BURBANK, Calif. — “The Pitt” has won praise — and a gurney full of Emmys — for bringing a dose of classic episodic TV to the prestige streaming era.

Its star, executive producer and sometimes director Noah Wyle said Friday that the HBO Max hospital series is also a throwback of a different sort — it actually shoots in Hollywood at a time when film and television production has shifted to other places with more favorable economic conditions. Wyle said “The Pitt,” which won the Emmy for best drama for last year’s first season, is “proof of concept” that the model can work.

Wyle spoke at a hearing organized by California Sen. Adam Schiff held at City Hall in Burbank, the Los Angeles-adjacent city that is home to most major studios, including the Warner Bros. lot where “The Pitt” shoots.

“I was asked to participate in today’s hearing to tell a success story,” Wyle said. “I’m happy to report we’ll commence shooting season three this summer, and that a rising tide has indeed lifted all boats.”

Wyle said California’s recent tax breaks for production made making the series in Burbank possible. He said the show’s first season brought nearly 600 production jobs, and its ripple effects brought $125 million to the state economy.

“That is proof of concept,” he said. “That is replicable. And it is vital to the strength of our industry and to our city to support these incentives.”

Wyle, 54, played a central character on NBC's “ER” from 1994 to 2009. His return to a Hollywood hospital — fictionally in Pittsburgh — with “The Pitt” won him an Emmy for best actor in a drama.

Lean years came in between, when he had to go the increasingly far-off places smaller roles took him.

“I’ll speak from personal experience and say that I haven’t slept in my own bed in 15 years while I’ve been working as an actor. Since the end of ‘ER,’” Wyle said. “It’s hard on families, and I can speak to that. It is hard to fracture your industry that way.”

Schiff and other members of Congress who spoke said they are working on nationalizing production tax breaks that states have instituted.

U.S. Rep. Laura Friedman, whose district includes Burbank and its studios, addressed objections to cozy treatment for a business snuggled in wealth.

“We give tax credits to many industries. Hollywood is not asking for special treatment,” she said. “This is something that is standard across the United States for industries that we have determined that we care about.”

Matthew Loeb, president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, which represents most behind-the-scenes crew members, lamented Marvel recently moving its production hub from Georgia to England.

But he said the same project-by-project production model that can be difficult for his members can make change more possible. It’s not as hard for film to come back as it might be for other industries.

Paramount’s pending acquisition of Warner Bros. was a running theme, with all expressing worry that its consolidation will mean loss of production and jobs

“This merger could define whether Los Angeles remains the entertainment capital of the world or becomes an afterthought,” Friedman said.

Paramount leaders have given a broad commitment to making 15 major motion pictures for both studios each year. That was welcomed, but skeptically.

“The big missing piece is that there is no commitment about where they’re going to shoot 30 films,” Loeb said.

Wyle, Schiff and others emphasized the jobs that thrive around entertainment entities, from hotel workers to equipment vendors to food servers to dry cleaners.

“All those livelihoods are tied to a production shop setting up in their community,” Schiff said.

U.S. Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove said workers of all sorts from her Los Angeles County district have an interest in Hollywood thriving.

“After my acupuncturist took the needles out of my back, she said, ‘Can you do anything to help bring back entertainment jobs?’” Kamlager-Dove said.

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Grammy-winning singer Chappell Roan responded on Sunday to accusations made by Brazilian-Italian soccer star Jorginho that a security guard mistreated his 11-year-old stepdaughter after she recognized the singer.

Jorginho Frello, a player for Flamengo widely known as Jorginho, said that his wife and the child were staying at the same hotel in Sao Paulo as the singer, who is in the country for the Lollapalooza Brazil music festival, when the controversy occurred.

“During breakfast, the artist walked past their table. My daughter, like any child, recognized her, got excited and just wanted to make sure it was really her,” Jorginho said, in a lengthy text posted on Instagram in Portuguese and English on Saturday. The girl is the daughter of Catherine Harding, Jorginho’s wife, and British actor Jude Law.

“She didn’t say anything, didn’t ask for anything,” Jorginho said, adding that a security guard then came over to his family’s table and spoke “in an extremely aggressive manner to both my wife and my daughter.”

Jorginho said that Roan did not deserve her fans’ affection.

Roan addressed the incident on Sunday, also on Instagram. The singer said that the security guard was not her personal security and that she didn’t see a woman and a child.

“It’s unfair for security to just assume someone doesn’t have good intentions,” Roan said. “I do not hate people who are fans of my music. I do not hate children.”

Rio’s new mayor Eduardo Cavaliere weighed in on the controversy late on Saturday, saying that while he was mayor Roan would never perform on Copacabana Beach as Madonna and Lady Gaga have, and as Shakira will do in May.

“I doubt that Shakira would do that!” he said, adding that Jorginho’s daughter would be a guest of honor at the Colombian superstar’s upcoming free concert on Rio's sprawling sands. Cavaliere replaced former Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes on Friday.

Roan, who is openly queer and taps into drag culture, was the sassy toast of the pop world in 2024 with tracks that include “Good Luck, Babe!” “Red Wine Supernova” and “Hot To Go!” from her 2023 album “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.”

Roan nudged aside Sabrina Carpenter to win the Grammy for best new artist last February.

After the lengthy texts, Jorginho posted a story of his daughter’s excited reaction upon arriving at Carpenter's show at Lollapalooza. “Everything is well with the girls, and thanks for the messages,” he said.

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SEOUL, South Korea — After a four-year break, K-pop supergroup BTS returned Saturday with a massive, free comeback concert in Seoul, where thousands of police locked down a central boulevard for the Netflix-exclusive spectacle that drew tens of thousands of fans.

“Annyeonghaseyo! We’re back,” RM, the band’s leader, told the crowd, using the Korean word for “hello,” as they opened with “Body to Body,” setting off delirious screams from fans waving purple-and-red light sticks and thrusting smartphones into the air.

All seven members of the band — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — recently completed South Korea’s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts.

The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a global tour spanning dozens of shows across the United States, Europe and Asia, which analysts say could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue per quarter.

The hourlong concert came after the group on Friday released its fifth album, “ARIRANG,” which sold nearly 4 million copies in its first day, said the band’s management company, HYBE. The company also said RM had injured his ankle during a rehearsal, but he still performed with modified choreography.

The BTS concert, which began at 8 p.m., drew several tens of thousands to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others who watched on screens nearby. The show was streamed live on Netflix.

“It will be amazing because it’s been so long that BTS (was) not with us,” Dallila Di Tullio, a 32-year-old fan from Italy, said before the concert, calling it a once-in-a-century event.

BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the “Army.” It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”

Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of BTS’ return as a full-group would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix’s animated sensation “KPop Demon Hunters.”

The dark streets blazed with light as waves of fans sang and cheered from cordoned sections, a jubilant scene that unfolded under an unusually heavy police presence managing the crowds.

“I still vividly remember how, at our last Busan concert a few years ago, we asked you to wait for us. Thank you so much for coming here like this,” Jin said.

The group performed songs from their new album, including “SWIM,” alongside hits like “Dynamite” and “Butter.” Some members appeared to tear up while thanking fans who braved the chilly night, before holding hands and bowing to the crowd to close the show.

Police and city officials closed nearby streets and roads, halted the area’s subway and bus services, and sealed off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounted to a full-day shutdown of the district.

Thousands of police officers maintained a tight perimeter around the performance venue, channeling the crowds with a maze of fences and buses. Concertgoers began queuing by midday to secure spots along nearby roads, passing through security checks and metal detectors at designated entry points. The restrictions forced nearby shops to close and police to use their buses to shuttle wedding guests to a nearby venue.

“I was hoping to (see) if we can go through some holes or be around. Apparently we cannot because they will be asking people to move,” said Bernice Sanchez, a 52-year-old fan from Switzerland, as she looked for a place to wait.

While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls went too far and undermined the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul’s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.

Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert came about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those monthslong rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.

The new BTS album, “ARIRANG,” takes its name from a centuries-old folk song, regarded as an unofficial anthem in both Koreas, whose themes of separation, longing and quiet resilience have echoed across generations.

Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace provided a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday’s show, which was highlighted by lighting effects that bathed the palace gate and walls in purple, red and blue.

Suga told the crowd that the album’s title and the decision to perform in Gwanghwamun reflected the group’s focus on identity. RM said the band focused on making music that felt true to themselves as they reconvened to work on the new album.

“We wanted to show who we are and how we can come together,” he told the crowd.

South Korean officials, including current President Lee Jae Myung, expressed hope that the event would promote the country’s culture and soft power.

The group’s comeback follows a nearly four-year hiatus driven by South Korea’s mandatory military service, which requires most able-bodied men to serve 18 to 21 months under a conscription system aimed at deterring aggression from North Korea. BTS members began serving in 2022, with Suga the last to complete his service in June 2025.

Some analysts say the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour could become the biggest K-pop tour ever by scale and revenue, with 82 shows planned globally in stadiums of around 50,000 seats. Ha Jae-keun, a cultural critic, said BTS was likely to have a “second heyday,” as they maintained a highly powerful fandom and would benefit from the broader international ascent of K-pop.

“We will do our best to give everything we got,” J-Hope said.

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By Associated Press