Grey's Anatomy Spoilers (Page 7)

Below are excerpts from ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson's press tour last week, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. In particular, the ABC exec responded to criticism from Katherine Heigl about Grey's Anatomy, and how it dealt with T.R. Knight.

2:18 p.m.: “[Grey's Anatomy] is a show that’s evolving,” he says, responding to a question about the departure of T.R. Knight. “We feel like Shonda Rhimes really hit her stride at the end of last year and we’re happy with what we’ve seen so far this season.”

He says we can expect more cast additions, in part to fill the void left by Ellen Pompeo “who is going to have a baby, so that’ll probably take her out for a couple of episodes.”

2:23 p.m.: Steve McPherson goes on to call Katherine Heigl’s latest anti-Grey's Anatomy tirade “unfortunate,” adding diplomatically, “People will behave in a way they choose to behave."

"There are so many people who work unbelievably hard to produce Grey’s Anatomy so I think it’s really hard for them to hear [her complain about working a 17-hour day].”

It wouldn't be Grey's Anatomy without Katherine Heigl controversy.

As we know, actor T.R. Knight doesn’t return for the September 24 Grey’s Anatomy season six premiere, but it appears his character, Dr. George O’Malley, will.

“Transplant doctors descend on Seattle Grace because it's revealed that George was a registered organ donor," according to a source on the Grey’s Anatomy set.

“His colleagues are still reeling from George's death and are fighting with transplant doctors to stop them from taking his lungs, liver, corneas and bone marrow."

"It's only when everyone hears what lives will be saved that George's friends start to get some perspective on his death,” says the source to Life & Style Weekly.

George's funeral scene is also said to take place early this season.

Who knows how reliable any of this actually is, but according to the source, all of the scenes with George O'Malley were shot using special effects and makeup.

"It's one of the goriest scenes they've ever done because you literally see each of these organs get pulled out of his body," says the supposed on-set insider.

As the rare, outdoor behind-the-scenes photos from the set proved without a doubt this week, the cast of Grey's Anatomy is giving George O'Malley his official sayonara.

We knew it was coming, but some are having a hard time coming to grips with the prospect of no more O'Malley. He was not just an original character, but a fan favorite.

Spotted on the set were Katherine Heigl, who plays Izzie Stevens, George's best friend, and a very pregnant Ellen Pompeo, who plays the title character, Meredith Grey.

A few of the men were also back to work: Justin Chambers, who plays Alex Karev, and Patrick Dempsey, who plays Derek Shepherd. Others may have been there, too.

The demise of George O'Malley was not scripted this way initially.

It turns out that Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes originally had a different opening sequence planned for the 6th season of Grey's Anatomy.

A flashback was supposed to take viewers to the hours when George was missing, from when he left the hospital to when he returned later on as a disfigured John Doe.

However, Knight reportedly declined to make a brief cameo and instead of seeing George's split-second decision to save the passerby's life that cost him his own, viewers will just have to watch Shonda Rhimes' alternative idea, the funeral scene.

Which brings us to the characters and George's coffin.

In case there were any doubt that the unusual behind-the-scenes Grey's Anatomy photos we were able to find and post yesterday afternoon showed the cast filming a funeral scene at a cemetery, this image ought to clear it up. May Dr. George O'Malley rest in peace ...

After a cliffhanger left us hanging in May, this clears up doubts. The doctors of Seattle Grace will mourn their fallen colleague George early in the upcoming sixth season.

Here are a few more shots of co-stars Katherine Heigl and a very pregnant Ellen Pompeo on the outdoor set of Grey's Anatomy. Click to enlarge the thumnails below ...

It's not often that we see behind-the-scenes looks at Grey's Anatomy, given the closed-set nature of the series. But this week, the cast filmed an unusual outdoor scene that appears to be at a cemetery - and we can only assume is Dr. George O'Malley's funeral.

Here's Justin Chambers (Dr. Alex Karev) on the set ...

Justin Chambers was on location as Grey's Anatomy filmed outside.

Now that T.R. Knight has confirmed he is not coming back to the show, and Katherine Heigl clearly is back filming, that would be the most logical explanation for what's going on here as Grey's Anatomy begins filming its sixth season: George being laid to rest.

It would be sad, but at this point, seemingly inevitable. Click to enlarge lots more Grey's Anatomy photos from the set and tell us what you think is going on behind the scenes ...

With two months to go until the premiere, Grey's Anatomy creator and executive producer Shonda Rhimes is opening up about the transitional new season ahead, as well as how Ellen Pompeo's pregnancy fits into the mix going forward.

Here are excerpts from EW's spoiler Q&A today ...

Q: Hey, do you have any Grey's Anatomy news that doesn't involve George or Izzie?

A: Yes - the entire cast will be following T.R. Knight out the door. At least series creator Shonda Rhimes is braced for them to. Eventually. She got to thinking about it both because of Knight's departure and Ellen Pompeo's impending maternity leave.

“It's going to be tricky,” Rhimes says. “Ellen is incredibly optimistic and somehow thinks she will be back and ready to rock 'n' roll. [But] I have a child, so I know that that's not true. [So] we have a lovely story [on deck] that will take us into her maternity leave."

"And we have plans for some really interesting stand-alone episodes for [while she's gone]. But we're heading towards the future of the show and eventually, unless we are extremely lucky, everybody's going to go. That's what the end of Season 5 taught me."

"So we're looking at, How do we mess with that structure now while we have everybody and figure out ways in which, 'What would we do without Ellen? What would we do if we had an episode without Patrick Dempsey?' So Season 6 is important."

"A lot of shows don't make it because they don't know how to transition."

Can Rhimes envision Grey's Anatomy someday going on with Pompeo (and Mer) completely out of the picture?! "I don't know" she hedges. "I clearly want Meredith Grey on the show for as long as Ellen Pompeo wants to be on the show; that's not even a question."

"But I think that there's a possibility of [her leaving the series good at some point]. I haven't even thought that far. That's the one blank spot I have in my head. I can't really picture Mer Grey not appearing on the show. But [at least] we have Lexie Grey."

But would anyone watch Lexie Grey's Anatomy?

Q: Will Ellen Pompeo's pregnancy be written into Grey's Anatomy?

A: No. "Ellen is pregnant, but Meredith is not," Rhimes says. "Meredith wouldn't be pregnant."

Q: Now that Grey's Anatomy has finally started production, you got anything?

A: Look for Owen's PTSD to possibly flare up in the September 24 opener. I say this because a Grey's Anatomy mole says that Seattle Grace's go-to shrink, Amy Madigan, will appear in the second hour of the two-hour premiere.

Or not? This item from E! Online's spoiler Q&A this morning seems to suggest that our girl may not be out of the woods just yet when the new season begins in September ...

Q: Do you have any news on Grey's Anatomy?

A: Looks like Grey's Anatomy is currently casting an oncology resident for the second episode of Season Six. Is Dr. Izzie Stevens' cancer in remission or not? Hmmm...

These excerpts from Michael Ausiello's spoiler Q&A at EW.com today are not really Grey's Anatomy spoilers. They are, however, quite interesting in that they relate to the climactic scene of Season Five and how that came about. See below ...

Q: Any Grey's Anatomy scoop?

A: Remember the haunting image of an Army-clad George waiting outside the elevator for Izzie in the season finale? Well, it wasn't supposed to be George standing there. The scene was originally shot with Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Denny in the role of Izzie's heavenly escort.

But as Grey's boss Shonda Rhimes explains, "I received the first cut [of the finale] on a Friday and something didn't feel right. All weekend long something was bugging me."

"And then I woke up Monday morning and it hit me, 'My God, it's George! When the elevator opens, it should be George O'Malley that we see.'"

There was just one problem ... actually, two problems. To find out what they were and how they got resolved, the new Entertainment Weekly issue has the details.

Q: How much longer do we have to wait for Grey's Anatomy scoop?

A: One of the two problems involved Katherine Heigl's location at the time of Shonda's epiphany. That's all you're getting. You have to pick up the magazine.

Q: Anything on Grey's Anatomy?

A: The other problem involved what T.R. Knight did to his head after production wrapped. Now I'm really done.

Q: Please give us something on Grey's Anatomy?

A: The second problem involving T.R. Knight's head eventually became the solution. Okay, now I'm really really done. Get the rest of the scoop in this week's EW!

Your comments and theories are welcome below.

When Grey's Anatomy returns for its new season, will a matter of weeks or even months have passed since we last saw Izzie and George clinging to life?

That's been the rumor, although TV Guide debunks it in its spoiler Q&A today. Here's what the magazine has to say about the Grey's Anatomy timeline ...

Q: Is there anything to report about the new season of Grey's Anatomy?

A: I know there's been talk that Season Six might pick up a few months after the nail-biting May finale, but sources are now saying that's not the case.

In fact, the September 24 opener will find both Izzie and disfigured George still coding, and as we all know, T.R. Knight will not be returning to the cast.

Over the two-hour season premiere, watch for the outcome of this traumatic scenario to weigh heavily on a lot of people - including at least one doctor whose reaction you may have taken for granted. Now who do you think that might be?

It looks like Izzie survives on Grey's Anatomy, and we'll get to see it.

In reference to yesterday's rumor on E! Online that a priest is being cast and a wedding may take place on Grey's Anatomy, a reader asked EW's Michael Ausiello about it.

Here's what the writer had to say in his Q&A today ...

Q: Your frenemy reported that there will be a priest in the Grey's Anatomy premiere and that someone may be getting married. Care to comment?

A: Yes, there will be a priest cast on the show, but no, he won't be marrying anyone off. His presence is needed for something far less celebratory.

No further explanation should be necessary.