Guest Stars News (Page 3)

Sources confirm that Alias' Merrin Dungey and Judging Amy's Amy Brenneman (pictured) have joined the cast of the Grey's Anatomy spin-off (or the potential spin-off, as it's being called, beginning with a special two-hour episode of Grey's scheduled for this spring).

Based on recent reports from Michael Ausiello of TV Guide, Dungey may be playing a psychiatrist, and Brenneman a fertility specialist or the other way around. It's all speculation at this point, but nonetheless fun to consider.

The hiring of this duo puts to rest speculation that Kate Walsh would find herself surrounded by a mostly-male ensemble - buzz that only intensified with the recent casting of stars Tim Daly and Taye Diggs.

We've also confirmed that Paul Adelstein (Prison Break) and Chris Lowell (Veronica Mars) have been added to the cast.

With Shonda Rhimes at the controls and a cast loaded with experienced, successful actors, it seems to us this thing has a pretty good chance of being picked up as a full series. What do you think?

First there was McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey).

Then along came McSteamy (Eric Dane).

Now, the women of Grey's Anatomy may have to come up with a brand-new nickname now that actor Tim Daly is on his way to Seattle Grace Hospital.

Daly, 51, best known for his role on Wings, will appear on a special two-hour episode of the ABC drama that could serve as a springboard for the much-touted spinoff series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The spinoff would star the character Addison Montgomery (played by the lovely Kate Walsh), ABC reps confirmed to People in February.

Actor Taye Diggs has also signed on to appear in the expanded episode, which is scheduled to air later this spring.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Daly's character is described in a production breakdown as "handsome, sincere, like a McDreamy."

Paul Adelstein, who plays the double-crossing Secret Service agent, Paul Kellerman on FOX's Prison Break (and who was also considered for the role of Dr. Burke, which went to Isaiah Washington) has also been cast, though it's unclear what role he will play.

Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes is writing the special, two-hour episode, the details of which are being kept under wraps. USA Today reports, however, that the basic gist will feature Addison mulling a new job offer.

Should the episode be warmly received and the network decide that the spinoff will go forward, Addison will most likely accept the offer.

Daly most recently starred in ABC's critically lauded drama The Nine.

Actor Kyle Chandler sure knows how to make an entrance.

On the riveting Febuary 15 episode of Grey's Anatomy, "Drowing On Dry Land," Dr. Meredith Grey woke up in what appeared to be the afterlife.

She immediately spotted two of Seattle Grace Hospital's most famous former patients: Izzie's dead fiancé, Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Dylan (Kyle Chandler), the bomb-squad captain who a year ago exploded into "pink mist."

An hour or two before the highly rated February 22 episode of Grey's Anatomy ("Some Kind of Miracle") finished off its surprising Denny-Dylan story line, a helmeted figure roared up to the set of the new NBC drama Friday Night Lights on a motorcycle.

Tucked into the biker's black leather jacket was an adorable white-and-tan terrier. Even before the motorcycle guy took off his helmet, he had already scored major coolness points.

It was Kyle Chandler, arriving for a night shoot outside Austin, Texas, for the show, on which he stars as Coach Eric Taylor.

Taylor and Friday Night Lights may be the darling of the TV press these days - the Chicago Tribune, from which this story is taken, calls it one of the best network dramas.

But Chandler said in an interview the next day that despite his great love for Friday Night Lights ("It's the best experience of my life by far in television," the actor said), the handsome, brave Dylan Young is still is the character that garners him the most recognition.

"That show's got so many viewers - it was interesting, even after the first episode [on February 15], where I just said, 'Hey' at the very end of it, I had more people coming up to me, going `You're back, you're back'" he said.

Or, according to the actor, they'd just say, as Dylan did, "Hey."

Before that episode aired, news leaked that Denny would be back on Grey's Anatomy in some capacity. But Kyle Chandler's appearance on the show took viewers by surprise - you could almost hear the collective gasp when he reappeared in the closing moments of the hit medical drama.

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Academy Award-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo will guest star on Grey's Anatomy on its next new episode, entitled "Scars and Souvenirs," which is scheduled to air Thursday, March 15.

The beautiful, talented 54-year-old will portray patient Helen Crawford.

Aghdashloo, who recently appeared in the films The Nativity Story, X-Men: The Last Stand and The Lake House, first gained international recognition for her extraordinary work in House of Sand and Fog.

She not only garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in that role, but won Supporting Actress honors at the Independent Spirit Awards, the New York Film Critics Association and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Having left her native Iran during the 1978 Islamic revolution, she is believed to be the first actress from that nation to cross over into mainstream Hollywood cinema. We're certainly looking forward to seeing what she brings to the set of Grey's Anatomy in just over two weeks.

Entertainment Weekly reports that actor Taye Diggs has been tapped to star in the Grey's Anatomy spin-off currently in the works.

No details are available on his character. Grey's Anatomy will set the stage for the spinoff, which will focus on Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), via an expanded two-hour episode scheduled for May.

In the pilot, the former Dr. Shepherd will consider her exit from Seattle Grace.

Grey's Anatomy executive producer and creator Shonda Rhimes is writing the episode, and is expected to write the potential spin-off as well.

Meanwhile, Rhimes' other ABC pilot, in which Jeffrey Dean Morgan reportedly stars in a new series about a group of female journalists, has not been canceled, but rather has been pushed to a later summer production start. Shonda is going to be busy!

Diggs' casting in the controversial Grey's Anatomy spinoff stems from a new deal he signed with ABC TV Studio, where Grey's Anatomy is based.

Diggs, 36, has already starred in two drama series for the studio, Kevin Hill for UPN and Day Break for ABC.

It's hard to believe, but the faces in the photo on the right and the image below both belong to Elizabeth Reaser.

The 31-year-old actress has been introduced on Grey's Anatomy simply as Jane Doe, an unidentified victim of the ferry disaster that sent Seattle Grace surgeons scrambling to salvage survivors.

Heroic Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) pulled the pregnant woman's crushed, nearly dead body out from under a pylon.

"Her face has been smashed â€" like every bone in her face â€" and there are issues with her chest," Reaser tells USA Today.

"There's a lot of work to be done to put her back together."

Actor pal Justin Kirk, who stars opposite Reaser in the new romantic comedy Puccini for Beginners (and who has been linked romantically to Kate Walsh) has been calling her "Elephant Reaser," a reference to the disfigured lead character in The Elephant Man.

Michael McMillian, Reaser's co-star in last year's short-lived TNT medical drama, Saved, suggested she'd be perfect for the lead role in The Mask 2.

"Some of the jokes are funny," she says, "and some of it's not."

The three-hour makeup process includes prosthetics that have remained on her face for as long as 12 hours.

"You feel claustrophobic, and the chemicals sting my sensitive skin," Reaser said.

The costume also places further restrictions on her vegan diet, allowing only for smoothies or small helpings of soft foods. Reaser says Kate Walsh "has been very sweet, coming up to me asking, 'Do you need water?' "

The actress realizes, however, that any discomfort she is experiencing cannot possibly compare to the horror her character must be facing.

She says she suspects that "it's a very heightened situation, to be all alone like that in a hospital."

But this Jane Doe is hardly alone.

Her character's multiple medical traumas have the potential to expose her to the hospital's full rotation of docs. We have already seen doom in the eyes of obstetrician Addison, and soon there will be involvement by plastic surgeon Mark Sloan (Eric Dane, above).

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Last week, we talked about the glorious and perplexing news, courtesy of Michael Ausiello at TV Guide, that Jeffrey Dean Morgan will be reprising his role of Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy.

Now, Kristin Veitch of E! Online has more on how Denny Duquette comes back to Grey's, and shares with us a few juicy details of his return.

Inside sources reveal the following pieces of information, which should put to rest some speculation while fueling even more:

1. Denny does not appear in a flashback.
2. Denny does not appear in a dream.
3. It is Denny and not something kooky like his twin.
4. Denny is not the only one we see.
5. And for the record, the scene in which Denny appears will completely blow your mind.

Wow. That's a lot to take in.

Needless to say, cancel any plans you might have for the next few Thursdays and make sure you check out what happens with our friends at Seattle Grace. Because everyone will be talking about the next few episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Apparently, "Walk On Water" was only the beginning.

A source with close ties to Seattle Grace tells TV Guide's Michael Ausiello that Jeffrey Dean Morgan is returning to Grey's Anatomy as Izzie's late fiancé in an episode to air later this season.

Since Denny clearly passed away back in May, it seems safe to assume that he'll appear in either a dream sequence or a newly created flashback.

Of course, if Shonda Rhimes wants to get really creative, she could read some of our fan suggestions on how (and if) Denny should come back to life.

TV Guide offers a few humorous options:

• Kenny. Denny's long-lost (and evil) twin. Just as Izzie is starting to feel get over Denny, her ill-fated soul mate's brother shows up to reclaim the $8.7 million inheritance!
• Ghost of Denny. At the opening ceremonies of the Denny Duquette Memorial Clinic, his spirit appears just in time to cut the ribbon. Poignant.
• An Alien. Okay, so this isn't the X-Files. But some of you may recall that while guest starring as Izzie's love, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was also a regular on the WB series Supernatural. Katherine Heigl, for her part, once starred on Roswell. Think about it.

Can you think of any other possible scenarios - serious or crazy - that may bring our beloved Jeffrey Dean Morgan back to Grey's Anatomy? Leave us a comment and share.

If you happen to bump into Kate Burton after watching Grey's Anatomy tonight, don't tell her what happens.

The Boston Globe reports that the actress, who plays mom to Boston-area native Ellen Pompeo on the ABC show, doesn't have TiVo, and will be in Boston tonight, starring in "The Cherry Orchard" at the Huntington Theatre.

But the Broadway star and Emmy-nominated portrayer of Alzheimer's-afflicted Dr. Ellis Grey knows there's something big in store.

"There are some big surprises. I can tell you that this is the one episode where you will see more of [me] than you've ever seen before," Burton told the Globe. "But we really don't know where it goes. They don't tell us, so we won't tell all of you."

In her downtime, the daughter of Richard Burton and Sybil Williams said she's been flying back and forth to L.A. to see her husband, former Williamstown (Mass.) Theatre Festival producer Michael Ritchie.

We're looking forward to seeing the talented Burton's return to Grey's Anatomy tonight, and learning where that story line leads.

An overwhelming number of you have inquired as to the identity of the guest actresses portraying the Amish girls in last week's amazing "Great Expectations."

There's no doubt that Jessica Stroup (Jilly Miller, right) and Rachel Boston (Rachel, below) both turned in terrific performances.

You may have recognized Boston, 24, as Beth Mason on American Dreams. She has also guest starred on The Closer and 7th Heaven, and has appeared in several movies. In 1999, she was crowned Miss Teen Tennessee!

Stroup has appeared in, among others, the films The Hills Have Eyes 2, School for Scoundrels, Southern Comfort, and Pray For Morning.

Hopefully we'll be seeing more from these lovely young ladies in the coming years. We're planning on revamping our outdated guest stars section in the near future, so it includes information like this about some of each week's terrific compelling guest performers.

As Ellen Pompeo pointed out the other night at the SAG Awards, they bring so much to the series week in and week out.