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 (1-30) 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.
Am pretty sure that Paula Abdul will launch “The X Factor” as one of the main judges next year in the US.
Very sure.
“American Idol” is “The X Factor,” is it not? Simon Cowell does both shows.
They’re all clones if you ask me. AGT, BGT, Xfactor, AI, they’re all clones. It’s a way for not-so-great talent to get their foot in the door. Most of them will flame out in five years.
I love how when Isaiah Washington was tossing the F word around, everyone at Grey’s Anatomy and ABC was mum. It took them forever to respond and only under intense pressure. But Heigl complains about long working hours and we hear from everyone. The folks at Grey’s and the Ent. Pres of ABC. She’s unfortunate! She’s betraying us! It’s all her fault! Very quick to respond when Heigl’s the bad guy. Give me a break.
Agreed. I noticed the exact same thing. Something is fishy, and I always believed it was ABC and TPTB.
ABC just trying to drum up publicity for their show. Mcpherson wont let Heigl leave even if she wanted to, because he knows without her Grey’s gets pretty much zero press attention these days. Without her advertising revenues would drop through floor as would the audience. Love her or hate her (I am most definitely the former) the fact that all the blogs are full of comments means people are interested. If there were no comments at all then stories would not appear. Heigl is a big movie star now on TV. Her name is most widely known on the show and she is the most recognisable face. Stories on her give the press good copy, lots of hits, lots of visitors to web sites. Those that hate her are in fact actually making her more successful by just keeping the ball rolling.
Come on people. Isaiah Washington was fired, I seriously don’t know what more could’ve been done in that situation. WHAT HE SAID WAS HORRIFIC, no question. And I can see why Shonda & co tried to handle it in-house – afterall, at the time it was the #1 show and negative publicity is generally not good – Crisis Management 101.
But Isaiah was fired and people are still saying that enough wasn’t done? I don’t get that. He was still under contract and if they tried to fire him before the end of season 3, there could’ve been legal repercussions. But people don’t see that side of the BUSINESS. Katherine, on the other hand, needs to get over herself.
How many people would kill to have the opportunities she has? She makes about $220,000 an episode. God forbid she actually WORK for it.
Hopefully, this is her last season. Better yet, Izzie actually died too in the finale and will only be back as a ghost for like 2 eps…
The problem with the whole IW brouhaha is that it went on and on and on, with more waffling than a pancake house. Do you honestly believe that if TR Knight used the “n” word that the controversy would have stretched on for weeks and weeks before being resolved, or that he would have been tossed from the show faster than you can say, “double standard”?
There are two significant problems with GA that have nothing to do with the staff, but with the writing and structure of the show. Every time GA hits a lull, the ONLY solution the staff seems to have is:
1. throw two more characters into bed together; and
2. throw another new character into the mix and hope the audience embraces him/her.
After five seasons of this, it’s getting way past tired.
I hope KH plans to leave GA in Season 6. I certainly wouldn’t miss her. Good riddance. And I wouldn’t bat an eye if more of the Fab 5 left. There are plenty of viewers who have moved past Seasons 1-3. People acting like they’re 15 when they’re in their 30’s looks ridiculous, especially for 5 seasons.
Heigl’s ridiculous. She’s behaving like a spoiled brat. Anyone else would not only get called on this behavior but fired for it. She’s was a very good young actress for a long time but, like everyone, it’s time for her to grow up, quit complaining, quit undercutting everyone else, and just do her job with a modicum of respect and professionalism. That’s not too much to ask and it’s no more than is asked of many other actors, younger and more talented than she is.
McPherson is a sexist prick. Why isn’t he “chiding” Ed O’Neill too? Please.
The more the media rags on this actress, the more I cheer her on. And I don’t even watch Grey’s Anatomy.
You’ve made my day MA. I love that the ABC boss chided Heigl. I can’t stand her. I wish George had lived at the end of the SF rather than her and I didn’t even like George.
I don’t see that could be possible because TR actually wanted to leave, and he got his wish. Everytime I see comments like yours I have to wonder if they care to consider TR didn’t want to stay on the show.
Regardless of TRK’s decision to leave the show, I still wish Izzie had been killed off rather than George, if I had to decide between the two of them. Did I clarify that enough for you?
KH is such a whiner. She needs to learn to be gracious and quiet. So many people don’t have jobs, she’s getting paid, what $150-200k PER EPISODE, more than 98% of Americans make in a year, and she’s whining about 17 hr days? Give me a break. I worked 18 hr days plus travelled for years and I got paid about .001% of what she gets paid. Suck it up. If you don’t like it, you know where the door is.
TR was at least gracious and kind in interviews – a class act. Shame Shonda & co couldn’t write worth a darn. I may stop watching this year, it sucked so much last year.
Katherine was whiny when she was on Roswell. It’s not some new development.
Tired of Heigl being villified. Kelsey Grammer and Tim Roth both spoke about long hours – not a peep from the press – Heigl talks about it jokingly with Letterman and get maliciously attacked for it. One rule for men another for women? It stinks.
As a feminist, I am tired of women saying Heigl is being attacked because she’s a woman. She’s getting bad press because she’s not acting like a professional.
That’s a crock – not only is she being vilified because she is a woman (when others that say the same or far, far worse are excused because they are male), most of her comments brought up in the press *aren’t even what she said*.
Heigl’s “tirade”? Are you nuts. A tirade? Did you actually watch Letterman. How on earth does that qualify as a tirade. Everyone go watch the video on You Tube. Listen to hear scream and moan and unleash a tirade. What you can’t find it? Of course not because she didnt. She was jokily bantering with Dave. There was nothing malicious in what she said. As for saying she has a track record for whining. No she does not. She has a track record of absolute honesty. If you want to know something or ask a question she answers it. Not some lie or half truth but the actual facts. I am just extremely tired of the vilification of Katherine Heigl and the malicious attacks on her. She can’t say anything because whatever she says these days is turned against her in some way. Does she now have to point out after every comment that she was making a joke in case someone takes it seriously? Ridiculous
Where do you people actually think she was joking? Yeah, was freakn hilarious, what a punchline. And the delivery, stand up comedy is right around the corner with such fantastic material.
Like has been reported- they bend over backwards to accommodate her schedule. I find it infinitely more “embarrassing” she is so clueless to the people who were actually WORKING while they re-arranged the day for HER needs. And she has the audacity to complain about it? Her smoking already makes her look older than she is. Gravity has already caught up to her. In a couple years, even Hollywood make up won’t be able to hide it.
Lots of stuff is “reported”, sadly much of it inaccurate. Dorian your comments have nothing to do with the facts but more your inherent dislike for Heigl. You talk about smoking (she has quit by the way), gravity, her looks etc. It is clearl this has nothing to do with the comments but your own bias and hatred for her. You just come off sounding jealous of her success.
You are speaking to a group of people who would take a comment such as ” puppies are so cute, I could just squeeze them” and turning it into “omg she kills puppies” when it concerns Katherine heigl. They want to hate her so they will.
Funny coming from a group of people who seem comfortable pretending there’s a feminist conspiracy based on the reaction to a good natured Ed O’Neill comment and a bratty Katherine Heigl one in which they were technically talking about the same thing.
Right there with you Andy. The jealous parrots – particularly on this site – are making mountains out of thin air. I watched Letterman, and nothing like what these people are screaming about was even said.
I don’t watch Greys, I know nothing about KH. But, I did see the Letterman clip and I thought she came across as spoiled and slightly abrasive. Talking about 17 hour days is not a problem, stating that you hope to embarass your bosses by talking about it is ridiculous. Sure, a lot of actors work hard. They get paid to do it. A lot of ordinary people work harder and don’t get paid much at all to do it. I’m a great believer in being humbled by opportunities, KH would do well to appreciate that and realise how lucky she is to have a job at the moment. Take it up with your union if you have an issue, don’t talk about it to your customers (viewers) – it’s unprofessional imo.
You got it, it’s not the fact of bringing up the 17 hour day. There are other actors/actresses that bring up the long hours they work but that is part of the job and 5 years in, KH should know this already. It was the crack about embarassing her bosses. That is ungrateful and spoiled. I’m not saying she is necissarily spoiled or ungrateful, I’m saying the comment is. It shows a lack of respect to the viewers, you guys defending her. She gets paid more for ONE show then many people make in a year and she doesn’t respect her fellow co-workers or viewers to admit to it being hard work but that she still enjoys the hours because she enjoys what she does. It does make her sound spoiled. It is not about her being a woman, it is that she makes these comments, truth or not, far more often then anyone else and to a larger audience.
You are correct and this is what is at the heart of this “issue”. It is not what she said but the fact that it is unprofessional in any context.
There is a reason Heigl is one of the most universally disliked actresses in the business. When your peers don’t like you- and most are classy enough not to comment in public- you have issues. She is well on her way to disappearing- if you are trash, you will eventually be taken out.
Dream on. Speak to most of the people she works with, directors, co-stars, extras and they will say she is fantastic to work with. The only people who don’t say it are haters like yourself and the tabloids when they want dirt on a big name star.
Speaking from personal and first hand knowledge. Don’t expect you to believe an anonymous internet poster- nor do I care.
Speaking from first hand knowledge Dorian? Then why don’t you tell everyone what a first class wench Ellen
pompeo is in person?
can they fire KHeigl? she’s unfortunate in every single thing she does. If she doesn’t like working on Grey’s she should not sign a contract. in fact, since she complains about everything, why doesn’t she write, direct and produce her own stuff? not that anyone would want to see it…
She doesn’t complain about everything. That is a ridiculous notion. For the record she does produce her own stuff. Her movie that noone wants to see as you put it, has currently taken $65 million at the box office and she produced it. Read it and weep.
I’m sure McPherson used stronger language when dealing with Heigl herself. She is singularly unpleasant, and anyone who turns down an honor like the Emmy shouldn’t even be on TV. I would phase her out of Greys (or just drop her down the old elevator shaft), and create a new character for an actress who *appreciates the opportunity*.
She didn’t turn down an Emmy. Get your facts right. McPherson has not got the stones to deal with Heigl because his network needs her more than she needs them. It is blatantly clear ABC do not want her to leave the show. Without her the show doesn’t even have any publicity.
Paula Abdul was a good cheerleader and skilled lipsyncher 20 years ago so yes, she IS a “great talent”. WTF?!
The real question you should have been asking, if you had actually been doing your jobs..was why is Heigl starting a movie with Josh Duhamel in September in Atlanta. Does that mean change at Seattle Grace?
Tirade? Um, WHAT tirade, Ausiello? Have you even seen the Letterman interview? I expect this kind of irrational sensationalism from tabloid journalists (the truth, after all, doesn’t move copies), but not from you, Ausiello. You’ve disappointed me.