Here's all the scoop, brought to you by the one and only amazing Michael Ausiello at TVGuide.com:

How difficult was it for you to have to let Isaiah go, on a personal level?
Shonda Rhimes: It wasn't. It was a decision that was a long time in coming, and it felt like it was the right decision for all of us.

Given everything that transpired during the hiatus, did you feel the need to give the cast a pep talk on the first day back?
Rhimes: No. They're a group of real professionals who really rose to the occasion last season, and really delivered some amazingly powerhouse performances at a time when we were all sort of having an emotionally hard time. So, I feel like, no, we're a family. Nobody needed a pep talk.

So, the decision to fire Isaiah was not something that was imposed on you?
Rhimes: The great thing about [ABC Studios head] Mark Pedowitz and [ABC president] Steve McPherson is they never imposed anything on me.

So you agreed with the decision?
Rhimes: Of course I did.

Would you have written the season finale differently if that stuff hadn't happened during the season?
Rhimes: I wrote the season-ender exactly as I planned to write the season-ender. What's kind of amazing is the season-ender finished the story of Preston Burke that really paid tribute to that character and the talent of Isaiah Washington in a way that made sense. But also went exactly where our show was planning to go anyway.

You were quoted as saying it was disturbing the thought that one black actor could be replaced with another. Do you have any second thoughts about saying that, particularly in light of the recent recast on Private Practice?
Rhimes: No, I think there's a point there. I think that Preston Burke, the character that audiences have come to know and love for three seasons, it's very different. And at a time which there was some talk of, 'Let's cast this actor or that actor... " sort of naming a bunch of black actors... as if the only thing that was important about the character of Preston Burke was his race. That was disturbing to me. It's a very different situation from the enhanced [two-hour episode of Grey's], which was our version of a pilot. Pilots get recast all the time. Ours just happened to air. It wasn't a matter of needing to find another black actor. It was a matter of, Audra McDonald is the person we want.

Do you understand that there were people that interpreted this as you turning a homophobic incident into a racial incident?
Rhimes: I do now. Absolutely. But I do think that [specific] discussion was disturbing to me -- as disturbing as the entire incident that happened for T.R. and Isaiah.

In retrospect, do you wish you had spoken out sooner about the whole thing?
Rhimes: Here's the thing. I know for you guys it's incredibly frustrating that I didn't say something. And I'm kind of sorry, because I know you guys have stories to tell. For me, the story we have to tell is the story of the show, and my instinct when something like this happened is to sort of close the doors and hunker down with people that are my family and protect them as much as possible. The outside world became far less important to me than those people that I work with every day. And making sure that those people that I work with are OK. I wasn't worried about the outside world. The outside world's not something that I can control. But the people I work with every day were. And I really was spending my time dealing with that, not dealing with whether or not I should make a statement.

When was the moment when you realized, 'You know, we're going to have to make a change here?'
Rhimes: Again, I feel like this is stuff that happened in our family, and I don't want to give specifics on sort of how and what happened. But there was a moment when I was sure and felt good and comfortable about the decision and that it was the right decision to be made for everybody.

How are things between you and T.R. now?
Rhimes: We're good. I feel like everybody is working really well together. T.R. is doing some amazing work. We're moving forward. We're excited about the stories we're telling this season. It feels like they're fresh... and we're going with the idea that we want to have a little bit more fun this season.

There seems to be a lot of in-fighting at Grey's. Do you think you can do anything differently in terms of managing that set?
Rhimes: Well, I don't know. I've never run a television show before, so I only know one way to run a television show, which is: you have an enormously talented group of people; you become enormously popular way faster than you ever thought was going to happen; and then you swim.

Switching gears, were you surprised by the strong reaction to George/Izzie?
Rhimes: I had a strong reaction to George and Izzie.

A strong negative reaction?
Rhimes: I wasn't sure I was ready for it. I don't think anybody's ready for it. I don't know if George and Izzie are ready for it. He's married, and she said some really harsh things. I feel like if you follow our characters you know that they're flawed, they're human, they make mistakes. Sometimes mistakes are the absolute right decision and sometimes mistakes are the absolute wrong one. It's a really interesting relationship to explore.

According to a TSGA inside source, the season three finale Didn't We Almost Have It All? was not always going to end with Burke calling off the wedding. Here's what they report:

NOPE...there were three rewrites for that...the one thing they screwed up on was this season finale ended up being very blaise...One script called for someone to get accidentally stabbed with the wedding cake knife.

I think we can all agree that the ending to Grey's third season was insane. They left so much hanging, it's hard to pin-point it all....except, I've tried to do just that. Due to boredom in math class, I made a list comprising of over 40 questions that have yet to be answered (ie the cliffhangers). I probably actually missed some, and some are probably a little obvious, ridiculous, or redundant, but that's OK. Have one you want to add or have a speculation about the answer? Just comment this post. And just FYI, these cliffhangers that I'm listing in this post are also the words in the background of our Grey Gossip banner, imeem banner, and Myspace icon. Let the cliffhangers begin!

1. Where did Burke go?
2. How does Cristina feel?
3. Are Meredith and Derek really over?
4. What will Callie say about George failing?
5. What will Izzie say about George failing?
6. Where will George go?
7. What will George do?
8. Will Callie talk to Izzie?
9. Who is Chief?
10. Why wasn't Bailey picked for Chief Resident?
11. Will Callie get pregnant?
12. What role will Lexie Grey play next season?
13. Will Burke come back?
14. Does George love Izzie?
15. Will Cristina stay in the apartment?
16. Is Rebecca gone for good?
17. Will Alex get his chance with Rebecca?
18. Has Meredith given up hope on love?
19. Will Derek date Lexie?
20. What will Meredith think/do about Lexie doing her internship at SGH?
21. Will there be a new cardiothorastic surgeon?
22. Could a new cardiothorastic surgeon be Colin Marlow?
23. Is Richard stepping down?
24. Will Meredith put Derek "out of [his] misery?"
25. Will Adele stay with Richard?
26. Will Richard do things differently?
27. When will Callie find out about George and Izzie?
28. Will Thatcher return since Lexie is working at SGH?
29. Will Cristina go back to being her "old" self?
30. How long will it be before Meredith talks to Derek?
31. How long after the finale will Season Four pick up?
32. Will Meredith be depressed...again?
33. Will Cristina be depressed...or will she be happy and relieved?
34. What will the interns (now residents) pick as their specialties?
35. What about George?
36. How will the group react to George's failing, and his choice to not continue his medical career?
37. What will Callie say to Izzie?
38. Will George be talked into re-doing his intern year?
39. If they do return, how long will it be before Burke and Rebecca come back?
40. Will Alex have to go searching for Rebecca?
41. Better yet, will he?
42. How long will it be before George tells someone he's failed?
43. Will Bailey be depressed?
    

Here we go! Kicking CSI:'s ass one last time this year! Here are the ratings for the season finale from TVGuide.com:

In the season's final face-off between Thursday's powerhouses, both Grey's (21.53 mil) and CSI (20.2 mil) rebounded from last week's nadirs, surging 2.4 and 1.6 mil, respectively.

Well, Grey's Anatomy's third season definitley ended with a bang, and while it seems to have disappointed a lot of fans, there is still more to come (season four anyone?). Stay tuned at The Seriously Grey Area for updates concerning the finale Didn't We Almost Have It All? coming this weekend, as well as news and spoilers concerning season four. So, stick with us (and Grey's)! There's much more to come!

• Check out our take on the episode by reading our review here.
• Loved this episode? Vote for it at the Top Grey's Anatomy Episodes by clicking here.

• Shonda's blog is up! And it explains how Meredith and Derek are over, lots of new things are bound to happen next season, and that Season Four is "all about the fun, the pain, and the new beginnings..." Read it here.
  

Upfronts continued today, and today was the big day - ABC's day! As predicted, there wasn't much surprising news - Grey's Anatomy is sticking to its highly successful Thursdays-at-9 timeslot, while Private Practice is indeed going to Wednesdays-at-9. The one confusing thing here, however, is that Lost will be returning mid-season, still on Wednesdays, but not in its current Wednesdays-at-10 timeslot. ABC wants to move it up an hour or two. So, what does this mean for Private Practice? We don't know just yet.
Also, Grey's Anatomy will be getting a new show airing after it, entitled Big Shots. Here is the description for Big Shots from TVGuide.com:

This is the story of four friends at the top of their game... until the women in their lives enter the room. Lines between boardroom and bedroom blur when these competitive but dysfunctional CEOs take refuge in their friendship, discussing business, confiding secrets, seeking advice and supporting each other through life's surprising twists and turns. Starring: Michael Vartan, Dylan McDermott, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina, Nia Long, Paige Turco, Peyton List, Wendy Moniz, Jessica Collins, and Amy Sloan.

As reporters met with McPherson at ABC headquarters this a.m., the most asked question was about Grey's Anatomy's on-set scandal, and whether Isaiah Washington or T.R. Knight might be leaving the show. The answers ranged from "At this point, nothing's been decided" to "The show will return intact next season" to "Most of the cast will return." Call it a hunch, but something tells me a main castmember may indeed be leaving—or at the very least, left cliff-hanging at the end of the season.

Ignore the reports saying that this week's finale Didn't We Almost Have It All? is airing from 9 to 10:07. Try 9 to 10:15. We e-mailed ABC Media Relations to find out what time the finale really ended, and here's the response we got:

It is now 9:00 – 10:15 p.m. make sure the fans know! It was too action-packed to fit into an hour.

Upfront week is here! And while we here at The Seriously Grey Area only really worry about tomorrow's - ABC's - presentation, we also do keep an eye on what's going on with the other networks to see what may be threatening our doctors next season. Today was NBC's upfront, and nothing huge was announced (there were previous rumors that Heroes would be moved to Thursday, or that The Office would be expanded to a full hour), however, something big was announced. Yes, it's true that The Office is not expanding to a full hour, but it is moving to the 9:00 hour on Thursdays, meaning that it will be competing with Grey's. Honestly, I don't think The Office is too terrible of a threat - especially considering it is only 30 minutes - but NBC also ordered an additional five full-hour episodes of the show, which will really threaten Grey's when those air. I wouldn't be too terribly worried about The Office against Grey's, but it could possibly put a dent in the ratings (pray to God it doesn't). That's it for today's upfront news - lots more to come tomorrow, and the rest of the week, so stay tuned!
Also, be sure to check out the all-new Didn't We Almost Have It All? promo either here at Grey Gossip or over at TSGA Main. Enjoy!

OK, so she doesn't give everything away. I mean, hello! This is the Spoiler Nazi we're talking about. However, in the podcast for Testing 1-2-3 [listen here], Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers discuss the season finale, Didn't We Almost Have It All?, and Shonda actually gives something away! So, you know that whole thing about how rumors are flying that Burke will leave Cristina or Cristina will leave Burke at the altar? Well, according to Shonda, THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN. She says that they "don't do that kind of thing," and so that actually will happen and it will be other things that will be left hanging for four months over the summer. Specifically, she says "it will be resolved." So, the question of whether or not they actually get married is still up in the air. Also, be sure to check back at TSGA Main next Saturday for the Didn't We Almost Have It All? podcast, where Shonda will discuss the season finale in which, she says, we "won't believe what [they] say." So, what could those cliffhangers be? Discuss here.

There's more than two polls this time, but that's because some big things happened in Testing 1-2-3 and the season finale,Didn't We Almost Have It All? is right around the corner...

So, let's go ahead and get the depressing news out of the way: Shonda is not writing the finale Didn't We Almost Have It All? I know, I know. It totally sucks. But she isn't. Instead, the writers of last year's amazing Deterioration of the Fight or Flight Response are writing it - Tony Phelan & Joan Rater.
Now, let's go ahead and get these depressing rumors out of the way: These are the same rumors we've heard before, but now they're getting bigger coverage because some of them are true. According to an article in the National Enquirer, Isaiah Washington AND TR Knight are BOTH leaving Grey's. In the finale, Burke is said to get passed over as chief and leave Cristina at the altar, paving the way for him to leave. George is said to have failed his boards and doesn't want to re-do his internships, paving his way off Grey's. Derek is said to not be sure about his relationship with Meredith, because there "might be another woman." And Jane Doe's husband arrives. According to Michael Ausiello, some of those are true. But he won't say which ones. Hopefully, only the one about Jane Doe is true. However, I could see the IW one being true, although I really hope that doesn't happen.
Alright, depressing news is over. On to some happy things! We were all disappointed at the fact that this year's finale would only be an hour, but, in fact, it is a little longer. Not one-and-a-half or two. But, it is a 67-minute finale...a little bit longer!
Also, the description has been released for Didn't We Almost Have It All? which can be read right here.

As for now, that's all. More news will come later as more things develop.

Now, usually we don't post this information here as it gets posted on the main site but since this is the season finale and arguably the biggest episode of the season because it is the finale, we just want to let you all know...the title of Episode 325, the season three finale of Grey's is...

Check out this awesome news from TVGuide.com:

Spin-off shmin-off. Let's talk Grey's Anatomy proper. The popular rom-dram may — just may — wash away its Season 3 backstage troubles and on-screen waterski-flirtations with a May wedding for Christina and Burke. Judging by pics and sightings shared at JustJared, Katherine Heigl's Izzie is suited up as a bridesmaid, while Ellen Pompeo appears to be the Mer of honor. The spied scenes, though, are merely from a bridal-shop try-on session for Yang & Co., so will the vow-swap actually go off without a hitch? Or will Roger Rees pull a Benjamin Braddock? Eww, I don't need to see that.