I can now confirm what I first (strongly) hinted at two weeks ago: T.R. Knight is headed to the Great White Way!
The ex-Grey's Anatomy thesp, who earlier this month confirmed that he was leaving the ABC drama, has signed on to star in the upcoming Broadway revival of Lend Me a Tenor.
Knight will play the role of Max in the classic farce, which is being directed by Stanley Tucci and is scheduled to open in February 2010. Additional casting will be announced in the coming weeks.
Prior to Tenor, Knight will headline a production of Jason Robert Brown's Tony-winning Parade at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum.
Now it's really official.
T.R. Knight has released a statement confirming what I first reported on Wednesday: His Grey's Anatomy days are over.
"Leaving Grey's Anatomy was not an easy decision for me to make. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much. I continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm."
Meanwhile, Grey's creator Shonda Rhimes just followed with her own statement...
Fall's still months away, but one of last season's bigger Grey's Anatomy cliffhangers has already been resolved: Sources confirm to me exclusively that T.R. Knight's wish to be released from his contract has been granted. The official decision, I'm told, came down in the past few days, just as many of his castmates began receiving their formal pickup letters from ABC.
What does this news mean for George? What will Knight do next? And what about Izzie? Find out after the jump...
Finally, some good news for poor, lovelorn Callie: Grey's Anatomy has officially promoted her on-screen leading lady, Jessica Capshaw, to a full-fledged series regular, sources confirm to me exclusively.
The news hardly comes as a surprise. Last month, series creator Shonda Rhimes all but signed off on Capshaw's promotion when I interviewed her after the finale. "I love Jessica Capshaw," she gushed. "And when I say love I mean love. She couldn't be a more wonderful person, and I feel like the chemistry Arizona and Callie have feels like the Meredith and Derek chemistry to me. I find them delightful to watch."
The ex-Practice star joined Grey's last February as a recurring love interest for Sara Ramirez's Callie. Her arrival came on the heels of the controversial dismissal of Brooke Smith as Callie's girlfriend Dr. Hahn.
What do you think? Happy Capshaw is sticking around? Are you as high on Callizona as Rhimes is? Or are you still holding out hope that Dr. Hahn will one day escape from Seattle Grace's parking lot? Sound off below!
More Grey's Scoop:
Exclusive: TR Knight to exit
May 20, 2009, 10:58 PM | by Michael Ausiello
Categories: Chuck, CSI: NY, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse, Fringe, Glee, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Lauren Graham, NCIS, Scrubs, Smallville
Questions: I just finished watching the Gossip Girl finale, and it was awesome. My question for you is about Georgina: At the end of the episode she announced she was going to be Blair's roommate at NYU -- strongly implying that she would be a presence, if not a regular character, in season 3. But Michelle Trachtenberg is in NBC's new fall drama, Mercy. What does this mean about Georgina and Gossip Girl? --Cory
Ausiello: It means producers thought ahead and made sure Trachtenberg negotiated a three-episode Gossip Girl "out" in her Mercy contract. You didn't really think the Georgina-Blair roommate thing would last longer than that, did you?
I'm curious to hear your take on the whole Scrubs renewal. The "series finale" was so wonderfully sweet and sappy, how can they come back from something so final? --Sydney
Ausiello: I would have preferred it end right there, but it's hard to argue with Bill Lawrence's justification for continuing. "There are 107 people that work on that show," he reminded me earlier this week. "I've worked with them for eight years now. If there's a chance for everybody to work another year, my attitude, business-wise, is 'legacy-schmegacy.' I couldn't give a f--k, to tell you the truth. I thought the first eight years of Scrubs was great. I'm super proud of it. There's absolutely nothing that could possibly happen that could change that... On the creative side, some people are like, 'It should end on a high note creatively. It shouldn't be something that taints our memory.' And I get that. [But the other] 50 percent of the people are like, 'Oh my god, I'm so glad to have a show back that I care about.' The way to bridge that gap is I've got to consider Scrubs over. The way that I'm viewing it is the way Frasier was to Cheers: It'll be essentially a new show with some characters that people liked."
May 17, 2009, 07:24 PM | by Michael Ausiello
Categories: Grey's Anatomy
Ladies and gentlemen, Katherine Heigl has just declared game on!
After a firestorm of controversy erupted around her decision to remove herself from Emmy consideration last go-'round, the Grey's Anatomy heroine has reentered the gold derby this year, sources confirm to me exclusively.
Natch, cynics will snark that the 2007 Best Supporting Actress winner is back in the race because of the tensions that allegedly sprung up between her and series creator Shonda Rhimes after she took herself out of the running. (The movie starlet, you'll recall, said at the time that she didn't have material with which she could compete.) But I think -- and I think you'll agree -- it's likelier that even she knows that, whether viewers loved or loathed the Izzie's-got-a-brain-tumor story, she played the frak out of it. She's already earned one high profile endorsement...
May 15, 2009, 01:54 AM | by Michael Ausiello
Categories: Grey's Anatomy
Maybe you just watched the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. And maybe you're freaking out. Oh, who am I kidding, you are freaking out. Well, good news: I just got off the phone with series creator Shonda Rhimes and obtained exclusive intel on last night's jaw-dropping climax. Will Izzie and John Doe George survive? Was that really Meredith and Derek's wedding we witnessed? Is Jessica Capshaw here to stay? Yep. Rhimes answered all those questions and even found time to address the "ghost sex" controversy, Katherine Heigl's Emmy chances, TR Knight's alleged unhappiness, and more. So before you combust from the excitement of it all, I give you this, my first-ever one-on-one with the one and only Shonda Rhimes.
Rumors have been swirling all year that Katherine and TR wanted off the show. The season ends with both their characters' lives hanging in the balance. Purely coincidental?
SHONDA RHIMES: I don't think there are any coincidences. I think Katherine's stated publicly that she's happy to stay. I think that there have been lots of rumors about TR, but TR's never said anything. Take from it what you will.
May 15, 2009, 12:17 AM | by Michael Ausiello
Categories: Grey's Anatomy
If you watched tonight's finale, you'll want to read the story I'm about to post. And quit your whining, East Coasters. This is why God invented sugar free Red Bull.
To pass the time, get a mass debate (tee-hee) going in the comments section. The topic: Duh, the finale.
May 11, 2009, 01:12 PM | by Michael Ausiello
Categories: 30 Rock, Bones, CSI: NY, Desperate Housewives, Ghost Whisperer, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, House, Lost, Prison Break, Smallville, Supernatural, The Office, Ugly Betty
As we enter the last leg of the season, plot twists piling up on all sides, you can do one of two things: You can let the tension get to you and bite your nails down to nubs, or you can make fun of the suspense by trying to guess what's going to happen to whom. Of course, you don't have to guess which option I'm in favor of. As you will see below, I went ahead and compiled a by-the-numbers list of almost-spoilers -- all of which take place within the next two weeks. Now it's your turn. Connect the dots to answer your own burning questions. I'll even give you a (big) hint: At least one incident from the list pertains to the finales of each of the following shows: Desperate Housewives, 30 Rock, House, Ugly Betty, The Office, CSI: NY, Smallville, Supernatural, How I Met Your Mother, Prison Break, Lost, Gossip Girl, 90210, Grey's Anatomy, 24, and Bones. Mind you, in spite of appearances to the contrary, I can't know everything, so there may be a surprise or three that isn't mentioned below. But this rundown ought to be comprehensive enough to keep you up nights. Enjoy! FYI: The events apply to regular or recurring characters, not random guest stars. Also, the chart will be continually updated to ID the person (or people) connected to each milestone shortly after said milestone takes place. In other words, beware of spoilers!
May 6, 2009, 11:03 PM | by Michael Ausiello
Categories: Ask Ausiello, Bones, Chuck, Friday Night Lights, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Greek, Grey's Anatomy, House, How I Met Your Mother, Life, Lost, Mad Men, NCIS, Smallville, True Blood
Question: Got any scoop on the Lost finale? --Carolyn
Ausiello: Funny, we posed that exact question to Damon Lindelof at the Hollywood premiere of Star Trek earlier this week. "All I will say is that it is
time for the time travel craziness to end," he said. "And once it does
end, something very, very surprising will happen in its wake. It is a
little bit of a game-changer."
Question: Any spoilers about Lost's season finale? Please! --Sarah
Ausiello: Funny, we posed that exact question to Damon Lindelof Jorge
Garcia at the Hollywood premiere of Star Trek earlier this week. "People will
find out why [Hurley] got on the plane and how he came to get that
guitar case in his hands," he said. "I've been wondering about that,
too. I remember at one point asking a question about it and getting a, 'We don't know yet.' I had to ask
once, 'How heavy is it? Is it just a guitar? Is it something else? How
heavy is it supposed to be?' Sometimes I get an empty case to lug
around in a scene and sometimes it has a guitar in it, but we don't
actually know what's in it because that has not been [revealed] yet. It
could be a case full of food or money or guns or papers or anything. So
you see me get the case by the finale, but I don't know that we will
find out what's in it. It was hard for me to play because at first I
did not understand why Hurley would have ever changed his mind about
going back to the island, and I'm sure fans are thinking the same
thing. So it will be nice to be able to give them that information."
