"Grey's Anatomy" there will be no wedding

[deep]

As for the George and Meredeth characters

When life throws you a body blow, death of a parent, people do shift or change that much.

I have seen it many times in real life.






I find what happened to Isaiah Washington much more troubling.

 

[jobob]

Who else watched the Grey's season finale and felt like it could have been the series finale? That's how far this series has jumped the shark.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

This constant sadness and melodrama is such a downer.

Yep. When you watch reruns or the DVDs of the first season you realize how charming it was, while there was still depressing stuff and melodramas. They seem to have lost the innocence and originality or something-and so fast.

I agree-the quirkiness is what made it so good to start out with. The humor is basically gone.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Spoiler

























Isaiah isn't really fired (that's a cover)-Burke and McDreamy realize they're in love, move to MA and get married

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

EW.com Exclusive
Isaiah Washington Breaks His Silence


ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How are you feeling about what happened last week? Did you think it was fair?

ISAIAH 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.

Why do you think the decision was made by ABC? Was Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes happy about it?

I knew she was aware of the decision. But you have to understand that she's at the helm of one of the top-rated scripted shows on television.

Were you in touch with Shonda after you were fired?

She called me on Thursday of last week [June 7] and told me that I would not be returning to the show. Just like she personally called me and invited me to the show. It was full circle.

When was the last time you talked to Shonda?

Yesterday.

There are rumors you may file a lawsuit against ABC.

I don't know anything about that.

Have you heard from many of your castmates?

No. Everyone is still on vacation. I don't expect to hear from my castmates. I did talk to Chandra Wilson and I got a text message from Kate Walsh. Everyone's doing their own thing. People are still trying to enjoy their summer before they get back to the grind. I think a lot of people are out of the country. I'm still getting calls from people discovering that this change has occurred. [EW also spotted Washington receiving a hug and hi-five from former cast member Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny) at the Chateau Marmont in L.A. the day he was let go.]

Would you consider you and T.R. Knight to be on good terms?

I don't know. You have to ask T.R. that.

Anything you'll miss about Grey's?

I'll miss working with the team. I think the past season we got our rite of passage and we pretty much all learned what we can and we can't do...like any other new show or fledgling child trying to find its legs. Season 4 is going to be stronger, better and wiser and smarter, and I had hoped to be a contributor to that. That's not the reality.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: There are rumors that you were originally supposed to be the lead in a Grey's spin-off. Did Shonda ever approach you?

ISAIAH WASHINGTON: Me for a spin-off? No. No. Never. I love Shonda Rhimes and her writing ability and I felt like she made me a better actor because of her talent. I was invited back by Shonda to be part of the team and I always had a team player mentality about that. I took it as a humbling opportunity to be invited and be part of the team. I'm going to miss her writing. She's an extraordinary talent. She's very collaborative and allowed me to create the Dr. Burke that the world has grown to love.

Would you be open to cameo on Grey's?

Dr. Burke is probably the greatest challenge I've ever had. I've studied the medical world extensively. I enjoy surgeons and I'm glad they do what they do and I gave it everything I had. If Shonda calls me and says, ''Look we want you to do something for Grey's Anatomy'' I probably would not hesitate. But I don't really see that happening.

How do you think this is going to affect your career?

I'm working right now [on the indie film, The Least of These]. I can only take one day at a time. I can only apologize so many times. I can only accept so much responsibility. All the players involved have taken care of what we needed to take care of in-house — and the media took it in a different direction. I hope that everyone is happy for the outcome for Isaiah, but Isaiah will go on and do what I love to do. And I have to go about the business of letting people know what's written about me is not the truth. I'm merely an actor, a husband, and a father who's trying to do a great job and be very grateful and understanding that I'm in a very privileged position. This isn't a time for me to be looking back; it's only a time for me to be looking forward. I just hope people can understand in the industry and otherwise that it's a horrible misunderstanding what transpired with our show and it was blown out of proportion. If the naysayers out there feel that some justice has been served and that they're happy with the outcome, so be it. It's incumbent on me to take what I do, do it well, grow from the experience, and move on.

Do you have any concerns about being labeled as difficult as an actor?

Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to address a lot of that down the road. It'd be very cleansing for my soul to let the fans and the general public see a side of me that I feel was horribly represented in the press.

What type of offers have you received?

I've gotten a ton of offers in both film and TV, and now my agent Ben Press and I are just sorting through all the options. There is one network in particular that's very interested. But I don't want to say anything specific until it's a done deal.

Why did you decide to make the movie The Least of These?

Actually, I decided to do the part based on the recommendation of Sandra Oh. I was telling her about it last fall and she felt it was a strong role that would be good for me. Since Sandra is a Golden Globe winner among other things I always take her advice. She's a smart lady.

Would you work with ABC again?

[Laughs] I don't know. That's up to ABC.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Houston Chronicle

June 21, 2007

"They fired the wrong guy," Isaiah Washington said today.

The former Dr. Preston Burke on ABC's hit series Grey's Anatomy told the Houston Chronicle that T.R. Knight should have been fired from the show.

Washington was let go on June 7, just a month before filming for the new season was to begin. He has been slammed with negative publicity since October. That's when he allegedly used an anti-gay slur during an on-set disagreement with co-star Patrick Dempsey.

The Houston native's interviews with the media since then have been limited.

"I have to clear my name," a determined Washington told the Houston Chronicle in a telephone interview from the set of his new movie, The Least of These. "I'll start from the beginning. I'm telling everything. So here's the truth."

Washington said Knight, who plays Dr. George O'Malley, stirred up the notion that the slur was targeted at him and created a negative work environment. Washington also alleged that Knight likely wanted a salary increase and a more substantive role for his character.

Knight, who acknowledged that he was gay after the incident, told Ellen DeGeneres in January that Washington used the slur against him and that "everyone (on the set) heard it."

"That's a lie," Washington said. "I used the word during a disagreement with Patrick. I apologized for that. We shook hands and went back to work."

He said he is considering a lawsuit. "My livelihood, my honor and dignity and my name have been so challenged."

Washington said his firing was a big disappointment.

"I was not fired for making homophobic slurs," he said. "I did everything I said I would do. I offered to go to counseling, to do a public service announcement. I wanted everyone to know I was remorseful."

Washington said he asked to be released from his contract last fall after the first incident, then again in January when he repeated the slur at the Golden Globes. His use of the word at the awards ceremony was taken out of context, he said. He was responding to a reporter's question about whether he had used the slur.

He said he regrets that his actions overshadowed Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes' win for best TV series drama.

Washington learned ABC would not renew his contract in a tearful call from Rhimes.

"That was a shock," he said. "I did everything they told me to do, including not saying anything, and then they didn't renew my contract. That's not fair."

ABC executives declined to comment Wednesday.

The 43-year-old Washington said this was the first negative incident in his 20 years in Hollywood.

He said he made three errors in judgment: "believing the cast of Grey's Anatomy were like family; believing I had the freedom to express myself with family and that we could resolve our issues; and trusting ABC was going to take care of me.

"I'm not angry. I'm disappointed."

 

[Thora]

He needs to shut the hell up about this already. Let it go, man!

By the way, life isn't fair. You should have learned that in kindergarten.

Gah.

 

[Varitek]

I am done. I mean, I hate IW but the show was already bad enough with him as one of the only decent characters left. I hate the idea of Lexie, I hate the way all my old favorite characters act, and I hate nearly every plotline in season 3 (except Alex. I still like Alex, and Ava, except for the Denny redux issue).

I'm done. I'm deleting season 3 off my external and I'll always treasure seasons 1 and 2.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I have read rumors that Kate Walsh might be pregnant and that's the reason for the quick engagement, if she is I guess it would fit right in with the baby storyline they started with her.

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Recently axed "Grey's Anatomy" co-star Isaiah Washington has been in preliminary discussions with NBC about a deal, although the talks have stalled, according to people familiar with the situation.

It was not clear whether NBC was interested in bringing the outspoken actor onto an existing series or casting him in a new project.

Washington alluded to conversations with NBC in his first interview after he was fired from ABC's hit medical show on June 7 in the wake of reported anti-gay slurs directed at fellow castmate T.R. Knight.

The actor told Entertainment Weeklyexternal link that he and his agent "are sorting through a ton of offers in both film and TV ... There is one network in particular that's very interested, but I don't want to say anything specific until it's a done deal," the magazine quoted him as saying.

Washington made news during the past week with a couple of charged interviews, including one suggesting that Knight should have been fired instead of him and accusing Knight of milking the homophobic remark incident to get more screen time and better pay.

NBC declined comment Monday. A representative for Washington could not be reached for comment.

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

It's so bad that when I come across reruns on Lifetime I skip right over them, whereas before I would have stopped. It's over for me and this show.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Oh boy

Now that Isaiah Washington has been fired from Grey's Anatomy, he wants to set the record straight about his so-called trip to rehab.

"There is no rehab for homophobia – that was just some crap being put out by the network," Washington, 43, tells Newsweek of the treatment he received after using a homophobic slur during an argument with Grey's costar Patrick Dempsey.

"I went into an executive counseling program which many people in this industry know about and go to. They knew what the program was but chose to call it what they wanted to fit their agenda. And more importantly, I volunteered for it because I wanted to understand my fight with Patrick and how it got out of hand like that."

Washington says he even paid half the fee for his treatment, and adds: "I thought [ABC] sending me meant they actually wanted me to succeed and come out on the other end." The network declined to comment for the story.

The actor also describes race as a factor in his downfall. During his fight with Dempsey, he says, "Someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me."

On his subsequent firing: "I apologized and showed my remorse for what I said and for the pain I caused anyone. If a black man can't get forgiveness in this country, when so many other people like Robert Downey Jr. and the governor of California get second and third chances ... I think that says a lot about race and this country where we stand."

Later in the article, he says: "It didn't help me on the set that I was a black man who wasn't a mush-mouth Negro walking around with his head in his hands all the time. … I had a person in human resources tell me after this thing played out that 'some people' were afraid of me around the studio. I asked her why, because I'm a 6'1" black man with dark skin and who doesn't go around saying 'Yessah, massa sir' and 'No sir, massa' to everyone?''

But the Newsweek article says Washington has a reputation in the film industry for lashing out at others, and points out that, several years ago, he had an angry confrontation with his Soul Food producer Tracey Edmonds (who is currently dating Eddie Murphy).

"I have a mind of my own and I do speak it when I feel it's right," he says. "In this business that's considered being difficult and hard to deal with."

 

[Muldfeld]

My mom likes the show, and it's better than reality TV, but I've always found it formulaic and sleazy; I also think Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a hell of a lot funnier.

I think kicking someone like Isaiah Washington off the show shows how affraid they are with associating themselves with anti-gayness; it has nothing to do with rights or decency. ABC is owned by Disney and it has had no trouble appealing to conservatives or supporting the Bush administration which hurt gays far more with its dirty politics in the 2004 election by bringing up the gay marriage issue. ABC is a gutless network. They're just worried about image, not doing the right thing. Distancing themselves from Washington seems a way of avoiding being reminded of their own potential discriminatory streaks.

It's possible the gay actor can't work with Isaiah around, and I guess that's a different issue. However, honestly, there are lots of people who use the word "f****t." It's probably wrong, but people don't necessarily mean it maliciously. People shouldn't use the word, but it's hard to make people stop cold turkey if they've been acculturated to use it. He apologized.

I see some similarity to the case of Michael Richards, who went back to the club to apologize before he even knew this would spread. In anger, people reach for something hurtful to say sometimes, and it doesn't mean they mean it with the harshest intensity. I've said racist things to myself in moments of anger. It's human.

People make mistakes, but when we shut them out, we're just avoiding the real debate and facing up to our own demons. It's about denying our role in the fault of society for using these words. The Grey's Anatomy people and ABC are guilty of prioritizing easy symbolism over substance; they're just trying to avoid facing their own guilt with using the term in private social circles or moments of anger and are looking for a scapegoat, but this in no way really helps gay rights -- just like opposing Michael Richards doesn't help the rights of black people.

Words are part of the discourse that informs how we treat people, but it's almost nothing compared to supporting or allowing discriminatory policies that practically affect people's every day lives.

 

[jobob]

He needs to shut the hell up about this already. Let it go, man!

Someone please, please tell Mr. Washington to STFU already.

Please.