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November 21, 2015

The Daily Star - Stay Tuned

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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, November 20, 2015 2 By Jacqui Wiens TV Media W hen it comes to medi- cal dramas, for better or for worse, new shows tend to be compared to the iconic "ER," which ran for 15 seasons on NBC. That clas- sic program succeeded in ex- quisitely balancing the hectic professional lives of ER staff with their personal drama, and set a benchmark that its suc- cessors have been hard- pressed to match. "Grey's Anatomy," which premiered a few years before the finale of "ER," has arguably been the most successful medical drama since. Over the past several years, new medical dramas have come and gone, often folding within one or two seasons. Fox's "Red Band Society," ABC's "Black Box," and USA's "Rush" are a few good exam- ples. Lately, NBC is trying to re- assert its dominance in the medical drama department with two new series — "Chi- cago Med" and "Heartbreak- er" — but CBS is throwing its hat in the ring, too. Stepping into the operating room with a brand-new, adrenaline-filled show, the eye network pre- miered "Code Black" in Sep- tember. A new episode airs Wednesday, Nov. 25, on CBS. "Code Black" is a medical term that can have different meanings depending on the hospital you're in. In this case, it refers to a situation in which there are too many patients for the staff to assess and treat each one properly. While an av- erage hospital might encoun- ter a few "code black" situa- tions a year, Los Angeles's fic- tional Angels Memorial Hospi- tal is so understaffed and over- worked that a code black is an almost daily occurrence. Despite the unrealistic na- ture of having such a consis- tently busy emergency room, "Code Black" attempts to stay as authentic as possible. Cast members prepared extensively for the show by learning medi- cal terms, following real medi- cal professionals at work and learning to perform a handful of real medical procedures. Ad- ditionally, there are advisers on hand to provide feedback and advice during production, and some of the background actors are actually trained nurses. But, of course, "Code Black" is still a drama, and you can only be so realistic before you lose the audience's interest. Like other fictional medical shows, risky procedures will work more often than they should, treatments will take ef- fect faster than they would in reality, and staff will still find moments for intense conversa- tion, even in the worst rushes. It may play into some of the cli- chés of modern television, but you won't find anyone using a defibrillator to try to start a heart that's stopped beating in this series. Headlining the cast is Mar- cia Gay Harden ("The Mist," 2007) as residency director Dr. Leanne Rorish. Her approach to medicine is a bit more rash than some of her colleagues, and certainly Dr. Neal Hudson (Raza Jaffrey, "MI-5") would prefer it if she toned it down. Dr. Hudson was once mentored by Dr. Rorish, but now believes she's far too reckless for both her own good and the good of the hospital. Despite their dis- agreements, Dr. Rorish proves time and again that she is both experienced and skilled enough to pull off the unortho- dox or high-risk procedures she favors. Dr. Rorish has been nick- named "Daddy" by the other staff, with senior nurse Jesse Sallander (Luis Guzmán, "Traf- fic," 2000) earning the nick- name "Mama." Sallander manages the residents, skirting a fine line between being tough enough to keep the young doctors in line and be- ing likeable enough to build re- lationships with them. Round- ing out the senior staff mem- bers is Dr. Rollie Guthrie (Wil- liam Allen Young, "Moesha"), an upbeat attending physician who has been at the hospital longer than any other doctor and who is always available to help the residents talk through a tough shift. Angels Memorial has four new resident doctors who are learning the ropes in the in- credibly high-stress environ- ment. Christa Lorenson (Bon- nie Sommerville, "The Ugly Truth," 2009) went to medical school following her son's can- cer diagnosis and subsequent death. Her personal experience with the pain her patients and their families are experiencing allows her to connect with them on an emotional level. Malaya Pineda (Melanie Chandra, "Love, Lies and See- ta," 2012) is driven by evi- dence. Her instinct is to test and test until she figures out what's wrong, but in the fast- paced environment of Angels Memorial, there isn't always time to do things by the book. Mario Savetti (Benjamin Hollingsworth, "The Joneses," 2009) has spent his life so far relying on nobody but himself, beating drug addiction and working multiple jobs to pay his way through medical school. While self-sufficiency has served him well, Mario needs to work on interpersonal skills and learn to let others as- sist him. Finally, Angus Leighton (Har- ry M. Ford, "Louder Than Bombs," 2015) studied psy- chology for a time before mov- ing into medicine. His brother is a highly successful doctor, and his father used his position on the hospital's board to se- cure Angus a residency posi- tion. Despite his undeniable knowledge and solid instincts, Angus still has trouble trusting his own abilities. This week's episode features some talented guest stars as cast members from "The Lion King" musical drop by the set. Alton Fitzgerald White, who has portrayed Mufasa more than 4,000 times in the musi- cal, appears as essentially a fic- tionalized version of himself who shows up at the ER with a throat infection. Several other cast members also appear, and fans won't want to miss their performance of "He Lives in You." Robynwood Home 2 x 2 coverstory Luis Guzmán and Marcia Gay Harden in a scene from "Code Black" Up to 'Code' CBS delves into the world of medical dramas with 'Code Black' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: What was the reason for Aly Forrester being killed off on "The Bold and the Beautiful"? Was it just for the storyline, or did the actress want to leave the show? A: There's no indication that actress Ashlyn Pearce had any- thing to do with the decision to kill off her character, so it seems the show just wanted things to go down that way. Aly's death, of course, added more complexity to the sto- ryline of one of the show's central characters, Steffy, played by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood. In an interview with TVInsider, Wood essentially confirmed that the decision to leave wasn't Pearce's. "I'm really sorry we had to lose Ashlyn. She's such a won- derful girl, a really good friend and so incredibly talented. That's the sad part about this industry we all chose to enter. These things happen. But Ashlyn has a fantastic career ahead of her." As for how that career's going, Pearce is currently filming a part in the indie feature "You Above All," due out in 2016. She's a prolific Twitter user, and has posted on the social media site that at the same time she's also been driving around all over town doing auditions. Q: Who is the youngest actor to win an Oscar? A: Your question sounds pretty simple, but there are actually a couple of answers to it, depending on how you define an Os- car. Shirley Temple technically takes the prize since, at age 6, she received a "special award" from the Academy of Motion Pic- ture Arts and Sciences for her "outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the year 1934." The award was actually a miniature statue. That, of course, sounds a lot like a patronizing pat on her curl-topped head. In terms of open competition, the youngest winner is Tatum O'Neal, who at age 10 took home the best-supporting-actress statue for her role in 1973's "Paper Moon." She defeated com- petitors of all ages, including her 31-year-old "Paper Moon" co-star Madeline Kahn (who was nominated again the follow- ing year for "Blazing Saddles"). This is not just an old-time-Hollywood phenomenon, though: Anna Paquin is the second-youngest, having won the best supporting actress statue at age 11 for her role in "The Pi- ano" in 1993. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A 308904

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