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Silvio Horta was found dead in a Miami motel room Tuesday. Sources tell "Variety" he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Horta created the U.S. version of "Ugly Betty" from the original Columbia telenovela. He got his big break writing the screenplay for the horror film "Urban Legend."

America Ferrera has added her voice to the growing list of women, from Hollywood and everywhere else alike, who are speaking out about sexual harassment and assault in the wake of Harvey Weinstein's alleged abuse. Spurred by the #MeToo movement that was started by Alyssa Milano on Sunday, the 33-year-old star of NBC's Superstore took to her Instagram account Monday night to reveal that she was sexually assaulted by a man she knew when she was nine years old. “First time I can remember being sexually assaulted I was 9-years-old,” she wrote. “I told no one and lived with the...

Not surprisingly, the California budget deficit has reared its ugly head again. Wait. Didn’t we just pass a balanced budget? If so, how could it become unbalanced so quickly? The answer, in large part, is that the deficit is growing because revenues are falling – just like they always do in a weak economic environment. The tax proposals being considered, however, are exactly what California should not do and here’s why. Imagine, if you will, a cart stuck in the mud and moving very slowly. While people are pushing the cart to get it moving faster, no one would think...

After all the editorial cartoons knocking Dick Cheney, after Jon Stewart's riffs and the Letterman/Leno jokes, it still comes as a surprise when a primetime comedy aims a personal barb at a sitting member of the executive branch of government. Once Cheney becomes fair game on a mainstream hit like ABC's "Ugly Betty," you know he, as a symbol of this administration, is reviled by most Americans. These days you don't have to watch "Meet the Press" to get a stinging critique of the war, President Bush or the GOP in general. Jabs at the Republican establishment and Bush administration...

A preview of the political commentary we can expect at Sunday night's Academy Awards? As a presenter at Saturday's “Film Independent's Spirit Awards” carried live at 2pm PST/5pm EST on the Independent Film Channel (IFC), actress America Ferrera (IMDb page), the title role star of ABC's Ugly Betty, interjected a bit of political commentary suggesting the U.S. will not be “the land of the free” again until President Bush leaves office. Taking the stage inside a tent on the Santa Monica beach, Ferrera was joined by actor Zach Braff, a star on NBC's Scrubs, to present the award for the...

A preview of the political commentary we can expect at Sunday night's Academy Awards? As a presenter at Saturday's “Film Independent's Spirit Awards” carried live at 2pm PST/5pm EST on the Independent Film Channel (IFC), actress America Ferrera (IMDb page), the title role star of ABC's Ugly Betty, interjected a bit of political commentary suggesting the U.S. will not be “the land of the free” again until President Bush leaves office. Taking the stage inside a tent on the Santa Monica beach, Ferrera was joined by actor Zach Braff, a star on NBC's Scrubs, to present the award for the...