Ellen Pompeo
News (Page 11)

For Ellen Pompeo, actions certainly speak louder than words.

While Pompeo took the high road when addressing Isaiah Washington's recent firing, her presence at the event for LifeWorks, at the "Life Out Loud" benefit in Los Angeles June 9, spoke for itself.

The organization, which finds mentors for gay and lesbian youth, is certainly lucky to have a famous and positive presence like Ellen Pompeo.

The Grey's Anatomy leading lady sat down with Us Weekly at the event to talk about why she cares about the cause, and what she would do if she was the mother of a gay child.

US: How did you get involved with LifeWorks?
Ellen Pompeo: Through Chip Sullivan, a dear friend and fellow Bostonite. He speaks so passionately about the organization. It's such a wonderful organization. I would love to see it be taken nationwide.

US: Growing up, did you have gay people in your life?
Ellen Pompeo: Yes, a ton. I was raised by drag queens practically. And when I left Boston at 20 years old, I went to South Beach with all of my gay friends. Always very close with the gay community.

US: Was there anyone when you were younger who touched your life?
Ellen Pompeo: I wouldn't say there was one person who touched my life. There were several. My mother died when I was four years old, so I was effectively raised by a bunch of different people. And a lot of those people were friends of my sister, Kathleen (I have three sisters), who had all these gay friends. She would baby-sit me everyday, and she would take me over to her friend's houses with all kinds of things going on: tucking, and eyebrow drawing, waxing, all sorts of things. I was literally raised by gay men. And a lot of other people: my grandmother, my aunts and uncles, but I spent a great deal of time with a lot of gay men.

US: Obviously there was a lot of controversy on your set this year, but you're making a big statement by being here. How did that all unfold for you?
Ellen Pompeo: I choose to focus on, now what has happened but what we can do. What can we do to make things like [Isaiah Washington's outburst] not happen again? How can we be proactive and change the environment and move forward and make a day when we don't have these problems. Hopefully organizations like LifeWorks move us in that direction.

US: How did it affect you to hear the kind of language, that word, that obviously a lot of gay youth hear every single day?
Ellen Pompeo: I'm not going to take the martyr position and say, "It hurts me deeply" because I don't know what it is to bear that burden. I don't know what it is to be gay. I don't know that struggle and pain, or, hopefully, that happiness and joy. I don't know that experience. But what I do see is my friends who are hurt by that language.

US: And when T.R. Knight came out, it was an amazing positive thing. It puts a really good role model out there.
Ellen Pompeo: I have to say, when T.R. came out, I did cry. Such tremendous courage. Most people don't have to come out like that.

US: Is your fiance, Chris Ivery, as open minded as you?
Ellen Pompeo: Yes, he grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, one of the most liberal places on the planet. And he grew up with a white, Jewish mother and a black father, so he has had to deal with a lot of diversity issues as well. So we're very open minded.

US: Cher is famous for having said how, despite having tons of gay friends and fans, she didn't take it so well when Chastity came out of the closet. How would you feel if your child was gay?
Ellen Pompeo: Just fine. As long as my child was happy and healthy and hopefully could grow up and decorate my houses!

US: Do you want to have kids?
Ellen Pompeo: Maybe not kids. Maybe one.

US: Have you and Chris set a wedding date?
Ellen Pompeo: We have not.

Though Ellen Pompeo was on Ryan Seacrest's morning radio show on Friday to discuss her charity work, there was no escaping talk of her Isaiah Washington's shocking dismissal from Grey's Anatomy.

Pompeo also touched on Katherine Heigl's summer movie success and Grey's storylines for next year, but the good stuff came when Seacrest asked her about Washington and T.R. Knight's fates. Here are those highlights:

On Isaiah Washington's departure:
"I got a call late last night from my lawyer...and I woke up this morning and saw it...that's really all I know. I really can't comment on my reaction."

On whether she knew anything in advance:
"No. They're very secretive about things, for obvious reasons. I guess actors have big mouths. So I didn't really know what would happen, if anything. It's not really my business...You just have to roll with the punches."

On word that T.R. Knight has signed a contract to return:
"I certainly hope so. It's such an ensemble. The show works, I think, because all of us have such great chemistry together."

Well, except the cast and Washington, of course. Fans of the show are already in heated discussions about the decision on our message board.

We're used to seeing her in scrubs. But Ellen Pompeo cleans up nicely.

Seen here, the actress that portrays our favorite title character is wearing the same satin dress as Celine Dion. Oops!

You tell us: Who wears it better?

Grey's Anatomy star Eric Dane and his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, welcomed his fellow cast members and other celebrities to the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball over the weekend.

An L.A.-based non-profit organization, Chrysalis is dedicated to helping economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities.

In attendance was the former Grey's Anatomy and current Private Practice star, Kate Walsh, and her new fiance, Alex Young.

Rounding out the Grey's Anatomy-related attendees were the handsome Justin Chambers and his wife Keisha, Patrick Dempsey and wife Jillian, Ellen Pompeo, Sara Ramirez and T.R. Knight.

Gayheart has been organizing the event for months. As a result, she and Dane are going on a month-long, around-the-world vacation before he returns to the set of Grey's Anatomy to begin filming Season 4.

Follow the jump for pictures of Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart and their fellow Greys Anatomy cast members from the event.

Continue Reading...

The upcoming wedding of Ellen Pompeo won't be a lavish production, but her co-stars might need to make some travel plans if they want to attend.

"There will be no 'big' anything," the Grey's Anatomy actress, 37, said Saturday at the Chrysalis Butterfly Ball, a benefit for the homeless in Brentwood, Calif.

"It's going to be very small."

Aside from that, Ellen and record producer Chris Ivery, who got engaged in November, are keeping mum on the specifics.

But Pompeo hinted that the ceremony won't take place in Los Angeles.

"We were thinking about going away and getting married," she said.

The actress was reunited Saturday night with some of her co-stars for the first time since production on Grey's Anatomy wrapped a few weeks ago.

Also at the gala, which was hosted by Eric Dane's wife, Rebecca Gayheart, were Patrick Dempsey, T.R. Knight, Justin Chambers, Kate Walsh, James Pickens, Jr., and Sara Ramirez.

Ellen Pompeo said that when Ivery proposed to her on her 37th birthday, she was only slightly caught off guard.

"Chris and I have been together for four and a half years," Ellen said. "So I was completely surprised, but at the same time not that surprised. We've been together a while."

Ivery, a Boston-area native like Pompeo, has changed her life because "I just have somebody to share everything with," she said, "all of these moments. The bad ones and the good ones. We have a very strong bond, and we just understand each other. He's just a real companion."

She added that she knew Chris Ivery was "the one" early on:

"I guess you fall in love and you think he's the guy right away. Right when you fall in love, you think he's the guy. You don't sort of fall into a relationship thinking it's only going to be temporary."

The couple met in an L.A. grocery store in 2003 and began dating about six months later after "one night she just looked different to me," Ivery, 38, told People late last year.

They quickly discovered that they had grown up about 10 miles away from each other in Massachusetts and that Ivery knew Pompeo's father.

"We have a lot in common," Pompeo said. "We're from the same hometown... almost."

If star gazing is your thing, then the Indianapolis 500 is for you, even if you aren't a big auto racing enthusiast like Patrick Dempsey.

After all, the 500-mile race, set for Sunday, will feature none other than Grey's Anatomy's Dempsey as the pace car driver.

What's more, his co-star and on-screen love, Ellen Pompeo, will be flying in for the big race, the Indianapolis Star reports.

Last week's Greys Anatomy season finale left viewers wondering about Derek and Meredith, but their off-screen friendship must be a little more solid.

Pompeo is engaged to music producer Christopher Ivery, while Patrick is married to wife Jillian, with whom he has three young children.

Another Grey's Anatomy star, Eric Dane, will be among the celebrities walking the red carpet Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Officials at the Speedway released the names of more celebs expected to be in town for the 500-Mile Race - and attending a prerace red carpet walk in Pagoda Plaza.

He'll be joining some other familiar faces, including Ashley Judd, wife of driver Dario Franchitti; Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Dempsey, Pompeo, Dennis Farina, Ray Liotta, Survivor legend Rupert Boneham, Gene Simmons of Kiss and legendary TV mom Florence Henderson.

Just a few pictures of Ellen Pompeo and her fiance, Chris Ivery, at the Costume Institute Gala in New York this week. Click to enlarge!

Grey's Anatomy stars Katherine Heigl, Ellen Pompeo, Patrick Dempsey, and Isaiah Washington take a break from filming their hit TV medical drama on Monday in Hollywood.

Patrick and Ellen Pompeo were filming a wedding scene (looking terrific in the process, we might add) - presumably that of Burke and Cristina.

Meanwhile, Katherine Heigl took a break (and food back to her trailer), as Ellen chatted with Patrick, and Isaiah Washington smoked a big cigar.

Perhaps that's a good sign the wedding goes off without a hitch!

The season finale airs Thursday, May 17. As for this week, it's the two-hour event, "The Other Side of This Life," that doubles as the pilot for the Kate Walsh-led spin-off, tentatively titled Private Practice.

Click any of these Grey's Anatomy photos to enlarge!

The always-entertaining People magazine "couples watch" contains three mentions of Grey's Anatomy stars - two of whom are in happy, long-term relationships, and another who may be dating another ABC actor. Also, a fourth Grey's star dishes on her desire to start a family...

Ellen Pompeo and her fiancé, Chris Ivery, were spotted partying along with Ellen's pal and Grey's co-star, Sandra Oh, at L.A. hotspot Hyde.

The lovely Kate Walsh and Brothers & Sisters star Dave Annable (pictured), 27, were reportedly taking in the ocean view together at L.A. restaurant Duke's Malibu.

After ordering margaritas, the star we've come to love as Addison Montgomery and her companion headed to the window to watch the sunset.

Also this weekend, Patrick Dempsey and his wife, Jillian Fink Dempsey, were seen holding hands and looking into each other's eyes at the Japanese eatery Katsuya in Brentwood, Calif. The parents of newborn twin sons and five-year old daughter Talula still have the spark. "They looked so sweet together," a restaurant patron tells People.

Meanwhile, Katherine Heigl, who recently announced her engagement to singer Josh Kelley, says they're even more excited about starting a family than they are about their upcoming nuptials.

"Sometimes I get so carried away planning my future, I forget that I have a wedding plan. I end up daydreaming about Josh and me spoiling a little girl or boy," Heigl told Life & Style Weekly.

To prepare, the star of the forthcoming comedy Knocked Up has been practicing with her friend's children, babysitting in her free time. Josh thinks he's found the perfect woman to have children with.

"She'll make a terrific mother," he said.

Below are a few pictures we came across from Sunday's Academy Awards. While our favorite group of actors and actresses weren't honored - their small-screen talents were recognized at the SAG Awards and Golden Globe Awards, of course - some of them still attended the festivites.

In the first row, we have America's favorite TV couple, the lovely Ellen Pompeo and the handsome Patrick Dempsey. Below that, Ellen and her real-life McDreamy, fiance Chris Ivery, and below that, Eric Dane and his wife, Rebecca Gayheart. We'll post more as we come across them!