WHO: ABC entertainment prez Stephen McPherson.
2:02 pm/PST: McPherson says canceling serialized shows in the middle of their runs is “the worst part of my job…. When you have a show that you love there’s nothing harder than seeing it not get traction on the air.”
2:10 pm: A reporter just referred to Dirty Sexy Money as Dirty Rotten Secrets. That got a huge laugh.
2:11 pm: Despite the premise shift and the influx of new characters, Scrubs will still be called Scrubs. “It’s going to be the same show [tonally] that you’re used to.”
2:12 pm: McPherson admits he was “a little stunned” by Paula Abdul’s exit from American Idol, adding that he would ”absolutely” be interested in recruiting her for Dancing with the Stars “whether as a contestant or a judge… She’s a huge talent… there’s a sensitivity and an emotion [there] that balanced out Idol and we’d love to get a piece of that.”
2:17 pm: FlashForward wasn’t developed as a replacement for Lost. “There wasn’t anything like, ‘Let’s make the next Lost.‘ It was really just about great material… They’re very different shows.”
2:18 pm: “[Grey's Anatomy] is a show that’s evolving,” he says, responding to a Q about the departure of T.R. Knight. “We feel like Shonda hit her stride at the end of last year and we’re happy with what we’ve seen so far this season.” He says we can expect more cast additions, in part to fill the void left by Ellen Pompeo “who is going to have a baby, so that’ll probably take her out for a couple of episodes.”
2:23 pm: McPherson calls Katherine Heigl’s latest anti-Grey’s tirade “unfortunate,” adding, “People will behave in a way they choose to behave. There are so many people who work unbelievably hard on Grey’s… so I think it’s really hard for them to hear [her complain about working a 17-hour day].”
2:28: McPherson says no decision has been made about Ugly Betty continuing beyond this season.
2:29 pm: McPherson admits he was initially “frightened” by the grisly childbirth twist in Private Practice’s season finale, but says the polarizing fan response has led to a renewed ”excitement about the show.”
2:33 pm: McPherson confirms that he has formally reached out to Abdul. “I’ve definitely reached out to her,” he says. “We’d absolutely love to have her on ABC.”
For more on ABC’s exec session, read Lynette Rice’s recap over at Hollywood Insider.
Coming up later today: Cougar Town and V.
Comments (1-15) of 130 Add your comment
I ended up here by clicking the link on your Twitter that says “ABC boss calls Katherine Heigl’s latest outburst ‘unfortunate.’” So….ummm…where is it?
Ah, read the 2:23 pm entry.
Never mind. There it is.
Can you post a link? I can’t find it.
I ca not believe they are casting more people. GA already has like the biggest cast in tv, some of their greatest actors don’t have more than 5 minutes per episode and they are adding more actors?? The audience want to see more of the characters they lov, no more characters. Didn’t they learned from last season? They tried to add more people and, except Hunt, all of them proved to be a waste of time.
MA is pretty soft on Heigl, Mark. You can get the real scoop on Twitter following the critics @ TCA.
Do you have a link? I would love to follow them.
I still don’t what the big deal considering earlier today Ed O’Neill mentioned his own long hours. ABC Pres comes off quite ignorant, doesn’t know humor, or is quite sexist.
Actually I think he’s well aware of the fact that in a world where a lot of people are out of work and desperate or are working two jobs to make ends meet, to hear the highly paid and well-pampered Heigl’s whine about a 17 hour day, when everyone knows that most of that day is free time between shots doing what she wants and that with such a big cast she actually only works a couple days a week, her comments came off as crass, ungrateful, and unfunny. Whether she means to or not, every time she opens her mouth she exudes an unattractive sense of entitlement.
What the…?
MORE characters on Grey’s?? Concentrate on the real cast damn it!!
I’m with ya, Sofia. The best Grey’s are the ones that focus on the core group–enough these new people who we could care or less about!
The Heigl apologists here are getting rather tiresome. If you refuse to see your queen called on her tacky behavior, there’s a river in Egypt for you….
Ed O’Neill said practically the same thing earlier today, and in a non-joking manner. Considering ABC President has been smoking crack lately I hightly call it being called out. He’s being ignorant of the fact the “long hours” was spoken before in the first ABC press tour.
FYI Believe me every entertainer has tacky behavior. They are just more PR. While Heigl is more honest about who is to the public. There is a difference in facade.
So she can be bashed here, but not supported here? You can keep your right to dislike her and we’ll keep ours to like her. Get over it.
I’m just glad he didn’t defend her. I’m sick of everyone acting like she’s just speaking her mind and pretending like she’s not a spoiled brat.
You know, I still like KH as an actress… I think she’s terrific and at first, I thought her outspoken nature was admirable… now it’s just annoying.
She decided to be an actress. She joined Grey’s. She decided to stuck around every year. I’d hate to see her go but if the “long hours” are too much for her, she should just leave and stop bitching to everyone about a choice she made when she knew that on a tv show, you tend to work long hours.
She did nothing to be defended though. Every show I have watched all actors talk about long hours even in a non-joking manner. Seems to me it’s “in” thing to hate on woman with that much success. Wow, it’s high school all over again.
The problem is that Heigl has built a reputation for herself as a constant complainer and, because of it, she’s lost a fair amount of respect both in and outside of the industry. If, for example, Chandra Wilson, said the same statement in any context, I think there would be a different reaction (sympathy, etc).
Have to disagree. I think it’s more about high school than anything these days. I haven’t seen Heigl complain anymore than any other Grey’s castmember. In fact, since Patrick Dempsey does the most interviews I seen him express the most displeasure year after year. Yet, nothing is called upon his comments. That man have said many of them. It’s not really reputation we are talking her. It’s more about perception and double standards.
This is a reply to Chris.
I am a former Katherine fan. When she stood up for TR, I was proud/happy for her. But then she must’ve realized being “outspoken” was her thing…. She started complaining about the writing on Grey’s… then she said she thought ‘Knocked Up’ was misogynistic – AFTER it made her millions of dollars.
She’s clearly forgotten her ‘Roswell’ roots, unless she considers that emmy material.
I’m disagreeing as well. Apparently there are a lot of men and women out there that like their artors dumb and plastic – neithe rof which Heigl is or ever will be.
MORE characters on Greys? good bye show.
I agree– I miss the core group spending time together. All these new people stink. If they want to spend time on new people, why don’t they spend time on the new interns? They at least seem interesting and funny.
I’m a big fan of a lot of ABC shows, but everytime the ABC president speaks it’s clearly he does not know his own shows on his network. IDK how anyone can be stunned about Paula’s exit. What a moron, and everything else is all “he thinks” meaning he doesn’t know. All he does know is new characters on Grey’s.
What outburst? She says 17 hours a day is too much. She’s right. All the kids should shut up and do something constructive with their lives. (Even if its walking to another country and getting a job)
I think the biggest problem with her comment was the fact that that 17 hour work day was made so she could do press for the Ugly Truth, People are working those days so she can go off and do press and then she complaints about it. It’s just bratty.
She wasn’t really complaining in a bad way. I saw the interview, she smiled and laughed as she said it. 17 hours a day is too long. I don’t care what you do. Add a commute on to that, shower and reading mail, and you get like 5 or 6 hours of sleep at the most. Crazy.
I think 17 hours on call as a doctor is too long, but they do even longer shifts sometimes and that is WAY too long and dangerous for their patients and themselves. 17 hours on an ensemble show for an actress is mostly sitting around in her trailer and like other posters have said – not even working a full week. If you are a crew member on that show – that SUCKS b/c you are on your feet and working ALL those hours and much longer AFTER Miss-Woe-Is-Me-Millionaire-Whiner goes home. I think those who know the how Hollywood works from the inside are rightfully annoyed and disappointed in her behavior. She keeps burning those bridges – hasn’t she heard of Sharone Stone? That’s what happens to you when you keep burning your colleagues and bosses b/c your head is getting bigger than your brain can keep up.
Can’t believe this guy is the ABC president. That was the most unnewsworthy press tour I have I read. Looks like Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy are going down the toilet this year.
let’s hope it is unfortunate enough for her to get the boot off GA soon. I really wish TR had stayed and Heigl had gone
is saying GA is evolving show a nice way of saying this is your last season unless things improve?
I’m glad he called out Katherine Heigl. She is the reason I cannot watch this show. She should be thankful for being on a hit show, yet all she does is complain, complain.