Today's Entertainment

May 8 - 14, 2023 Page 3 By Jay Bobbin Michael J. Fox's life has en- tailed a lot, and as his many fans long have been aware, not all of it has been for the cameras. The five-time Primetime Emmy Award winner was at the height of his popularity as an actor when he received a diag- nosis of Parkinson's disease in 1991, and both his private and public aspects get considerable attention in "STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie," which Apple TV+ debuts Friday, May 12. Directed by Davis Guggenheim ("An In- convenient Truth") – whose wife, Elisabeth Shue, worked with Fox in the "Back to the Future" fran- chise – the film factors dramatic re-creations into Fox-narrated recollections of his experiences. Though Fox admits he had early difficulty emotionally in dealing with his health assess- ment, he ultimately channeled the situation into the nonprofit Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. It has financed more than $1 billion in projects, including a recent breakthrough involving a spinal fluid test. Fox also has traced his life and times in several memoirs: "Lucky Man," "Always Looking Up: The Adventures of an Incur- able Optimist" and "No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality." Last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scienc- es gave Fox the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, also an acknowledgment of his sig- nificance as a member of the entertainment community. After he moved to Los Angeles from his native Canada, it wasn't long before he was cast as politically minded Alex P. Keaton in the sitcom "Family Ties"; during its seven-season run, he also scored such movie successes as the three "Back to the Future" films, "Teen Wolf " and "The Secret of My Success," plus image departures in "Bright Lights, Big City" (co-starring Fox's wife, Tracy Pol- lan) and "Casualties of War." After making such early-1990s comedy films as "Doc Holly- wood" and "For Love or Money," Fox returned to weekly sitcom work in "Spin City." Midway through that show's run, he went public with his Parkinson's news, and Charlie Sheen succeeded him in the series. However, Fox earned later acclaim for recurring guest roles on "Boston Legal," "Rescue Me" and "The Good Wife." In 2012, Fox made a bid for series work again with "The Michael J. Fox Show," which incorporated aspects of his real life as he played a TV newsman. It lasted less than one season, but afterward, Fox reunited with earlier movie co-star and long- time friend Kiefer Sutherland in a guest arc on the latter's show "Designated Survivor." Though Fox maintains that he has retired from acting, he notes that could change under the right circumstances. For now, he's back in the limelight by telling his own story in "STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie," and it's a singular tale that's worth relating – and hearing – firsthand. ACROSS 1. "The View" cohost (2) 9. Elly May Clampett's pa 10. actor Florek 11. Cheerleader's cry 13. Central Florida city 15. __ con carne; Tex-Mex dish 17. Bridget of "Blue Bloods" 18. "__ Time for Sergeants" 20. "Home Improvement" role 21. actor Wheaton 23. Pres. Harding's mono- gram 24. Tavern order 25. arthur, for one 26. Suffix for short or port 29. Kildare or Quinn: abbr. 30. Role on "S.W.a.T." (2) 34. Ready to be used (2) 36. Terre __, IN 38. Capture 39. Lucy __; "NCIS: Hawai'i" role 42. Deface 43. Iantha __ of "Will Trent" DOWN 1. 1/60 of a min. 2. Role on "The Gold- bergs" 3. "Queen for __ __" of old TV 4. Laughing syllable 5. "Touched by __ angel" 6. Part of a foot 7. actress Moran 8. __ Mineo 9. Ralph Waite's role (2) 12. actor on "The Good Doctor" (2) 14. Myrna __ 16. Linden of "Barney Miller" 19. Greasy 20. Elderly 22. "__ Mans"; Steve Mc- Queen film 23. Initials for Bendix of "The Life of Riley" 27. One of the Seven Dwarfs 28. Wanted poster letters 30. actress andersson 31. One of the girls in "Little Women" 32. actor Everett 33. Japanese wrestling form 35. VP Rockefeller's mono- gram 37. Sunbather's reward 40. Battery size 41. Redford's initials CoverStory 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 Apple TV+ profiles Michael J. Fox in 'STILL' "White Men Can't Jump" (Hulu — movie premiere, May 19) This modern remix of the iconic 1992 comedy follows the adventures of two polar-op- posite Los angeles street ballers: Jeremy (rapper Jack Harlow), a former star of the game whose injuries stalled his career; and Kamal (Sinqua Walls, "american Soul"), once a promising player who derailed his own future in the sport. Solution is on page 2. "Back to the Future" is among the films excerpted in "STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie," which streams Friday on Apple TV+.

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