Izzie Out Of Emmy Running

Due to the lack of a great storyline for her character in this past season of Grey's Anatomy, Katherine Heigl feels she should not be included in the choosing of Emmy nominees. The blossoming actress won last year for best supporting actress.

She says, "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention."

Oh Iz, always putting others before yourself. I hope this doesn't hurt you at all though within Greys, it's a kinda sorta subtle slap in the face to the writing staff.

- Erin Dustin

Catch A Peek!

TV is back!

Grey's next week!

Finally, I'm in need of some Mer-Der drama pronto...

And even better, check out a sneak peek of next week's action-packed first episode back after FOREVERRRRRRRRRRR! (Seriously, I'm not exaggerating)

- Erin Dustin

Docs Do A Sing-Along

Grey's and Private Practice docs put away the stethoscopes (and drama) for the evening and brought out the mics for last Friday's charity sing-along with proceeds going toward the crew members who were affected by the recent WGA strike.

McDreamy, aka Patrick Dempsey, started the night out with a video message from Japan where he is promoting his film Enchanted. He wore dark sunglasses and sat next to an action figure of himself. Katherine Heigl looking ravishing in red once again, introduced costar (and Tony winner) Sara Ramirez from the UCLA stage. Ramirez sang "Meadowlark" and recieved a standing ovation.

Next up was T.R. Knight where he nervously joked that he hadn't done anything like this in 13 years. But not to worry, he went through with it. He sang the show tune, "Losing My Mind/You Could Drive A Person Crazy."

McSteamy, aka Eric Dane, then joined the newest Grey's cast member Brooke Smith on stage where they read fan fiction followed by Chandra Wilson who sang her rendition of "God Bless The Child."

Kate Walsh (who is set to be gracing the halls of Seattle Grace once again come April) appeared via video from Australia but her costars of Grey's spin-off Private Practice were in attendance including Paul Adelstein who covered Paul Simon's "Slip 'Slidin Away" while rocking out on the electric guitar.

After two hours of sing-along fun, Shonda Rhimes, executive producer of both ABC shows, thanked the audience for their support. "Even though we are starting production on our shows again, many crew members will never be able to make up the money lost in the strike," she said. "We love our crew and are happy to provide, if only for one night, a little Good Medicine."

Here's a video of a few of the performances of the night...



- Erin Dustin

Grey's cast join strikers

Is there a doctor in the house? The stars of Grey's Anatomy hit the picket lines this week in support of the show's writers. Dressed in surgical scrubs, Katherine Heigl, T.R. Knight, Sandra Oh, Sara Ramirez, Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, Justin Chambers and Eric Dane hoisted poster board signs outside of Prospect Studios in LA yesterday. On set to film their last scripted episode, the actors were feeling the writers' pain. "We're supposed to be going until the end of May and right now our last shooting day will be Tuesday or Wednesday," Knight told the AP. "As actors, we're paid a different way than the writers, but there's also the crew to keep in mind. They are out of work as of next Wednesday." And Heigl added, "The writers are everything. We can't do it without them."

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Kate Walsh ties the knot

Grey's Anatomy alum Kate Walsh wed movie exec Alex Young this afternoon. Walsh wore a custom-made Monique Lhuillier wedding gown as she and Young exchanged vows at the Ojai Presbyterian Church in the town of Ojai north of LA. Among the 100 guests were Grey's co-stars Katherine Heigl, Chandra Wilson, Sara Ramirez and Justin Chambers. Kate Beckinsale and her husband also attended. A lavish reception was scheduled to follow at the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa's Casa Elar.

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New show, new man, new house

Engaged Grey's Anatomy alum Kate Walsh has bought a $4.75 million, 5-bedroom, 6-bathroom Spanish style home in Los Feliz with her fiance, Alex Young. The couple's new pad boasts a media room, wine room, pool house, free-standing hot tub and outdoor fireplace. Walsh's previous home, a 4-bedroom house in the same neighborhood is currently up for lease for $8,800 a month.

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Isaiah axed from Grey's Anatomy

After much speculation, it has finally been announced that Isaiah Washington will not be returning to Grey's Anatomy next season. Washington's publicist confirmed that his client's contract was not renewed, and released a statement from the actor reading, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." No further explanation was given. Washington's fellow cast members were alerted of the decision on Thursday evening.

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Katherine wants to adopt

Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl spoke to USA Today about tension on set and adoption plans while promoting her new movie Knocked Up. Some excerpts:

Your Knocked Up character has a truly gruesome birthing scene. And you were in the delivery room with your older sister, Meg. That at all impact your decision to have kids of your own? "Oh, yeah. I've always planned to adopt anyway, but that definitely reinforced my want to. I'm done with the whole idea of having my own children. [It] doesn't seem like any fun. I don't think it's necessary to go through all of that."

Have you had a big, life-changing moment that caused you to grow up fast? "I feel like a totally different person at 28 than I was at 21. I don't even recognize that naive person. I grew up a lot in the last five years. My engagement (last June, after a year of dating musician Josh Kelley) was a very altering moment, going from feeling footloose and fancy-free to 'This is huge. This isn't just dating. This is my future husband.' I'm ready for something like this now."

Have you made wedding plans? "Not yet. Isn't that depressing? I think we're trying to get our acts together and try to do this sooner rather than later. But it requires so much planning and thought if you want to have the kind of wedding I want to have."

You were raised Mormon, but don't practice anymore. "I haven't since I was about 19 or 20, when I moved to L.A. and was working a lot. I couldn't find a ward I was comfortable in. It kind of petered out mostly because of that. My good friends are Mormon, some of the best people I know."

What has been the fallout of all the drama over the homophobic slur used by Isaiah Washington and you coming to the defense of T.R. Knight? "I was ultimately grateful that it opened up a dialogue. To me, I wasn't making a political stand. I was making a stand about hurting people's feelings. It's very simple in my mind. You do not actively seek to hurt other people's feelings. I don't care what their sexual orientation, race or gender. You don't do that. We are all human beings, part of the human race, and we need to be compassionate and giving and kind with one another. Enough with the Michael Richards. Enough with the Mel Gibson. Enough with this. It's disgusting. The world is still very bigoted. Go see Borat. I didn't laugh during that movie. I cried. I was horrified."

What do you think of Washington's PSA? "What PSA?"

He just shot a public service announcement for GLAAD. "Oh, he did? Oh, that was nice. (Pause.) To me, I don't live this every day the way both T.R. and Isaiah do. I think it's their journey and their burden. I don't see Isaiah that much and don't have as many scenes with him, so I don't know what he's going through personally right now. I know that he was very ashamed and that was a necessary emotion to move forward and not backward. His attitude and behavior and thought process needed to change, and the only way to do that is to be self-aware and honest."

What about your quotes in February about being contractually obligated to return to Grey's despite your unhappiness with the amount of money you were offered? "For me, that was never about me not wanting to play Izzie anymore. I want to play that character. I want to be there. So that was an unnecessary threat. I don't know why they did that."

Has it all been worked out? "No. It's sort of stagnant right now. I'm grateful the show's over [for summer] so I can have a break from it. It's been a tough year for everybody."

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Kate Walsh engaged

Things are really looking up for Kate Walsh - first her own TV series, and now an engagement. The Grey's Anatomy star and her movie producer boyfriend Alex Young are reportedly engaged after only a few months of dating. "It happened a few days ago. And that's all I can say. I'm on cloud nine," says Walsh of the news.

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Grey's spinoff greenlighted

ABC has officially announced that the Grey's Anatomy spinoff is a go. Tentatively titled "Private Practice," the show will follow Kate Walsh's character Addison Montgomery-Shepherd from Seattle Grace Hospital to a private practice in Santa Monica. Grey's Anatomy's back-door pilot episode for the show that aired a few weeks ago apparently passed with flying colors.

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Grey's star signs record deal

All kinds of spinoff careers are stemming from the hit show Grey's Anatomy. Actress Kate Walsh has landed her own series which will expand on her Grey's role of Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, and Sara Ramirez, who plays Callie, has signed an album deal. "All I can say is that Eric Idle and John Du Prez, who were the writers of Spamalot, are writing the album," Ramirez told press at the Step Up Inspiration Awards this weekend. Ramirez has inked a deal with Universal Music and will spend her summer hiatus from the show recording the album.

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Grey's set still stressful

Grey's Anatomy actor T.R. Knight is counting down the days until this season of the show is wrapped. After a stressful year caused by costar Isaiah Washington's on-set gay slur, Knight says, "I just focus on doing the work. That's my job. That's what I'm paid for and I think that's enough... We have about twenty days [of filming] left, not that I'm counting... It's going to be nice to have two months away, you know. I think everyone's looking forward to it." I guess things didn't chill out on set after Washington's stay in "rehab."

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Grey's star to hit the big screen

Grey's Anatomy actress Katherine Heigl is trading in her hospital scrubs for a role on the big screen as a perennial bridesmaid. Heigl has signed on to star in the romantic comedy 27 Dresses, playing (somewhat obviously) a woman who has played the part of bridesmaid 27 times. Production is set to begin in May after the former model's day job at Grey's goes into hiatus. Heigl has also recently inked a contract to be the face of Nautica Woman.

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New Grey's guest

Former Wings actor Tim Daly will appear on a special two-hour episode of Grey's Anatomy this spring, and his guest turn could serve as a springboard for a part on the show's spinoff series, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Daly's character will be "handsome, sincere, like a McDreamy."

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More trouble for Grey's Anatomy

There is more drama on the set of Grey's Anatomy. Sources say most of the cast are upset by the news that a spinoff series is in the works that would follow Kate Walsh's character, Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd. "The rest of the cast seemed instantly resentful of [Walsh]," says an insider. "They each thought they'd be the one chosen to get their own show, and now they're giving Kate the cold shoulder." Lead actress Ellen Pompeo "seemed particularly peeved because she felt that, as the star, she should have been consulted," adds the source. People mag is reporting that Katherine Heigl has now dropped out of contract talks with show producers over salary issues. "Katie is disappointed and hurt that [producer] Touchstone doesn't value her as much as her other co-stars, especially Sandra Oh and Isaiah Washington," an insider told the mag. A rep for ABC Touchstone had no comment.

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Grey's Anatomy spinoff in the works

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that ABC has plans to create a Grey's Anatomy spinoff starring main character Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd, played by Kate Walsh. A two-hour pilot of the show is expected to air in May.

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Another celeb breakup

Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker and one-time Grey's Anatomy actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan have reportedly split (who knew they were even together?). The pair were seen arguing last week at a restaurant, and a source said, "She was trying to hold his hand and get his attention. But he was ogling a cute, petite blonde through the whole meal." Parker hasn't wasted any time mourning the loss - she was spotted making out with another guy on Wednesday night at Lower East Side eatery.

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McDreamy welcomes twin boys

Patrick Dempsey's wife Jillian gave birth to twins boys Darby Galen and Sullivan Patrick in Los Angeles Thursday. Dempsey and his wife married in 1999 after five years of dating, and have a four-year-old daughter named Talula.

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Will T.R. leave Grey's Anatomy?

Rumors are swirling that T.R. Knight is considering walking away from Grey's Anatomy because of castmate Isaiah Washington's homophobic slur. Knight "is so upset about the situation and so disgusted by how it was all handled," that he is planning to leave the show. "He was told not to say anything about the whole incident," said an insider of the now-infamous October fight on set between Washington and Patrick Dempsey. "He kept his word, but then the whole thing blew up again at the Golden Globes, and when he was asked about it, he basically called Isaiah a liar. He feels that the atmosphere there is so toxic and unhealthy. I suppose things could change and we would stay, but for now, he's planning to leave the show." When asked about the story by MSNBC's The Scoop, Knight's rep said, "We're not commenting on that." She later called back and said, "Completely, one thousand percent false."
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Grey's actor issues apology

Following much negative criticism after his outburst at the Golden Globes (see here), Isaiah Washington issued the following statement this afternoon:

"I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance. By repeating the word Monday night, I marred what should have been a perfect night for everyone who works on Grey's Anatomy. I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I've asked for help. I know the power of words, especially those that demean. I realize that by using one filled with disrespect I have hurt T.R. and my colleagues. With one word, I've hurt everyone who has struggled for the respect so many of us take for granted. I welcome the chance to meet with leaders of the gay and lesbian community to apologize in person and to talk about what I can do to heal the wounds I've opened. T.R.'s courage throughout this entire episode speaks to his tremendous character. I hold his talent, and T.R. as a person, in high esteem. I know a mere apology will not end this, and I intend to let my future actions prove my sincerity."

Washington's behavior has drawn criticism not only from his castmates, but caught the attention of GLAAD as well as execs at ABC, who were "dismayed" by his comments and said the issue was "being addressed."

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