Chandra Wilson News

With all the hype about Katherine Heigl and the Emmys, it is easy to forget that Grey's Anatomy has two Outstanding Supporting Actress contenders who did submit their names for consideration - and both are certainly worthy of the honor.

Unfortunately, there can only be one winner.

If forced to choose, which Grey's Anatomy star do you think most deserves an Emmy - Chandra Wilson or Sandra Oh? We're putting up a new poll about this, but feel free to leave a comment if you want to expound on your reasoning.

Both Grey's Anatomy stars are finalists at the Emmy Awards (September 21).

For the first time in three full seasons (Season One was only nine episodes long and therefore not eligible), Grey's Anatomy has been left off the final list of nominees for Outstanding Drama Series at the forthcoming Emmy Awards.

Up for the honor are Boston Legal, Damages, Dexter, House, Lost and Mad Men. Grey's Anatomy was among 10 semifinalists but missed the final cut.

A pair of Grey's Anatomy cast members, Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson, received nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series.

Impressively, this marks the fourth consecutive nomination for Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang) and the third straight for Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey).

Last year, Katherine Heigl (Izzie Stevens) was nominated and won the Emmy Award for that category. This season... well, you know the details.

What do you think about this? Should Grey's Anatomy have been among the top six - or was Season Four really not up to par?

Chandra Wilson's outspoken Grey's Anatomy character, Dr. Miranda Bailey, probably wouldn't have been as diplomatic in her choice of words.

But given the chance to respond to co-star Katherine Heigl's controversial remarks about the writing on their show, Wilson decided to play nice.

Having won for Outstanding Supporting Actress last year, Heigl said she wouldn't be submitting her name for a nomination this year. Why?

Sparking outcry and speculation, Katherine Heigl said the material she was given this season wasn't good enough for consideration.

Was she griping? Was Katherine angling for an early departure from Seattle Grace, as some speculate? Or was she just being truthful?

Chandra Wilson wouldn't be drawn into speculation. She dwelled, instead, on how and why actors submit work for the Emmys to start with.

"All actors have to do the exact same thing every single year," said Wilson during a panel for her Hallmark Channel movie, Accidental Friendship.

"How do I submit? If I submit? Which clip to submit? And I think the public at large doesn't understand that it's not about your body of work, it's not necessarily about your season. It's about the show you submit."

"You can have a great seasonal arc, but if you don't have that show that's your show and you were breaking out in tears," said Wilson, a multiple-time nominee herself, "Then that's not the right thing for the category."
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Nothing is official yet, but our research has determined that four Grey's Anatomy stars are being considered for Emmy Awards this year, with the finalists (five are nominated per category) to be officially announced soon.

Among 10 semifinalists in their respective categories are Patrick Dempsey (Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama), T.R. Knight (Outstanding Supporting Actor), and a pair of mainstays in Chandra Wilson and Sandra Oh (Outstanding Supporting Actress).

T.R. Knight is one of four Grey's Anatomy stars in the running.

All are certainly worthy, and we would hope included on the lists of five finalists in these difficult races. Of the Grey's Anatomy stars not being considered, we would say Ellen Pompeo's omission is the most surprising. She has been so good.

Either Ellen or Katherine Heigl. Just kidding.

On a side note, rumor has it (this has not been confirmed), that Grey's Anatomy is on the bubble as far as earning a place among the five nominees for Outstanding Drama series. We will let you know when we hear for sure.

This news is a bit belated, but nonetheless worth mentioning.

With Grey's Anatomy one of 10 Emmy finalists for Best Drama, it's not at all surprising that its cast is always nominated for individual awards.

Case in point: The under-appreciated Chandra Wilson.

The actress who portrays Dr. Miranda Bailey so marvelously, was nominated recently for a BET Award in the category of Best Actress, alongside such heavyweights as Jill Scott, Queen Latifah, Angela Bassett and Halle Berry.

Chandra Wilson with fellow Grey's Anatomy star Sandra Oh.

In the end, Chandra Wilson didn't take home the honors (Berry did), but it's always great to see Grey's Anatomy stars recognized for their terrific efforts.

During her unexpected wintertime hiatus, the award-winning Chandra Wilson wrapped up her tax returns, cleaned house, attended parent-teacher conferences, picked up an award and even visited her old high school.

Wilson, understandably, would have preferred to be at work, wrapping up Season Four as Dr. Miranda Bailey in the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy.

But the chance for the actress to return to her alma mater, Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, was one of the brighter spots of her forced time off during the Writers Guild of America strike.

According to her hometown Houston Chronicle, Wilson returned to the school bearing gifts â€" the promise to fund a pair of $2,000 annual college scholarships for HSPVA's theater graduates â€" and in just minutes, produced more genuine, heartfelt laughter than the stern, no-nonsense Miranda Bailey has provided viewers in four years of serious, on-screen hospital corridor stare-downs.

"There's a whole lot of my mom, a whole lot of Wilma (referring to her mother, Wilma Allen) in Dr. Bailey," Chandra Wilson said, laughing.

"You know mothers. Everything is justified from their point of view. I may see it differently, but she's completely justified with every reaction and suggestion."

Listening to her mom has served Wilson well thus far. Chandra Wilson had acted since age five in Theatre Under The Stars productions, but only applied for the performing arts high school in 1983 at her mother's suggestion - her urging.

"Within two weeks, I knew that was the best decision my mother ever made," she said. "I didn't have professional aspirations. My mom didn't want me to be idle."

Follow this link to continue reading this great account of the amazing Chandra Wilson's time off this winter in the Houston Chronicle ...

It was a win-some, lose-some night for Grey's Anatomy on Tuesday, when the hit ABC hospital drama managed to win all three TV acting trophies at the People's Choice Awards, while the acclaimed show itself was shut out of any wins.

The handsome Patrick Dempsey and newlywed Katherine Heigl took home the Male and Female TV Star awards, while their co-star, Chandra Wilson, beat out the competition to win the Scene Stealer trophy. However, it was another rival medical series, Fox's House, that brought home the award for TV Drama.

Congrats to Patrick, Katherine and Chandra, who are definitely the people's choice here at Grey's Anatomy Insider. More photos to come ...

Hey, everybody needs a little break sometimes. Here are a couple of photos of the cast of Grey's Anatomy during a brief pause in filming of Season Four. Look at this cute picture of Chandra Wilson and her young son!

We love Chandra Wilson. Follow the jump for photos of Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo on break, behind the scenes on the set of Grey's Anatomy...

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The doctor is in ... the house! Grey's Anatomy actress and perennial Emmy nominee Chandra Wilson traded in her stethoscope for a hammer for a day as she pitched in with Habitat For Humanity. Check out the People magazine photo below. 

Wilson and the group constructed homes for families in need on Thursday in Los Angeles. It's always nice to see Grey's Anatomy stars lending a helping hand.

According to InStyle, Sandra Oh hosted an intimate evening at a private home in the Hollywood Hills to toast her fellow female Emmy nominees.

Sandra Oh's Grey's Anatomy co-star, Chandra Wilson, as well as guest such as Elizabeth Perkins of Weeds and Holland Taylor of Two and a Half Men all arrived at the exclusive event in hybrid cars to enjoy a laid-back dinner and plenty of Perrier-Jouet Fleur de Champagne.

"I'm hoping this event will continue as a yearly invitation to the female nominees to get together and get to know each other, because on the big day it's so crazy and you're not completely in your body," Sandra Oh said of her attempt to start a new Emmy tradition.

More pictures of Sandra Oh and friends after the jump ...

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