Isaiah Washington

Katherine Heigl Declares: "I Always Tell It Like It Is"

Henry Seltzer — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 11:03:00 -0500

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Despite her Knocked Up comment controversy, the 27 Dresses star says she isn't done speaking her mind

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Katherine Heigl isn't one for keeping her opinions to herself.

The feisty actress, 29, dubbed her flick Knocked Up "a little sexist," called her Grey's Anatomy character a "ratings ploy," defended T.R. Knight against Isaiah Washington and now says she may skip the Golden Globes if the writers' strike doesn't end.

"I always tell it like it is," she said at a screening for her new comedy 27 Dresses (out January 11) in Beverly Hills Friday.

Still, she added, "you kind of pick and choose your moments to be brutally honest."

"I think most women have been in the position of being a real people pleaser at one time or another in their lives. I kind of got over that in my early 20s."

"I just sort of think if you couch what you feel too often, you're not really being true to yourself," Heigl said.

Heigl will marry singer Josh Kelley, 27, on December 23. T.R. Knight will be her bridesman.

Tell Us: Do you think Katherine is too outspoken?

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Katherine Heigl arrives at the Advocate Magazine 40th Anniversary Party at Republique club on September 18, 2007 in West Hollywood, CA.

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Afternoon Delights: The Heigls Take on Hollywood

Megan Lynn — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:35:06 -0400

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· Katherine Heigl and her manager mom have started their own production company and already have a movie in the works.

· Sarah Michelle Gellar's Lucky cover is less-than.

· Scarlett Johansson was so distracted by her Louis Vuitton bag she neglected to put on a top.

· Isaiah Washington is the talons of NBC's peacock.

· Hilary Duff continues to prove that she's the anti-Lindsay, donning a goofy hat to serve food to Canada's homeless.

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Katherine Heigl and mother Nancy Heigl at the Coalition on Donation honors Katherine Heigl in Century City, CA. on June 13, 2005.

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Adam Sandler’s Film Slur Spree

Noelle Hancock — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:18:17 -0400

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Isaiah Washington lost his job after he used the word f—got on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.

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Isaiah Washington lost his job after he used the word f—got on the set of Grey’s Anatomy.

Yet in Adam Sandler’s I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (about two straight men who pretend to be a gay couple), the homophobic slur is uttered multiple times.

So why aren’t heads rolling over the flick?

“That pejorative term is used…to portray the idiocy of bigotry,” a Universal Studios rep tells Us. But will audiences get the “joke?”

GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) spokesman Damon Romine, who was consulted on the film after it was completed, tells Us Weekly that Sandler’s character, who uses the word, “is homophobic, but goes on a journey where he learned about gay people. The movie’s point is that it’s not okay to say it.”

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Afternoon Delights: Sheryl Soaks Up the Sun

Noelle Hancock — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:56:17 -0400

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· Sheryl Crow takes two-and-a-half month-old baby Wyatt for a swim in Italy. Secret celebrity you didn’t even know she was friends with: Hilary Swank!

· Current Top Chef host and former Salman Rushdie wife Padma Lakshmi is allegedly consorting with billionaire Ted Forstmann, whose past dalliances include Elizabeth Hurley and Princess Diana.

· Lily Allen shows us her third nipple.

· Zach Braff directed Naomi Campbell’s tree-beating, rock-throwing Dunkin’ Donuts commercial.

· Isaiah Washington’s gay publicist swears that Isaiah loves gay people and has more gay friends than he does.

· Beth Ostrosky is still unsure about whether or not to take fiancé Howard Stern’s name, but probably still okay with taking his money.

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Isaiah Washington Returns to TV

Noelle Hancock — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 11:29:02 -0400

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Isaiah Washington’s career is getting a second chance at life on the small screen. The actor, who was fired from the ABC series Grey’s Anatomy last month, has been scooped by rival network NBC.

According to USA Today, Washington will guest-star on Bionic Woman this fall, and has also signed a development deal to star in an action drama he pitched to NBC for the 2008-09 TV season.

The 43-year-old actor has signed on for at least five episodes of the new series, a remake of 1970s series starring Lindsay Wagner. The latest incarnation of Bionic Woman stars Michelle Ryan and is considered one of NBC's strongest contenders this fall.

Washington was fired from the hit medical dramedy Grey’s Anatomy in June due to onset troubles that had plagued the actor for more than six months. Last October, Washington famously squabbled with costar Patrick Dempsey during filming and used a homophobic slur against costar T.R. Knight. Knight publicly announced that he was gay shortly thereafter.

Washington apologized for the incident, entered rehab and issued a public service announcement denouncing anti-gay language, which was sponsored by The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

Despite Washington’s efforts, ABC failed to renew Washington’s contract after the Grey’s Anatomy season finale in May, which ended with his character, Dr. Preston Burke, walking out on his wedding to Dr. Cristina Yang.

In interviews over the last few weeks, the actor has attributed his firing to racism and has also accused Knight of exacerbating the controversy.

Katherine Pope, president of NBC's Universal Media Studios, called Washington "a brilliant actor," and predicts that viewers will re-embrace him despite his controversial departure from Grey’s.

"I think people watch characters on TV, not personalities," she told USA Today.

Currently, Washington is wrapping up the film The Least of These, in which he plays a priest at a prestigious Catholic boarding school.

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January 16, 2007

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Us Poll: Anatomy of a PR Disaster

Megan Lynn — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 08:39:02 -0400

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It was Isaiah Washington's mouth that got him in trouble on Grey's Anatomy.

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It was Isaiah Washington's mouth that got him in trouble on Grey's Anatomy. Now that he's off the show, it might be jeopardizing his career
yet again! With all the negative publicity he's already endured, we're wondering if Washington shouldn't just lay low for awhile. Tell Us:

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Isaiah Washington at the Disney ABC Television Group All Star Party in Pasadena, CA. January 14, 2007.

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Isaiah Washington: T.R. Knight Lied

Noelle Hancock — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 09:04:10 -0400

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Former Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington appeared on Larry King Live on Monday to clear the air one final time about why he was fired from the hit ABC medical dramedy.

The actor confirmed media reports that the epithet was used during an argument in October 2006 with costar Patrick Dempsey about his being 20 minutes late to the set.

Washington explained that after Dempsey, 41, finally arrived, he said that he wanted to postpone shooting until costar Ellen Pompeo arrived.

"I need Ellen,” Dempsey told Washington at the time.

Washington, 43, admitted to Larry King that he responded with a snide remark.

"And I said, ‘Well, I don't need Ellen. I can act.’” Washington told the talk show host. "And that was the moment that sent it into a different zone."

The star of The Least of These says that the attack on Dempsey’s acting skills pushed his costar over the edge.

“He got un -- became unhinged, face-to-face, spittle to spittle, in my face -- first. I did not start it,” Washington said. “And he just becomes irate.”

He continued: “And by that time I pushed him out of my face and it just took off from there and I began to say a lot of -- a lot of things that I'm not really proud of -- but all referring to myself and how I felt I was being treated.”

Actor T.R. Knight, however, later told talk show host Ellen DeGeneres that the comment was directed towards him and even forced him to publicly announce that he was gay.

“He referred to me as a faggot,” Knight, 34, said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Washington maintains that the slur was not directed at Knight.

“That's a lie. He misrepresented himself.”

But why would Knight lie?

"Because he has been very disappointed at playing the character he's been playing,” Washington explained. “He was very unhappy at the time.”

He added: “That's not a word that I use. I don't need it.”

When King asked if Washington had heard from any of the cast members, the actor choked up and paused for 10 seconds before answering, “I got a wonderful email from Sandra Oh” while she was on vacation in Spain.

Washington told King that he last spoke with Dempsey the day that they shot the Grey’s Anatomy season finale in a church. He reveals that Dempsey may have realized that Washington was being fired even before he did.

“I think he knew it was coming before I did just based on some of the conversations we were having,” Washington said. “He said at one point -- he says, ‘You know, you're very talented. You're vulnerable. You're strong. You're articulate. This character is a very important part of the show. If anyone is going to be fired, it should have been anyone else. It's not you.’"

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Isiah Washington at Los Angeles Confidential Magazine celebrates the 2007 Oscars in West Hollywood, CA. February 22, 2007.

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Isaiah Washington: Racism Played Role in Grey's Firing

Megan Lynn — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 18:12:46 -0400

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When Isaiah Washington used a homophobic slur on the set of Grey's Anatomy, his castmates spoke out against him. Now that he's been dismissed from the show, it's Washington who's doing all the talking.

Washington's latest outburst comes in Newsweek, which interviewed the actor in his trailer on the set of the indie film The Least of These. From ramblings on "homophobia rehab" to racism in America, Washington doesn't hold anything back.

Read on for excerpts:

On the infamous on-set fight between Washington and Patrick Dempsey:
"Patrick and I had a philosophical disagreement that got out of hand and that I regret a great deal. I said a lot of negative things that were never reported, but there was one word that caught everyone’s attention, particularly someone who wasn’t even in the room with us...someone heard the booming voice of a black man and got really scared and that was the beginning of the end for me."

On where that "one word" might have come from:
"Growing up in the South, I wasn’t exposed to as many different lifestyles and personalities as I could have been. And that’s always a problem, because the more you’re exposed, clearly the more you know and understand."

On forgiveness:
"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."

On his stint in "rehab":
"There is no rehab for homophobia—that was just some crap being put out by the network. 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."

On what he saw as an already existing prejudice:
"Well, 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 didn’t speak like I’d just left the plantation and that can be a problem for people sometime. 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-foot-1, black man with dark skin and who doesn’t go around saying ‘Yessah, massa sir’ and ‘No sir, massa’ to everyone?

On the lessons learned from this experience:
"My mistake was believing that I would get the support from my network and all of my cast mates across the board. My mistake was believing I could correct a wrong with honesty and sincerity. My mistake was thinking black people get second chances. I was wrong on all fronts."

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Isaiah Washington at the 2007 NAACP Theater Nominations in Hollywood, CA. January 16, 2007.

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Morning Rush: Naomi Campbell Stars in Dunkin Donuts Commercial

Noelle Hancock — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 07:55:28 -0400

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· Naomi Campbell is making money off her bad reputation. She shot a commercial for Dunkin' Donuts on Monday which shows her gardening in an evening dress, before something goes awry and she throws her high heel through a window. Next to her is a calm and collected woman sipping on a frozen Dunkin' Donuts drink...

· Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias continue to be coy about whether or not they’re married. When the New York Daily News recently wished the tennis star congratulations on their rumored nuptials, she replied, “Thank you.”

· Motley Crue have filed a $20 million lawsuit against one of their managers, claiming "greed," "extortionist tactics" and terrible career advice caused the band to lose millions of dollars in profits and tarnished the band's stellar reputation.

· Anne Hathaway dropped out of the lead for Knocked Up because she took issue with (SPOILER ALERT!) the graphic birth scene which shows a baby’s head crowning in a vagina.

· A gay activist has rallied over 1200 people to sign a petition in defense of Isaiah Washington, demanding that ABC rehire the former Grey's Anatomy star.

· Does John Travolta blame psychiatric drugs for the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech and Columbine? "I still think that if you analyze most of the school shootings, it is not gun control. It is [psychotropic] drugs at the bottom of it,” he tells this month’s W magazine.

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Naomi Campbell at the Operation Smile's 25th Anniversary Smile Collection Couture Event in New York. May 11, 2007.

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Grey's Cast: Ready to Get Back to Work

Noelle Hancock — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:26:59 -0400

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Let the healing begin!

Now that ABC has confirmed that Isaiah Washington, 43, will not return to Grey's Anatomy next season (Us broke the story last month), his former colleagues are ready to put the past aside and start anew. (Washington set off a firestorm last year by using an antigay expression on-set.) "I choose to focus on what we can do to make things like this not happen again," Ellen Pompeo, 37, told Us at a June 9 benefit for LifeWorks, a gay and lesbian youth-mentoring organization.

But that doesn't mean there is any bad blood, says Jeffrey Dean Morgan, 41 (who played Denny). "I just saw Isaiah," he tells Us. "He's looking forward
to new op-portunities."

As for T.R. Knight, 34, the target of Washington's slurs, he can't wait to return to the set. He tells Us, "If you're an actor, it's very lucky to have work!"

For all the news on your favorite TV stars, pick up the latest issue of US Weekly, on newsstands this week.

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Ellen Pompeo at the Sixth Annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball in Mandeville Canyon, CA. June 2, 2007.

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Isaiah Washington

Katherine Heigl Declares: "I Always Tell It Like It Is"

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Afternoon Delights: The Heigls Take on Hollywood

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Adam Sandler’s Film Slur Spree

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Afternoon Delights: Sheryl Soaks Up the Sun

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Isaiah Washington Returns to TV

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Us Poll: Anatomy of a PR Disaster

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Isaiah Washington: T.R. Knight Lied

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