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“Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner “Nurse Jackie”
Profiled athlete
Devin Mesoraco
CELEBRITY SPOTLIGHTS
James Corden Clea DuVall Billy Crystal Kit Harington Marc Bartolomeo
WHAT'S FOR DINNER
Featuring: Haylie Duff
JAY Bobbin's movies to watch
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The story
Turning the big 5-0! Blake Shelton (left) and Luke Bryan host The 50th Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday on CBS.
folio Courtesy of Gracenote April 19 - 25, 2015
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Stories
The 50th Academy of Country Music Awards Sunday on CBS. p3
“Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” Saturday on Syfy. p 11
White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner Saturday on C-SPAN. pp 12-13
“Nurse Jackie” Sunday on Showtime. pp 14-15
SIX
Celebrity potlights James Corden
Haylie Duff
of “The Late Late Show With of “Real Girl’s Kitchen.” p7 James Corden” on CBS. p4
Clea DuVall
of “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” on Lifetime.
Kit Harington
of “Game of Thrones.” p8
p5
Billy Crystal
of “The Comedians”on FX. p6
Marc Bartolomeo
of “Kitchen Impossible” on DIY Network. p9
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Pictured: BLAKE SHELTON performs at LP Field as part of the 2014 CMA Music Festival.
Profiled Athlete Devin Mesoraco pp 16-17
Editor's choice
STORY
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Luke Bryan, Reba and many more celebrate ACM Awards’ 50th By Jay Bobbin The Academy of Country Music clearly knows how significant the number 50 is. Not only are many of the genre’s top stars helping the organization mark a half-century of its honors, the event is adding 30 minutes to its usual three hours ... and is being moved from an auditorium to an even larger venue. For the third consecutive year, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan team as hosts as CBS televises The 50th Academy of Country Music Awards on Sunday, April 19, from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. With four nominations himself, including entertainer of the year and male vocalist of the year, Bryan has good reason to be central to the milestone ceremony. Two of his first awards were ACMs, for top new artist and top new solo vocalist in 2010. “The ACM Awards are an amazing time,” says “Crash My Party” and “Play It Again” hit-maker Bryan. “They’re so fun, and they represent country music in such a positive way. The opportunity to host is always an honor, and it’s something I don’t take lightly; it’s kind of your opportunity to leave your mark. The 50th will be a big night that will cap a big, busy week for me, but it’s certainly a labor of love.” That “big, busy week” also has involved Bryan’s taping of an ACM-related “Superstar Duets!” special that CBS will broadcast May 15, and his hosting duet with Shelton at the awards continues to please him. “Blake obviously is such a big character,” he muses, “just somebody who’s an amazing figure to have in country music. The fact that I get to be a part of this show with him ... he and I have a blast doing it, and we certainly enjoy seeing each other, catching up and doing our best to put on the show. I think we’ll be doing it for some while.”
Reba McEntire Among the numerous other country talents to be on hand for The 50th ACM Awards, several will receive special Milestone Awards for their respective achievements over the history of the honors: Brooks & Dunn, Garth Brooks, Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire, George Strait and Taylor Swift. With her newest album “Love Somebody” just out, McEntire has earned the most ACM awards (seven) for female vocalist of the year, and 13 overall. Set to perform a combination of familiar hits and newer material on the special, she notes that she’s “gotten to host that show 14 times, with different people or by myself, and it was the very first award I was ever nominated for – so it’s really special to me. “To put it in a stadium and fill that out, that’s talkin’ big stuff there,” adds McEntire, making her first ACM Awards appearance in five years. “I let it go the year I did (the ABC sitcom) ‘Malibu Country,’ and that’s when Luke and Blake took it over. And they’ve been doing a great job.” The mother-in-law of fellow singing star Kelly Clarkson, McEntire notes she’s kept tabs on new country talent even when she hasn’t attended the ACMs: “I’ve been associated with it through Narvel (Blackstock, McEntire’s husband and manager), who is also the manager to Blake and Kelly, so I still get to stay in the swing of things and see what’s going on. And now that I’ve got the new music out, it’s like jumping right into the deep end of the swimming pool. It’s a lot of fun to go back.”
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CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
JamesCorden of ‘The Late Late Show With James Corden’ on CBS What is it like to inherit, with “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” a time period and a type of broadcast-network show that relatively few people – including your current lead-in, David Letterman – have had? I feel so lucky to be placed in a chair even in the same vicinity of them. I’ve been watching quite a bit of his 12:30 (a.m.) show when he started, and I mean, it’s jaw-dropping how good it is. It’s incredible how great he is. And then, the same with Jay Leno; I just don’t think I’ve seen monologues like that. It’s incredible. Craig Ferguson’s interviews are some of the most organic and off-the-cuff and brilliantly judged moments I’ve seen. Jimmy Fallon’s enthusiasm, his absolute core enthusiasm ... I said to Jimmy when I spent some time with him in New York, “Your show is the very thing that inspires me and terrifies me at the same time because when I watch ‘The Tonight Show,’ I go, ‘Ah, I would love to do something like this,’ and then my fear is we might never ever be able to do something like this.” I think he is brilliant. And Seth (Meyers,) I think is genuinely one of the loveliest men I’ve ever met. For him just to have me on his show, I think, says so much about him. You recently were made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. How is it for you to have that honor? I’m incredibly proud. I mean, your first thoughts when you receive a letter like that is ... you know, you’re just painfully aware that there are so many people who deserve it more than I do. Then, my parents are so incredibly proud, and they made some huge sacrifices for me to be able to do this. My mom cried, and my dad laughed and said, “You know what it stands for. OBE stands for ‘other blokes’ efforts.’ ”
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CELEBRITY George Dickie’s Q&A
CleaDuVall
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of ‘The Lizzie Borden Chronicles’ on Lifetime How would you describe the relationship of Emma and Lizzie Borden on Lifetime’s “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles”? It’s very dysfunctional but with a lot of love and a lot of compassion. How would you describe Emma? In the very beginning of playing her, she really took a back seat to Lizzie and really just served as her caretaker. And as the story evolved, she starts to get her own life and evolve into her own person and really has the opportunity to branch out from just being Lizzie’s sister. So in essence, she’s Lizzie’s enabler? Yeah, that’s absolutely what the relationship is. It’s just kind of like cleaning up her messes and trying to keep her contained and happy. How does Emma become her own person? Well, she develops relationships outside of Lizzie, which she never had before, and finally taking the steps toward creating her own life and getting married and cutting the cord. How does Lizzie feel about that? She feels threatened and she feels scared because ultimately she is like a little girl who kind of learned to cope in not the best way. It’s not a popular way to cope but it scares her, the idea of losing Emma.
Does she think Lizzie committed the murders? She doesn’t. I mean, I think in the back of her head there’s a question but for her to be in a place where she believes that Lizzie would be capable of that, just like her whole world would come crashing down. That’s why she struggles so hard to support her because anything other than that means – like the idea she did that means that their life as they know it is over. So it’s a lot easier to look the other way and make excuses and live in denial, which I think is a lot of what a good enabler will do (laughs).
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CELEBRITY Jay Bobbin’s Q&A
BillyCrystal of ‘The Comedians’ on FX What was it about the original Swedish version that prompted you to sign up for the Americanization of “The Comedians”? It was such a beautifully constructed situation to pair a veteran comedian with a younger comedian. It just seemed like such a great format, and they had these wonderful sketches, and the work was the subtlety that I loved to do when I started out working with Chris Guest and Rob (Reiner) and “(This Is) Spinal Tap” and the stuff we did at “SNL” (“Saturday Night Live”) ... so it felt like a total package to me. Why go elsewhere? We already have this beautifully constructed theme to play, which was this different point of view about comedy. It just seemed like a perfect setup. How important is it for you to have a say as an executive producer of “The Comedians” as well as a star of it? It’s funny the right way, to be bold and to keep reaching and to keep finding new ways to be funny and not predictable. And for me at this point, that’s what I look for, and that’s what we all talked about when we assembled our group as producers together, that this has gotta be smart. I’ve never, I don’t think, done stupid stuff – even though some may think I have. I’ve always aspired to do intelligent comedy, and this is as smart as it gets, for many moments in the show. So that’s what I require, and to work with top people. And on a producing side, those who will see my vision (will) be patient with me at times, and also reach as far as I want to reach with the show. And I think that’s been great.
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FOOD John Crook’s What's for Dinner
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HaylieDuff
Haylie punks her mom as ‘Real Girl’s Kitchen’ starts new season It’s a little disconcerting to hear the star of a show called “The Real Girl’s Kitchen” say that her chief goal when she launched the series was to get out of the kitchen. Still, that premise is paying off for Haylie Duff, whose charming Cooking Channel show begins its second season Saturday, April 25, with an episode that takes place on the birthday of Haylie’s mom, Susan. “I just think (getting out of the kitchen) makes the show really fun and gives it a little more life,” Duff says. “For my mom’s birthday episode, we were only in the kitchen for the first part of the episode, while I was making her breakfast. The rest of the time we were out and about. But we really try to get as many recipes and tips and tricks as possible into each episode.” And how. The season premiere follows Duff from that opening birthday breakfast scene for a mom – a ruse, to make her think Haylie won’t be at her birthday dinner that evening – to a cake session with another Duff: Goldman (“Ace of Cakes”), who helps Duff assemble her mom’s celebratory cake. “Duff is very much in the competition world, but the way you see him in this episode is how I know him, as a buddy, someone who gives me great little tips all the time,” Duff says. The episode then moves to a Los Angeles restaurant where Duff does some hands-on work with the appetizers for her mother’s Spanish-themed feast. “I’ve never done any kind of reality TV, so it was really important to me that we kept everything very authentic,” Duff says. “Viewers aren’t stupid about shows like this. You can’t fool them. Either come real or don’t come at all.”
You’re expecting your first child in May. Has your pregnancy affected your sense of taste?
What did you have for dinner last night? “Last night I made like a Cajun-style mac and cheese with bell peppers in it and celery and diced chicken. It was like a bowl of naughtiness.”
“I had heightened sense of smell for a month or two, so we’d go into a grocery store and I’d be like, ‘No, we’ve got to go, it smells so bad in here.’ Other than that, I haven’t noticed What are your favorite spices? most of the textbook pregnancy things.” “Cayenne pepper I use all the time. Crushed What is your favorite comfort food? red pepper. Garlic powder and onion powder and, oh, yeah, lemon pepper, which I think “I’m from Texas. I love mac and cheese, fried is looked over sometimes but is really good. chicken, mashed potatoes. In fact, I think Also, my dad’s homemade steak rub.” anything you would classify as comfort food, I am down with that. I also love fried okra.”
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CELEBRITY John Crook's Celebrity ScooP
KitHarington
Kit Harington’s portrayal of Jon Snow in the Sunday night series “Game of Thrones,” HBO’s series adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy novels, has landed the young actor on the A-list. It wasn’t that long ago, however, that the novelist wasn’t one of Harington’s favorite people.
“That’s absolutely true. I hated him,” Harington says, laughing. “I used to work in the downstairs department of Waterstones bookshop. That was the fantasy, science-fiction and self-help section. And yes, I always wondered why they grouped those together. Anyway, I used to have to lug down the books and George’s always sold like hotcakes, so I was constantly having to restack them and they were just so heavy because they’re so huge. I remember cursing him. I’ve told him this many times. I couldn’t stand that I was constantly having to carry down and replace all these (expletive) books. I’d fill up the shelves and they’d sell out in a day.” Those hefty tomes may have prepared him for the heavy swords he had to wield in last season’s climactic battle at Castle Black, one of the physically hardest challenges the actor has faced. “It was a good month of night shoots, which was probably the most difficult thing about it – just living nocturnally for a month, and then being very physical every night,” Harington says. “You get into a very strange head space. But I love those battle sequences, almost like Jon does. I’ve done other jobs since then, and ‘Thrones’ is always the hardest one, physically.” He still can’t believe his career has taken him into “action star” territory, he says. “I never thought that would be me,” Harington says. “I thought I was destined to play prepubescent teenagers, but I’ve wound up playing quite a bit of this action stuff, and I love it.” Born: Dec. 26, 1986, in London Full name: Christopher Catesby Harington (he’s named after 16th-century playwright and poet Christopher Marlowe) Education: Graduated from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama in 2008 First break: While still in school, he won a featured role in the National Theatre’s landmark stage production of “War Horse.” Page 8 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote April 19 - 25, 2015
Family ties: His “Thrones” character may be illegitimate, but Harington is a descendant of King Charles II and counts a number of baronets and members of Parliament among the branches of his family tree. Coming up: A comic HBO mockumentary about Wimbledon with Andy Samberg
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CELEBRITY CelebritY profile
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MarcBartolomeo Marc Bartolomeo hosts “Kitchen Impossible” on DIY Network - Bartolomeo is also known as Sparky. - He is an electrician by trade and has been in the field for more than 20 years. He grew up working on cars in his father’s garage in Coney Island, New York. - Bartolomeo had a strong fascination for tools and how mechanical things worked. He was always surrounded by tools in his dad’s garage. He is a “hands-on” type of person and truly loves being a blue-collar worker. - He went to a vocational/technical high school and when he graduated, he began working. When his family moved to Las Vegas, he moved with them. - Bartolomeo attended St. John’s University as a business/psychology major. - In 1994, a former girlfriend went behind his back and entered him into a guy’s underwear contest. He did not win, but he met his future agents who got him started on his side career as a model. - Bartolomeo modeled for about six years before he “retired” and started to do electrician work full time again. - In 2004, he was pulled back into the show biz world by NorthSouth Productions to do TLC’s “In a Fix.” - Some of his favorite hobbies are DJing, cooking/ baking, racquetball, traveling, spending oodles of time at garage and yard sales, and collecting antiques. - Bartolomeo credits his good nature, wonderful smile, caring attitude, and work ethic to his loving family, who are his inspiration and driving force.
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CELEBRITY Celebs’ favorite shows
Kathy Baker
Christina Ricci
Reba McEntire
Robert Englund
Set the DVR Robert Englund of “Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” on Syfy “My big binges are ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Shameless’ – and I love the actors and the writers on ‘Penny Dreadful.’ That’s the one I’m pimping for everyone to watch. Eva Green is just doing rock-and-roll acting on that.” Kathy Baker of “Big Time in Hollywood, FL” on Comedy Central “We just finished ‘An Honourable Woman.’ And now we’re on ‘House of Cards.’ ... We just started ‘House of Cards,’ which we’ve been wanting to watch. We did ‘Breaking Bad,’ but it took us a couple of years to actually do it. And we watch ‘Doctor Who.’ I love ‘Modern Family’ and ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ ”
Christina Ricci of “The Lizzie Borden Chronicles” on Lifetime “I’m a huge ‘The Following’ fan, so I just set up my DVR to record ‘The Following’ every day. That was a big deal.” Reba McEntire of the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS “ ‘Downton Abbey,’ ‘Scandal,’ ‘Revenge,’ ‘Nashville” – and my favorite show now is ‘Empire.’ And I couldn’t wait for ‘Outlander’ to come back.”
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STORY
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n or out of his Freddy Krueger guise, Robert Englund continues to help horror, just as horror continues to help him.
The veteran actor remains very active in the genre that made him an icon via the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” series, through feature films (“The Last Showing”), online and home-video releases (“Fear Clinic”) and cable movies. Among the latter is Syfy’s new Saturday, April 25, offering “Lake Placid vs. Anaconda,” returning Englund to the role of Jim Bickerman, the poacher he first played in what now is the improperly titled “Lake Placid: The Final Chapter” (with Yancy Butler also reprising her part from it). “When you’re a genre actor,” the extremely friendly Englund muses, “sooner or later, you do your Giant Snake Movie, you do your Killer Bee Movie and you do your Giant Alligator Movie. Well, I’ve done all three!” In fact, huge crocodiles and anacondas clash in the new thriller, just in time for mayhem and carnage during – wouldn’t you know it? – a sorority pledge weekend. “It’s really kind of like a summer camp when we shoot these,” Englund maintains. “We get to zoom around in these state of-the-art motorboats to our location, and we’re all together in this funny chalet that’s right on the water. In Bulgaria (where ‘Lake Placid vs. Anaconda’ was made), they’ve got deserts and rivers ... and this lake that looks like you’re down the street from Stephen King in Maine.” Projects designed to generate chills or scares have long been Englund’s norm, and that’s fine with him: “I’m just really grateful for the huge gift I got out of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and out of ‘V,’ the sciencefiction series I did. They were international successes, so they opened doors for me.
By Jay Bobbin
“I guess I’ve done 14 movies overseas now, and when you get to be my age, it’s really fun to go off and chase some beautiful young actress around a castle in Italy or Spain. You take the wife, and it’s a great gig.” In recent years, Englund also has done guest turns on such series as CBS’ “Hawaii Five-0” and “Criminal Minds,” usually in roles that trade on his horror fame. “I just go where I’m wanted,” he reasons. “And I seem to always be wanted, which is fun.”
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STORY
Dinner and a
Strong show
Cecily Strong
of NBC’s “Saturday Night Live”
entertains at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, Saturday on C-SPAN. Story on next page
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STORY
‘SNL’S’
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Cecily Strong goes to Washington By Jay Bobbin Cecily Strong still will be live on Saturday night on April 25, but in a much different atmosphere than usual. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” is a repeat that evening, so she won’t be neglecting her usual job as she becomes the fourth woman to be the featured comedian at the yearly White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington (D.C.) Hilton. Strong will be on the dais with President and Mrs. Obama and members of the press organization during the event, which C-SPAN televises live (with cable news networks also typically showing portions of it as it happens). Known for such “SNL” characters as one of the “Girlfriends” and the Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started a Conversation With at a Party, Strong got the offer to perform at the dinner through her publicity-executive father Bill, a former chief of the Associated Press bureau at the Illinois Statehouse. “He sent me a voice mail message,” she recalls, “saying that someone he knew 28 years ago at the AP contacted him, and the way he phrased it was, ‘Would you speak at the Correspondents’ Dinner?’ I thought they were asking him, so I thought there must be a workshop or something and I texted him back, ‘Very cool, Dad! You should go!’ ” Once that got straightened out, “None of us believed it until we had it officially confirmed a couple of days later,” Strong muses. “I was shocked, but I’ve always shared a passion for politics with my dad, so having this come through him and having him be there for it is a really special thing for us.” Paula Poundstone, Elayne Boosler and Wanda Sykes are the only other female comics to have starred at the event.
“It’s a great time right now to be a woman in comedy,” Strong reasons, “in movies, in TV and everything. I think people are really opening up to female points of view, and it makes it a little easier to know that no matter what I do (at the dinner), it’s going to at least start out differently because it’ll be from a female voice. I think a lot of people will be excited just for that.” At the same time, Strong knows it “adds a bunch of pressure to do a decent job,” and she’s been open to tips from those who have had the gig previously ... including one of her former “Weekend Update” co-anchors on “SNL,” Seth Meyers. “A lot of people have reached out to me,” she says, “which is really incredible. I’ve been watching a lot of the old ones and any information is helpful, but it can only help me so far. In the end, it’s going to be me.” Though Strong’s upcoming dinner engagement will be a solo act once she takes the podium, the current 40thanniversary season of “SNL” has been the group effort the show always is. “Every week is a monumental week of not sleeping and working fast and hard, and it’s all exciting,” she says of nearing the end of her third season on the program. “Until it’s over, it doesn’t feel like it’s almost over.”
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STORY
‘Nurse Jackie’
nears its last shift Edie Falco stars in “Nurse Jackie” Sundays on Showtime.
Story on next page
Page 14 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote April 19 - 25, 2015
STORY
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‘Nurse Jackie’ getting final-season treatment on Showtime By Jay Bobbin
Even if her personal foibles have made her less than the ideal role model for the medical profession, Jackie Peyton is leaving her mark on television. In the Sunday series’ just-started seventh and final season, Edie Falco is winding down her title portrayal of Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie.” Her work as the addict and emergency-room staffer earned her a 2010 Emmy Award to add to the three she won as Carmela on HBO’s “The Sopranos,” and she allows that she’s learned much from playing Jackie. “I have known and loved many addicts in my life,” Falco says, “and it is a frustrating and no-win proposition. And it has been very interesting to be on the other side of it, to kind of get a taste of what kind of misery they must have to go through, really being at the mercy of something that’s bigger than them. So it’s given me a lot more compassion for the people that used to just make me angry. They make me a little bit more sad now. I think that’s probably a good thing, though it doesn’t always feel good.” Though executive producer Clyde Phillips – who was with “Dexter” for the first half of its Showtime run – believes “Nurse Jackie” could have delivered an effective Season 8, he adds the decision to end it with the current round “made sense in a way. We had told the up-and-back story of addiction and of trust and of love and of consequence and of the shrapnel that a drug addict has inflicted upon her colleagues and her family and her friends in about as many ways as we possibly could. And I think that we’re ending in a graceful and authentic way this year.” “Nurse Jackie” has received other honors including a Humanitas Prize and a 2013 supporting Emmy for Merritt Wever as nurse Zoey Barkow. For Falco, one of the initial concerns was differentiating Jackie from Carmela, and she did that in part through the character’s look.
Edie Falco “I hate to say it,” she reflects, “but after we had finished ‘The Sopranos,’ I just wanted to be somebody lowermaintenance. I wanted to spend very little time in hair and makeup, so I got the hair cut very short. And then that became, like, a thing. So every time the season would start, I’d have to get all my hair cut off again. And then I got tired of that and sort of said, ‘How bad would it be if her hair got longer?’ And (it’s a) very flexible bunch of individuals I work with ... and so, that’s the fascinating story of my hair.” As for what comes for her after “Nurse Jackie,” Falco says, “The beautiful thing is that I have absolutely no idea. And that seems to have worked for me, that I have no plans. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, and it’s thrilling. If something fascinating came up tomorrow ... well, tomorrow, probably not. Shortly thereafter, I’d probably do it. But if there was a big, fat, long period of time before I did anything, that would also be fine.”
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SPORTS
Devin
Mesoraco
Reds’
Groundhog Full Name: Devin Douglas Mesoraco
Height/weight: 6 feet, 1 inch/220 pounds
Born: June 19, 1988 (age 26)
Bats: right
Hometown: Punxsutawney, Pa.
Throws: right Uniform number: 39
Page 16 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote April 19 - 25, 2015
MLB debut: Sept. 3, 2011 Honors and achievements: 2007 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year, drafted out of high school
SPORTS
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By Dan Ladd Anyone who works behind the plate for the Cincinnati Reds will always be somewhat in the shadow of the legendary Johnny Bench. Devin Mesoraco, however, may one day cast his own shadow. The Reds and their All-Star catcher visit the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, April 19, on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball. Known as “The Groundhog” because he hails from Punxsutawney, Pa., Mesoraco signed a four-year contract extension with the Reds reportedly worth $28 million. A product of the Cincy farm system, he was a firstround pick in 2007, one of only three Reds catchers to be picked in the first round (Bench was actually drafted in the second). By 2012 he was considered to be not only one of the Reds’ top prospects, but one of the top in baseball, period. By the beginning of last season, the Reds were confident enough to make him their starting catcher. Although a pair of nagging injuries kept him off the field, he eventually led all catchers in baseball with 25 home runs while batting .273. Defensively, Mesoraco has shown he has the tools to be great, but the Reds would like to see him throw out more runners. A concussion in spring training appeared to slow Mesoraco down, but at this writing he was back in the lineup and productive. If he continues to develop defensively and contribute offensively with the likes of Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, the Reds could once again contend in the competitive NL Central.
DevinMesoraco April 19 - 25, 2015 YOUR TV LINK Courtesy of Gracenote Page 17
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MOVIES JAY BOBBIN's Theatrical movie review
review
“Insurgent” What was ‘Divergent’ becomes ‘Insurgent’ in first sequel
When a movie series gets as reasonably impressive a launch as the “Divergent” franchise did, you hope the second round will serve its purpose ... as a compelling tale unto itself while also being an effective bridge between other chapters. “Insurgent” fills that bill neatly, in the same way “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” did. The parallel between the two series is tough to shake, especially since “Divergent” heroine Tris (Shailene Woodley) comes into her own in her sophomore outing much as Katniss of “The Hunger Games” did. That’s inevitable, especially with the way the sagas are set up. Picking up right from the conclusion of “Divergent,” “Insurgent” finds Tris still targeted by the sinister Jeanine (Kate Winslet), who doesn’t want to deal with anyone whose traits cover all of – rather than just one of – the groups that the future society encompasses. Tris and her cohorts (including Caleb, played again by Woodley’s “The Fault in Our Stars” partner Ansel Elgort) get a brief respite at a commune with Octavia Spencer as its leader, but it’s not long before the chase is on again.
As with Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games,” it’s fortunate for the “Divergent” films that Woodley is such a watchable actress. Also as with Lawrence, she truly grows into her role, demonstrated in part here by the considerable physicality Woodley is put to. In one sequence, Tris ends up having to fight herself ... clearly a huge challenge for the actress as well as for the picture’s technical staff, and it’s to Woodley’s credit (times two) that she pulls off the battle believably. Theo James, Miles Teller, Ashley Judd, Tony Goldwyn and Maggie Q (“Stalker”) are among other cast members who return, with Naomi Watts a notable addition as the mother of Four (James), Tris’ beau. That said, those in charge of the physical production are as much stars of “Insurgent,” since the atmosphere and feel of the movie do much to help the viewer buy into the premise. Enough is left dangling at the end of “Insurgent” to leave fans hungry for “Allegiant,” the wrap-up that – like “Mockingjay” in the “Hunger Games” canon – is planned for two separate films. Fortunately, “Insurgent” has enough substance that it doesn’t merely seem like a twohour teaser for what’s yet to come. And that is no small accomplishment.
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MOVIES JAY BOBBIN's movie review movies to watch
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“TAKEN 3” Given the success of the action franchise, it’s probably no surprise that Liam Neeson – whose career has been reshaped by it – gets yet another dose of trouble as CIA veteran Bryan Mills in this round. Here, the espionage expert is framed for a murder that hits close to home. While being chased by a determined police inspector (Forest Whitaker), he tries to clear himself and also protect his daughter (Maggie Grace) again. Famke Janssen also reprises her role from the previous two films. DVD extras: three “making-of” documentaries; deleted scene; photo gallery. ››› (PG13: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray, which includes an unrated cut of the film)
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Coming Soon on DVD... “THE BOY NEXT DOOR” (April 28): A martially troubled teacher (Jennifer Lopez) comes to regret her brief interlude with a young neighbor (Ryan Guzman). (R: AS, N, P, V) “THE GAMBLER” (April 28): Mark Wahlberg plays a professor whose secret gambling habit ends up endangering those closest to him. (R: AS, N, P)
“Paddington”
“INHERENT VICE” (April 28): Director-screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson’s noir-themed, late-1960s patchwork boasts an ensemble cast including earlier “Walk the Line” co-stars Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. (R: AS, N, P, V)
“PADDINGTON” (April 28): The beloved title bear goes to London and finds a family ... and also an enemy, a determined taxidermist (Nicole Kidman). (PG: AS) “THE WEDDING RINGER” (April 28): A groom (Josh Gad) who’s in desperate need of a best man hires one (Kevin Hart) from a firm that furnishes them. (R: AS, N, P) “SELMA” (May 5): In director Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-winning drama, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo) leads the legendary 1965 march advocating voting equality. (PG-13: AS, P, V)
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FAVORITE SHOWS
Kelly Brook stars in “One Big Happy”
Ted Allen hosts “All-Star Academy”
SUNDAY 9 p.m. on FOOD All-Star Academy In the new episode “The Finale,” the three remaining home cooks must make it through three intense rounds of culinary challenges, all representing a meal in the life of a typical home cook (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Before the winner of the $50,000 prize is announced, the contestants finally get a chance to cook side-by-side with their world-class mentors. Ted Allen hosts. Season Finale New 10 p.m. on HBO Silicon Valley In the aftermath of the Hooli bombshell, Richard (Thomas Middleditch) and his team struggle to find a new backer as they face both legal and financial troubles. Monica (Amanda Crew) tries to balance her
Kelli Giddish stars in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
ongoing interest in Pied Piper with her actual job duties. Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani), desperate for money, tries to sabotage the Kickstarter campaign for Bro, his cousin’s new app. T.J. Miller and Martin Starr also star in the new episode “Runaway Devaluation.” New MONDAY 9 p.m. on CBS Scorpion Dismayed over possibly disbanding the team for good — but don’t count on that happening, since this show will have a Season 2 — the members reassemble to save one of their own in the first-season finale, “Postcards From the Edge.” That “edge” is literal: Walter’s (Elyes Gabel) car is precariously positioned on a cliff, from which he and the vehicle could plunge at any second. Robert Patrick,
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Katharine McPhee stars in “Scorpion”
Katharine McPhee and Eddie Kaye Thomas also star. Season Finale New TUESDAY 9:30 p.m. on NBC One Big Happy Suppose Luke and Prudence (Nick Zano, Kelly Brook) actually weren’t married? It turns out they’re not, as the new episode “A Tale of Two Hubbies” reveals their Las Vegas wedding wasn’t legal. Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert) tries to correct the situation quickly by arranging another ceremony for them, but previously unknown information about Prudence’s past could affect that plan. Rebecca Corry, Chris Williams and Brandon Mychal Smith also star. New
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FAVORITE SHOWS WEDNESDAY 9 p.m. on NBC Law & Order: Special Victims Unit The world of gaming turns potentially lethal in “Intimidation Game,” as the creator of a new video game (guest star Mouzam Makkar) becomes the target of online insults and threats aimed at getting her to postpone its launch. She refuses to do so, even after one of her workers is attacked at a convention, making the efforts of Fin (Ice-T) and others to protect her even more challenging. Mariska Hargitay and Kelli Giddish also star.
Hornsby) extra concerns in trying to solve the homicide in the new episode “Iron Hans.” Juliette (Bitsie Tulloch) finds kinship where she didn’t expect it, and Adalind (Claire Coffee) may be an additional help to her. Captain Renard (Sasha Roiz) struggles with his darker instincts. Silas Weir Mitchell and Bree Turner also star. New SATURDAY 8 p.m. on ABC Movie: Toy Story 3 There’s still plenty of life left in Buzz Lightyear and cowboy Woody, as Tim
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Allen and Tom Hanks reprise their voice roles in this delightful and quite affecting 2010 sequel to the earlier Disney-Pixar box-office smashes. With their owner, Andy, heading off to college, most of his toys — except Woody, who goes with him — get a new destination, a day care center where they aren’t treated too well. Michael Keaton gives voice to Ken, longtime boyfriend of Barbie.
THURSDAY 9 p.m. on NBC The Blacklist Atypically taken out of commission, a seriously ailing Red (James Spader) asks Liz (Megan Boone) to prevent another attempt on his life by finding a person from his past in the new episode “Leonard Caul.” In turn, she gets help — quite unexpectedly — from Tom (Ryan Eggold). David Strathairn (“Lincoln,” “The Bourne Legacy”) reprises his earlier guest role as The Director. Diego Klattenhoff and Harry Lennix also star. New 10 p.m. on HISTORY Vikings In the new episode “The Dead,” which is the Season 3 finale, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) and his Vikings take a very serious risk as they make one last, frenzied assault on Paris. Ragnar also asks his son Bjorn (Alexander Ludwig) for a favor — one that could change the course of Viking history. Clive Standen and Katheryn Winnick also star. Season Finale New FRIDAY 8 p.m. on NBC Grimm A murder represents a rite of passage for a Wesen, giving Nick and Hank (David Giuntoli, Russell
Sasha Roiz stars in “Grimm”
Megan Boone stars in “The Blacklist” “Toy Story 3”
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