Profanity-mouthing Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl — reigning winner for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-series, or Motion Picture Made for Television — has dropped out of the 2008 Emmy race citing her reduced role on her show this past year. "I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and in an effort to maintain the integrity of the academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention," she told Gold Derby's Tom O'Neil. "In addition, I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials." It's being seen as less a noble move than a slap at Grey's's writers that, ironically, will probably make her a lock for an Emmy in 2009 on the strength of the dramatic scene in which Dr. Isobel Stevens is mauled by tigers that will now almost certainly be written into next season's first episode.

But now, the question on everyone's mind is, What will become of M. Night Shyamalan's bid for a 2008 Razzie Award? Despite the pre-release hype ("The Happening is a terrible, terrible movie," wrote one Internet critic. "I'm saying this with no hyperbole, but Mark Wahlberg might very well give the worst performance I've ever seen in anything"), his new film just isn't getting the awful reviews that many had hoped for; Happening has a Metascore of 46 and a 25 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, which, while still pretty bad, doesn't quite match the critical loathing that met 2006's Lady in the Water, the film that won him an impressive two Golden Raspberry Awards (for Worst Supporting Actor and Worst Director). Honestly, Night, is this really the best-worst you can do? We certainly hope you didn't expect to coast to Razzie gold on reputation alone. We urge you to think long and hard before submitting your application.

Emmy champ Katherine Heigl quits the race, blaming 'Grey's Anatomy' writers [Gold Derby/LAT]

Earlier: Early Review of M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Happening’ Suggests Scariest Film Villain of All Time