Posted by Kathy Lyford

The "Ugly Betty" Q&A is ready! Silvio Horta has responded to your questions and the answers are below.

I sent him all the compliments that preceded the questions and they made him very happy. He received all of your questions and he chose the following ones to answer. (I requested that he answer at least one Gio question since so many of you seemed to be interested in that character.) In some cases, similar questions were combined.

You won't find a sweeter guy in Hollywood than Silvio Horta. He never has a bad word to say about anyone and he's very humble. His family and his culture are very important to him. He's very proud of his show and I'm sure he'd want to thank all of you for watching. (I love this picture of him from last year's Emmys with all his girls.)

And I would like to thank Silvio for his time because I know he has very little of it to spare. I'd also like to thank each of you for participating and waiting so patiently for the answers. And here we go…

Q. How closely are the characters in Ugly Betty based on the other Betty show around the world?
— James
A. "Ugly Betty" is based on the Colombian television show, "Yo Soy Betty La Fea," which roughly translates to "I am Betty the ugly one." Of course Betty's character resembles her Colombian counterpart, but in personality she is vastly different. This comes from cultural differences, my writing choices, America Ferrera's acting choices, and so on. The shape and premise of the series is the same, but the characters, their stories, their voice, etc. are different.

Q. Do you still use the green screen process since you've moved to New York and do you find filming in the actual city takes more time than in the studio with the special effects? — Lynn
A. We may occasionally use green screen effects in episodes, but we don't use them to simulate New York anymore. Filming exterior scenes in New York, for instance, is much easier and rewarding now.  The city is a pleasure to work in and with and our shots come out more beautifully than we could have ever faked in Los Angeles. Part of this is because when we had to use N.Y. in the background while filming in L.A., we still had to use actual background footage shot in N.Y., and filming the actors in front of a green screen instead of a real environment added a layer of artificialness that was difficult to overcome. Now that we can film the actors in the actual N.Y. environments in which the show is set, the payoff is exponentially satisfying.

Oct. 6 update:

The season 2 finale of "Ugly Betty" left viewers hanging on a cliff and our heroine with a big choice to make. Henry proposed, which would mean moving to Arizona. But Gio wants to take her on a Roman holiday and be "the guy." Meanwhile Daniel has a son, but no job. Wow. So many questions. (Savvy fans probably already know how one of those dilemmas turns out, but I'll never tell.)

Are you a fan? Anything you’re curious about? Want to know something about one of the stars? "Betty" showrunner Silvio Horta will answer your questions here. Just hit the comment button below and ask. Silvio's favorite participant will win a season 2 DVD set.

The show's now filming in New York, so Silvio's busy traveling back and forth and will answer via email. Check back here next week for the answers.

And, on Monday I will have the results of the Marc Cherry/"Desperate Housewives" Q&A!

In the meantime, stay up to date with "Ugly Betty" news on  SoapNet.com, which covers 42 shows including "Desperate Housewives," “90210,” “Gossip Girl,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Dirty Sexy Money,” “Weeds” and more.

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— Kathy Lyford

P.S.
Check back for future Q&A opportunites for "Friday Night Lights" and others.

Hey guys,

Thanks for being so patient. I heard from Silvio Horta today regarding the Q&A and he said he's been so buried in work the last week he's barely had time to breathe. He promises to get to the answers in the next couple of days. Stay tuned. Your patience will be rewarded.

— KL