Grey's Anatomy

[Lois Lane]

They should just get a CIA or FBI profiler to come in and "read" their mannerisms to see which actor is lying. Or give them lie detector tests. I don't think the average actor is good enough to beat the lie detector.

One thing I have to agree about...a good actor could react to reading lines with a Rottweiler on the other side. There was no need to wait for Ellen Pompeo to read the words. The average production assistant can do a fine job of subbing in for an actor in that respect.

[Galestorm]

I watched the Larry King interview, although missed some of what was said because other people were talking in the room. IW came across as believable to me. I have had people take me out of context ,change the meaning and intention of my words around to suit their own agendas. So I have empathy for him. Also when people get angry with one another,many of us say all kinds of explicitives,including the ones IW used. In my experience it usually is in the heat of expressing anger, and a way to vent this anger. I do not believe IW should have been fired. This entire incident should have remained on the set of Grey's,and been kept between IW and Dempsey.I think the media, once this story was made public, blew everything out of proportion, and distorted the facts. The fact that ABC has a gag order on the other actors involved makes me wonder what truths are they trying to hide,and who are they trying to protect.

[rt1ky]

It still bothers me that that word was in IW's vocabulary and used alongside words like p____ and b____.

I still think part (even a small part) of the reason he was fired may have been that he was a hot-head on the set and made it an uncomfortable working environment. Like others here, I've heard rumors about him being difficult to work with. Maybe this situation was ABC and the show's reasons to let get rid of him.

[DesertRose]

Come Oct. 9, Dempsey was again late to the set. "I'm mad," Washington recalls. "[But] I didn’t say anything [the previous time], so what am I going to say now?" After denying that he was even late, Dempsey said he needed to wait for Ellen Pompeo, who was to feed the actors lines from off camera. "[Patrick] said, 'I need Ellen.' I said, 'Well, I don’t need Ellen. I can act.'" That perceived slight ratcheted the tension to a new and different level. "He became unhinged," Washington says of Dempsey. "[We were] face-to-face, spittle-to-spittle. I was like, 'Why am I being berated to this point in front of our crew?' I pushed him out of my face and it took off from there."

That is where he loses all credibility for me. In yet another interview, he said TR was the one who was always late for shoots and acting like a primadonna, not Dempsey.

[LG.]

I remember the version that IW was mad that TR was late also, not Dempsey. I think the original "incident" could have gone either way, but the fact that IW kept bringing it up, like at the Emmys, I think got him sunk there more than anything. that, and if he really did lead to a toxic work environment or a division of the cast. Sad, really. To have a really great job, and to screw up because of a bad temper and name-calling.

[AsIs]

It is entirely possible that both actors are telling the truth. Isiah used a word that can have a few different meanings depending on the context used and the person listening.

Isiah said to Dempsey that I am not your F-----t! If I remember correctly, TR said on Ellen (after the outburst on the emmys, he may have avoided it altogether were it not for Isiah making a jerk out of himself at the emmys.), but if I remember correctly, TR said he was around a corner and heard it. Not directly in the scene, but heard it none the less.

Imagine being a gay actor and hearing that word said in anger. There are not many of us who would have heard "I am not your wussy boy" And really even if the word is used in that context, is it any better? I know many gay men who could kick Isiah's hiney and not break a sweat.

The thing that struck me about Isiah in the interview was how many times he said he didnt want to speak badly about Dempsey or TR and how many times he threw them under the bus. He wasn't just defending himself, he was actively trying to drive a rift between TR and Patrick. How many times did he say TR said unflattering things about Patrick while he was sitting next to him on the plane? And he wouldn't say what unflattering things. But he brought it up multiple times. Even in a calm speaking voice, it was lashing out trying to do harm.

So, I do believe that many points of his version of events might be accurate. But he still started the fight. He is the actor in the scene, Patrick's equal. It is not his responsibility that Patrick is late. The director, stage manager, etc. That's thier job.

He insulted Dempsey enough to anger him. Dempsey is not without blame. But Isiah continues to try to place blame elsewhere.

And as far as TR goes. Someone was on the set who reported events wrong. Not him. For all we know he heard this same version of events. And there is nothing that feels good about being called names. He probably was getting questions being the gay actor on the show and felt the need to come out.

Isiah says he never denied using the word "F----t" But at the emmys he said, "I never called TR "F" never happened." That implied that he hadn't used the word. That was not a admission of using that word, it was a deflection.

With the events basically being over at the time of ABC not renewing Washington's contract, I would bet that things were still uncomfortable on the set. That more people were uncomfortable with Washington that TR and so Washington's contract is the one not renewed.

Do I have sympathy that he lost his job. Yeah, he jumped thru many hoops and that sucks. But he brought it on himself. He was combative in the situation, he has been combative since his he lost his job. He is not a bad man, but he does need to learn to a. Do his job, not other peoples. b. Control his temper. c. Take responsibility. and d. Stick with one damn story!

[Veruka]

A large part of me doesn't blame him for being combative at this point. What else can the guy do? He took the approach of playing nice - apologizing, going to rehab, doing PSAs, etc. The public still slayed him. He still lost his job. So what does he do now? Go sit at home, hang his head in shame, get a job as a telemarketer so no one has to see his face, and move on? Continue playing nice since that got him so far? Or fight back, because he's got nothing left to lose? Everyone has been attacking him and combative towards him. Can he really be blamed for meeting that treatment back with the same after all this time?

[AsIs]

Never been a big fan of I'm in trouble, let me try and get trouble focus on someone else.

Note: Not saying you are.

He has been making the rounds with various stories, it's Patrick's fault, it's TR's fault, it's because I am black, etc.

He is doing a movie. The absolute best thing he could be doing at this point is focus any interviews on his work. When your problem stems from your speaking out, which largely is what this was, there is wisdom in laying low and letting this blow over. There is no shortage of stars behaving badly right now. Heck, Britney on her own takes the first three pages most days. Isiah's career isn't dead, he is working on a movie. But if he keeps this topic alive, it could have a very negative impact on his career.

If you are doing a project, you don't want a star over shadowing your project. It kills ticket sales. Negative press, really can be a negative.

[canadian_angel]

I don't know if this really fits in with Grey's since it's concerning Private Practice. But since that doesn't have it's own thread yet.. some casting news.

Amanda in Ann Arbor, Michigan: What happened with Merrin Dungey on Private Practice? I heard the role has been recast. I was so excited Francie was going to be on TV again!
You and me both, babe. Sources close to ABC tell me the higher-ups felt she "didn’t pop" onscreen, which is why she was replaced with Audra McDonald. But I thought her interaction with Kate Walsh was the only shining beacon of nonsexual chemistry on that show! We all know Kate popped with Tim Daly and Chris Lowell, but I loved the friendship scenes between her and Merrin (which smacked of Sydney and Francie on Alias). Regardless, I’m sure Merrin is doing just fine being a blissful newlywed and all (and married to a gorgeous and sweet man, no less). So don’t cry for her, Amandatina.

Source: Kristin E!Online Click at own risk though since there are other spoilers about other shows in that link.

[Amy Lee]

Dissapointing. I liked her on the show.