Bionic Woman

Controversial Bionic Woman actor Isaiah Washington recently blogged about DNA memory on The Huffington Post, a website that features political and entertainment news from a liberal perspective.

The post appeared on February 19, and arose from Washington’s Gondobay Manga Foundation, an organization he founded that encourages African Americans to trace their ancestry through DNA tests. After Washington underwent a DNA test in 2005 he discovered he was was a direct descendant of the Mende Temne Peoples of Sierra Leone, which inspired him to visit that extremely impoverished country and learn more about its people and its low infant survival rate. During his visit, he was given the name “Chief Gondobay Manga” which he then used as the name of his foundation.

“I researched Sierra Leone for 8 intense months, reading one horror story after another about Sierra Leone after its Independence from British Rule in 1961,” Washington wrote in his blog post. “But the thing that interested me the most, was Sengbe Pieh, or ‘Joseph Cinque’ — the Mende leader that lead the revolt on the slave ship, Le Amistad.

“I said, ‘Wow! This guy is one of my ancestors! What now?’” Washington continued. “My answer? I decided to go see the country and Sengbe Pieh’s people, my people, for myself. Mind you, I had no idea how this trip was going to even begin to come together, but I prayed and planned on having everything and everyone that I needed to make the journey. Many phone calls and several bizarre ‘coincidences’ later, I had a full a budget, Visas, Camera Crew, a Corporate Council on Africa Sierra Leonean Representative, a Architect, a Special Agent, a Plastic Surgeon and a NAACP Human Rights Attorney getting on a plane with me headed for Sierra Leone in May 2006!”

He also writes about the more mystical aspects of his experience, like how the features of the people of Sierra Leone reminded him of his relatives in Houston and how he instinctively knew the area because he had dreamed about it since he was a teenager. The DNA test made him feel more connected to his roots and to African American history as a whole, which inspired him to help raise global awareness of the people there and their needs.

Washington also feels inspired to help other African Americans reconnect with their roots. He appeared at the Golden Globe swag suites in January, explaining the importance of DNA testing to his fellow celebrities and encouraging them to get their DNA tested as well. The tests were done right there along side the free sunglasses and other giveaways under Washington’s watchful eye.

As with all things Isaiah there are some controversial passages in the post as well, but Washington seems resigned to the fact that not everyone will agree with him these days. His post generated 26 comments, a relatively low number on a site where comments can be in the thousands for top stories, most of them discussing genetic theories or recommending books for further reading.

Isaiah Washington is included on a list of the top twenty one money losers of 2007, in a list compiled by AOL’s Money & Finance Blogging Stocks. The actor’s well-documented dust up over his gay slurs cost him a lucrative job on Grey’s Anatomy, one of the most successful shows on television, and the high salary he enjoyed playing a doctor at Seattle Grace Hospital. The backlash also made it harder to gain new employment once he finished his guest stint on Bionic Woman, as the role of Antonio Pope is the only confirmed gig he has landed since he was fired from Grey’s.

As we discussed earlier in the week, hiring Isaiah got the network the headlines they wanted this summer but may have cost the show some coveted audiences. Particularly gay audiences, who have embraced Lindsay Wagner and Bionic Woman as something of a seventies icon and were naturally curious about the show. Gay viewers are known for their loyalty and their high household incomes, both of which are coveted by advertisers.

Other money losers on the list included NBA legend Michael Jordan, whose divorce cost him over $168 million this year, convicted dog fighter Michael Vick, and Britney Spears, who also suffered a plethora of legal troubles in 2007. There were several mortgage brokers whose plan to take advantage of low income borrowers cost them their jobs on the list as well, along with the “American Homeowners” who got pwned in the process and boy band producer (and alleged ponzi scheme creator) Lou Perlman.

Bionic Woman, Isaiah Washington, Grey’s Anatomy, Michael Jordan, Lou Perlman, mortgage, gay, money

We are consciously trying to avoid reporting on this week’s premature headlines announcing that Bionic Woman has been canceled, since so many people have been prematurely announcing that for weeks now. Roco has the scoop on the most recent rumors over at bionic-blog if you are interested. The show started off so strong, as the Entertainment Weekly photo here demonstrates, and now Jaime is everybody’s favorite whipping girl. What is it about this show that makes people gleefully long for the day that it goes off the air??

Isaiah Washington stole the show when he picketed with his former castmates from Grey’s Anatomy earlier this week. You may remember that Isaiah left a storm of controversy in his wake on the Grey’s set, which a controversial point of publicity for Bionic Woman this season. Ryan, ever the IW fan, gives his thoughts on this below.

There was some talk about Katee Sackhoff getting a Golden Globe nomination for her performance as Sarah Corvus on Bionic Woman, but when the nominations came out earlier this week she was not on the list.

Lucy Hale, who plays Becca Sommers on Bionic Woman, was among the young stars who recently attended the DVD premiere of High School Musical 2.

NBC issued over $10 million in refunds to advertisers upset with the low ratings the channel is getting as a result of show hiatus issues and the writers’ strike.

And last but not least, if you are missing Michelle Ryan during the writers’ strike, you may want to check out these new Michelle Ryan desktops which are available for download.

Regular readers of this blog know that I consider Isaiah Washington’s casting on Bionic Woman one of the dumbest mistakes NBC could have made for a new show.  Washington, as you will recall, is the serial bigot responsible for outing fellow Grey’s Anatomy co-star T.R. Knight and referring to him as a “faggot”.  Doing the right thing (i.e. recognizing that pissing off your gay constituency is plain stupid) Shonda Rhimes fired Washington from the show. 

Incapable of appreciating that bigotry is unacceptable, Washington proceed to tell anyone who would listen that it was in fact Knight who should have been fired from Grey’s, not him.  Washington never gave a logical explanation why Knight, the slurred party, should have been fired. 

So, the WGA strike continues in Hollywood and Wednesday was diversity day where all minority writers and actors were scheduled to show up and support the writers.

Apparently forgetting that he was fired from Grey’s Anatomy, and completely missing the irony, Washington showed up outside Paramount studios and positioned himself with fellow cast mates from Grey’s.

Via OIH:

Asked if Washington was with the Grey’s group, Heigl, who had previously publicly criticized Washington told The Daily News, “He’s not with me.”

But Washington, in typical fashion, denied there were problems with his former co-workers: “They’re former castmates. I’ve been in over 25 movies, I have lots of former castmates.” Washington later posed for a picture with Justin Chambers, who plays Alex Karev.

At what point does Washington realize that he becomes more and more of a joke and that his fellow castmates are glad that he is no longer on the Grey’s set causing problems?  Also, if I were Washington, I would beg Heigl to forgive me because she eviscerates him every time in the press when he does something stupid.  Wednesday was no exception. 

Washington is pathetic as he once again embarrassed himself and turned an event designed to support the WGA into an event about Isaiah Washington.  If he was really there to support the WGA, why wasn’t he at the Bionic Woman picket line?  Oh they essentially fired him from BW too when his character was shot and killed after only five episodes.  It seems Stevie Wonder is the only person in Hollywood singing Washington’s bigoted praises.

The Los Angeles Times suggests the Bionic Woman writers use their time on the picket lines to rethink some of the more annoying aspects of the show, and come back with more action and less Becca.

Berkut Group prez and actor Miguel Ferrar was all over the gossip blogs this weekend, after his cousin George Clooney mentioned him in an upcoming W magazine interview.  George revealed that Miguel was the man who taught him about prostitutes, but the story is not quite as scandalous as it sounds.  Apparently the two were driving around L.A. in a Porsche shortly after young George came to town … "We pulled up at the stoplight, and all of these girls came over, and they were like, ‘Hey, do you want to party?’ I looked at Miguel and I said, ‘Chicks love me, man! I’m on fire here!’"  Miguel is also the source of a recent OK! magazine story reiterating Clooney’s vow to never marry again. 

Someone else to add to the list of people who think that casting Isaiah Washington was a mistake:  Steve McPherson, the head of ABC, was recently quoted in the New York Times as saying network exec Ben Silverman was “clueless or stupid” in the way he negotiated to bring IW to BW.

A lot of bloggers have been laughing about the iPhone scene in The List, as it seems guest star Callum Keith Rennie was holding the phone upside down for at least half of the scene where he is threatening to kill Tom while negotiating the price of his life with Jaime.  Some of them wonder if the error was on purpose, given NBC’s well-documented dispute with Apple.

Michelle Ryan has gotten some press recently for expressing a desire to break into movies, which she may be able to do sooner rather than later depending on what happens with the strike.

I had such high hopes for Bionic Woman.  When I learned David Eick, of Battlestar Galactica fame, was turning his eye to this 70’s classic, my nostalgic heart skipped a beat.  While no woman would ever replace the original Jaime Sommers, Lindsay Wagner, I was ready to let go of the past and enjoy a darker, more subversive hour long drama.

With each passing episode, episode 5 just aired, my disappointment and dissatisfaction grows.  Now on the third show runner (the person in charge of the show), BW has been a bionic mess since the un-aired pilot made its way online.

This scene from episode 5 pretty much sums up the problem with BW:  the writing is inconsistent and Isaiah Washington.  Take a look.

This scene makes absolutely no sense to the episode nor the characters as they have been presented.  Isaiah Washington’s character is supposed to be a world class top secret spy and his alias to guest star Jordan Bridges is that he is Jaime Sommers’ uncle?   This is stupid. 

Furthermore, why is this scene even necessary to the episode other than to satisfy Washington’s minimum line per episode contract?  It’s awkward, it doesn’t make sense, and of course, it goes without saying that Washington’s acting style is horrible.

BW is has many problems, but an easy one to solve is to write clear, logical scenes that are beneficial to advancing the plot and logically fit the construct and narrative of the week’s episode and the series as a whole.

It’s time to cast Lindsay Wagner as the head of a competing corporation to the Berkut Group.  This would be fun and at least it would satisfy my nostalgic cravings.

  Since the announcement he was cast as a recurring character on Bionic Woman, I have been adamant that Washington was a horrible choice, even before his first line was uttered.  Scoring the worst line of last week’s episode, there is nothing appealing about Washington’s acting style nor his contribution to the struggling show.  It seems Bruce Fretts at TV Guide.com agrees:

Jeers to Isaiah Washington for his tragically lethargic performance on Bionic Woman. The former Grey’s Anatomy lightning rod was clearly brought onto NBC’s sci-fi remake to generate controversy — and ratings — but he sucks the life out of every scene. As Antonio Pope, the trainer/guru of Jaime Sommers (Michelle Ryan, who’s no party herself), he’s adopted a too-cool-for-school acting style, mumbling his lines and only coming to life when he’s kicking somebody’s ass. Washington needs to take a cue from his Bionic cast mate Katee Sackhoff and amp up his energy level several notches. He should be better, stronger… and less boring.

So far, BW has been disappointing.  If it weren’t for Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Corvus, this blog would have stopped writing about the show after watching the un-aired pilot.  Washington was a poor choice because his casting immediately alienated many gay viewers and now we see his self-aware, stale acting style doesn’t compliment the show.

Since he is so bad on BW, I am awaiting the announcement from NBC any day now that Washington will star in a mid-season replacement.

UPDATE:

Surfing the net, I noticed over at Roco’s place, he’s got a poll going asking readers how interested they are in seeing Washington in a spin-off series.  50 percent say no way.

Tonight’s episode, “Faceoff” looks even more fun than last week’s episode because the action sequence looks bigger and better.  Also, Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers look like she will duke it out with Isaiah Washington’s Antonio Pope.  Episode 1.03 had a brief sparring scene between the two, but also produced the worst line of the series thus far.

Remember, Bionic Woman airs on NBC Wednesdays at 8/9 CST.

Episode 1.03 “Sisterhood” really kicked the series into high gear and provided Katee Sackhoff with some great lines.  My favorite is this clip. 

The set up:

Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers has just turned down Katee Sackhoff as Sarah Corvus’ request to become a live test subject.  Corvus explains that she has no longer has feelings.  Despite the request, Sommers tells her no and this line comes just as Corvus storms out the parking garage where this scene took place.

Sarah Corvus:  “It feels pretty dramatic to me.  Not that I can actually feel anything, but I can intellectually imagine that that feels pretty dramatic.”

The worst line of the episode naturally was delivered by Isaiah Washington.  Washington was unfortunately cast as Antonio Pope.  Pope is an employee of the Berkut Group and assigned to train Sommers and prepare her for fighting terrorists and bad guys.

The set up:

Sommers and Jae Kim have just completed a sparring match.  Washington hurls this one liner at her before they spar.  The line is stupid and Washington is horrible.  So, it is my worst line of the week.

Antonio Pope:  “All right boys and girls, I’m about to get analog on your ass.”

I first read about serial bigot Isaiah Washington’s radio appearance on Stevie Wonder’s radio show at TMZ.com.  As our regular readers know, I believe Washington was unfortunately cast as recurring character on Bionic Woman. 

The TMZ.com article appears to be a pretty “straight”forward news story about Stevie Wonder breaking into song during Washington’s appearance last Thursday.  The article in its entirety:

Things are certainly looking up for Isaiah Washington. First, he lands a part on one of the hottest new shows this Fall (”Bionic Woman”) and a development deal with NBC. Now, he’s got none other than Stevie Wonder singing songs in his honor. My Cherie Amour!

Isaiah was on Stevie’s radio show on KJLH in Los Angeles on Thursday , when Stevie and the crew spontaneously broke into a song about Mr. Washington himself. It’s really just a chant for about a minute, but then Stevie himself breaks out a verse and it is truly on.
It’s hard to be mad at anyone when the man who wrote “Songs in the Key of Life” is singing.

Seems pretty innocuous until you actually click through and listen to the one minute clip and listen to what is said that makes Wonder break into song about Washington.  After commenting on Washington being fired from Grey’s Anatomy last year because of his gay slurs, Stevie Wonder then sings this impromptu song about Isaiah Washington doing God’s work because he is “outspoken”.

God’s work?  I’m not sure what God Stevie Wonder is referring to but hurling gay slurs at your co-worker and publicly outing him is not “doing God’s work.” In my book, it is just the opposite.  This group is doing God’s work. Washington, not so much.  In fact, Washington’s “outspoken” behavior got him fired from the hottest show on television because it was mean and bigoted.  

However, I will agree with one observation made during the show, how Washington is able to secure work in Hollywood amazes me too.   

Finally, why TMZ.com failed to mention the complete context of this song and interview is disappointing.  Are there no gay people working at TMZ.com who were outraged by this interview?  Washington’s behavior?  Stevie Wonder literally singing praises to bigotry?  Does TMZ.com have no idea how many gays read their site?

Bionic Woman has won praise for casting Will Yun Lee from folks who want to see more Asian Americans on TV, particularly after episode two’s sexy scenes between his character and the blonde Sarah Corvus played by Katee Sackhoff.

Defamer slams Isaiah Washington for boasting that he was more popular than Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton combined. Perhaps Isaiah will run for President in 2012?

Roco at Bionic-Blog has found a music montage set to Breathe Me, the song that was playing while Jaime cried in the bathtub during the pilot.

Click here to watch Lucy Kate Hale talk about the love/hate relationship Jaime and Becca have and how she hopes it will mature as the season progresses.

The second episode of Bionic Woman got mixed reviews. If you missed it you can catch up with a detailed recap here.

Prefer to read about Bionic Woman in Spanish? Check out Bitacora Bionica!

Bionic Woman, Spanish, Isaiah Washington, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Breathe Me, Jaime Sommers, Sarah Corvus, Katee Sackhoff, Will Yun Lee

It appears Isaiah Washington’s publicist is working in hyper drive, securing an article in the New York Post over the weekend with Paige Albiniak.  Honestly, I don’t know why Washington’s people let him speak in public at all.  His inability to keep his bigoted thoughts to himself got him fired from Grey’s Anatomy last year and this interview further reveals how out of touch with reality he is.

Isaiah Washington says things are going so well on the Vancouver set of NBC’s “Bionic Woman” that the network already is considering a spinoff featuring his character. Washington plays Antonio Pope, the ex-Special Forces mentor of the newly bionic Jaime Sommers, played by Michelle Ryan.

“There’s been some relative excitement about my presence,” says the 44-year-old actor. “I may end up doing more than five episodes. I don’t see myself becoming a series regular but there’s some talk about spinning me off into my own show once ‘Bionic Woman’ becomes a huge hit.”

Really?  The executives at NBC have already started talking to Washington about a spin-off character for a show that has aired one episode and has yet to introduce his character?  I hardly think that is the case, but just more of Washington running his mouth.  Remember last year when Washington blamed T.R. Knight for making him use those gay slurs and insisted it was Knight who should have been fired instead?  After watching the clip of Washington’s character meeting Michelle Ryan’s Jaime Sommers, I am underwhelmed and remain skeptical of his claims. 

Reading this article in contrast to the article posted below about his fellow Grey’s Anatomy cast mates, it is laughable that Washington would specifically highlight how well things are going on the set of BW.  What else is he going to say, “I’m f*cking up this work environment too.”?!

Consider this post the first of many “my condolences” to the cast and crew of BW. 

Regular readers know I think casting Isaiah Washington as a recurring character on Bionic Woman was profoundly stupid of NBC.  Setting aside Washington’s serial bigotry, it has been widely reported he is difficult to work with onset and created tension and drama over at Grey’s Anatomy.  William Keck of USA visited the set of GA during shooting for the upcoming season, and of course former cast mate Washington was discussed. 

Patrick Dempsey offered some insight to the new filming season:

“I think it’s really important to keep a light energy, more now than ever,” he says. “It’s my responsibility to come in, have my work done, do it quickly, and get in and get out and make it a pleasurable experience. I decided after all that happened last year to just have fun.”

He is, of course, referring to the controversy surrounding actor Isaiah Washington, whose contract playing Dr. Preston Burke was not renewed following months of discord after he uttered a homophobic slur on set.

Next up was Justin Chambers, better known to fans as Dr. Alex Karev.  Chambers, a former Calvin Klein model, tries not to let the success of the show go to his head and keeps the fact that the cast have to share trailers because of space limitations all in perspective.

“It probably keeps things from getting out of hand,” he says. “Me personally, I couldn’t give a crap. I’m from New York. I’m used to small apartments. But some …” He stops himself before daring to stir up any controversy.)

“That whole publicity craziness took on a life of its own and definitely had an effect on us,” says Chambers, who has not talked to Washington since his dismissal. Dressed in his surgical scrubs since early morning, Chambers is leaning on a prop newspaper rack outside the hospital, yawning. “Now I think the morale’s much better. We’re all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to come back to work.”

You just know he wanted to finish that sentence with an anecdote involving Washington.  Kleck also spoke with director Tom Verica, T.R. Knight and Katherine Heigl.  They all admit:

“The situation I walked into last year was the knowledge of what had trans-pired,” he says. “There certainly is an ease this year amongst the cast members — a feeling of playfulness, where one could say there was a little more going on last season.”

Knight believes the fun they are all having together on set will be noticed on-screen. “We’ve been around each other four years now, so we know what to expect. It’s been really great.”

Adds Heigl: “We know each other pretty well at this point and how best to work with each other. After a couple days off, I actually miss being there.”

After writing about a recent interview with Shondra Rhimes, an interview where she practically bites her tongue to keep from revealing how disruptive Washington was to GA, this interview with Washington’s former cast and crew is  only more proof that he is a poor choice for Bionic Woman.  For whatever reason, Washington is incapable of integrating smoothly into an ensemble cast and his apparent temperament, not to mention bigotry, make people uncomfortable.  Margie talked about Washington’s toxicity and the likely hood it will visibly affect Bionic Woman during a recent interview.  She’s right, Washington will only bring discomfort and misery to his BW cast mates.

Earlier we posted a clip of Washington meeting Michelle Ryan’s Sommers in a book store.   Honestly, if I didn’t know he had been fired from GA, I would have assumed it was a clip of his character, Preston Burke, from the upcoming season of Grey’s Anatomy.  His acting style is best described as “manufactured brooding”.  I am sure Washington thinks his faux-intensity adds authenticity to whatever character he’s playing, but honestly, it comes across flat and one dimensional.

After reading this latest interview with his fellow cast mates, you just know they must have collectively wondered why Washington wasn’t let go sooner.

Here’s a glimpse of Isaiah Washington meeting Jaime Sommers for the first time in an upcoming episode of Bionic Woman. 

Jaime is browsing in a bookstore and reading What Color is Your Parachute.  Washington introduces himself as “Antonio [Pope]” and explains that the book changed his life.  After reading it, he tells her that went on to start a “non-profit group that sends clean water systems to third world countries.”  He then introduces his Jack Russell Terrier, “Scraps,” and is quick to point out that he didn’t name him, but his niece did.  

Apparently, Washington’s character will help Sommers adapt and train for her new life as a bionic woman.

Spoiler alert….

Pay particular attention to what Sommers reveals about her boyfriend.  She says, “I just got out of a relationship.  He died actually.”  Did Anthros die from Corvus’ long range snipe shot at the end of the pilot, “Second Chances”?  Interesting.

Clearly I am not happy with Isaiah Washington joining the cast of BW.  His bigoted slurs and difficult work persona were so egregious they got him fired from Grey’s Anatomy.  It escapes me why NBC would employ this toxic actor on arguably its most prized new show for 2007 and alienate a potential gay and lesbian audience when there are plenty of better actors who could have filled the role. 

NBC should not wonder why it is third among the broadcast networks.  Decisions like these show just how out-of-step NBC executive are with the viewing public.  Grey’s Anatomy is a top ten show.  They fired him for a reason:  ABC and series creator Shonda Rhimes didn’t want to damage their reputation and good will with the gay and lesbian community because of his bigotry. 

As a side note, I will give the writers of BW props for introducing Washington in a scene using one the most famous books about coaching people to move on after being fired from their job.  As Michelle Ryan might say in the U.K., “Spot on.” 

Maybe, just maybe they will make his character gay. 

Kate Arthur of the L.A. Times caught up with Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and inquired about the firing of Isaiah Washington from her show after he publicly directed several gay slurs at a cast mate, T.J. Knight.  I’ve talked about the mistake NBC has made by hiring him and this interview is interesting because of what she doesn’t say.

Why was Isaiah Washington fired?

Shonda Rhimes: Isaiah Washington was not fired, we chose not to renew his contract. I think there were a number of reasons. And I think that Isaiah knows what those reasons are, and I think we know what those reasons are. I still feel, I still feel strongly that whether or not other people feel like those should stay within the family, I still do. But I don’t think that those reasons are necessarily completely obvious to everybody on the outside.

Well, that’s actually why I asked, because, you know, I feel like everyone imagines either one thing or another. And I don’t know.

Rhimes: Yeah. I mean, I, I really feel like what people know in the outside sort of has nothing to do with what’s really going on in the inside, in the case of any part of the story. So, for us, we’re keeping it in the family and we’re moving on.

OK. Well, knowing why you “chose not to renew his contract,” were you surprised that he was hired so quickly to be on another set, on “Bionic Woman”?

Rhimes: Isaiah is a really fine actor. I mean, I have to say he’s incredibly talented. And as Preston Burke, I adore that character. I loved the way he performed it. I think that if somebody else picks him up to use his talents, they’ve got a really talented guy.

Read the whole interview.  Rhimes would clearly like to say more, but it is obvious ABC legal has advised her otherwise. 

Yeah, it was still a mistake to hire Washington, and interviews like this confirm it for me.