TVSquad

On last night's two-hour season finale of Ugly Betty, Henry came back to New York to warn everyone that there's a killer going around killing all of the wedding guests one by one. Well, no, but Christopher Gorham came back to possibly screw things up between Betty and Matt.

Was this a good season finale? Is the show as good as it used to be? Does it deserve to get another season (though it's moving to Friday nights next season, always a sign that it's on its way out)?

They have feuds. They have babies (at least one of them). They have daily debates. But the ladies of The View have no sway with the Daytime Emmys. Well, that's not entirely correct. The ladies themselves, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Barbara Walters, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck, received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Talk Show host(s), but their show was snubbed.

Whether it's deemed a Talk Show/Entertainment or Talk Show/Information, it's not deemed worthy. But The View's missing nomination is merely one of the many oddities of the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy nominations. Something is really bizarre in the batch of noms.

I used to really be into Ugly Betty, and now ... not so much. There are just other things to watch, and that feeling of "oh, Ugly Betty is a great show I wonder what's going to happen tonight!" is just gone. I think it ended around the time that she took that hansom cab ride with that one guy though she still wanted to be with Henry. Or something. Anyway, I'm looking at it and ... Ralph Macchio is in it now?! And David Rasche?! Discuss last night's episode here.

The third most important story in the Entertainment section of my news page this morning is this: which stars are going to present awards at this year's Emmy Awards ceremony (September 21 on ABC). And to that I say a big ... who cares?

Every year, in the weeks leading up to the Emmys, we hear about which stars are going to present awards. I've always found it odd because the people they say are going to present are, you know, TV stars. Seriously, this is the Emmy Awards, and like the Oscars or the Grammys, I expect the people who have something to do with television (maybe the people who actually star on the shows!) to either present awards, introduce segments of the show, or even host. Yeah, it's mildly interesting that William Petersen and Laurence Fishburne will present an award together, since Fishburne is taking over for Petersen on CSI, but it's not that big of a deal. And it's certainly not a big deal that America Fererra and Vanessa Williams are going to present an award or that Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Hugh Laurie are going to present awards - separately. I would assume that these current TV stars will be involved in some way, but even if they aren't, why is it news?

Here come two more lists of the ten actors and actresses that are finalists for Emmy nominations in the supporting comedy categories. As with the other awards, there are some surprises on the list, and some notable omissions. For the ladies, the headline is that last year's winner, Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), didn't make the cut. Surprise finalists include Conchata Ferrell (Two And A Half Men) and Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live). I don't mind seeing Conchata on the list because she is consistently funny on the show, but I don't know that there is enough to her role for her to actually garner a nomination when you consider the competition.

On the other side of the coin, the defending champ, Jeremy Piven (Entourage), is back. None of the boys over at SNL managed to make the leap from Variety to Comedy that Poehler did.

(S02E17) Wili's moment of triumph arrived, and it was just as glorious as I expected it to be. La Slater is officially back at Mode as Creative Director, and all is right with the Ugly Betty world. This episode was all about couples. Hilda pursued Coach Diaz, Gio pursued Betty, and Marc and Amanda did what they do best--torture Betty. The "Betty Whorez" e-mail was one of those small Mode moments that I haven't seen in a while.

(S02E16) Things are finally coming into place on Ugly Betty. Wili officially declared war on the Meades, Betty dealt with serious baby drama, and Hilda got back into the dating game (almost). If this keeps up, the show will be back to its old self--Wili scheming, Betty working with Daniel against her, and an end to the Suarez family mourning period. Sounds good to me!

(S02E15) You can add "glamourtunity" and "preg-nasty" to the Ugly Betty lexicon. While this episode gave us some cute moments and clever dialogue, I felt like it was light on plot. Yes, we got Renee's storyline out of the way, but the rest of it was build-up to the season's bigger issues. I'm ready for things to start happening.

(S02E14) That look says it all, doesn't it? Betty spent part of her birthday with fellow dreamer Gio, and came home to Henry with a lot on her mind. The reappearance of Charlie reminded us that Henry's baby is coming soon. There's a difficult decision in Betty's future. Who will she choose, Henry or Gio?

As the Academy Award presentation approaches, that can only mean one thing -- time for a new Barbara Walters special. Yes, yes, what matters most before the big show isn't the red carpet and the fashions, it's who will Barbara be interviewing for her annual Oscar edition? Ms. Walters has four biggies lined up for the Sunday, February 24th (7:00-8:00 p.m. ET) broadcast. Oscar nominee Ellen Page, star of Juno; Indiana Jones, himself, Harrison Ford; Ugly Betty diva, Vanessa Williams; and Hannah Montana/teen queen Miley Cyrus. It's an eclectic group, to say the least, but then, that's Baba Wawa's formula for success, is it not? After all, this is her 27th straight year doing a pre-Oscar special.

(S02E13) It might not have been an official season finale (a faux-nale?), but this week's Ugly Betty could be the last one we see for a very long time. I miss the show already. So many issues are up in the air! What will happen with the Henry-Betty-Gio triangle? Will Wili's baby scheme succeed? Is Ignacio ever going to get another storyline? For now, we'll either have to use our imaginations or content ourselves with the Season One DVD. I've never been big on fanfic, so I'm going with Option B.

(S02E12) Courtroom drama! Perfume that makes you crazy! Baby-making schemes! This week's Ugly Betty had all the telenovela angles covered. In the grand tradition of fictional court proceedings, Claire's murder trial was over and done with in a couple of days. Don't you love that about TV? There was even time to spare for Gio, Wili, and Christina. Good thing, too, because there's only one episode left. Better get your fill of Suzuki St. Pierre now, folks.

(S02E11) Many weeks ago (man, it's been a while since we've had a new episode) I shared my dream of a Dixie Carter-Vanessa Williams showdown. This week, Amanda visited a psychic played by another Designing Women cast member, the wonderful Annie Potts. So close! It's great to have Ugly Betty back, at least for now. The sad truth--that there are only two episodes left--is beginning to sink in. Who's panicking?

(S02E10) Even with her Mode days behind her, Wilhelmina had another Betty to contend with. The fabulous Betty White was on hand to take advantage of Wili's bad PR and contempt for the elderly. There were no St. Olaf stories, but it was still one of the funnest Ugly Betty episodes I've seen in a while! I mean, come on--Betty White and a paintball war? It's like Christmas came early!

(S02E09) Thanks to the Medusa X virus, Wilhelmina Slater nearly changed Mode and Ugly Betty forever. Wili's plans for Slater magazine didn't come to fruition this week, but something tells me that she won't stop trying to destroy Mode. While Wili was busy trying to get money from her father, Alexis, Daniel, and Betty were trying to honor their dead parents. I guess we all have different priorities around the holidays!