Katherine Heigl: Don’t Gimme an Emmy
Katherine Heigl has pulled an Isaiah Washington. (Wait, it’s not what you think!)
Just as her former costar did last spring, albeit for a different reason, the Grey’s Anatomy actress has taken herself out of the running for the upcoming 60th Annual Emmy Awards.
No, last year’s winner for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama isn’t still ticked off that the announcer mispronounced her name as she took the stage to present. (”By the way, it’s Heigl,” she corrected later during her acceptance speech, emphasizing the hard g.)
Instead, Heigl feels that Izzie, who ultimately shared a kiss with Justin Chambers’ Alex when all was said and done, wasn’t given much Emmy-worthy emoting to do this season.
“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,” Heigl told the Los Angeles Times Gold Derby blog. “In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials.”
ABC had no comment on Heigl’s decision, which theoretically could be seen as either a gracious move in honor of her fellow thespians or a thumbed nose at the people who put Izzie in all those non-Emmy-warranting situationsthe Grey’s writing team.
While it isn’t an entirely wild notion to excuse oneself from consideration (Candice Bergen did it after hogging the spotlight multiple times for Murphy Brown; Tim Allen actually forgot to submit the paperwork once), it makes us wonder whether the star of such fare as Knocked Up, 27 Dresses and the upcoming The Ugly Truthwho was one of the last Grey’s regulars to ink a contract for a fourth season last yearhas simply outgrown her small-screen launching pad.
The nominations for the 60th Annual Emmy Awards will be announced July 17. The ceremony will be broadcast live Sept. 21 from L.A.’s Staples Center.
Is Miley Cyrus Good for Sex and the City?
Not everyone has a problem with Miley Cyrus naming Sex and the City as her favorite show.
“It’s awesome,” hunky Sex star Jason Lewis said last night at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills during a kickoff cocktail soiree for the upcoming Chrysalis Butterfly Ball. “A Miley Cyrus endorsement means everything…She seems like a pretty mature 15-year-old.”
And how.
But Cyrus wasn’t the only headline maker on people’s minds during the fete…
Grey’s Anatomy star Justin Chambers talked politics. “I’m pro-Obama,” Chambers said. “I’m a big fan of his…I think there’s something very sincere, intelligent and authentic about him.”
Meanwhile, former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Rebecca Gayheart said she’s looking forward to the new 90210: “I think it will be a big hit like it was the last time.”
Additional reporting by Laura Lane
Sightings: Hilton, Hines and Union
NOT SO SWEET: Nicky Hilton, enjoying an iced vanilla latte with no sugar at the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in West Hollywood.
ROCK SOLID: Chris Rock and his wife, Malaak, along with their daughters, shopping at the Grove mall in L.A.
FLIGHT PATTERN: Gabrielle Union, lugging her luggage through LAX airport before finding the friend who was picking her up.
BIG HIT: Freddie Prinze Jr., sporting a black Kangol, sitting ringside at Izod Center for WWE's Monday Night Raw in New Jersey.
LUNCHABLES: Aisha Tyler, having lunch at the new Kokomo Cafe in L.A. the day after Jason Schwartzman was doing the same.
SHORT ORDER: Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, enjoying appetizers at Dakota at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel before going upstairs to a private party in a penthouse suite.
FESTIVAL LIGHTS: Cheryl Hines and William H. Macy, toasting their new movie Bart Got a Room at the Cadillac Lounge at Tenjune nightclub after a screening at the Tribeca Film Festival.
BANK HEIST: Wilmer Valderrama, partying with Criss Angel at the Bank Nightclub at Las Vegas’ Bellagio.
COMING UP BOYS ROOM: Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart, Justin Chambers, Jason Lewis and Brad Rowe are expected at the Saks Fifth Avenue men’s store tonight in Beverly Hills for Chrysalis’ Shop for a Cause benefit.
Strikewatch: Grey's Stars Speak Out
"Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Management can’t write the show!"
"Webisodes and DVD, we won’t write ‘em, not for free!"
These were the choice chants of the picketing members of the Writers Guild of America at Prospect Studios in Los Angeles—and some of our Seattle Grace favorites, who were shooting Grey's Anatomy inside the studio, spent their hourlong lunchbreak on the picket line to show their support.
In attendance were Patrick Dempsey, Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, T.R. Knight, Katherine Heigl, Eric Dane, Sara Ramirez, Brooke Smith, Justin Chambers and James Pickens Jr.—and here's what they said…
"We want to support these writers and what they do," Mr. Pickens (c'mon, he's the Chief) told us. "They are the artists behind the words that the actors and performers speak every week. They’re the ones who have made this show such a huge success. It’s just incredible what they’ve done over the past four seasons. They should be compensated for their talent. They just want an equitable share of this huge pie."
T.R. (who blushed when asked how he feels about George and Izzie, saying, "I've seen more than you, and things happen in the next few episodes, so I can't comment, or I'll get in trouble"…hmmmm) said this: "Corporations, they make money, that’s their job. So, I suppose they think that the more money they make, the better it is for them. But in the meantime, they have to treat the people who help them earn their money properly."
"If the fans want to support the actors and the writers, do not download shows on the Internet," Ellen suggested. "Don’t watch them, because the writers aren't paid for them."
As for how much longer we'll get our Grey's fix, she explained: "Episode seven airs this week. So, we just have a few more left, and then there will be no new episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. I think everybody’s really worried. You know, the actors don’t have as much to worry about obviously, we’re very well compensated for what we do. It’s the crew that has a lot to worry about. This affects everybody, and they can’t afford to have four or five months off. It’s Christmas, they have mortgages."
"The thing is, I watch a lot of TV on the Internet," Katherine confessed. "I download everything, including my own stuff, when I’m sitting at home, when I’m on set, I watch it on my laptop for free on abc.com or nbc.com or any [of the sites]. And they’re definitely putting in commercials, they’re putting in big blocks of advertising time, and they’re making money off reairing these episodes online. When an episode airs more than once on television, the actors and the writers and the directors get residuals for that. And right now, the [studios] are allowed to repeat these shows [online] for people who didn’t catch them the night before without giving out a fair share of the profits."
As Katherine, Ellen and Sandra point out, this is really also an issue for the actors, whose current SAG contract will come up for review in June.
"We're fighting the same fight," Sandra said, just before the cast's lunch hour came to an end and she was called back to set.
The Grey's stars will continue shooting until they complete episode 11 on Tuesday, then production is expected to shut down. The writers and show runners have been picketing and not working since Monday.
—With reporting by Korbi Ghosh