Today's Entertainment

May 16 - 22, 2016 Page 3 ACROSS 1. James Spader's role on "The Blacklist" 4. "Father Knows __" 8. Sullivan and Bradley 11. Wife to Mickey, Artie and Frank 12. __ Sommer 13. Skater Babilonia 14. Actress on "You, Me and the Apocalypse" (2) 17. "What __ to Wear" 18. "Murder, __ Wrote" 19. "__ Little Rich Girl"; Shirley Temple movie 21. Michael J. Fox's role on "Family Ties" 24. "The Hobbit: __ Un- expected Journey" 25. NO forerunners 26. Carney's initials 27. "Maybe It's __" (2001- 02) 28. Actress Russo 30. Waterbird 32. Copper or iron 34. One of John-Boy's brothers 35. "American Idol" host (2) 41. Word from Scrooge 42. Trudge 43. "Grand __ Opry" 44. British ship letters 45. "The Jewel of the __"; 1985 Michael Douglas film 46. "The Simpsons" network DOWN 1. Role on "The Big Bang Theory" 2. "New Year's __"; 2011 film for Sarah Jessica Parker 3. "Book 'em, __" 4. "__ the Clock" 5. 2003 Will Ferrell movie 6. Emulate Picabo Street 7. Actress Harper 8. Role on "I Love Lucy" 9. Daniel __ Kim 10. "To __, with Love"; 1967 Sidney Poitier film 15. "__ Exposure" 16. Actor Kyle 19. Early "Tonight Show" host 20. "__ Upon a Time" 22. "Sesame Street" fellow 23. "__-__: Days of Future Past"; 2014 film 29. Webster and Wyle 31. "__ __ the Boys"; 1989 Maria Conchita Alonso sitcom 33. "Around the Horn" network 34. A followers 35. Monogram for Presi- dent Hayes 36. Underground edible 37. Actor Wallach 38. E-mail provider for millions 39. Letters before mo or pitch 40. John Ritter's dad Solution on page 2. By George Dickie © Zap2it Anyone who knows Bryan Cranston as Wal- ter White from "Breaking Bad" or Tim Whatley from "Seinfeld" may be some- what startled by the ease with which the handsome actor disappears into Lyndon Johnson's skin in the HBO telepic "All The Way." For in the drama that premieres Saturday, May 21, Cranston seemingly channels the nation's 36th president as he endures the challenges of his first year in office following the assassination of his predecessor, John F. Kennedy, challenges that include the burgeoning war in Vietnam and the political horse-trading that resulted in the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. And that should come as no surprise, since Cranston won a Tony Award for his role in the play of the same name that ran on Broadway in 2014. In the movie, which was adapted from Robert Schenkkan's Tony-win- ning play, LBJ labors mightily to get Dixiecrat senators including Richard Russell (Frank Langella, "Frost/Nixon") and civil rights leaders Martin Lu- ther King, Jr. (Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Lock- er") and Roy Wilkins (Joe Morton, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day") on board for his landmark legis- lation. Others who play roles include FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Stephen Root, "NewsRadio"), Vice President Hubert Hum- phrey (Bradley Whitford, "The West Wing") and first lady Lady Bird Johnson (Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"). Along with the War on Poverty and the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, the bill would turn out to be one of Johnson's major achievements. But, notes Cranston, he's generally not remembered for that. "Lyndon Johnson was judged by half of his endeavors," the actor maintains. "And fairly or unfairly — and I think it leans to me to be unfairly — that he was known and infamously regarded in history for the debacle in Vietnam. And unfortunate- ly, it overshadowed the constructive, legendary accomplishments that he made domestically. "You know, if you're going to judge someone in the public eye — wheth- er it's an actor, singer or politician — it's fair to judge them; they're in the public eye and they're in a profession that includes criticism. But you should do it knowledgeably, that you take in the full breadth of his presidency and his terms and then make your judgments. And I think when you do that people come away with a differ- ent opinion." Much of the drama re- volves around Johnson's dealings with King, with whom he worked and clashed frequently while working to get the bill passed. But despite their differences, Cranston be- lieves Johnson and King were men of a similar mind. "He respected Martin and they were on the same side of the battle for sure," he says. "The agenda was different, their approach was dif- ferent, the timing was different. All these things led up to an occasional brush-up. But ultimately they had to work together; they knew they wanted to work together for what they both wanted to ac- complish. It was the same goal, just approached dif- ferently." Along with a signifi- cant amount of prosthetic makeup, Cranston got into LBJ by reading biog- raphies, talking to people who knew him and just letting the character "get into your bones." "It's all about prepara- tion to me," he says. "And you slowly start to allow the character to seep into you. And I never want to do an impersonation but I do need and want to get as close to that guy as I possibly can. So that's the goal." Cutline. CoverStory Cranston brings Lyndon Johnson to life in HBO's 'All the Way'

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