MediaBlvd Forums > GA EP 5.18 - "Stand By Me" Discussion

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Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 15 2009, 03:15 PM

ABC Episode Description Press Release for Grey's Anatomy

QUOTE

AFTER HIS FELLOW SURGEONS TRY AND FAIL TO BRING DEREK BACK TO WORK AT SEATTLE GRACE, MEREDITH MUST SUMMON THE STRENGTH TO CONVINCE HIM, ON ABC'S "GREY'S ANATOMY"

"Stand By Me" - After his fellow surgeons try and fail to bring Derek back to work, Meredith must summon the strength to convince him. Meanwhile the hospital is abuzz as Mark attempts a rare face transplant surgery, Cristina, at last awarded her first solo surgery, is more focused on the needs of her friends, and Izzie does her best to keep her medical condition a secret, on "Grey's Anatomy," THURSDAY, MARCH 19 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network

"Grey's Anatomy" stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Katherine Heigl as Isobel "Izzie" Stevens, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, T.R. Knight as George O'Malley, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey and Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt.

Guest starring Larry Sullivan as Dave, Emily Kuroda as Kendall and Brandon Scott as Intern Ryan.

"Stand By Me" was written by Zoanne Clack and directed by Jessica Yu.

Promotional Pictures

MQs - All Episode Stills
http://spoilertv-greysanatomy.blogspot.com...romotional.html

HQ - Izzie Episode Still
http://www.kheigl.com/cgi-bin/view.cgi?tel...images/kh85.jpg

Promos

CTV Promo

Youtube Video -> Original Video

ABC Promo

Youtube Video -> Original Video

Izzie Promo Screencaps

IPB Image

Sneak Peeks

Izzie discusses her options with Cristina

Youtube Video -> Original Video

Izzie is wearing her signature color, pink, a lot in this episode. She's wearing pink at Casa Interns in the CTV promo, and wearing pink underneath her scrubs

luzaleja

Mar 15 2009, 07:25 PM

OH MY GOD!
I cant wait!!!!
It will be oh so great i think ^^
just with that sneek peek i went mad

thanks hun ^^

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 19 2009, 12:50 PM

More sneak peeks from E! Online which is why the sound is all weird

.

Bailey sends Callie to get Derek back to work

Youtube Video -> Original Video

Callie talks to Derek at his trailer

Youtube Video -> Original Video

The Fab 5 with their interns

Youtube Video -> Original Video

I really like how this scene was done because it shows the different teaching styles of Alex, Cristina, Meredith, George, and Izzie. Loved how stern Izzie was in not allowing her interns to call the patient a "blowhole". You actually see the patient's face

. Poor guy, and you see poor Izzie's facial expressions when Alex and his interns talk about him.

There is another sneak peek of Cristina and Izzie in Casa Interns' kitchen (from the CTV Promo), but it appears E! Online didn't load it all the way. They only loaded four seconds worth lol. Bummer I wanted to see the other Cris/Izzie sneak peek

QUOTE

Horseheads grad to appear on 'Grey's Anatomy' tonight
Actress can also be seen in some TV commercials

Darcy Martin, a 1996 graduate of Horseheads High School, will appear for about two minutes in a scene on the popular ABC medical drama "Grey's Anatomy." The show airs at 9 p.m. today on Time Warner Cable Channel 4 in Elmira and Corning.

~

She only recently started to pursue acting roles in television and films. She visited the casting director at "Grey's Anatomy" at least four times before the right role came along.

Martin plays a post-surgical patient who witnesses an ongoing feud between two characters.

"It's just a cute little funny scene and the best part of my whole day was, they had to put a really gnarly scar on my stomach with staples," she said. "The interns are going through some drama, and two of them get into a fight and one is crying about it. The Ellen Pompeo character (who plays Meredith Grey) is trying to do a post-surgery checkup on me. I have some dialogue with them. I said, 'Why do they look like that? Aren't they supposed to be doctors?'"

Martin spent about seven hours on the set for the filming of that one scene, and said everyone in the cast and crew was very sweet and supportive.

http://www.stargazette.com/article/2009031...0305/1007/RSS01

My first thought the fight is between Cristina and Izzie since they were arguing back and forth about treatment and keeping her illness a secret in the first sneak peek. Watch I'll be wrong

Totty Limejuice

Mar 19 2009, 01:31 PM

Thanks hun.

Damn, the Cristina/Izzie sneak peek would have to be the one that's defective wouldn't it, typical!

QUOTE(Isabel Anne Evans @ Mar 19 2009, 12:50 PM)

My first thought the fight is between Cristina and Izzie since they were arguing back and forth about treatment and keeping her illness a secret in the first sneak peek.

Yeah i'm guessing that it's either between them or George and Izzie going off the good cop, bad cop fantasy question.

luzaleja

Mar 19 2009, 08:48 PM

GOD....
Great stuff!!! ^^ thanks!!!
Yeah i know... it HAD TO BE THAT ONE ¬¬
Boo!
I think it might be those two (Izzie and Christina)... but... since i am wrong a lot... then it will be George and Izzie xD... or maybe not even Izzie will be there

The sneek peek with the fav five is great! ^^ I loved Izzie/Katie's expression... :O The ep will rock!!! AAAA!

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 19 2009, 10:16 PM

SpoilerTV put up the second Cristina/Izzie sneak peek

.
http://spoilertv-greysanatomy.blogspot.com...neak-peeks.html

For some it just works better on their site

. Anyways, it's a good sneak peek. You really see Cristina's concern over Izzie, and you can see some subtle scared facial expressions from Izzie

. Yet, it's surprisely funny with Izzie's "shhh", and Cristina and Izzie giving each other looks about Meredith

. Once again Self-Involved Meredith strikes again

. I'm glad Izzie chose Cristina because she is the right person for the job here. Izzie is just too scared, and she needs some one to give her the push she needs to get help.

Sidenote Katherine looks so beautiful in the Casa Interns sneak peek with her hair, and she's all pretty in pink. Sandra and Katherine are just kicking ass here

luzaleja

Mar 20 2009, 02:24 AM

Thanks hun ^^

Well after having watched this ep... I must say... i liked it... not loved it...
Again i had a GREAT time watching it with Mel

lolol
i got very excited at some points, but there were also some VERY boring storylines *caugh*interns*caugh* that have no background and are REALLY VERY out of context.. but oh well.
I still think its a good ep.
I loved that we got loads of Izzie... wOOT!
Katherines acting, as ever, was GREAT!
I really liked the story with McStizzie's patient... i got teary at one moment... And definitely a great thing, what they did there... getting it so involved with her storyline, I mean, after watching that, we knew she would be ready to accept her illness to her friends, and to accept treatment.
Definitely loved REALLY LOVED Izzie and Christina's scenes. From the funny ones, to the very touching ones... I really loved that Izzie told her first. Great idea!. It was great to see how Christina actually does care about Izzie. And how preocupied she was, trying to help her.
And my FAVORITE SCENE!!!. The last one. That was just PERFECT. Definitely the way i had hoped for it to be. The way Izzie was all "thank you" with Christina. Because she DID care, she wants Izzie to fight! That was something special to see! And to see Bailey's face... God, that just broke my heart! So worried for Izzie (her cub as Mel calles her ^^), and the Chief, and well, i didnt think Id be a little moved with Alex's expression, but i was, not that much, but i was all teary already.. so i got EVEN MORE TEARY... and with Meredith, well, I do think she cares about Izzie, i KNOW she does. And im glad she asked Derek for help, and well, she used Izzie's situation for their advantage too, to get Derek moving! (Cuz really, he was getting VERY annoying, not as much as the intern story, but still). And George. God that did get tears out of my eyes. The way he looked at Izzie, smiling, saying with his eyes, Im HERE FOR YOU! And Izzie's look was completely devastating for me. That just ended me. Seriosuly, it was so beautiful. The way she gets admitted into the hospital as a patient, with her friends helping her, and then at the very end, Izzie laying on the hospital bed, with her friends around her, WOAH! I couldnt stop writing !!! or AWW on IM

I am really very excited for next weeks ep, i think it will kick butty (

) (dont know how else to say it, feel free to give me ideas so that it wont be any insulting words

)... I AM hoping for it to be great. It sounds like it, and i think i wont be dissapointed. ^^ I hope so

. Also, Christina and Owens storyline should get INTERESTING! ^^ wooT! drama... good drama

Well i think that is all my review, my very little review

, because I think if i talk about THE WHOLE EP, i would end up writing pages and pages, and i would start repeating stuff-more than i already do lol- so yeah, i better just stay with the story i care the most about

I might edit it later to put in sth i forgot to before

It wouldnt be weird for me to forget stuff

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 20 2009, 03:48 AM

Nice review hun

.

I felt the episode alright, but nothing compared to the previous weeks. However, that's honestly what I was expecting. This episode was a step to next week's episode, and it's an episode I can't wait to watch.

Only thing that annoyed me in this episode was the soap opera intern storyline. It was so gawd awful boring because I don't care that much about the new interns. I love it when the Fab 5 are teaching them, but they were very close of overshadowing the really awesome scenes in this episode

. The only thing I did enjoy about the intern soap opera is that George finally got screentime for more than three minutes

.

The things I did enjoy were:

Mexie's Intern Public Reveal - It was very Meredith/McDreamy, but I found it to be far more cuter

.

Mr. "Blowhole" - This beautiful man, and yes I said beautiful because that's what I saw when he spoke, was amazing to watch. He just so scared, and I'm glad his friends stuck by him. It was great parallel case with Izzie because it made her accept her own support system. To trust them to be there for her. I'm glad Izzie yelled at the interns because their comments were just out of line. I just grew attached to this guy

.

Owen, Callie, and Chief go into the woods - Sara and Kevin did a great job with their ancedotes. You could really envision those medical cases, and they really pulled me. Sidenote they both looked great in the woods. First time in a long long while did I enjoy the Chief in this episode. His last two scenes of the episode were great. I loved his discussion with Derek about being there, and coming into the resident locker room carried so much emotion.

Polar Opposites Come Together ~ The Great Izzie & Cristina Moments - Honestly these scenes were some of the best moments from both of these characters since the first two seasons. Their Casa Interns scene was filled with comedic moments with Izzie's "shh"

, and sad moments of Izzie's cancer. Sidenote Sandra and Katherine looked amazing in the Casa Interns' scene. I loved that throughout the episode you can see Cristina become more and more protective of Izzie's welfare. All the while you see Izzie's fear and sickness becoming more of a reality to her. I'm glad Izzie went to Cristina becaus she did what Izzie couldn't which is tell her friends that she sick. Their last scene on the bench was probably one of the most touching moments between these two characters. I was just bawling my eyes out because we got her hear Izzie thank Cristina for helping her, Cristina wanting Izzie to fight, and their hand holding

. We haven't seen this stuff in a long while, so it was beautiful moment. Plus exceptional acting by Sandra and Katherine. You can see the emotions with these award-winning actresses. Sandra's voice was far more touching when taking to Izzie, and you can see so much emotions in Katherine's Izzie from scared to relief to gratitude. Looks like we will get some more from next week.

The Fab 5 Reunites - Loved their lunch scene because it was all in code, and at this point George knows too much that he knows something is up. On that note so should have Alex, but I'm not even going to rant there

. Love that we got some Gizzie moments in the episode with George showing concern for Izzie from watchful eye to running to be by her side.

The last scene of the episode where the Fab 5 admit Izzie to the hospital was another touching moment that drove me to tears. The Fab 5 seemed to be separated since the end of S3, so these moments just get me. I loved that they were all there by Izzie's side. Tying her patient gown on, putting in her IV, and I even noticed Cristina checking Izzie's vitals. That moment just got to me, and it's a moment I have been waiting to see ever since symptom Denny came on-screen.

Next week looks awesome

. I've been waiting for next week's episode for a while. I thought Izzie would be having her liver done first, but since Derek is doing it then obiviously her brain is being done first. We can't have MerDer engagement without Izzie being Derek's salvation first

. Seeing George, Alex, and Izzie break down (omg she looks so cute sleeping in her hospital bed) just got me all emotional

. The sad thing is this won't be Izzie's only surgery. Her cancer has reached her liver and skin. Even if Derek succeeds, which I think he will, Izzie isn't out of the woods yet.

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 20 2009, 04:48 AM

Sorry, for the double post, but I thought I post these clips before I went to bed

Izzie's Footage Pt. 1

Youtube Video -> Original Video

This vid shows some moments between Izzie and her patient, so don't let the vid's title deceive you

Youtube Video -> Original Video

Not of Izzie's scenes have been uploaded, such as her moving scenes with her patient and the lunch room scene. First time I noticed Izzie is talking to her friends as Cristina is checking her vitals. Perhaps she is telling them what has been going on with her.

Izzie snippnets From the Writer's Blog:

QUOTE

And speaking of not giving up, is Cristina a freakin’ sledgehammer or what? She just keeps pounding Izzie and pounding her until Izzie finally has to lash out and speak the unspeakable. Not having treatment? Why would she ever even go there? She’s a doctor, she’s been through it with many patients and come out the other side, or watch them die… oh, I guess it’s pretty clear why she would consider not going through with treatment. She has been on the other side. She has been through it. And like she says, she knows too much. And going through the whole day with (the writer clears her throat for this hideous reference to be explained later) “Blowhole” has made it clear to her that the way doctors treat patients when the patients aren’t around, the way she treats patients when they’re not around (and even if she’s not doing it herself, she’s allowing it) – that patient will be her this time.

And hell, I can’t even say it’s just doctors. I, too, have been on the other side. I straddle the fence between “doctor world” and “writer world”. The name “Blowhole” actually came directly from our writers’ room – even before we saw Mr. David Young (the patient)! While we’re breaking story, before we name the patients, we usually reference them by their malady. “Face transplant guy,” “the stomach cancer trio,” “cement boy” – you get the general gist. Well, one of the writers (who shall remain nameless, as Blowhole was faceless) started dubbing him “Blowhole” in the room, and then somehow it landed in the script! But it actually worked really well in the script because it was a perfect thing for Izzie to react to. Of course that brings it all home for her. We always knew she wouldn’t want to feel like the patient, but for her to keep hearing that term (I’m going to stop using it now thank you very much) really brought it home (I mean, even Alex was saying it – that had to hurt since she was taking it personally herself). It was art imitated life which imitated art… or something like that.

There were a lot of things we knew going into this episode. We knew Izzie was sick (duh), we knew we wanted the theme to be “friends” (Cristina and Izzie coming together on that bench was such an incredibly awesome scene I can barely stand it. The first time I saw it cut together I just sat there with my mouth agape and my eyes filling up. They are amazing together.),

And then there’s our own Justice League of superheroes (yes, I realize there are more than 5 of them). Our 5 musketeers at the end of the episode. Yes, I realize there are really only three of them, but how else would I get to their motto “all for one and one for all”? As they all learn of Izzie’s fate, they band together. And all is right with the world.

http://www.greyswriters.com/2009/03/zoanne-clack-on.html

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 20 2009, 01:04 PM

Izzie's Footage Pt. 2

Youtube Video -> Original Video

I know the top says "Supernatural", but it's just a typo up lol.

I've been reading some reviews, and once again Katherine is getting high praise. I'm actually fond of Entertainment Weekly's review that made the writer tear several times during the episode. EW weekly doesn't state out the cast's names, however; the journalist was very moved by the same scenes we were:
http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20266905,00.html

Two aspects I keep seeing in reviews are reviewers/posters stating there was just exceptional acting done by Katherine and rest of the cast, and how emotional the last 30 minutes of the show were.

For an example this comes from Zap2it in regards to Cristina/Izzie's storyline in this episode:

QUOTE

Izzie: Cristina, who has mysteriously grown a heart like she got her wish from the Wizard, throws herself into full-bore patient care mode for Izzie, moving heaven and earth to get her an appointment with the best oncologist, plowing through stacks of research, and nagging her to get herself some help. But Izzie's clearly still in shock, and she's not ready -- not to tell anyone, not to figure out her options, not to confront her reality. She blows off Cristina's efforts and internalizes her panic, bawling out the dumb and insensitive interns who make a "Blowhole" joke in front of Dave. Her emotions are all over the place, and the ever-observant George can tell something's wrong with his friend.

So can Sloan, who tells Izzie she's behaving inappropriately by yelling at the interns and losing control. He tries to throw her off the case, but she insists on remaining there for pre-op and post-op -- and she's right. She's in a unique position to understand the panic David is feeling, and his impulse to push away the people who care about him. Which is the "Grey's Anatomy" way of showing personal growth for the docs of Seattle Grace.

Izzie and Cristina fight about Izzie's choice to keep her diagnosis a secret -- and the fact that Izzie's not even sure she wants treatment. She knows too much, and is too familiar with how violent surgery can be, she says. It fails all the time, and her chances are so low anyway. But Cristina lays into Izzie with a great speech about believing that by telling her, Izzie wanted Cristina to do something to help.

While almost everyone else is working on the face transplant, Cristina is flying solo for the first time, repairing a hernia for a nice older lady who sweetly asks her doctor to answer some questions to make her feel more comfortable about the surgery (and it turns out to be Mrs. Kim! (Emily Kuroda, and it's nice to see her smile)). But Cristina's too preoccupied with arranging Izzie's appointment to pay too much attention -- and then she's stopped short by her patient on the operating table. All she wants is for her surgeon to tell her everything will be OK, even if this is a silly little procedure to Cristina. Which seems to crack something in Cristina, who assures her patient that it's not a silly operation, and she will get her through it. Then she turns to Alex and Bailey, who are also in the OR, and tells them about Izzie's condition -- like she just had to get it out before she could focus on anything.

After her hernia surgery, Cristina finds Izzie and tells her what she did -- and urges her to fight. Strong performances all around tonight.

http://blog.zap2it.com/ithappenedlastnight...ret-is-out.html

luzaleja

Mar 20 2009, 08:54 PM

WooT!
that is awesome!
I really loved the acting!
and i cant wait for next weeks ep!
AAA!
thanks for all the vids ^^

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 20 2009, 10:48 PM

I think I watched the last two Izzie scenes five times already

:oops.

ABC released an episode still from 5.18 - "Stand By Me" today, and it's Izzie-related

. IDK if it's a daily from the Fab 5 scene, or if it's a behind the scene moment with the cast.

IPB Image

Izzie/KH is so vulerable and cute in her patient gown lol. Still has been added to the opening post

QUOTE

TV Ratings: 'Grey's Anatomy' helps ABC shoot past CBS' hoops on Thursday

IPB Image

Fast National ratings for Thursday, March 19, 2009.

CBS' coverage of the first round of the NCAA tournament drew a big enough crowd for the network to tie for the demo crowd, but ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" took advantage to win the night overall.

ABC and CBS split the key 18-49 demographic with a matching 3.5 rating. FOX was third in the all-important demo with a 3.1 rating, followed closely by the 3.0 rating for NBC. The CW's 1.3 rating trailed.

Overall, though, ABC averaged an estimated 10.65 million viewers and 7.3 rating/12 share. CBS was second with a 5.9/10, just beating the 5.4/9 for FOX. NBC' 4.8/8 was good for fourth, beating the 2.0/3 for The CW.

FOX got a rare 8 p.m. Thursday win with a 6.3/11 for "Bones." CBS' NCAA coverage was a close second with a 6.1/10. ABC's "Ugly Betty" was third, beating the totals for NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and a repeat of "The Office." The CW's "Smallville" was fifth with a 2.1/3.

ABC grabbed first at 9 p.m. with a 9.7/15 for "Grey's Anatomy." CBS' hoops stayed second and improved to a 6.4/10. NBC's "The Office" and "30 Rock" averaged a 4.6/7, as the network tied with FOX's "Hell's Kitchen" for the hour. The CW's "Smallville" held onto most of its lead-in.

"Private Practice" finished the 10 p.m. hour in first with a 7.0/12. NBC's "E.R." was second with a 6.2/10, while CBS' basketball was third.

All ratings information comes from preliminary Fast National Nielsen data, which includes live and same-day DVR viewing. All numbers are subject to change, particularly in the case of live events.

http://www.hitfix.com/articles/2009-3-20-t...ps-on-thursday/

Those Izzie promos came in handy perhaps

lol. Who knows why the ratings increased since one can't speculate the entire offline/online fandom, however; I thought it was pretty cool

luzaleja

Mar 20 2009, 11:12 PM

WooT!!!!! Cooool!!!! ^^
thanks for the stuff hun!
I loved the still! ^^

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 21 2009, 07:38 PM

No prob

. Some great stuff, and overwhelming positive reviews just keeps coming in. Again, if I posted poster reviews on misc. boards I would be here all day

.

From BuddyTV (KH/Izzie snippnets):

QUOTE

I was bawling by the time the residents reunited in support of Izzie, who was finally admitted as a patient at the end of the episode. Katherine Heigl is an excellent actress when she gets material like this. She really sold how terrifying she finds the prospect of becoming a helpless patient and quite possibly dying.

Best Scene

I think this one is a tie between the scene in which Cristina holding Izzie's hand and telling her to fight and the scene in which Blowhole reunites with his orchid friends. Both had me blubbering.

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/greys-anat...op-t-27127.aspx

I know I said this already, but I was blubbering mess with the last 20 minutes of the show

luzaleja

Mar 21 2009, 08:33 PM

WooT!
Great review ^^ I am with that reviewer

Katie is such a grear GREAT actress... I cried like a baby with that scene

And yeah, that scene with Izzie and Christina, the "thank you" and the holding hands made me cry too

thanks hun ^^

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 22 2009, 03:01 PM

When Cristina takes Izzie's hand out of her jacket and holds onto it just killed me

. It's another reason to add to the list on why I have been really enjoying this storyline. It allowed us to see another side to Cristina, and see make a stronger bond between Cristina and Izzie. It's very touching to watch

.

I'm having one of those weekends that includes off and on fever along with a throat infection. Which means screencaps of this episode probably won't be posted for a while. It could be today or a week from now

. IDK really because it all depends on how I feel. In any case screencaps will be posted sooner or later

.

Until then I'm unpinning this thread to make way for the next episode thread. Which is the last week of March sweeps, or what some of my friends have been calling it Part 3 to the S5 Izzie Trilogy hehe.

luzaleja

Mar 23 2009, 03:28 PM

Yeah very cool to watch ^^
Hun i hope you feel better soon!!!!
not for the screen caps

but really just... get better!
^^
see ya! take care ¬.¬
And... it is such a great storyline... im so happy with it

my fav trilogy

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 24 2009, 03:17 AM

QUOTE

Hun i hope you feel better soon!!!!

Thanks

. I'm trying nod:.

Izzie's Screencaps

luzaleja

Mar 24 2009, 08:22 PM

WooT!
thanks!!! ^^
awesome caps!
Amm... should i think that since u already brought them... u are feeling better?

Isabel Anne Evans

Mar 24 2009, 10:55 PM

A little bit, but I basically have no voice

. My fever is gone and just a tiny bit of a sniffle/cough, but mostly it's my affected voicebox that is doing the most damage

. Thanks for asking hun

.

I just noticed two things whe I was posting the caps.

In one of the behind the scene features I recently watched a crew member (it could have been the prop master but I'm not 100% certain though) mentioned that they wanted to do away with Izzie's pink stethoscope because she is becoming more doctor like as each season aired. Well, guess what they finally did away with it. Did any of you guy noticed that Izzie now has a black stethoscope? Check it out:

IPB Image

I didn't notice it until I saw the cap

. Awww...I'm going to miss the pink stethoscope.

The second thing I noticed was in the lunch room scene:
IPB Image

Izzie is drinking Izze

luzaleja

Mar 25 2009, 01:26 AM

Hehe, yeah going to miss it ^^
But... oh well... she is quite a doctor now for the GA writers then

xD
the second cap is funny

oh and... i hadnt seen the change

if u hadnt said it... i probably would keep on seeing the thingy pink

Isabel Anne Evans

Apr 3 2009, 12:58 PM

I saw this article about Izze being used in this episode

QUOTE

Getting Izze to Izzie on 'Grey's Anatomy'
How PepsiCo Placed Beverage Brand in ABC Show Without Paying a Thing

by Brian Steinberg

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Who put a bottle of Izze Sparkling Pomegranate fruit beverage in the hands of "Grey's Anatomy" character Izzie Stevens? The sound-alike coincidence alone must have been worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet PepsiCo's Izze said it paid ABC absolutely nothing for its appearance near a cafeteria meal eaten by the character in the March 26 episode of the show.

Heigl's 'Grey's Anatomy' character Izzie Stevens (right) about to enjoy an Izze Sparkling Pomegranate fruit beverage.

Izze is a "small little brand. We need to think differently and don't have a big advertising and marketing budget," said Andrew Jaffe, brand manager at Izze. Rather than orchestrating huge branded-entertainment deals, the company has been relying on a small product-placement company that gets marketers' goods in front of eyeballs by working through prop masters and other TV-show crew members.
Executives at Spotlight Entertainment in Hermosa Beach, Calif., have worked for several seasons with set dressers and prop personnel on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," said Vangie Guerrero, a VP at the company. "We bring our clients' products to the sets to have them placed in the ideal position, and that's basically what we had tried to do," she said.

An ABC spokeswoman for "Grey's Anatomy" did not respond to an e-mail seeking comment.

Spending on branded entertainment
Despite the increasing amount of money being spent on product placement, sometimes it's the unpaid stuff that makes memorable cameos. Marketers have begun spending millions to weave products and logos into specific TV shows and run ads that use elements of the TV shows during which they appear. Research firm PQ Media estimated last year that spending on branded entertainment grew 14.7% to $22.3 billion in 2007. It projected the figure would grow another 13.9% in 2008 to $25.41 billion.

Small firms have been responsible for some of the most obvious product placements out there. AIM Promotions has claimed credit for the appearance of Junior Mints in an episode of "Seinfeld." Kramer and Jerry eat the candies during a surgery, and one of them lands in the patient on the operating table. Even so, the characters remind each other that the candy is "very refreshing."

Spotlight executives worked for several months to put Izze near Izzie, played by actress Katherine Heigl. While the aim was for Ms. Heigl's character, they would have been satisfied with any regular cast member, Ms. Guerrero said. Spotlight got one bottle and one can of Izze into the hands of some of the show's intern characters in October.

"This stuff pops up all the time," said Ms. Guerrero. "The scripts call for a drink, and they put a drink there, and you go from there. You have to have your client's product available for any scene. The more people and the resources you have to get it out there, the better your chances are of seeing your client in a position they like."

Momentary appearances
These sorts of momentary appearances are crucial for Izze. PepsiCo put only about $1.6 million toward traditional media advertising of the product in 2008, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Compare that with the more than $228 million Coca-Cola spent on its sodas that year, or the $74.2 million PepsiCo put behind its flagship cola alone.

Spotlight has also managed to place Izze in HBO's "Entourage," as well as "Big Bang Theory" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine" on CBS.

Expect more grass-roots marketing from the Boulder, Colo., soda company, which was purchased by PepsiCo in 2006. "We're still very much in an incubation stage," Mr. Jaffe said, in which under-the-radar efforts that spark chatter among fans of the beverages is what is most desired. "We want to nurture that incubation approach."

http://adage.com/madisonandvine/article?article_id=135712

Isabel Anne Evans

Apr 3 2009, 01:17 PM

Sorry, for the double post but thought it would be nice idea to put Larry's experiences with Katherine in the episode he appeared in too

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Keith spotted this on Twitter from Larry Sullivan who appeared in this episode:

QUOTE

Tell KH that 'Blowhole' says hi. She made me laugh nonstop, had the best time with her on Grey's. Have fun!

http://twitter.com/larrysullivan/status/1433514711

More from Larry on his days working with Katherine in "Stand By Me" in a response to Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau article:

QUOTE

I just had the pleasure of working with Katie on Grey's Anatomy. To say it was an incredible experience would not be enough. The whole cast/crew was amazing! They all welcomed me with open arms. I normally wouldn't comment on stories of working with people but when I see negative press about someone and it's simply not true, I feel obligated in a way to set the record correct. So thank you for writing this piece. I'm glad your experience 5 years earlier was a great one, too.
Katie Heigl has the best laugh! We laughed nonstop. Her laugh is addictive. We had long days but I don't think I've laughed so much on a set before. And it wasn't funny subject material! And the second the cameras are on, she is RIGHT THERE! Every time! She knows her stuff, is completely prepared and totally professional. Not to mention, incredibly beautiful. I hope to work with her again in the future. The entire atmosphere on GREY'S was a positive one. It was an experience I'm grateful for and will never forget. Do people have 'bad' days? Of course. Did anyone have a bad day when I was there? If they did, you'd never know it. Just wanted to post a real first hand account. I'm not someone who read something or heard something. I'm someone who spent a lot of time with her on set. And I loved every second of it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-sla...l_b_181022.html

Isabel Anne Evans

Apr 8 2009, 02:17 AM

ABC released two more Izzie episode stills from 5.18 - "Stand By Me"

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