Today's Entertainment

June 19 - 25, 2023 Page 3 By Jay Bobbin "Chicago Fire" is taking its traditional summer break from new episodes, but that doesn't mean viewers won't still be able to find fresh firefighting drama Wednesdays on NBC. And from the same executive producer: Dick Wolf, whose company also is behind "LA Fire & Rescue," an unscripted series premiering Wednesday, June 21 (and also streaming on Peacock, starting the day after the NBC airings). The show follows several teams and regions within the Los Angeles County Fire Department through a number of situations, some involving medical skills while others rely largely on blaze-battling techniques, with the personal lives of many of the personnel also considered. One such individual is Cap- tain Stan Maloof, whose fellow captain, twin brother Steve, and their father (also named Steve) have shared the same firefight- ing career. He left a job in the world of finance, and though he was stationed in Palmdale when "LA Fire & Rescue" was made, Maloof is now a member of the company in La Mirada. He says he's proud to have so many colleagues â€" also including those in Watts, Compton and West Hollywood, among other Southern California locales â€" showcased in the program. "It's a heck of a thing to be able to share these unique expe- riences with people at home who truly understand it," Maloof re- flects of his family ties. "One of the biggest challenges in our pro- fession is going home and trying to relate what we go through, and when you have someone in your family who's done the same thing, it's comforting." So was the production team's approach, Maloof maintains, in capturing footage for "LA Fire & Rescue." He allows, "One of my concerns, when we were approached about this, was their integration into our daily lives. We live at the fire station, and we go on emergency calls and bounce in and out all day long, and it's not an easy thing for anybody to just jump in and blend with. The production crew did very well with that. After a while, we didn't even realize they were there." Maloof adds that the show's makers stayed sensitive to the firefighters' thoughts: "They were very good about checking with us before they recorded some- thing. If they caught something they weren't sure they wanted, they would ask us whether they should keep it or get rid of it." In turn, Maloof and his col- leagues made sure the television staff was protected while out in the field with them. "Safety is always a concern," he stresses, "and as a fire captain, the safety of myself and my crew is para- mount. It was interesting to add in the other aspect of having a film crew running with us as we were trying to put out a fire, and that added another level of com- plexity to it." The behind-the-scenes action from "LA Fire & Rescue" comes to viewers Wednesday, June 21, on NBC, and is available to stream the following day on Peacock. ACROSS 1 "Clair de ___" 5 Lend a hand 8 Rocky peaks 12 Romance lang. 13 Frigid 14 "American ___" 15 Execute perfectly 16 "Spaceballs" (1987) writer, di- rector and producer Brooks 17 Dramatic opening 18 Dick Cheney in "Vice" (2018) (2) 21 Classic sitcom star Carroll, of "All in the Family" 22 20 percent 25 "Ocean's Eleven" franchise job 29 "Put ___ Happy Face" (2) 30 Actor/comedian Keegan-Mi- chael ___ 31 The blahs 34 "#@%$!" 36 "All the Money in the World" (2017) star Christopher 40 40 Down won three of them (2) 46 Former sitcom star McEntire 47 Small ammo 48 Broke gambler's promises 49 Overabundance 50 Dorm overseers, for short 51 Bakery buy 52 Bone: Prefix 53 Summer refresher 54 Med. care providers DOWN 1 "The Mod Squad" role 2 Great Salt Lake state 3 Hair removal brand 4 2000 cinematic drama Billy ___" 5 "We ___ please" (2) 6 Strand due to winter weather (2) 7 "Like a Rolling Stone" singer Bob 8 Sound quality 9 Concert halls 10 Throw, as dice 11 Plumlike fruit 19 Educ. institution 20 Japanese drama 22 Antagonist 23 Place to stay 24 Devotee 26 Old White House nickname 27 Reality show "Below Deck's" setting 28 norse war god 32 "Saturday night Live's" "Week- end ___" 33 ___-de-France 34 Stitch up 35 Ghostly apparition 37 Planetary shadow 38 "Sorry about that!" (2) 39 Tricky billiards shot 40 2012 drama starring Ben Af- fleck 41 Cartoon frame 42 Adjoin 43 Ramble 44 Old Spanish coin 45 Concordes CoverStory The identity of the featured celebrity is found within the answers in the puzzle. In order to take the TV Challenge, unscramble the letters noted with asterisks within the puzzle. InFocus Duty calls: NBC showcases real exploits of 'LA Fire & Rescue' "Hijack" (Apple TV+ — Series Premiere, June 28) This tense, seven-part thriller series, told in real time, follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, and au- thorities on the ground scramble for answers. While Sam nelson (Idris Elba), an accomplished negotiator in the business world, steps up and uses all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers, Zahra Gahfoor (Ar- chie Panjabi), a counterterrorism officer, works the case from on the ground. Solution is on page 2. Captain Stan Maloof with brother Steve (foreground) from "LA Fire & Rescue"

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