, "Sorry -- I had to do this," just before the museum blows up.
Branded as domestic terrorists after security footage catches them in their prank, Tyler and Jay go on the run, simultaneously trying to clear their names and figure out why someone they believed to be a friend would set them up.
The scheduling of the "Traveler" preview and a couple other ABC moves also signals that "Men in Trees," which previously occupied the post-"Grey's" spot on Thursdays, won't be back before the 2006-07 season ends next month. The show has received a pickup for next season, however, so it's likely that the five unaired episodes will carry over to the fall.
ABC is airing a two-hour "Grey's Anatomy" tonight. A "Lost" clip show will fill the spot on May 17 -- the final Thursday of sweeps -- and re-air prior to the "Lost" finale on May 23.
DELEGATING 'GREY'S' DUTIES
Should "Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes find herself with two shows on the air next season, she'll be ready to deal with the increased workload.
Rhimes has tapped two "Grey's" writer-producers, Krista Vernoff and Marti Noxon, as the go-to people for the medical drama and its possible spinoff come next season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Vernoff will stick with the current show, while Noxon, who joined the "Anatomy" team earlier this season, will head to the spinoff starring Kate Walsh.
The two will oversee the day-to-day work on their respective shows, while Rhimes retains showrunner status on both.
'CLOSER' BACK IN JUNE
TNT is putting Brenda Johnson back on the case.
The cable network has announced premiere dates for its crime drama "The Closer" and several other series, stretching from early June into August.
"The Closer," which stars Golden Globe winner Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Johnson and is among the highest-rated series on cable, begins its third season at 9 p.m. June 18. It will be followed by a new Pittsburgh-set drama, "Heartland," at 10 p.m. That series stars Treat Williams ("Everwood") as an organ-transplant surgeon and Kari Matchett ("24," "Invasion") as his ex-wife, a transplant coordinator.
A month later, TNT will roll out "Saving Grace," which stars Holly Hunter as an Oklahoma City detective who, after hitting bottom, encounters an angel (Leon Rippy, "Deadwood") who wants to help her put her life back together. The series will air at 10 p.m. Wednesdays starting July 18.
The network caps its summer with "The Company," a six-hour miniseries about the CIA during the Cold War. It stars Michael Keaton, Chris O'Donnell and Alfred Molina and will air in two-hour installments over three consecutive Sundays starting Aug. 5.
MAROULIS JOINS SOAP
"American Idol" dreamboat Constantine Maroulis will make his daytime television debut in May, joining the cast of "The Bold and the Beautiful."
Maroulis' addition to the CBS soap has long been rumored, but it's now been announced that his stint will begin May 15.
CBS only goes so far as to say that Maroulis will appear on "The Bold and the Beautiful" for several months and that during that time, he'll be able to perform several of the songs from his upcoming solo debut.
Maroulis will play a music producer named Constantine Parros. The character becomes involved in the life and career of heiress Phoebe Forrester (Mackenzie Mauzy).
First Published May 2, 2007 8:19 pm
