Today's Entertainment

February 21 - 27, 2022 Page 3 ACROSS 1. Role on "La Brea" (2) 9. "__: Vegas" 10. Actor Katz 11. Prefix for occupied or paid 13. Comic strip Viking 15. Garden pest 17. Dr. Derek __; "Grey's Anatomy" role 18. Musical disc, for short 20. Kildare or Quinn: abbr. 21. Milne's monogram 23. __ Ferrigno Jr. of "S.W.A.T." 24. Wildebeest 25. Long-eared animal 26. "The Last Man __ Earth" 29. Stallone's initials 30. Actor on "FBI" (2) 34. Steer clear of 36. Perfect 38. __ Moines 39. Actor Rex 42. Have a bug 43. Role on "Chicago Fire" (2) DOWN 1. "Love __ __ Many Splendored Thing" 2. __ and zags; does the slalom 3. Days of __; yesteryear 4. Initials for Morgan of "M*A*S*H" 5. "Evening Shade" set- ting: abbr. 6. "All __" 7. Apple tablet 8. __ Lanka 9. Series for Oliver Platt (2) 12. Role on "B Positive" (2) 14. "Eureka!" 16. Gun rights organization 19. Actor Florek 20. Barrett __; "Station 19" actress 22. Fraternity letter 23. "__ Law" 27. Stewart or Steiger 28. Actress Charisse 30. "__ Shoot Me!" 31. "__ or High Water"; 2016 movie 32. Sty cry 33. "Wanted: __ or Alive" (1958-61) 35. "__ Miserables" 37. Help 40. Prefix for logical or legal 41. Ming-__ Wen Solution is on page 2. CoverStory By Jay Bobbin When Camryn Manheim says that joining the revival of "Law & Order" brings her "full circle," she really means it. The Emmy winner for "The Practice" had several of her earliest television roles as a guest star on executive producer Dick Wolf's long-running, fran - chise-spawning drama series. She returns to it as a regular for what NBC is calling its 21st season starting Thursday, Feb. 24, reinforcing Wolf's "Chi - cago"-show and "FBI" tradi- tion by opening an all-"Law & Order" night that also includes the "Special Vic- tims Unit" and "Organized Crime" spinoffs. Merging returning cast members and new ad- ditions, "Law & Order" now casts Manheim as Lt. Kate Dixon, the boss of the New York police detectives played by re - turnee Anthony Anderson (fresh off "black-ish") and "Burn Notice" alum Jeffrey Donovan. Sam Waterston reprises his role as District Attorney Jack McCoy, and Hugh Dancy ("Hannibal") and Odelya Halevi ("Good Trouble") also are new to the series as prosecutors. "I'd just gotten my master's degree from New York University," the friendly Manheim recalls, "and like every New York actor, it was my dream to get a guest shot on 'Law & Order.' I did a lot of Off-Broadway theater, and everyone would write in their program bio who they wanted to thank ... and at the end, they would write how many times they'd appeared on 'Law & Order.' For several years, I couldn't say that, and it was probably one of my proudest moments when I could add, '"Law & Order": One episode.' And then, 'Two episodes.' And then, 'Three episodes.' " Now, Manheim says, "I'm not going to lie, I'm still in a little bit of shock. I'm moving from Los Angeles to New York, and I would not have done it for any other show. 'Law & Order' has such a special place in my heart, and it's not just me, but all of New York. Actors dream to be on it, crew members' lives were made by it, and the city was vitalized by it. It's very profound for me." Manheim's Dixon ef- fectively is the successor to Lt. Anita Van Buren, played through most of the original show's run by S. Epatha Merkerson (now on NBC's and producer Wolf's "Chicago Med"). "I think it takes a certain kind of woman to hold down this fort and make sure that everything works in tandem," Manheim notes, reasoning that Dixon "has to keep the D.A.'s office happy, she has to keep the police chief hap- py, and she has to get her detectives to do the work: And I think that with how bossy I am in general, they sensed that I could bring her to life." Camryn Manheim helps maintain 'Law & Order' in original series' revival 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 "Kandi & The Gang" (Bravo — series premiere, March 6) At Kandi Burruss- Tucker's OLG restaurant in Atlanta, the dishes never disappoint and neither does the drama. This new reality series follows Kandi ("The Real Housewives of Atlanta"), her husband Todd and the "Old Lady Gang" behind the scenes at their famed hot spot, where they dish up delicious soul food that has customers lining up, served by the colorful cast of characters who work there.

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