“Yo Soy Betty La Fea” Philippine Version in search for Leading Man

Join in the unofficial polls for the search for Bea Alonzo’s leading man in the much awaited “Yo Soy Betty la Fea” on ABS-CBN Channel 2.

Different online forums are currently posting who deserves the role of Armando, the smart and handsome president of Eco Moda, a fashion design company where Betty works.

These are Bea’s personal top choices: Gabby Concepcion, Aga Muhlach, Diether Ocampo, Piolo Pascual and Jake Cuenca.

Added to this list in online surveys are Sam Milby, Luis Manzano, Zanjoe Marudo, Jon Avila and her original on-screen partner John Lloyd. Is one of them destined to be Armando? Cast your vote and find out whom the nation wants to be Armando. Visit different forum sites or vote in the official website of ABS-CBN.

Meanwhile, the search for other cast members is still ongoing.

Who do you think will be included in the list? Find out in other updates of Yo Soy Betty La Fea on www.abs-cbnNEWS.com

About Betty La Fea :

Yo soy Betty, la fea (I am Betty, the ugly one), also known as simply “Betty la fea” (Ugly Betty), was a popular telenovela (soap opera) filmed in Colombia, written by Fernando Gaitán and produced between 1999 through 2001 by the Colombian network RCN. Over a dozen versions of this telenovela have been made in other countries. In the US, both the comedy-drama hit Ugly Betty and Univision program La Fea Más Bella are based on the Colombian soap opera.

Betty la fea aired on Telemundo in the United States. Its popularity led to the creation of several similar programs in other countries, as well as its rebroadcast in other languages around the world. The success of Yo soy Betty, la fea led to its first sequel in 2002 with Univision’s release of Ecomoda.

The show was popular as it was aired to a wide Latin American audience. Its success spawned a short and unsuccessful sequel called Eco moda, filmed in Colombia and produced by RCN and Univision. Some scenes from the first episode were filmed in Buenos Aires and some scenes for the opening sequence were filmed in Miami, Florida.

Betty la Fea was also made popular in the Philippines by GMA network and now, redubbed and currently re-airing on Studio 23. The sequel, Ecomoda, was also aired in the Philippines (dubbed in Tagalog / Filipino Language ) on the ABS-CBN Network. During its airtime, the show was put in a timeslot against its own prequel, Betty La Fea, which was aired on the rival network GMA. In 2008, ABS-CBN has acquired the rights to remake the ‘Betty La Fea’(with the same title) staring Bea Alonzo playing the title role.

Betty la fea has been so successful that it has been either adapted and/or shown in many different countries. The story seems to be attractive and original because it revolves around an unattractive person in contrast with most soap operas where the stars are always good looking.

Another released spinoff was an animated series called Betty Toons, which features Betty as a child, with her friends. In the U.S., Betty Toons can be seen Saturday mornings on most affiliates of the Telefutura network.

An article in Variety reported that the success of Yo soy Betty, la fea spin-offs has led to the search for other telenovelas being planned for the United States. Other shows developed by Fernando Gaitán are in production for 2007. “While some characters remain and new ones have been added, I think that the U.S. version preserves the spirit of the original Betty la fea”, Gaitán says.

Eventually, a U.S. adaptation of Betty la Fea materialized. Entitled Ugly Betty, the hour-long program is developed by Silvio Horta and co-produced by Salma Hayek and Ben Silverman. America Ferrera plays the title role. The show has received a Golden Globe- and Peabody Award.