GREY’S | Semi-shocker: T.R. Knight checks out

I can’t recall a set as beleagured with rumor, backstage scandal, and production turmoil in recent television history as Grey’s Anatomy has been since the pinnacle of its success a couple years ago.

The reports that T.R. Knight is leaving the show are unlikely to change that trend, which began with Isaiah Washington and whose most recent casualty was Brooke Smith’s Dr. Erica Hahn.

It’s no surprise that Knight wants out. When’s the last time George had a meaningful storyline that went somewhere? It’s been a downward spiral since that time he hooked up with Meredith and he cried during.

Then there was a failed romance with Callie, a failed romance with Izzie, and a failed romance with Lexie. There was failing the intern exam and being the chief’s glorified bitch. I can see how this material would get old — and those who dare to complain about the material are castigated by the press as whiners (see: Knight’s real-life BFF co-star Katherine Heigl).

And then there’s the blind item from last week about another original cast member who producers were about to fire — someone other than Knight. I suppose it’s too much to hope for that Dempsey is about to be shitcanned. He’s had a bad attitude about the show that saved his career for as long as I can remember.

The wheels came off this meat wagon some time ago. Spinning Addison off to the even-worse Private Practice didn’t help matters, but I’m thinking the show was unsavable even before ABC got greedy. And yet I can’t stop watching. Perhaps the entire show will just disband abruptly with no explanation?

I do look forward, five years down the road, to the tell-all books and two-hour True Hollywood Story about what the hell really happened to poor Grey’s Anatomy.

BIONIC WOMAN | Counting chickens before they’re hatched

“…[T]here’s some talk about spinning me off into my own show once Bionic Woman becomes a huge hit,” Isaiah Washington tells the New York Post. Big talk, considering the Bionic remake had only aired one episode before tonight.

Isaiah continues to paint himself as a hero (remember that ridiculous Larry King interview this summer?), this time to the cast and crew of Bionic: “There’s been some relative excitement about my presence,” adding, “I may end up doing more than five episodes.”

I’d sooner watch a Grey’s spinoff starring McSteamy and the original cast of Charmed (blech) than anything starring Washington. I’ll give him credit for one thing, though. He somehow managed not to let his overwhelming self-importance suck the life out of his Anatomy alter ego, Preston Burke.

I wouldn’t hold my breath on this one, Isaiah.

PRIVATE PRACTICE | 101: “In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl from Somewhere Else”

I saw the Private Practice premiere. It’s no Grey’s, to be sure, but I liked it and I’m interested to see more. (Also, Grey’s was no Grey’s out of the box, something I think we’d all do well to remember while the cast and crew find their groove.)

TALK | Star Jones to interview Isaiah Washington

In a sort of fitting coda to two stories we’ve been following at The Manifesto this summer, former View co-host Star Jones will interview ex-Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington on the premiere episode of Star Jones, Monday at 3 p.m./ET on CourtTV.

GIFFORD’S GOODBYE | For the first time since leaving Live in 2000, Kathie Lee opens up about why she left Regis and her hit daytime show

GREY’S | Shonda Rhimes on Isaiah Washington

TV Guide has the blow-by-blow between critics and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes. The writer and executive producer of Grey’s and Private Practice finally broke her silence about Isaiah Washington’s controversial firing after a press tour session.

Rhimes says she was included in and agreed with the decision to let Washington go, and that she felt it was the best thing for the show.

One of her quotes in particular confirms what I suspected at the height of what’s been called Isaiahgate:

I wrote the season-ender exactly as I planned to write the season-ender. What’s kind of amazing is the season-ender finished the story of Preston Burke that really paid tribute to that character and the talent of Isaiah Washington in a way that made sense. But also went exactly where our show was planning to go anyway.

WaPo’s Lisa de Moraes at TCA

Some highlights from her coverage:

• Rosie O’Donnell’s rep Cindi Berger on whether O’Donnell will participate in Trump’s celebrity Apprentice: “Not in this lifetime or beyond will this ever happen — someone needs to put down the crack pipe.”
• The press also apparently grilled the people behind NBC’s new Bionic Woman about being so quick to accept ABC’s castoff, Isaiah Washington.

Isaiah Washington to NBC

He’ll guest-star in a five-episode arc on the new Bionic Woman. The network and studio are also developing an action project for Washington that could make it on the air next fall. Guess he landed on his feet after all.

GREY’S | And so it begins…

(Contains mild Grey’s Anatomy spoilers and casting news)

As the off-set drama quiets down, work the scripted series begins again. Production has begun on the fourth season of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy. As previously reported, Chyler Leigh joins the cast this year as Meredith’s half-sister, Lexie Grey.

From the release:

Entering their first year as residents, Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang, Izzie Stevens and Alex Karev now have interns of their own to mentor. Among the new interns are George, forced to repeat his internship after failing his exams, and Lexie Grey, Meredith’s half-sister.

Isaiah Washington is, of course, missing from the cast list (check out this blog post on AlterNet about the Larry King show last week), which other than and the addition of Leigh remains the same. For storyline spoilers, check out yesterday’s Ask Ausiello.

In related news, KaDee Strickland has joined Private Practice, the Grey’s spinoff debuting this fall. She’ll play Charlotte, “a doctor and hospital administrator.”

And coming soon, the Starmaker skin care products used on Grey’s and Desperate Housewives (originally developed for Baywatch), will be available at 6,200 CVS stores.

Isaiah on Larry King

I’m not touching Larry King’s interview with Isaiah Washington, except to say this: it was decidedly not live, and I’m even more confused about Washington after having watched this than I was when I sat down at the beginning of the hour. You can read the transcript on CNN’s website.

Washington week in review 06.29.07

Isaiah Washington would seem to be launching a full-scale media campaign in the wake of his firing from Grey’s Anatomy. The whole affair thus far is well-documented on this site and many others. Here are the new highlights from this week.

In an interview with BET host Keith Boykin, Washington outlined what he claims was a conspiracy masterminded by T.R. Knight to have him and Patrick Dempsey fired from Grey’s. Washington’s claim is that Knight wanted a meatier role for himself on the show; he goes on to add that Knight’s coming out last October was a “tactical move,” saying Knight “could care less about the gay community.” …

Tuesday, we learned that NBC is in talks with Washington, although the nature of the project(s) in discussion is unclear. …

Yesterday, in an in-depth piece on Newsweek’s website, Washington played the race card like a drum kit. Notable quotes include:

“…[S]omeone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me.”

“…[I]t 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.” …

And there’s more where all this came from. Monday, Washington plans to tell all in an interview on Larry King Live. Getting these two together should, at the very least, make for an interesting hour of television. You never know what either one will say next. $5 says Larry asks him at least one bizarro question.