Uh-oh. Watch out MerDer fans and Rose-haters. Patrick Dempsey has spoken out about the show's creative direction and the Meredith/Derek/Rose relationships. "Dempsey is actually happy about the development, saying that he feels 'encouraged' that someone new has come into to his character's life. 'It will make the storylines more interesting and compelling,' Dempsey told the New York Post. 'Last season [season three] was boring to do. Enough is enough already. It's time for the writers to go back and take a look at things and find some new paths for these characters. It was too repetitive for me.'" But he's not hopeful for Meredith and Derek's relationship. "'You would think that they would work through their difficulties and move forward. Meredith needs to get healthy. That's an interesting thing to explore with her character. Does he stand by her while she goes through that? Or do they work through their problems alone? Shonda Rhimes is very clear on what she wants to do but not clear on what the actors are going to do.'" Nonetheless, "'The opportunities that the cast is getting are certainly because of the show's success,' he said. 'As long as [Grey's Anatomy] continues, we'll stay with it.'"
So, there you have it. Meredith and Derek's future is pretty much all up in the air, Patrick Dempsey's getting excited about his role again, and Rose may just stick around longer than you want her to...

Thanks to Karyn at Entertainment Weekly, who passed this along to us!

Entertainment Weekly's annual Photo Issue is here! The Oct. 19 issue (on stands nationwide Monday, Oct. 15) will feature McDreamy himself… Patrick Dempsey! Not only is he gracing our cover (attached) but he is also pictured in a 10-page portfolio in which he captures the charm and grace of old school Hollywood. The inside photos are now available on a gallery -- complete with exclusive never before seen outtakes -- and can be found at www.ew.com/dempsey. For added fun, there is also a terrific b-roll video of the actor taken during his cover shoot.

OK, I will admit it: Isaiah's story is believable. It makes sense. But he's an actor, and no one said he wasn't good at his job. Plus, this is now what? The third or fourth version of this story? And by that, I mean the third or fourth version of this story coming from Isaiah himself. Nevertheless, here's a recap of last night's interview on Larry King Live from TVGuide.com. Stay tuned for video. source

Appearing on Monday's Larry King Live, Isaiah Washington served up what many of us have been clamoring for: a blow-by-blow account of exactly what transpired on the Grey's Anatomy set last October 9. In Washington's version, T.R. Knight was nowhere near the line of fire; rather, the conflict was focused on a different cast member. "Although I love Patrick Dempsey, I have to clear the air and tell what happened," Washington said to Larry King, launching into his version of events:

Prior to October 9, while filming the "Where the Boys Are"/fishing episode, Washington was concerned that by Dempsey extending a shoot day, it appeared that the show's two "titans" were taking advantage of crew members. Washington, though, didn’t vent his frustration at the time — "[and] I was kicking myself for it."

Come October 9, Dempsey was again late to the set. "I'm mad," Washington recalls. "[But] I didn’t say anything [the previous time], so what am I going to say now?" After denying that he was even late, Dempsey said he needed to wait for Ellen Pompeo, who was to feed the actors lines from off camera. "[Patrick] said, 'I need Ellen.' I said, 'Well, I don’t need Ellen. I can act.'" That perceived slight ratcheted the tension to a new and different level. "He became unhinged," Washington says of Dempsey. "[We were] face to face, spittle to spittle. I was like, 'Why am I being berated to this point in front of our crew?' I pushed him out of my face and it took off from there."

Enter the F-word. "I said several bad words," Isaiah admits. "I said, 'There's no way you're going to treat me like a 'b-word,' a 'p-word' or 'the f-word.' You can't treat me that way in front of our crew."

Washington maintained the f-word was "never, never, never" aimed at T.R. Knight, and said that his definition of the word at the time was "someone who is weak, not deserving of respect." Tabloid reports that the fracas was centered on Knight and his sexuality "couldn’t be further from the truth," says Washington.

Why, then, did Knight come out of the closet, and subsequently offer a different version of events on Ellen? "That's the $5 million question," Washington told King. "He misrepresented himself." (Knight and Dempsey, who are allegedly under a gag order from ABC, had no comment for Larry King Live.)

Toward the end of the Q&A, Washington seemed to get emotional when asked which cast mates have lent their support, saying that he had received "a wonderful email from Sandra Oh," for example. But he doesn't expect more public support from his peers, "because of where they are. Disney is paying their bills, and you don’t mess with the Mouse. Everyone did what they had to do."

And of the person who actually leaked what may have been an inaccurate account of the October 9 to-do to the tabloids, Washington said this: "I really hope that person got paid, man. That was the stroke of death for me."