Today's Entertainment

June 13 - 19, 2022 Page 3 ACROSS 1. "Gomer Pyle" star (2) 8. "__ Hari"; Greta Garbo movie 9. "Law & Order: Special Victims __" 10. Role on "The Rookie" (2) 14. Actress Larson 15. "Up __ Night" (2011- 12) 16. Fifth or Pennsylvania: abbr. 17. "__ Misbehavin' "; Broadway musical 18. "20,000 Leagues Un- der the __" 19. Golfer's pocketful 20. Parisian pals 24. Suffix for real or tour 27. Actress Miles 28. HBO competitor 29. Mr. DeLuise 32. John of "Good Times" 33. Role on "Chicago P.D." (2) 36. Rowing team 37. Dumbo's "wings" 38. "American Idol" judge (2) DOWN 1. Turner of "Northern Exposure" 2. "As Good as __ __"; Jack Nicholson film 3. __ West 4. Series for Michael Weatherly 5. Most famous 1969 bride 6. Kelly's family 7. Allen or Martin 8. "Everybody Loves Raymond" role 11. Actress Alana de __ Garza 12. Peggy Bundy's hubby 13. Natalie of "La Brea" 14. "__ Masterson" (1958- 61) 20. Highest-grossing film of all time 21. Bob Hope's "Thanks for the __" 22. Actor Jeremy 23. Scandinavian airline 24. Suffix for fool or child 25. Lean-to 26. Actress __ Kelly 29. Like morning grass blades 30. "__ vey!" 31. Plato's "M" 34. "Venom: __ There Be Carnage"; 2021 film 35. __ person; each Solution is on page 2. CoverStory By Jay Bobbin A cancer battle and the coronavirus couldn't keep Jeff Bridges from completing his first television series, even with a break of almost two years while he recov- ered. Though he appeared on his father Lloyd's classic "Sea Hunt" (as did his broth- er Beau), the "Crazy Heart" Oscar winner hasn't had his own show ... until now. Pre- miering Thursday, June 16, on FX (and then on Hulu), "The Old Man" casts Bridges as a CIA veteran targeted for elimination; he proves quite adept at outwitting his pursu- ers, showing he still knows the tricks of the trade. Based on a bestseller by Thomas Perry, the sus- pense-drama also stars John Lithgow as the federal agent in charge of the hunt, with Alia Shawkat ("Ar- rested Development") and E.J. Bonilla as operatives working with him. Gbenga Akinnagbe plays an assassin also on the trail, with Amy Brenneman as a woman who becomes involved with the fugitive when she rents him a room. "If you ever watched 'Sea Hunt' and saw an eight-year- old kid, that was probably me," the good-humored Bridges muses. "My dad set this whole thing in motion. I remember him sitting me on his bed and teaching me all the basics of acting. The big thing I learned from him was the joy in which he approached his work ... or his play. "I got to work with him twice as an adult, in 'Tucker: The Man and His Dream' and 'Blown Away,' and it was so great to see him come on the set and everybody was like, 'Oh, this is kind of fun. We can relax and have fun and play.' When you relax like that, the good stuff — the story that you're telling — can come out, and you're not tense, wondering if you're not doing it in a lov- ing place." Six-time Primetime Emmy winner Lithgow considers himself a beneficiary of that approach. Though it takes a while for him and Bridges to cross paths in 'The Old Man,' he reports one scene "took us six days and it was entirely played inside an au- tomobile. We never stopped talking, telling stories, telling jokes, talking about our families, talking about philos- ophy. And the whole time, we had our microphones on and the whole crew was lis- tening to that, and they were hearing the birth of a great lifetime friendship." Noting he feels "terrific" following his bouts with lymphoma and COVID-19, Bridges says that in doing TV, "One of my concerns was about how different it would be than making a movie, and it is absolutely no different. You have enough time to do your work. (This show) is an exceptionally good one, with the artists that have been assembled." Jeff Bridges is 'The Old Man' in FX espionage thriller 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 "The Chi" (Showtime — season premiere, June 26) Several new characters join the ensemble cast for the fifth season of this critically acclaimed coming-of-age drama, revolving around residents on the South Side of Chicago. New guest stars include Nia Jervier ("Dear White People") as Tierra, the polished and ambitious god-niece of Douda (Curtiss Cook), whom he recruits for a rebranding effort; Carolyn Mi- chelle Smith ("Russian Doll") as Deja, a new love interest for Shaad (Jason Weaver); L'lerrét Jazelle as Fatima, a fearless local journalist; and Antonyah Allen as Simon, a classmate of Kevin (Alex Hibbert).

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