After withdrawing her name from Emmy consideration, Katherine Heigl explained her decision this way: She wasn't "given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination." Well how's that for a 1-percent-self-deprecating/99-percent-attacking statement? Clearly, Heigl wasn't happy with what the writers were giving her on Grey's Anatomy, and speaking to the press is the only way to have your voice heard! And so began rumors that Ms. Izzy wanted off to show so she'd have more time to peruse better money-making adventures, like film. But far be it for Heigl to make her own decision, maybe it would be the writers she insulted that would decide her fate on the show. Thus, the rumors that her character would develop a brain tumor this season, and maybe die, as Us Weekly reported earlier today. But if Heigl's Izzy does develop a brain tumor, expect her to rebound victorious — if the official word from ABC is to believed. CONTINUED »
"Of course, absolutely. Those people are like my family." That's Katherine Heigl on whether she's returning to Grey's Anatomy, smartly backtracking on her earlier statements about her role at the show, which felt like an "ungrateful slap" against producers. Which it totally was. [NL]
Sure, American Idol might be one big Coca-Cola and Ford advertisement. But that doesn't mean Grey's Anatomy, the once buzzworthy ABC show that's taken a nosedive in ratings and interest, has sold its soul to Madison Avenue. In what will likely turn out to be a non-scandal, the show caught flack when its season finale on Thursday, with a plotline that included the doctors freeing a young man from concrete, also aired an ad from Honda's Pilot, which showed a man trapped in concrete. Paid tie-in, or coincidence? ABC maintains the latter, as does Honda's ad agency RPA. [NYP] Below, the Honda ad. CONTINUED »
With no agency photo credit, this Star photo gallery of a post-hospitalized Justin Chambers flickering in and out of consciousness at a Palm Springs bar is evidence: 1) The Grey's Anatomy star shouldn't be allowed around alcohol just yet; 2) The market for civilian-submitted celebrity photos is still alive and well; and 3) TMZ.com isn't the only one buying up pics of him sleeping. Star]
Looking, staying hip takes more than just living Brooklyn. You’ve got to seek out hip and judge what others deem as hip.
That’s why we subscribe to Very Short List, a daily email that informs us about cultural stuff they think is great. Sometimes they're right and other times we judge them for being wrong.
Today VSL recommended the Irish band Bell X1, claiming their album, which will be released in the U.S. on February 19, is “simply one of the best records we’ve heard in a long time.”
We checked out Bell X1, and we say don’t believe the VSL hype. This band will be on the next edition of the Grey’s Anatomy soundtrack.
So, The Wire. It’s kind of a big deal. It’s HBO’s rebound show after The Sopranos. Also if you read that New Yorker profile of David Simon, the show’s creator, the guy comes off as kind of a genius.
CONTINUED »
We’re all about charity here at Jossip. That’s why we give money in the tip jar at Starbucks and have partnered with Bid 2 Beat AIDS for their auction for the third straight year.
Today’s item, a signed script of Grey’s Anatomy, reminds us of happier times, when Katherine Heigl was part of an assemble cast, not a jaded leading actress who dissed on the movie that made her famous. Anyway, bid on this script. With any luck, there will be a secret page that explains why the show isn't spelled "Gray's Anatomy," like the book.
Jossip has teamed up with the non-profit LIFEbeat and the Bid 2 Beat AIDS charity auction to raise awareness and provide support to the AIDS community. All funds generated go directly to LIFEbeat.
Chyler Leigh is, perhaps, better known to you all as Lexie Grey, a.k.a. Meredith's estranged younger sister (and part-time stalker) on the hit ABC show Grey's Anatomy. But now, thanks to those inquisitive folks over at Rush & Molloy, she's known for something else entirely: grossly making out with her own brother. Reports the NYDN:
Hard-core "Grey's" fans have unearthed a 1997 B-movie, "Kickboxing Academy," that Leigh made when she was just 15. In it, the actress' love interest is played by her real-life brother, Christopher Khayman Lee.
And yes, there are kissing scenes.
Unfortunately for the apparently-incestuous Leigh, the humiliation doesn't end there. Her brother (who, according to his IMDB page, landed his last acting role circa 2004) is best remembered for his brief stint as "Andros," the red Power Ranger.
Speaking of which, Chris might want to talk to someone about changing his IMDB profile. That line where it says "Christopher was intrigued by his sister Chyler's success in modeling and moved to Miami to join her and their mother?" Yeah, that's suddenly all kinds of creepy.
• Amy Fisher's ex-husband is sorry he sold a sex tape of his ex-wife purely out of spite. It was wrong, and immature, he explains, before laughing nervously and adding, "Amy, seriously, please don't kill my new girlfriend."
• As it turns out, porn stars really are only good at one thing.
• Britney's album drops today, for those of you who care. Which, for what it's worth, is still a surprising number of you.
• Aw, Izzie and George are friends in real life! Just like on the show! Except without the part where they're madly in love and have sexual relations.
After surprising herself (and her mother!) by winning the Emmy for her dead on portrayal of emotionally unstable pretty-girl Izzie Stephens, Katherine Heigl admits what we already suspected: She, like, Izzie, is neurotic to the point of being slightly nutso. Case in point:
Heigl admits to being conscious of her looks to the point of her always wearing full makeup in public – "I do not want to be the 'Look What This Celebrity Looks Like Without Makeup' picture," she says.
Big mistake, Katherine.
Should Isaiah Washington have been booted from Grey's after his private (albeit homophobic) remark about fellow castmate T.R. Knight become public?
It's hard to say definitively, but a couple of things are for certain. First, the decision, while negligibly controversial, was nonetheless justifiable under the circumstances. And second, in canning Washington, ABC definitely did themselves a huge favor by neatly detaching themselves from what can best be described as a loose cannon.
And not only does Washington seems to be suffering from an endless bout of sour grapes, but his latest graceless tirade is a shameful act of self promotion and the racial equivalent of the pot calling the kettle biased.
Isaiah Washington finally speaks out about getting booted from Grey's Anatomy, sitting down with Entertainment Weekly to discuss—as E! once put it—his "fall from (Seattle) Grace."
Says Washington:
I don’t know if it’s a question of ”fair.” I’m saddened by the outcome. I did everything that the producers and the network asked me to do. I came back under great duress and stress, and thought I was doing the job I was hired to do. I thought that was going to speak for my future at Grey’s, but apparently that wasn’t the same vision that the network and studio had for me.
And we can certainly understand his frustration!
After all, not only did the actor apologize profusely for each anti-gay remark, but he also checked himself into anti-gay rehab and filmed an anti-gay PSA, not to mention went back to work—under great stress and duress—and proceeded to film several scenes with his homosexual castmate without contracting HIV.
Seriously, it's almost as though producers wanted him to actually start liking gay people or something!
Calling your co-star a faggot can, it turns out, get you fired. Or at least help get you fired. Such is the story for Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington, who just found out he will not be welcomed back next season.
But the bigger story – you know, besides the good of mankind winning out – is that there are at least two parties fighting for the EXCLUSIVE!!! scoop: TV Guide's Michael Ausiello and ABCNews.com.
Which, of course, is so typical of ABCNews.com, a repeat offender when it comes to claiming exclusives that aren't its own. Checking the timestamps, we see TV Guide's item posted yesterday at 9:57pm, while ABC's story came at 11:14pm. Easy breezy!
(So much for Washington's rep Howard Bragman's previous statement about having "no reason to believe he won't be putting on the scrubs.")
Need something to call "absolutely ridiculous" today? Queerty brings the good news, via TMZ, that GLAAD has filmed Isaiah Washington doing a PSA about hate speech. Because he's an expert. And, also, he needs to make amends with the gays.
Quick suggestion: This absolutely ridiculous PSA is not the way to do it.
As we write this, we're looking out the window and salivating over the picture perfect weather outside, currently being wasted on lazy unemployed persons and pretentious NYU students. And so, for your sanity and ours, we've decided to kick off a glorious new feature called "Comment of the Day," to provide a transient glimmer of entertainment for all you working stiffs who would much rather be downing margaritas poolside on the Jersey Shore (while fending off advances from married, guidos named Tony) than slaving away in your cubicles.
Today's "Comment of the Day" comes to us from Us Weekly's website, and it pertains to the shaky future of Isaiah Washington and T.R. Knight's characters on Grey's Anatomy, and the impact their absence would have on the show overall.
I LOVE ISAIAH!!!!!!! I think T.R. just needs to stop CRYING and acting like a little girl and move on. I'd MUCH RATHER have ISAIAH than T.R. on the show! He RUINED the storyline by "COMING OUT". No chance with Meredith…Then they try to cover it up by getting married! Thats a joke. They should marry him to a male! –Anonymous
Thanks for playing, Anonymous!
One thing, though. Even though you're totally right that George did, as you say, "ruin the storyline by coming out," there's no way the show's writers could marry him to a male because, well, same sex marriages aren't actually legal in this country.
Otherwise, great idea.
Editorial Director
