TVSquad

As the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences tries to whittle the submissions down to actual nominees, it's interesting to take a look at who has made it to the semifinals. It's not a nomination, but it's one step away. Today comes word of the finalists for best comedy actress and best supporting drama actor. There are some surprises.

Chief among those for me is Sarah Silverman. I honestly hadn't even considered her in the running. I'm not much of a fan, but I do like that she is being considered for the simple fact that the base the nominees are drawn from can always use some expansion. And if she is the most surprising inclusion, the most surprising snub just might be Teri Hatcher. Eva Longoria, Marcia Cross, and Felicity Huffman all made the cut, but not Hatcher. Ouch. The rest of the finalists, and the supporting actors from a drama, after the jump.

Hey Miss Heigl,

How's it going? Good I hope! You must be enjoying the off-season, huh? I bet you can't wait to get back into production for Grey's Anatomy though. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I think you're a really good person. You seem awfully nice and it's very admirable the way you stand up for things you believe in.

You held your own against Isaiah Washington and stood up for your friend T.R. Knight when Washington's hateful words stunned us all. You even spoke out against the sexist undertones of Knocked Up, a film you starred in no less!

Since you seem so nice, I'm wondering if you could do me a small favor. I need a few thousand bucks to cover some recent medical costs. See, I sprained a muscle in my neck real bad a few days ago. How'd it happen you ask?

From craning to get a glimpse of your self-righteous mug way up on top of that high horse of yours.

At this point, it just feels like we're watching Isaiah Washington self-destruct. Since being fired from Grey's Anatomy, he has said some pretty stupid stuff. But this one takes the cake.

Washington gave an interview to the Houston Chronicle, his hometown newspaper, where he says that actor T.R. Knight is the one who should have been fired from Grey's Anatomy. Sure, Washington is the one who practically got into a fistfight on set with co-star Patrick Dempsey after Washington used a derogatory gay slur referring to Knight. But, Washington says, Knight went on to have the nerve to be offended by it and ended up creating a negative work environment.

There probably comes a time in every controversy where the person involved should just...stop...talking.

Fired Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington is now comparing himself to Malcolm X and Paul Robeson. He isn't happy about getting canned from the show after he apologized, went to "rehab" and did everything the network asked him to do, and now he wonders if it's because of who he is and not what he did.

It's official: Isaiah Washington isn't coming back to Grey's Anatomy.

According to E! Online (who confirmed the story with ABC Television Studios), Washington, who portrayed Dr. Preston Burke, was informed yesterday that his contract will not be renewed. The actor's statement was succinct: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore."

Recall that Washington caused an uproar around the Grey's set and in the entertainment industry when he called co-star T.R. Knight a "faggot" late last year. Knight publicly came out of the closet after the incident, and Washington had to spend the rest of the season in damage control, going to "rehab" and meeting with representatives from GLAAD, among other forms of restitution. Apparently that incident, combined with an overall difficult attitude, sealed Washington's fate.

[thanks to Dorv and Jillian for the tips.]

A few of the actors on Grey's Anatomy have said that they're not sure whether their characters will be returning for next season. In the case of T.R. Knight, his character George O'Malley failed the intern exam in the season finale, which left his fate hanging in the balance. Viewers were also left with a cliffhanger regarding Isaiah Washington's character, Dr. Burke, who appeared to have fled Seattle in the season finale. And, Katherine Heigl, who plays Izzie, has been in heated contract negotiations for some time now.

It appears things have changed... but in case you don't want spoilers, I have put the information after the jump:

Will Grey's Anatomy soon be George-less? MSNBC.com's The Scoop reports that a source says T.R. Knight is upset by how the network/show handled the aftermath of co-star Isaiah Washington's uses of a homophobic slur.

According to the source, Knight was asked to keep quiet about the initial incident, which happened on set. But then, Washington caused a furor by using the word again at the Golden Globes while trying to deny he'd ever used it in the first place.

Isaiah Washington sure is involved in a lot of extra-curricular activities lately, thanks to his unstoppable mouth. He's working hard to save his job as Dr. Burke on Grey's Anatomy, after pissing off co-workers and offending gays everywhere with his derogatory comments about co-star T.R. Knight.

After visiting with gay activists last week and agreeing to be in PSAs (public service announcements), today he announced that he has entered counseling to deal with his bigoted view of the world anger toward homosexuals. In a statement, Washington said, "I remain committed to transforming my negative actions into positive results, personally and professionally." Grey's producer Shonda Rhimes released her own statement, applauding Washington for taking corrective action for his "behavioral issues", which makes it sound like he has a whole laundry list of issues.

The New York Times is reporting that ABC and Disney execs are "mulling the future" of Isaiah Washington. He's in hot water with fans, critics, and his own co-stars for using the word "faggot" to describe gay co-star T.R. Knight. His use of that word may be in violation of Disney's corporate antidiscrimination policy (plus, there's an online petition to get him canned).

Let me sum up: He got into a verbal and then physical argument with Patrick Dempsey on the set of Grey's last year, in which Washington used the f-word to refer to Knight. It all simmered down until Golden Globes night when Washington told a room full of reporters that it never happened and he repeated the f-word. Co-stars Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight went on different television shows blasting Washington. Since then, Washington has apologized, claimed he's "getting help", fired his publicist (why? because he's the bigot?), and hired a crisis management team. Yesterday, he met with gay activists.

Leave it to somebody not even remotely associated with a controversy to have a solution for it.

You've probably heard (here and elsewhere) about Isaiah Washington's use of a certain word to describe co-star T.R. Knight during a fight on the Grey's Anatomy set between Washington and Patrick Dempsey. And you've heard about Washington's denial that he used the word, his co-star's outrage that he denied using it, ABC's outrage at Washington in general, GLAAD's outrage over the entire incident, and now news that Washington has agreeed to meet with gay leaders and seek help (whew...hope you followed all that). Now musician John Mayer has come up with a way to solve the entire crisis without kicking Washington off of the show.

Make his character gay! As he says, "What better way for an actor to get to the roots of his discrimination than by portraying the very the subject of his own ire for the remainder of his contract? That'll learn ya!"

[via TV Tattle]

(S03E12) Don't panic, folks. I'm just here to help Joel cover Grey's while he's off covering the TCA for us. I'm as shocked at you are that I, of all people, is covering this show at all, especially with what I've said about it in the past. But yes, I watch this show now and am pretty much caught up with everything, but just the same, be gentle in your comments. Please? Thanks. I'll keep it short.

The theme for this episode seemed to be all about becoming personally involved. Let's go over how this theme appeared among all the show's characters.

Isaiah Washington may be the least liked cast member on the set of Grey's Anatomy. After the Golden Globes, he ticked off Katherin Heigl, who plays "Izzie" on the show. After the cast won the Golden Globe for Best Drama, Washington faced some tough questions from the media about an explosive incident on the set last year where Washington reportedly called T.R. Knight a "faggot", and nearly got in a fistfight with Patrick Dempsey over his comment. The entire thing led to T.R. Knight admitting his homosexuality to the national media.

On Monday night, Washington told the media types that the whole incident "never, never happened." Katherine Heigl disagrees and sounded off to Access Hollywood, saying that Washington is full of crap. Knight concurs. It sounds like Washington makes his work environment rather uncomfortable.

Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington has not only apologized for getting into that little fight with costar Patrick Dempsey on the set a few weeks ago, but he's also apologizing for using the words "little faggot." (The fight between Washington and Dempsey started after costar T.R. Knight - who just revealed he's gay - was late for a scene.)

Washington was supposed to be on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show today, but canceled. Costar Katherine Heigl had warned DeGeneres to "step back" when she interviewed Washington, so maybe that fueled the cancellation even more.

Wow, is the drama on Grey's Anatomy as good as the behind the camera stuff? If so, maybe I'm missing out by not watching it.

(S03E01) Season premieres are always a little bit of a letdown, aren't they? Those cliffhangers that were oh so effective at hooking you in and keeping you wanting more all through the summer end up looking a bit silly in retrospect when things start to play out the next season. The third-season premiere of Grey's Anatomy has elements of that. When we left off last May, Denny was dead, Izzie was a mess, and Meredeth just had prom sex with Derek and needed to choose between him and Finn.

Now we're back, and of course, none of those issues get resolved. But at least by the end of this episode you have a feeling that things are going to be pretty interesting over at Seattle Grace this year.

Katherine Heigl, who plays Izzie on Grey's Anatomy, is dropping hints about what's going to happen during the second half of the season at Seattle Grace Hospital. Stop reading here if you don't want to know any more.

Heigl says her character is going to be involved in a love triangle, there is some sort of prom episode coming up, and she also says that someone is going to leave the show. That last revelation comes as no big surprise to me as it is becoming painfully obvious that they are going to get rid of a certain intern whom I will not name. Fine by me, as that character has pretty much run its course. There's always the possibility that they will boot Addison Shepherd off the show but I find that extremely unlikely considering all the drama she causes among the interns. Plus, I'm rooting for her in the other love triangle. What Katherine doesn't do is reveal the big question that everybody seems to want to know: will Meredith and Dr. McDreamy reunite?