Attention all Callie/Arizona fans, some awesome news is upon us: Jessica Capshaw is here to stay!

At least for a while longer.

Her contract has been extended for the remaining episodes of this season with an option to become a series regular come season six.

To me, that’s … how should we say it? Oh yes: Super! Some of us really, really like her.

For those of you still lingering in Bittersville over the awfulness that was the Brooke Smith-firing (which I still think sucks, no matter how many lesbians ABC throws into the mix), how do you feel about this?

And for those of you over the bitterness, are you happy? Sad? Disappointed?

Personally, I’m excited. I love Callie and I love Arizona and I’m looking forward to some more Calzona.

Via | Ausiello

Image: Newscom

Wow, I don’t even know where to begin dissecting the amount of wrongness that came out of ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson’s mouth at the TCA Winter Press Tour today. Here’s a transcript so we can share in the mind-boggling, wtf-ness of it:

McPherson: Melissa George was a guest for one episode.
Reporter #1: …so many guests just leaving — no, she was in more than one episode.
McPherson: I’m not going to answer the question, that’s an absurd question. The only person who has left the show is Isaiah Washington.
Reporter #2: Brooke Smith.
Reporter #3: Melissa had contracted for 8 to 11 episodes, and she hasn’t gotten 8 to 11 episodes.
McPherson: She didn’t contract for that many episodes, she was a guest —
Reporter #3: That’s what she said.
McPherson: Well, we all know what everybody says when they leave the show, they want to say what works best for them.”
Reporter #3: She was in more than one episode.
McPherson: Yeah, I think she was in three. She was mentioned in one and then shown in two other episodes, I think.
Reporter #4: Brooke Smith was in the opening credits at the start of the season. Was that just, you didn’t like the character —
McPherson: Yeah, the character was not working for us, and the dynamic with the relationship was not working for us. We felt like Sara [Ramirez] is such dynamic character, an amazing actress and woman, and we really just weren’t seeing the excitement out of that relationship. There was some mention that we were upset by the lesbian nature of it. She’s going to be in a dedicated lesbian relationship (chuckling) in the show. So again, that was an actress who was trying to talk about something in a manner that would serve her and not the reality.

Let’s start at the beginning then: Melissa George was a guest for one episode? I’m starting to think the President of ABC doesn’t watch his own programming. From one episode to “I think she was in three. She was mentioned in one and then shown in two other episodes, I think.”

So far, Melissa George has been in five episodes (These Ties That Bind, In the Midnight Hour, All By Myself, Wish You Were Here and Sympathy for the Devil)and should be in a couple more, I believe.

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TV Guide caught up with Brooke Smith at the Trevor Project’s annual Cracked Xmas Gala to see what she was up to after her suddenly forced exit from Grey’s Anatomy.

Erica Hahn left rather suddenly from Seattle Grace, walking off never to return. So where does Brooke Smith think Hahn is now? “I like to imagine that Dr. Hahn is at a hospital that appreciates her,” she said. “That maybe [Seattle Grace] wasn’t the right place for her.”

Regarding the firing, the actress said, “I’ve never [lost a job] before this, and I hadn’t gotten media attention like this before. But when you’re on a popular TV show and you’re in people’s houses every week [it's understandable].”

I wonder if she secretly has a dartboard in her house with the ABC producers’ faces on it?

I think it’s great how classy she sounds about the whole thing.

What’s next for Brooke Smith? She’s currently working on a partnership with David Milch (creator of Deadwood). She’s writing and collaborating with him on a new project. I can’t wait to find out what that is!

Via | TV Guide

Image: Newscom

Grey’s Anatomy is once again all new tonight with episode 5.07 “Rise Up.”

So what can we look forward to tonight? Well, let’s see. From what we know already, Callie and Erica part ways and Erica never comes back. Bye, Brooke Smith. Some of us will miss you!We also know that Jeffrey Dean Morgan makes another appearance in the episode, and it sounds like Izzie isn’t going to have an easy time of things in this episode.

ABC tells us that in tonight’s episode:

• The Chief announces a solo surgery award
• Bailey gets to dispense more sage advice when Derek turns to her with his Meredith problems (apparently, Cristina is getting in the way of their relationship).
• And Erica discovers that one of her longtime patient shares a connection with one of the residents

As always, feel free to discuss the episode before, during and after!

So the latest Grey’s Anatomy drama happening at the moment has less to do with fictional plotlines and everything to do with behind-the-scene happenings. Why is this always the case with this show? Oh hai, November sweeps!

One actress is fired, one relationship goes poof, one character goes from bi to straight, and none of it makes a whole lot of sense to me. But how do you feel about it?

By now we should’ve all heard that Brooke Smith got fired from Grey’s Anatomy abruptly and without much explanation. Shonda Rhimes has tried to smooth things over, ABC has tried to get its actors to smooth things over, but it’s pretty obvious there’s something rotten going on here.

Still, if you’re wondering how things end up for Callie and Erica come tomorrow’s episode, Michael Ausiello has a few more details about what’s to come.

*spoilers ahead*

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There’s a rumor going around that Sara Ramirez will also be departing Grey’s Anatomy after episode 15 or 16. This rumor was started at the Television Without Pity forums and is circulating:

I’ve just spoken with a contact at AfterEllen.com and she is confirming that Brooke Smith is not the only one being let go. Apparently Sara Ramirez will be exiting at roughly episode 15 or 16 and they’re jockeying for an interview with her. According to what I’ve been told, Melissa George has been brought in for Mark’s character because the ABC brass wanted a ‘name’ actor for him and liked Melissa from her stint on Alias. The head honchos are the ones who lured Melissa George into the show and asked Rhimes to create a backstory for her that would connect her with Meredith (or another established character) to ‘ground her’ with roots from the beginning.

Again, this is just a rumor and there’s no confirmation of this anywhere. Though a friend of a friend who’s friend knows another friend saw a MySpace post in which someone said that Sara might be heading off to Broadway. Saw this in the comments at Ask Ausiello.

Definitely something to be taken with a grain of salt. But still something to keep an eye on. If they get rid of Sara Ramirez my brain will explode.

From the sounds of Shonda Rhimes’ statement, though, it doesn’t sound like there’s plans for Callie to go anywhere. Then again, as we’ve learned today, that obviously doesn’t say much.

Via | Mark_Callie LiveJournal Community

Image: Newscom

Ausiello has just posted an update to his earlier report/interview about Brooke Smith leaving Grey’s Anatomy. This update is a statement from Shonda Rhimes herself, saying that Brooke Smith was “obviously” not let go due to her character’s sexuality. It was a “chemistry” issue.

“Clearly it’s not an issue as we have a lesbian character on the show – Calliope Torres. Sara Ramirez is an incredible comedic and dramatic actress and we wanted to be able to play up her magic. Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke’s character would sustain in the long run. The impact of the Callie/Erica relationship will be felt and played out in a story for Callie. I believe it belittles the relationship to simply replace Erica with ‘another lesbian.’ If you’ll remember, Cristina mourned the loss of Burke for a full season.”

Okay, first: since when is Callie a lesbian? I thought they did everything within their power to bash it into our heads that she’s bi. But okay. I guess we’ll have Callie “mourning” Hahn for an entire season. That should make for thrilling television.

If this were simply a chemistry issue, they could’ve just written Erica Hahn out, not just fired Brooke Smith and left the storyline dangling. How does that make sense?

They can spin this any way they want, but it’s sloppy and transparent what happened here.

Wow, first they fire Brooke Smith, because they’re not happy with the “explicit” nature of her character’s lesbian relationship, and now they’re de-gaying Melissa George’s character. ABC is on an anti-gay rampage suddenly. Rather hypocritical for a network that fired an actor for his gay slurs.

Kristin from E! Online is reporting that Melissa George’s character “came on as a lesbian character, but they changed the script and now she isn’t. She starts off flirting with Callie but it never goes anywhere.” I thought it was bisexual? Well, all the same. No more.

Wonder if that means the entire Meredith/Sadie thing is out the window too?

What in the world is going on at ABC? Rebecca Romijn got the axe at Ugly Betty recently. She who played trangendered character Alexis Meade. Now Grey’s Anatomy is getting rampaged by the homophobic brigade.

Thoughts?

Michael Ausiello has just broken the news that Brooke Smith and her character, Erica Hahn, will soon be parting from Seattle Grace. As soon as this Thursday’s episode, even.

Apparently, the network - ABC - had issues with the gay relationship on the show and demanded that they get rid of Hahn as soon as possible.

Shonda - it seems - had no choice but to deliver the bad news to the actress. And it kind of sounds like the whole thing was so abrupt the rest of that storyline will be held together with staples.

In an exclusive interview with Brooke Smith, Ausiello digs into the how’s and why’s of this unexpected turn of events.

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