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^ I posted those awhile back, but no worries.

This probably belongs in another thread, but WRT Wyle's return...has anyone else been innundated with his ads for the WWF? It's truly a testament to his acting prowess that I actually find polar bear extinction hilarious when he tells me that "If we don't act now...(raises eyebrows) it could be too late...for the polar bear."

A nice article from the Daily Mail:

It turned bewildering medical procedures into sexy TV - and gave the world George Clooney. But now ER is coming to an end.

By Jenny Eden
Last updated at 11:00 PM on 02nd January 2009

Nearly 15 years ago, the writer Michael Crichton created a TV series that won international acclaim, 22 Emmy awards - and introduced the world to George Clooney.

But now, ER, the longest-running US primetime medical drama is closing the doors on Chicago's County General Hospital forever and, in the final series, the current cast find old faces from the past woven into their storylines.

In one poignant moment, Parminder Nagra, who found fame in the film Bend It Like Beckham, finds her character, Dr Neela Rasgotra, sitting opposite Anthony Edwards (Dr Mark Greene), waiting to film their flashback scenes.

'It was like I could reach my hand through an invisible wall into ER's past,' says Parminder. 'Anthony said, "Thank you for finishing it", and I said, "Thank you for starting it". It was such a cool moment, I don't think I'll ever forget it.'

In 1974, Crichton, who died of cancer last year at the age of 66, wrote a screenplay based on his own experiences as a medical student in a busy emergency room (the equivalent of our casualty department). But it wasn't until the early 1990s, when he worked with Steven Spielberg on the screen adaptation of his novel Jurassic Park, that the idea of turning his hospital drama into a TV series come about, with Spielberg on board as the show's producer.

The pilot episode was shot in a disused hospital in Los Angeles, which was later recreated on a sound stage on the Warner Bros. lot, and the original cast was made up of some of the most promising actors of the time - including Anthony Edwards, George Clooney (Dr Doug Ross) and Noah Wyle (Dr John Carter).

Anthony says, 'I remember when we did the pilot, we had no idea in what corridor or hallway we were supposed to be in. We didn't know what the medical equipment we were using was or what we were debating in the script. But when we saw the show for the first time, we knew it was special.' And so did American viewers - at its peak, ER was pulling in 30 million a week.

Today, the set occupies stage 11, where movie greats such as My Fair Lady and Casablanca were filmed. Here, parts of ER history litter the stage, along with the bottles of fake blood and trolleys loaded with medical equipment.

Still hanging over one doorway is a board signed by the ER 'class' of 1997/98, including George. He has offices nearby and regularly pops in to say hello to old friends. Parminder admits that having the world's sexiest man stopping by can be disconcerting.

'Linda Cardellini [Nurse Sam Taggart] and I turn into 14-year-olds when we see him,' she laughs. 'He's so nice to us and we go, "Hey George", as if it's normal. But as soon as he leaves, we're like, "Ahhhh".'

From the very first episode, no egos were allowed on set, and stories of diva tantrums and back stabbing have never filtered out. The cast and crew looked out for each other.

Anthony was adored for getting the on-set catering for the crew upgraded to three hot meals a day. George, who liked to unwind between takes, got a basketball hoop installed in the ambulance loading bay and would play whomever was free - because it was in an area that could be seen by the cameras, it became part of the series itself.

George was forever playing practical jokes - a tradition that has been passed down through generations of cast members. Noah Wyle, who spent 11 years as Dr Carter, recalls, 'You never wanted to turn your back on George because you'd become the butt of some joke. I never played a trick on him because he'd get you back; it was like opening Pandora's box.'

Noah was just 22 when he joined the cast. He made a deal with executive producer John Wells, that as he was there at the start, he would be there at the end, so he returns for the final two episodes. 'I think a bit of your heart gets broken when you leave ER,' he says. 'I didn't like watching it without me in it.'

One of the things that set ER apart from the start was the way it portrayed life in an emergency department at its most raw. The bloody chaos of life-saving procedures is carefully choreographed with guidance from real medics before the cast swing into action.

Linda admits that the complex emergency scenes can be intimidating when you first join the cast. ' Making sure you're handing people the right piece of equipment when it's their cue, and then waiting for your own, is like patting your head and rubbing your tummy at the same time,' says the actress, who played Velma in both Scooby-Doo movies. 'On my first day, I was crying hysterically in my trailer because I didn't understand how anyone could do it.'


Parminder Nagra, who starred as Neela Rasgothra admits she and Linda Cardellini turn into 14-year-olds when they see George Clooney
In Linda's first episode, the treatment room where she and Dr Luka Kovac (Goran Visnjic) were working, was set to explode as the hospital caught fire.

'They covered us in this fire-retardant gel,' she remembers, 'then they yelled for everybody to clear the set but us. I remember looking round and seeing people standing with fire extinguishers to our right and our left in case we did catch fire, while everyone else was hundreds of feet away from all the danger.'

ER has also become known for its huge disaster scenes - from helicopter crashes and crane wrecks, to sieges and bus smashes. But the most spectacular was when two planes crashed over Chicago. Neela was in the thick of it. 'There was burning wreckage all over the back lot. It looked like a movie set, and most TV shows couldn't achieve that.'

As it slowly sinks in that this really is the last series, the cast and crew are deciding what souvenirs to take with them. Before her final episode, Maura Tierney, who played Dr Abby Lockhart, unscrewed an exit sign from the wall.

John Stamos, who plays Dr Tony Gates, has a replica of the reception admissions board stashed away, while Parminder covets Neela's name badge with her photograph taken on the first day.

But long after the props and set are gone, ER's legacy will remain. For its millions of fans, it will always be the world's best-loved medical drama.

This is irrelevant and not spoiler related, but I was looking at NBC's ER site and they've managed to title "Truth Will Out" as "The Truth Will Get Out" and misspelled "Tandem Repeats" as "Tandum Repeats."

Who exactly is in charge of the site? The monkeys from season 12?