Katherine Heigl: Selfishly Yappy or Refreshingly Honest?

Last year, Katherine Heigl was on top of the world when she took 2007's Emmy award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama.

This year? She's made the following statement to explain why she her name is not on the list of Emmy submissions:

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 decided against competing.

Her press release goes on to say that she did not want to take away from other actresses who were given the type of material deserving an Emmy this season.

Heigl is known for her tendency to speak out, even if it means saying something less-than-nice about her show's writers or the director of her star-making movie, Knocked Up. The web debates have loved this week's statement. There are those who think she's trying to get out of her contract at Grey's to pursue films full time. There are those who think she's simply ungrateful and bratty. Then there are those who think she's taking a stand against the typical Hollywood press machine that insists upon niceties and BS.

I'm closest to those applauding her honesty. I really do like that Heigl seems to tell it like it is. She's not saying anything about the writing on Grey's Anatomy this season that many others, including showrunner Shonda Rhimes, haven't already said. I'll even forgive her the seeming arrogance of implying that leaving her name in the running might take away from those who deserve it. It's true that one less big name actress from a big name show could really help an actress from a show on (gasp!) cable, with smaller numbers, pull in a much-deserved nom.