Today's Entertainment

May 22 - 28, 2023 Page 3 By Jay Bobbin After 17 seasons of weekday food and fun, the kitchen is closing for "Rachael Ray." That's the program that goes by that name, not the title personality, who is already looking toward new media horizons for herself. The last episode of her syndicated talk show airs Wednesday, May 24, and it's sure to celebrate many of the top moments Ray has put forth over the better part of the past two de- cades — both as a culinary and life- style authority, and as someone whose interviewing skills have developed considerably during the show's run. "I'm a good cook who learned how to talk to anybody over time," the ever-lively Ray says in assessing the longevity of her eponymous show, "and that's because of practice. I have always believed that anybody in America can be successful at any- thing if they can close their eyes and see themselves trying it. If you're not ashamed of where you come from, you never have to be ashamed of where you might go." When "Rachael Ray" began in 2006, its bubbly host already was widely known for the cooking shows she made principally for Food Net- work, including "30 Minute Meals," a concept the former waitress and pub manager originated while she was a buyer for an upscale food market in Upstate New York. She parlayed that job into classes she taught to custom- ers, which drew the interest of an area television station; the segments she did there paved the way for NBC's "Today" to feature her regularly, then for Food Network to begin show- casing her. Recurring spots on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" progressed to the point where Winfrey became an executive producer of Ray's own talk show from its inception. Throughout the run of "Rachael Ray," the host has had a true partner in her husband, musician and lawyer John Cusimano. Besides contributing melodically to the program, he effec- tively became Ray's co-host when the coronavirus pandemic forced her to shift production from a Manhattan studio to the couple's home in Lake Luzerne, New York. As for what lies ahead for Ray, she intends to work again with many of her "Rachael Ray" colleagues in chan- neling much of her focus and energy into her new venture, Free Food Studios. It has a commitment for an A&E series tentatively titled "Rachael Ray Meals in Minutes," the first effort in a new library of programming she intends to build with fellow produc- ers she has worked with before. She also plans to nurture new talent in the food-show space. "There's tons of great content out there, now more than ever," Ray reasons. "We're going to be working on platforms on multiple levels. The world is constantly changing in that way, and I feel so lucky as an American woman in her 50s to still be relevant. It's exciting and cool, and it proves the point that you can do anything you want." ACROSS 1. Kevin O'Leary's series (2) 8. "Bus __"; Marilyn Mon- roe film 9. Lendl of tennis fame 10. Role on "Blue Bloods" (2) 14. actor annable 15. Students' transport 16. Part of a royal flush 17. Miners' discoveries 18. Fight ref's call 19. Breath freshener 20. Tub activity 24. Role on "The Equal- izer" 27. "Blame __ __ Rio"; Mi- chael Caine film 28. "__ __ Z" (2014-15) 29. "__ Rise" 32. Boatman's items 33. Former role on "S.W.a.T." (2) 36. Conclusions 37. at one's __ end; frus- trated & fed up 38. Role on "NCIS" (2) DOWN 1. Seagal or Spielberg 2. "__ Thief"; 2020 Liam Neeson film 3. Last month: abbr. 4. "Family __" (1982-89) 5. Role on "abbott Ele- mentary" 6. Henpeck (2) 7. Natural talent 8. Lewis or Belafonte 11. Initials for Kerr's "The King and I" costar 12. Urich's initials 13. Prefix for natal or clas- sical 14. Mr. DeLuise 20. "The __ Woman" (1976-78) 21. "__ __ of Honey"; Herb alpert hit 22. Spanish bulls 23. Schwarzkopf's mono- gram 24. "The Bernie __ Show" 25. Role on "I Love Lucy" 26. actor Greene 29. Part of NBa or aMa: abbr. 30. "__ Brea" 31. Initials for the star of "alice" 34. Bachelor's last words (2) 35. "On Our __" (1994-95) 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 Kitchen closing: 'Rachael Ray' bids farewell to daytime TV "Nancy Drew: Season 4" (CW — final season premiere, May 31) The fourth and final season of the mystery drama follows legendary teen detective Nancy Drew (Kennedy McMann, "Tell Me Lies") as she solves crimes in the town of Horseshoe Bay, Maine, with her friends George (Leah Lewis, "The Half of It," 2020), Nick (Tunji Kasim, "The Good Liar," 2019), Bess (Maddi- son Jaizani, "Into the Badlands") and ace (alex Saxon, "The Fos- ters"). In the new season, Nancy launches an investigation to find a group of bodies that have been dug up and stolen from the Horseshoe Bay cemetary. Solution is on page 2. Rachael Ray, host of the syndicated daytime series "Rachael Ray"

• Cover