Grey's Anatomy: Rebirth Is The Theme Of The New Season

Grey's Anatomy boss, Shonda Rhimes, was interviewed by TV Guide about what to expect from  the upcoming season of Grey's and this is what she said.

Normally, people who finish med school and save other peoples' lives for a living are considered adults — that is, unless they're Doogie Houser. Or on Grey's Anatomy. After six seasons, the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, says her characters are finally becoming adults — and that their problems will only get more grown-up.

TVGuide.com: What can you tell us about the upcoming season of Grey's Anatomy?
Rhimes: With both Grey's and Private Practice, we've got two really exciting seasons coming up. It's been really fun to sit down and plan them. Our characters are growing up on Grey's. They're really adults now and that's been a real challenge, in how to let them be grownups and figure out what that means for them.

TVGuide.com: Meredith's miscarriage in the finale was heartbreaking. Now that she knows she wants to have a baby, will that be a focus for her this season?
Rhimes: It's possible. The theme for the entire season of Grey's this year is rebirth, so extrapolate from there.

TVGuide.com: James Tupper is coming in as a trauma counselor for the first three episodes. Are there any characters in particular taking it harder than others?
Rhimes: I think they're all taking it pretty hard in their own individual ways. We talked about it a lot, and the fact that there's this group of people that's been extraordinarily damaged by this experience. That's what's going to be carrying them forward, and it will change how they view their jobs, view themselves and view their relationships with one another. A lot of them were about to die. I think they're all fairly damaged and trying to recover.

Dancing Queen

Random pic of the day:

 

  Sandra Oh at a party in celebration of her Marie Claire-cover on March 12, 2007.

Behind The Scenes Of 'Ramona and Beezus'

Here is a brief behind-the-scenes scene with Sandra Oh from Ramona And Beezus. Sandra's scene starts around the 1:25 mark.

'Rabbit Hole' Goes To TIFF

The much anticipated premiere of Sandra Oh's upcoming film Rabbit Hole has finally been announced. The movie, which is based on a Pulitzer-winning play by David Lindsay-Abaire and stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart, will have its first screening at the Toronto International Film Festival which runs between September 9-19th this year.

About Rabbit Hole:

Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie Corbett (Aaron Eckhart) are a happily married couple whose perfect world is forever changed when their young son is taken from them in a tragic car accident. As Becca redefines her place among friends and family, she finds solace in a mysterious relationship with the young driver of the car that killed her son.

Sandra Oh supposedly plays a character called Gabby who befriends Becca and Howie in a grief support group.

Sandra mentioned the script briefly in an interview last year:

"Yah, you should see the script for that one," she says of Rabbit Hole. "It's incredible."

Grey's Anatomy: The Changing Of The Game

We can always rely on Sandra Oh's co-stars when it comes to Grey's scoop and here is what Jessica Capshaw had to say about the new season in an recent interview with Fancast:

The "event".

Does the new season pick up soon after those events, or have months and months passed?

It’s pretty soon after those events, and we’re dealing with what has just happened, putting the pieces back together again. Shonda so famously said it was a “game changer,” and it’s hard to live up to that, but it really was a game changer. Now you’ll see how the game has changed for all the different personalities. There were a lot of “Come to Jesus” moments that each character had in some way, and now we’ll look at what those declarations made in the moment will mean for the future – whether people live up to them, or don’t.

You Can Leave Your Hat On

The new-old interview of the week is a brief one, but it contains this fab photo of Sandra Oh:

Publication unknown.

Scan Credit: @lavender_indigo

JADE: Getting to Know Ms. Oh

Since the interview we posted on Monday was brief, we're posting another one this week like promised.

This one is from back in the day when Sandra Oh was doing Arli$$ on HBO and was originally published in JADE magazine, March/April 2001:

For those of you who have HBO, you've probably heard of Arli$$. If not, you are missing out on Sandra Oh as Miss Rita Wu, a character that Asian women should be proud of!

She defies the sterotypes of submissive Asian women. As HBO describes it, "Rita is Arliss' no-nonsense Girl Friday, seven days a week. Rita's the one you want in your boat, ready to pass out life preservers and give directions. With enormous appeal and sass, she is often the moral voice in the AMM chorus, although she does have a certain weakness for Latin golf clients."

Outtakes of Sandra Oh as Rita Wu in Arliss

Before Rita, Sandra played Jade Li, a feisty Chinese-Canadian struggling actress in Mina Shum's Double Happiness A movie that every Asian Canadian and Asian American can relate too. You should definitely go out to Blockbuster and rent this movie!

We were able to catch up with Sandra to ask her a few questions about her experiences as a Asian Canadian actor.

JADE: What was it like living in Nepean, Ontario as an Asian Canadian?

Sandra: I can't really compare it to anything else (i.e. being non-asian). It was a great safe place to grow up, there weren't a lot of Asians around but it didn't really matter to me.

JADE: When did you decide that you wanted to go into acting, or to be a performer?

Sandra: Very early, the desire was there by 10 - but the real decision came after high school when I chose NOT to go to college.

JADE: First off, out of all the movies that I've seen, only a few have had an impact on me and Double Happiness was one of them. I remember watching, Double Happiness and laughing so hard at some of Jade Li's experiences. I thought it was about time someone brought out the Asian culture to mainstream. I personally related to it. Why and how did you get involved in "Double Happiness"? Did you know Mina Shum personally?

Sandra: I got involved in Double Happiness because Mina asked. It was a great part and opportunity. I had just finished the Diary of Evelyn Lau and Mina played the part of my social worker. She leaned over to me and said "you're not really 14 are you?" (I was 20) "Here, read my script!"

JADE: Is there a Hollywood-like enviroment in Canada? If so, is it hard for Asian-Canadians to get into this industy?

Sandra: No, the Hollywood paradign does not exist in Canada. It is extremely difficult to get a film made in Canada, even more difficult to get cast when you're a woman and not white. Because there isn't a great amount of output, there are simply fewer opportunities for good work, for any work.

JADE: How did you break into the American entertainment industry and was it difficult?

Sandra: Not at all, the difference is the access to opportunity. I was extremely lucky. I came to L.A. for the 1st time in 1995 with Double Happiness. I was able to get an agent very quickly (Korean too). I left Toronto to try L.A. for 6 months. I lived on couches and a cheap hotel on Franklin Avenue. But auditioned and worked far more than I ever would have in Canada. I was cast in a short lived CBS show (got me my work permit), a short film (Sunny Lee directed) a play (Diana Son, playwrite) then landed the Arliss pilot. I went back to Toronto to do a play, then moved to L.A. in March 1996 because Arliss was picked up. I'm shooting the 6th season now.

JADE: This maybe a bit strange, but when I watch Rita on Arliss, I don't see an Asian person, rather just the comical character of Rita. I think it's great when it's not about race, but about the character. Rita is very self-assured, fashion conscious, and in the world of her own. How much of you is in Rita?

Sandra: It's lovely that you think Rita is self assured. I love her because she's competent, unsure and a bit of a loser. That's what makes her funny. I think I share Rita's energy, not as manic, but an energy that goes forward in life. Please note: I am not a sarcastic, sardonically wry person at all.

JADE: What's it like working with the rest of the cast in Arliss? From an audience point of view it seems like you guys are having fun.

Sandra: That's where I am the luckiest. I love the people I work with. we're a small cast (4 people - Robert Wuhl, Jim Turner and Michael Boatman) So we're quite close. We just make each other laugh and entertain each other.

JADE: How did you get the Rita part? Was Rita's character was written to be Asian?

Sandra: I auditioned twice. Then was offered it without that awful screentest experience. Rita was written non-race specific.

JADE: Growing up, who was your role model, and why?

Sandra: My mom and dad, sister and brother. They were around a lot. The TV show Fame. The Carol Burnett Show.

JADE: If you could only take three items with you to a deserted island for a year, what would they be and why?

Sandra:
1. A radio (life long batteries included), must be able to pick up KCRW in Santa Monica and KLON jazz Long Beach.
2. An empty journal
3. A pen (life long ink cartridge included).

JADE: What piece of advice would you give to young Asian women wanting to become actors?

Sandra: I don't mean to be a downer, but I truly mean this. Only if its too painful NOT to become one. Only if it's not a choice (Stop if you don't know what I mean). It's too difficult otherwise.

Source: JADE Magazine. March/April, 2001.

Colour Therapy

Random pic of the day:

Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) deals with the aftermath of what happened in the season finale of Grey's Anatomy by getting a colourful makeover:

Nah.

The pics are from the movie Cake (2005) which also stars Heather Graham and Taye Diggs.

Grey's Anatomy: Back To Work

Sandra Oh's co-star Sara Ramirez was recently interviewed by SheWired where she talked about the cast of Grey's coming back to the set after the hiatus and gave a little tease about the season premiere:

Can you give us an inside scoop into the new season of Grey’s Anatomy and what fans can expect?

We just had our first read through yesterday for season seven! It was really exciting and total first day of school vibes. Everyone was really excited to see each other because we’d been off for a couple of months. We were all either refreshed or exhausted because if someone just came off of another job. We all caught up and it was just such good energy. We read the first two episodes, which are going to be really awesome! There is going to be a major surgery within the first episode, of course, and everyone is coming back from being “away."

Via Sara Ramirez Fans

Sandra Oh To Judge The Korean BBQ Cook-Off

Sandra Oh will judge this year's Korean BBQ Cook-Off. It all happens  in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 7, 2010 and the entrance is free for everyone. Here is some more info about the event from the official website:

The Korean BBQ Cook-Off brings the top Korean BBQ restaurants in Los Angeles to showcase their best BBQ dishes to the public and to compete for the “best of” categories. It is an annual event organized by Korean American Coalition (KAC) to promote Korean cuisine and culture to all communities in the greater Los Angeles area.

If you're in the area and interested in attending the event click here for more details.

Something Special

Ramona and Beezus premiers tomorrow and we've been posting links to some of the reviews of the movie on our Twitter-account. Most of the reviewers have said nice things about Sandra Oh's performance in the movie, but this one from Michael Phillips, the movie critic at Chicago Tribune, is the nicest. He starts his review like this:

Know how to give mild G-rated fare a little something special? Cast Sandra Oh as an elementary school teacher who enjoys her orderly ways, and who regards the Ramona half of "Ramona and Beezus," taken from the venerable Beverly Cleary children's books, as more challenge than charmer.

Oh's droll supporting turn as Ramona's third-grade instructor reminds us how much good a performer can do even when the material makes her work for it.

Cristina, Owen And Teddy In An Award-Winning Love Triangle

Everyone hated the Cristina/Owen/Teddy love triangle on Grey's Anatomy so much this past season, it has now even won an award.

E! Online announced the winners for their annual Tater Top Awards where over half a million people voted. The Cristina/Owen/Teddy triangle won in the category Love Triangle You're So Over with almost one third of the votes:

LOVE TRIANGLE YOU'RE SO OVER

Winner: Cristina/Owen/Teddy, Grey's Anatomy (30.0%)
Emma/Will/Terri, Glee (22.2%)
Stefan/Elena/Damon, The Vampire Diaries (21.1%)
Finn/Rachel/Jesse, Glee (13.8%)
Eric/Sookie/Bill, True Blood (13.0%) 

Pointing Fingers

Cute photo of Sandra Oh and her Ramona And Beezus co-star (and fan) Joey King on the set of the movie, which was shot in Vancouver last year.

Source

Missing Grey's Anatomy

BHJ from MamaPop (aka the dude with the funny recaps) can’t accept that the Grey’s Anatomy people just disappear into the void during the summer, so he wrote a piece of "fan fiction" about it and included himself in it. Here is the excerpt:

So, being that the characters exist primarily in our imaginations, where else, but our imaginations, should we look for what’s happening in the lives of our favorite characters?

...

I’m in Seattle with chest pains, probably a heart attack, so I go to Seattle Grace. It only opened yesterday. It was shut down for a couple days because some lunatic, avenging his dead wife, walked around and shot everybody. I am immediately referred to Dr. Yang. Well, okay.

“It’s not a heart attack.” she says. “I think it’s gas. Or it might be this rare medical condition where you have two hearts because you’re so filled with love and joy. Probably gas, though. I’m going to run some tests.”

We are in love.

Which puts me in quite a pickle because I’m married and I have two kids. Maybe I do have two hearts. “You have a wife?!?” Yang implores, noting my ring. “But we just fell in love during a routine intake for chest pains that are probably gas!”

“Yeah.” I say. “She’s a nurse.” I’m torn asunder by the drama of loving two women to the soundtrack of some emo guy strumming a guitar and singing about the ceaselessness of waves on the beach. Yang laughs her head off.

Read more here

Thirty-Something

Happy birthday to Sandra Oh who turns 39 today!

Cheers.

Herald Sun: Oh For A Stable Life

This week's new-old interview is a brief one, from the Canadian newspaper Herald Sun, and was originally published on June 14, 2006.

We'll post another oldie later in the week.

As always, huge thanks to miss Amy for the scans.

An Animated Conversation

Random pics of the day:

Sandra Oh, Alexander Payne and Laura Dern at the 7th Annual Filmmakers Alliance Gala on August 18, 2004.

From Book To Screen

The filming of 'Thorne: Scaredy Cat' wrapped in London recently and author Mark Billingham posted this interesting tidbit on his website about the screen adaptation of his books and what we can expect from it:

Mark Billingham and Sandra Oh on the set of Scaredy Cat in July in London.

Filming is now complete on ‘Thorne’ the TV series, which will be shown this Autumn on Sky One. The six episodes are based on the first two novels in the series – Sleepyhead and Scaredy Cat – and I am thrilled with how it has turned out. Aside from the wonderful David Morrissey, who has always been the actor I wanted to play Tom Thorne, the series features Aiden Gillen, Eddie Marsan, Natascha McElhone and Sandra Oh: an amazing cast!

Click here to see an exclusive extract from the Sleepyhead TV seriesIt remains to be seen if the TV incarnations of Thorne, Hendricks, Holland and the others will change the way that readers see these characters when they are reading the books. After all, it is almost impossible not to associate John Thaw with Inspector Morse, however much he might differ from the character in Colin Dexter’s books. It’s certainly not changing the way I write, which is the most important thing.

As with any adaptation of a book, there have been a number of changes in bringing these books to the screen, but I am happy with all of them. There are things you can do in a book that simply will not work on screen and it is impossible to make a four hundred page novel into three hours of television without condensing and cutting. So, there will be significant differences in story and character, but I hope the programmes are not judged in comparison with the novels but as a series of films in their own right. Even if Thorne’s cat does not make an appearance.

Another performer not making an appearance is the author himself, whose cameo as ‘unnamed detective in the back of shot’ did not make the final cut. This is why I gave up acting and became a writer…

Sandra Oh's character Sarah Chen (aka Sarah McEvoy) is a very interesting character in the books, so let's hope that she is just as fascinating to watch on the screen.

JANE: The Five Really Key Questions

It's Monday aka interview day here at Sandra Oh News.

Today we're posting an interview from Jane magazine, from October 2004, where Sandra Oh shares her views on tattoos, urges and s-e-x.

(click to enlarge)

Scan credit

Interview With Sandra Oh About 'Ramona And Beezus'

Here is a new interview with Sandra Oh, who talks about her latest movie Ramona and Beezus which premiers on July 23.

Sandra plays Ramona's teacher, Mrs. Meacham, in the movie, or as Sandra puts it, Ramona's nemesis.

Do Not Disturb

Random pic of the day.

It's A Wrap For 'Scaredy Cat'

Author Mark Billingham wrote a bit about the adaptation of Scaredy Cat - in which Sandra Oh stars - in his latest newsletter and here is what he said:

TOM ON THE TELLY

Filming has now been completed on adaptations of the first two Tom Thorne novels, SLEEPYHEAD and SCAREDY CAT. I’ve seen rough cuts of the first three episodes and am hugely excited with how the series is looking.

I can confirm that aside from the fabulous David Morrissey as Tom Thorne, the cast includes Aiden Gillen (“The Wire”) as Phil Hendricks, Eddie Marsan (“Sherlock Holmes”) as Kevin Tughan, “Natascha McElhone (“Californication”) as Anne Coburn and Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as Sarah Chen.

SLEEPYHEAD is directed by Stephen Hopkins (“24”) who has done an amazing job, and shows a side of London that is rarely seen on screen. There will be an exclusive British Film Institute preview of SLEEPYHEAD at the National Film Theatre in early October. This will be followed by a Q&A, in which the audience may ask such pertinent questions as, “Why, oh why was the author’s brief, yet telling performance as ‘Unnamed Detective In The Background’ so brutally edited out?”

Yes, it’s true. Tragically, my Hitchcock-like cameo did not make the final cut. Perhaps it will see the light of day on the DVD extras. It was probably my own fault for waving a copy of the novel and mouthing “I wrote this!”

The series will begin showing in the UK on Sky One in mid-October and as news of sales to foreign territories is coming in all the time, hopefully viewers elsewhere will be able to see it soon afterwards.

Grey's Anatomy Captionized: Episode 6.05 and 6.06

It's been a while, but finally she's back, peeps. We're talking about the very talented and funny Angelamermaid and her hilarious Grey's Anatomy recaps aka Grey's Anatomy: Captionized which we can't praise enough.

Here is a sneak peek from episode 6.05 and 6.06:

 The entire episode is available here.

Also don't forget to check out the archives: Season 5 and Season 6. Great stuff!

A Lesson In Acting

Random quote of the day on Sandra Oh from a fan on Twitter:

Saturday Night: The Story Of Oh

It is Monday which means another new-old Sandra Oh interview.

This week we bring you one from the Canadian magazine, Saturday Night, originally published in October 2005.

Credit Scan

In The Dictionary

Something very random from the Vancouver Sun, as we do cover all things Sandra after all...

Sandra Oh is now a term in a Canadian dictionary:

Now there’s a new kid on the block. HarperCollins has published the Collins Canadian Dictionary, an 1,108-page volume containing such Canadianisms as “ beaver fever,” “ humidex” and “ flipper pie,” plus so many page-long essays ( e. g., “ The Use of ‘ Eh’,” “ Scottish Dialect in Canadian English,” “ Leonard Cohen”) that it seems part encyclopedia.

...

Collins has been publishing dictionaries for 175 years, but the Collins Canadian is the first to emphasize this country’s coinages and usages. Among its 3,000 biographical entries are ones for Douglas Coupland, Sandra Oh and Oscar Peterson. 

Source: "Look up ‘ flipper pie’ in new Canadian dictionary" (July 3, 2010). Vancouver Sun.

Sandra Oh Celebrates 'Shakespeare In The Park'

Diana Son, Sandra Oh and Chay Yew at a party celebrating the opening of the Shakespeare in the Park productions The Winter's Tale and The Merchant of Venice in Central Park,  New York on June 30.


Source

A Benefit For The New Black Fest

Lynn Nottage, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, hosted a benefit in her home in Brooklyn in order to raise money to create a festival "aiming to showcase innovative work by and about black people from around the world."

Sandra Oh attended the event which was held on June 28th and New York Times has the scoop:

Ms. Hall and Suzan Lori-Parks (“Topdog/Underdog”) were among the prominent playwrights attending the benefit. By the end of the night, $7,000 had been raised as the hat was passed among about 45 people from the world of film and theater, including Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Russell Hornsby and Chris Chalk (who play the sons in the Broadway revival of “Fences”), Eisa Davis (“Passing Strange”), the directors Malcolm Lee and Charles Randolph-Wright, and David Dower, associate director of Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.

The full article is available here