Who Does Gwyneth Paltrow Think She Is?

One of my favorite shows of recent years has been NBC's fascinating Who Do You Think You Are. The show, expertly researched and produced (by Dan Bucatinsky and one of last year's subjects, Lisa Kudrow), has been one of the inspirations for my own delving into genealogy, and my search has already yielded not only fun and surprising results, but also a few fun, interesting new relatives in Europe whom I've already had the pleasure of meeting and visiting (i.e., freeloading.)

The show's resident genealogist, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak, has visited us on Sirius XM's The Frank DeCaro Show, and I hope she'll come back again to discuss her work on this second batch of celebrities. Last year, we learned that Sarah Jessica Parker has American roots that go back as far as the Salem witch trials and that Brooke Shields is descended from the kings of France. We went with Spike Lee to visit his white distant cousin, and with Emmitt Smith to an ancestral country in Africa.

This year, the list of celebs looks fascinating as well. Rosie O'Donnell was just photographed by paparazzi as she appeared at the public library in Jersey City, NJ, researching her roots for the show; as she later explained on her radio show on Sirius XM, she has been told that her work on the show will involve her leaving the country twice -- and she assumes she'll be going to Ireland -- but that excitingly, she won't know her exact destinations until she leaves for the plane.

Having recently accosted Gwyneth Paltrow's mother, the gracious and lovely Blythe Danner, on my flight to New Orleans, I know that the Danner roots reach back to the earliest times in the United States. And who wouldn't want to tune in to learn more about the gorgeous gumbo of genetic ingredients it must take to produce someone as beautiful and talented as Vanessa Williams?

Here's the NBC press release with the full list of names. Who Do You Think You Are returns to NBC on Friday, February 4.

NBC ANNOUNCES THE CELEBRITIES TRACING THEIR FAMILY TREES ON SEASON TWO OF ‘WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?’ PREMIERING FEBRUARY 4

Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, Steve Buscemi, Kim Cattrall, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams and Ashley Judd Take a Look Inside Their Family Histories on NBC’s Genealogy Alternative Series Produced by Lisa Kudrow

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – December 16, 2010 – Viewers can take an up-close and personal look inside the family history of some of today’s most beloved and iconic celebrities when NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” returns for its second season on Friday, February 4 (8-9 p.m. ET). The celebrities who star in the series are Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Rosie O’Donnell, Steve Buscemi, Kim Cattrall, Lionel Richie, Vanessa Williams and Ashley Judd.

From executive producers Lisa Kudrow (“Friends,” “The Comeback”) and Dan Bucatinsky (“Lipstick Jungle,” “The Comeback”) – through their production company Is or Isn’t Entertainment and Shed Media U.S. (“Supernanny,” “The Real Housewives of New York City”) -- “Who Do You Think You Are?” is an adaptation of the award-winning hit British television documentary series that leads celebrities on a journey of self-discovery as they unearth their family trees that reveal surprising, inspiring and even tragic stories that often are linked to crucial events in American history.

“I've been a fan of the U.K. version of ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ for a long time, so it's very rewarding that the U.S. version is back with more compelling stories this season that are illuminating, touching and aspirational,” said Kudrow. “This is such a unique show for network television and we're all thrilled that the American audience has embraced it.”

From the trenches of the Civil War to the shores of the Caribbean, and from the valleys of Virginia to the island nations of Australia and Ireland, “Who Do You Think You Are?” will reveal the fabric of humanity through everyone’s place in history. Each week a different celebrity takes a journey into their family’s past, traveling all over the world. While giving viewers an in-depth look into their favorite stars’ family tree, each episode will expose surprising facts and life changing encounters that will unlock people’s emotions, show just how connected everyone is not only to the past, but to one another.

Ancestry.com is NBC and Shed’s official partner on the series and will help provide the research used to tell each story. “We’re thrilled with this year’s strong lineup and look forward to helping Americans go on their own journey of discovery alongside the stars,” said Josh Hanna, Head of Global Marketing for Ancestry.com.

Vanessa Williams Introduces You to the Stars of Classic TV

For the past 5 years, I've been working with a fabulous organization within the Television Academy in Los Angeles, the Archive of American Television. The Archive is an unprecedented catalog of revealing, behind-the-scenes interviews with over 600 television industry greats -- from stars to producers, executives and other creative talent.

Now, those interviews are available to be viewed online, at the Archive's home page, EmmyTVLegends.org. Check out my chats with Jayne Meadows, The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad, Cagney & Lacey Star Tyne Daly, Get Smart's beautiful Agent 99, Barbara Feldon, and so many others conducted by preeminent TV experts and journalists.

Below, in a newly produced video promoting the Archive, the incredible star of Ugly Betty, Vanessa Williams, will introduce you to the Archive's resources. "What the Academy Foundation has done with EmmyTVLegends.org is amazing," she enthused in a press announcement of the video. "I am proud to help spread the word about this incredible resources for TV fans worldwide."

And an incredible resource it is, too, full of little-known anecdotes, unique perspectives, and eyewitness accounts from the top names in TV, past and present. The interviews can be watched in their entirety, or browsed by person, show, topic or profession. Check them out! You just might come across a gem, such as when Golden Girl Rue McClanahan slipped, at my request, into Blanche Devereaux's voice to talk about her "many, many men." Priceless!

Meet Vanessa Williams June 30 in NYC

A few years back, I had the opportunity to sit down with actress Virginia Madsen for an interview both about her life and career, and about her use and advocacy of the cosmetic products BOTOX and JUVEDERM. (The article appeared in the now-defunct Quick & Simple; click here to read.)

I've never been too big a fan of any cosmetic "procedure," because I feel the results often look unnatural and downright scary. But I have to say, in personal, the then 46-year-old Madsen was luminous -- and very natural. She still had some natural lines in her face, and so any improvements she had made to her appearance were subtle, leaving her looking younger than her true age, but yet believably so. As she explained how the products can be responsibly and carefully used, solely under a doctor's care and not in any kind of shady "spa" setting, I was convinced.

Now, the company behind the products, Allergan, has announced a new promotional effort with its newest spokeswoman, Ugly Betty's almost supernaturally beautiful Vanessa Williams. And what's great about this one -- and why I'm sharing it here -- is that this campaign has a charitable component. Check out the events below, and how you can support a great charity, Dress For Success, which helps disadvantage women dress to improve their careers.

• New York: On June 30^th in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall (entrance at 42^nd and Park Avenue) 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Vanessa Williams is hosting a celebrity “Rack Relay Race” and clothing drive. Join Vanessa in the race by registering to race on www.ExpressSuccessCampaign.com or by dropping off nearly new professional clothing donations (click “Get Involved”). For the Express Success Rack Relay Race, teams of four will “dress” mannequins for success and race to the finish line. The winning team will win lunch with Vanessa Williams in NYC and a $100 gift certificate from DSW. Also, the first 100 people to pre-register online and participate int he "Rack Relay Race” will receive a certificate for a physician consultation and, if appropriate, a complimentary BOTOX^® Cosmetic treatment from a licensed and trained aesthetic-specialty physician.

• San Francisco, Dallas and Miami: Local educational events are planned featuring Vanessa Williams, Dress for Success CEO Joi Gordon and an aesthetic-specialty physician. At the events consumers will be able to support Dress for Success by donating nearly new professional attire as a cost of entry, while learning about fast and simple tips for working women, including treatment with BOTOX^® Cosmetic. Register on www.ExpressSuccessCampaign.com to receive an invitation to the local event.

• On a national level: Allergan is donating $2 to Dress for Success on behalf of each of the first 25,000 people who visit and register on www.ExpressSuccessCampaign.com (click “Get Involved”). Everyone who pledges support on the Web site will be entered to win a trip for two to NYC to have lunch with Vanessa Williams.

A Beautiful Panel on Ugly Betty

Tonight, the Paley Center for Media in New York hosted an evening with the cast and crew of its hometown production, Ugly Betty.

Just over a week after the announcement of ABC's renewal of the series for a 4th season, the evening started with a screening of tomorrow night's episode -- which on the plus side features a beautiful, vibrantly colored Easter egg hunt scene, courtesy of production designer Mark Worthington, who was on the panel.  Of course, because the network put the show on an unexpected hiatus in order to air sitcoms In the Motherhood and Samantha Who? (both of which have since been yanked), this is one helluva late Easter.  And so, this episode -- the return of season 3, the first episode following that hiatus -- airs almost three weeks after the holiday. But never fear, because even late, this Betty is as fabulously funny as ever.

Also on the panel tonight, hosted by EW's Jessica Shaw, were series stars Vanessa Williams, Tony Plana, Ana Ortiz, Becki Newton and Mark Indelicato, as well as creator/executive producer Silvio Horta, EP Richard Heus, Co-EP Victor Nelli, Jr., and the show's now-famous costume designer Patricia Field.

Among the inside scoop divulged tonight:

• Michael Urie's Mark, who has become such a core character on the show, was originally intended to be fired by boss Wilhelmina Slater in the show's pilot episode.  But when the show's writers and producers saw how much chemistry guest star Urie had with Vanessa Williams, they quickly abandoned their plan to have Wilhelmina fire an assistant every week a la Murphy Brown, and instead bumped the actor up to a series regular.
  

• Producers originally had trouble finding just the right eyeglasses to make Betty so "ugly."  They went through about 100 pairs, Silvio Horta says, before they realized the ideal pair was right on Pat Field's face.  And so they borrowed them -- and kept strict care of them until duplicates could be found.  They felt, Horta recalls, "if they break, it's done!"
  

• The show's writers considered incorporating Ana Ortiz's real-life pregnancy into the storyline for Hilda.  Their main reason for not doing so, Horta says, is timing:  by the time the story could be introduced, they would have had to hide Ortiz's changing figure for too long.  Then, ironically, they would have to pad the actress, long after she had really given birth.
  

• Horta says that in creating his show, he didn't really follow too closely to Betty La Fea, the Colombian telenovela upon which the US' Ugly Betty is based.  That is, "except this idea of the fish out of water, the unttractive girl working in a fashion environment.  And using the glasses and braces and dowdy wardrobe as props of ugliness.  Really I went on my own.  It was really just using the telenovela feel, the heightened, over-the-top [tone]."
  

• So, Horta was asked:  will Betty and Daniel ever get together romantically?  In a word -- no.  In the show's pilot, he reveals, the ending had Betty walking away, and the two exchange looks.  But he changed his plan when "at a certain point as we were filming it, it became obvious that the chemistry was brother and sister and not romantic.  It was its own relationship, and it was something very special.  [Pairing them up] doesn't seem like the right thing to do."
  

• And Field revealed some of her favorite places to shop for the characters' clothes:  a consignment shop in NYC called Ina; a vintage store on Orchard Street between Stanton and Rivington, called Frock, specializing in "'90s Dynasty clothes," she says; and of course, old standby Century 21.
  

And, SPOILER WARNING:

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Okay, here they come:

• In an upcoming episode, Vanessa Williams and returning guest star Christine Baranski duet on "The Man That Got Away."
  

• Last season, there was talk of a musical episode which never materialized.  Tonight, EP Horta revealed that the musical episode will indeed happen, at the end of next season, which is season 4.  "The entire cast can sing -- it's incredible," Horta bragged.
  

• The show has already featured a huge host of famous guest stars, like Patti LuPone, Victoria Beckham, Tim Gunn, Lindsay Lohan and Salma Hayek (one of the show's producers.)  This year, in the season finale, expect to see Rachel Dratch -- playing twins.  Also coming up:  Tommy Hilfiger, Billie Jean King, Rachel Maddow, Adele, and Antonio Sabato, Jr., playing his hunky self.

• Mode magazine will soon have a new boss, who will cause some problems for Claire and Wilhelmina.  And no, that's not Betty's boyfriend's father, played by David Rasche.  Yes, he'll be there, too -- but he's not the troublesome new big cheese.  So who is it?  "Whoever this person is, we've already met," Horta said teasingly.
  

• According to Shaw, she's heard that baby William is about to be kidnapped.  Who would do such a thing? I don't know for a fact, but I personally believe that there are actually clues in tomorrow night's episode.
  

• There's a wedding coming.  And we'll learn some secrets about Judith Light's character Claire, secrets which "will propel a lot of what will happen next year," Horta reveals. And add Christopher Gorham's character Henry to the list of returning characters.
  

• Justin is about to start high school next year -- possibly a school for the performing arts.
  

• And here's the biggest news of all:  next year, Betty gets promoted -- and finally gets her braces off!
  

Ugly Betty

Season 3 returns 4/30

Thursdays at 8 PM

ABC