Grey’s Anatomy actor, Jesse Williams, posted the following pic with the caption “Cast members on set studying for upcoming microsurgery, under the tutelage of [real] Dr. Lacon. Oh, Chambers, Avery, Kepner, Bokhee”

ABC released the promotional pics and synopsis for episode 8.03 “Take the Lead.”

8.03 – Take the Lead

“Take the Lead” – The Chief makes a career-changing decision that shocks Seattle Grace Hospital; Cristina and Owen try to find normalcy in their relationship; April continues to struggle in her new role; and the 5th year residents are given their first solo surgeries, only to find out that even the most routine procedures aren’t always easy, on Grey’s Anatomy, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 (9:00-10:02 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

Finally, Sarah Drew mentioned Justin in an interview about season 8 of the show:

“Karev has been so mean to her all season! Justin is the nicest person on the planet, so the difference between the way Justin treats me to the way Karev treats April is so huge.”

ABC released the synopses for the two-hour season premiere along with the promotional stills. Click on the links for the albums.

8.01 – Free Falling

GREY’S ANATOMY – “Free Falling” – In the first hour, “Free Falling” (9:00-10:00 p.m.), the fifth-year residents return for the first day of a year that will make or break their careers: Meredith faces the consequences of tampering with Derek’s clinical trial and is terminated at the hospital; April tries to step up to the plate as Chief Resident in the wake of a giant sinkhole in the middle of Seattle; and Cristina and Owen are still at odds over their drastically different feelings for their unborn child. “Grey’s Anatomy” returns for its eighth season with a two-hour event THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network.

8.02 – She’s Gone

GREY’S ANATOMY – “She’s Gone” – In the second hour, “She’s Gone” (10:00-11:00 p.m.), news of Meredith and Derek’s unsteady relationship raises a red flag for Zola’s adoption counselor; Alex quickly realizes that he has become the outcast of the group after ratting out Meredith; and Cristina makes a tough decision regarding her unexpected pregnancy. Also, Chief Webber brings Henry in for a last minute surgery, alarming Teddy. “Grey’s Anatomy” returns for its eighth season with a two-hour event THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network

Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Seventh Season DVD set comes out September 22 in the US and Canada. One of the special features on the DVD set is the extended musical episode a.k.a. episode 7.18 “Song Beneath the Song”.

The DVD version of the musical episode is only about 4 minutes longer. There’s a new scene of the doctors at the ER entrance awaiting the ambulance transporting Callie, a new Addison/Lucy/Alex scene and a new Bailey/Eli scene. Everything else seems pretty much the same (same songs although I noticed there’s more of Owen singing Gomez’s “How we Operate” while he’s with the attendings) with probably only a new line here or there (I FF’d through the DVD version and only watched the TV version once so I couldn’t really say what new lines there are or where. 😆 )

Anyway, below are the two new scenes Justin is in however, he doesn’t have any lines.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Justin talks about Alex’s actions last season and the Alex and Meredith friendship:

Also, a new short promo aired last night for the season 8 premiere of Grey’s Anatomy. Check it out:

E! Online posted a video of Justin and Grey’s Anatomy co-star Kevin McKidd discussing the new season of the show. I uploaded the video to our archive and it can be seen below:

Another set pic! This time it was Sarah Drew who tweeted a pic of herself with Justin on the set of Grey’s Anatomy today.

TV Guide and TVLine have some (disappointing, IMHO) spoilers about Alex and the upcoming season of Grey’s Anatomy with quotes from Justin. I’m going to put it all under a spoiler cut just in case some don’t want to know.

There’s a new article up at TV Line where Justin discusses his uncertainty about his future on Grey’s Anatomy once his contract ends in May 2012 and about the possible series finale:

Since the contracts of many of its original cast members are set to expire in May, Grey’s Anatomy could well play out its most suspenseful story off screen this season — potentially its last.

Whether the actors stay or leave, and whether the ABC hit does call it a day, Justin Chambers is keenly aware that there is no turning back. “It makes me sad to know that we’re closer to the end [than the beginning],” the actor tells TVLine. “[But] it’s been a great ride. It really has. There was no better job that I could’ve fallen into.”

Like Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo, Chambers is undecided about whether he’ll re-sign, even if there does turn out to be a series with which to re-sign. “I don’t know if I’ll go farther,” he insists. “I don’t know if the show will go farther. When we get to that point, we’ll go from there…

“We know it’s going to end sooner or later,” he continues. “It’s just about ending well and the audience getting what they want out of it, and maybe there are some amends made with the characters, because they’re very flawed.”

If he and his fellow MDs don’t re-up, Chambers is skeptical about the chances of Grey’s‘ survival. “It’s possible [it could go on], but I doubt it,” he says. “Meredith is the voice. We need that voice — I do think that. That’s a big part of it.”

For her part, series creator Shonda Rhimes remains confident the show will return for a ninth season. “I don’t presume to speak for the studio or the network,” she says, “but I don’t think this is the last season of the show.”

Neither does ABC president Paul Lee. Although this week he announced that Desperate Housewives would end after its eighth season, he’s far from ready to set an end date to Grey’s. “Hopefully, [it] is going to go on for many, many years to come,” he says, shrugging off any concern about his stars’ contracts expiring. ”We don’t have to face that for some time.”

In the meantime, the show has another milestone to mark. The second hour of its Sept. 22 season premiere is its 150th episode. “It seems like the 100th just came up,” Chambers admits. “Maybe we will go to 200. You never know.”