With her “Private Practice” shut down for the rest of the season, Kate Walsh will make a return visit to “Grey’s Anatomy” this spring.

ABC has confirmed that Walsh, who plays Dr. Addison Montgomery, will appear in one episode of “Grey’s.” But there’s no word yet on when it will be or what the plotline is that brings Addison back to Seattle Grace. ABC will air five originals of Grey’s beginning April 24.

Meanwhile, speculation has it that Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer for both “Grey’s” and “Practice,” is looking for a new showrunner to take over the latter series. Even though “Practice” was the most-watched new network show before the writers strike, its tone and direction has been bashed by both fans and critics.

And the next victim on the writers’ strike list is …. “Grey’s Anatomy.”

Yes, the popular drama that just dominated the lifeless “Peoples’ Choice Awards” will air its last original episode filmed before the writers walked. With the way things are looking, it might be the last one we see in quite a while. Here’s ABC’s description of the episode, titled “Lay Your Hands On Me.”:

Bailey’s family faces a medical trauma, just as her marriage is falling apart; a surprise visit from George’s mother comes as a shock to both Izzie and Callie; a faith healer challenges Erica and Alex’s beliefs in traditional medicine; and Derek must deal with the aftermath of his kiss with Rose.  Guest starring Glenne Headly as Elizabeth, Debra Monk as Louise O’Malley, Cress Williams as Tucker, Lauren Stamile as Rose and Carol Locatell as Mai.

By the way, “Lay Your Hands on Me” was written by Allan Heinberg. Wonder how he’s dealing with the strike.

Chyler Leigh (center) joins the cast as Meredith’s sister, Lexie. (ABC photo).

In today’s column I point out how, over the second half of last season, “Grey’s Anatomy” went from being the “TV pal with whom every get-together feels like a giddy first date, to the grating houseguest that constantly gets on your nerves.”

Yes, it was a tumultuous season for one of television’s most popular shows — with off-screen rancor dominating the headlines and on-screen creative decisions (death, destruction, George and Izzy) irking a lot of fans.

As the show gets set to return Thursday night, one has to wonder if it can get back to being the frothy guilty pleasure it once was. At least creator Shonda Rhimes is saying all the right things. She’s telling anyone who will listen that the mandate this season is to lighten up, be sexy and have lots of fun. And, if you can believe what the cast is saying, there is more of a carefree attitude on the set so far. It’s as if a cloud has been lifted — a cloud named Isaiah Washington.

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Izzie and George — looking like they just read the script for their love scene.

Death, destruction, George and Izzie.

For many loyal fans of “Grey’s Anatomy,” last season — especially the latter part of it — was one big rocky trip down Downer Lane. But the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, insists she has no regrets.

“Do I feel like we went wrong at the end of the season? No. I felt like we took the journey that we started to take,” she told weary reporters on the last day of the TV press tour. “I mean, I sort of said at the very beginning of the season we are going to start the season with Meredith
helping Izzie out of her prom dress, and we are going to end the season with Meredith helping Cristina out of her wedding dress. And, to me, it was the journey that we had planned to take all along. Yeah, it was a darker journey. It felt to me like the journey that these characters, after season two, really sort of needed to take.”

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ABC

The Associated Press is reporting that “Grey’s Anatomy” star Isaiah Washington’s contract was not renewed. Washington drew criticism for using an anti-gay slur at the Golden Globes in January and during an onset fight with “Grey’s” star Patrick Dempsey. In a statement released through his publicist, Washington says “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.”

This is the first major cast shakeup for the super hot “Grey’s Anatomy.” I guess we’ll have to wait until the fall to see how Burke’s departure rocks the other interns lives.

Somehow this show continually finds ways to make headlines — even during a rerun week. People.com is reporting this morning that, according to sources, Katherine Heigl has dropped out of contract talks with ABC/Touchstone in a salary dispute.

“Katie is disappointed and hurt that (producer) Touchstone doesn’t value her as much as her other costars, especially Sandra Oh and Isaiah Washington,” the source says.

Maybe Izzie will be forced to follow Denny into the light. What do you think? Will you miss her if she goes?

And so Meredith lived. Of course. But not before dragging us through a series of corny after-life fantasy sequences that had my eyes rolling like cherries on a slot machine and my mind wondering: “Is it jump-the-shark time? Already?”

But no matter. Our little Mer lives. And today, her adoring fans are down on their knees, praising Christina for insisting that the doctors try just one more time to revive her. Of course, those viewers who can’t stand Meredith (and there are more than a few) are wishing Christina had just kept her butt in the bar and guzzled a few more brewskies.

Oh, but our night wasn’t completely death-free. Meredith’s mom checked out for good. Guess that was the “devastating” conclusion those breathless ABC promos were promising. May she rest in peace.

Just a few observances before we move on:

– We’re going to miss the outstanding work of actress Kate Burton, who played Meredith’s mom with stern-faced aplomb. I wish the writers could have explored that complex relationship more than they did.

– I could have done without that bleeding blonde in the fantasy sequences. A little too over-the-top for my tastes. So was her acting.

– And so there was this HUGE tragedy down on the pier. A tragedy that had injured people streaming into Seattle Grace. Did anyone else wonder how the hospital’s top surgeons had all that time to spend on Meredith while this HUGE tragedy was playing out?

– Again, the little moments: Derek sleeping next to a recovered Meredith. … Mom and daughter saying their “good-byes.” … Izzie passing Denny in the hall. … Love that stuff.

– For you numbers crunchers, “Grey’s Anatomy” posted a primo rating with 27.7 million viewers in the 9 p.m. hour. That’s a season-high for any scripted series and it was good enough to beat the “American Idol” results show (24.2 million) at 8 p.m.

– And finally, my friend and co-worker, Michiele Roderick, has demanded that I publicly acknowledge her perceptive ways. Days before last week’s episode, she predicted right here on this very blog that Meredith’s mom would be the one dying. We bet on it. I lost. And now I’ll never hear the end of it.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that ABC and “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes are currently hatching a pilot episode for a spin-off of the wildly popular medical soap.

The spin-off would center around Addison, the sexy neonatal surgeon played by San Jose’s Kate Walsh. If things proceed according to plan, the two-hour pilot would air in May and the new series would launch next fall.

Let’s just hope we don’t have another “Joey” on our hands.

Holy #*@%! … No way!

If you haven’t seen last night’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” stop reading right here and now. But if you did, please feel free to pick your jaw up off the floor and repeat after me:

Holy #*@%! … No way!

There’s no way they could have killed off Meredith. Or did they? I find it hard to believe they’d do such a thing. After all, the freaking show carries her name. But then again, didn’t the promo ad guy tell us to tune in next week for the “DEVASTATING conclusion.”?

This morning, I immediately went searching for clues by clicking onto the “Grey’s Anatomy” writers blog. But creator Shonda Rhimes, of course, isn’t saying a word. “I can’t talk. Not yet,” she says.

Gee thanks, Shonda.

Meanwhile, let’s break down the plot line: Meredith, all ashen-faced is pulled from the icy waters of Puget Sound. Derek administers CPR in the ambulance. Once back at Seattle Grace, the docs work furiously on her as a weeping Derek slumps on the floor just outside the OR.

What usually gives “Grey’s” such emotional oomph is that the writers and cast do so many of the “little things” right. Patrick Dempsey, for example, played his scenes perfectly. I also loved how the camera showed someone (who?) approaching Derek in the hall. When he crouches down, his face finally comes into the camera’s view. It’s Sloan, the guy who has been Derek’s No. 1 enemy in recent months. But they also have a past as best friends and that tiny moment had such power: A friend being there when needed the most.

The stunned and helpless looks on the faces of the interns during their sad vigil was also deeply touching.

What I found completely false, though, was Izzie’s “I believe” speech. It just didn’t feel right for that moment. Maybe you disagree, but I thought it was a major misstep.

Oh, but what about Denny and bomb victim Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor!) showing up right at the end there? What a surprise that was.

Meredith: “Am I dead?”
Denny: “Damn right you are.”
We’ll see.

These days it seems that TV producers feel that, in order to seize our attention, they have to kill someone off.

And now there is talk of a major death coming to “Grey’s Anatomy” — maybe as early as this week. Kristin Veitch of E! Onliine says, “Someone you love is going to die. Someone huge, someone important, someone you’d think they’d never kill off. Get ready to freak out.”

Could it be Meredith? No way!!?? … When last we saw her, she was plunging to the bottom of Puget Sound like a rock. But they wouldn’t kill her off, right? Or would they?