TV med shows donate masks, Cannes delayed amid coronavirus
From finding ways to help others cope to sheltering in place to canceling events, here's a look at some of the ways the entertainment industry is reacting to the spread of the coronavirus, which most people recover from but can cause severe illness in the elderly and those with preexisting medical conditions.
Masks from dramas bring real relief
They may only play doctors on TV, but they're giving real-life help to hospitals that have taken a hit from the coronavirus outbreak.
The Fox TV medical series "The Resident" has donated some of its on-set masks and gowns to a hospital in Atlanta, where it shoots, and the ABC show "The Good Doctor" is moving to do the same in its home base of Vancouver, Canada.
"To the entire team @theresidentonfox, thank you for this incredibly generous donation of #PPE from your set, including gowns, masks, gloves, and all the things our health care workers need to provide safe care for our community during #COVID19," Dr. Karen Law of Grady Memorial Hospital said on Instagram, along with a photo of boxes of the donated gear.
Show representatives confirmed that the gear came from them, and representatives of "The Good Doctor" said they were in talks with government officials in Vancouver about what is needed at hospitals there.
"I had a serious discussion with the residents about how, though supplies are low, a magical shipment of masks is unlikely to arrive," Law said. "And yet, a magical shipment of masks DID arrive, in the form of this very generous gesture."
The coronavirus has especially hit home for "The Good Doctor." Actor Daniel Dae Kim, who is a producer on the show and appeared in several episodes last year, says he has tested positive for it.
Kim said in an Instagram video from his house in Hawaii that while flying home from a shoot in New York - where he was playing a doctor helping with a flu pandemic - he noticed an itch in his throat, followed by a tightness in his chest and body aches that prompted him to get tested.
Kim says he was not hospitalized, and began feeling better within a few days.
"I'm not 100 percent, but I'm close," he said.
Cannes can't go on as planned
France's Cannes Film Festival has joined the long list of prestigious events delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The 73rd edition of cinema's storied annual gathering will not take place from May 12 to 23 as planned.
Organizers had for days held out on delaying the festival on the French Riviera, but finally relented Thursday and say they're considering moving it to the end of June or the beginning of July.
The pandemic has started to affect events in the summer as well, with the Daytime Emmy Awards announcing Thursday that they were canceling their June ceremony.
"There are just too many unknowns right now, not the least of which is whether we would actually be permitted to stage an event in June" involving more than 1,000 participants, National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Chairman Terry O'Reilly wrote in a letter to members.
The Daytime Emmy Awards had been scheduled for June 12-14 in California.