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“Undateable” “Grace and Frankie”

Geico 500 at Alabama’s Talladega

Superspeedway

PROFILED ATHLETE

Pablo Sandoval

CELEBRITY SPOTLIGHTS

Christine Baranski Kevin Dunn

Sutton Foster Reggie LeeDavid Buer

WHAT'S FOR DINNER Featuring:

Andrew Gruel

JAY BOBBIN'S MOVIES TO

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THE STORY ANOTHER ‘DREADFUL’ TIME FOR SHOWTIMETimothy Dalton stars in the Season 2 premiere of “Penny Dreadful” Sunday on Showtime.

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CONTENTSC

“Penny Dreadful” Season 2 premieres Sunday on Showtime. p 3

“Undateable” A live episode airs Tuesday on NBC.p 11

Geico 500 at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway David Ragan competes in the Geico 500 at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway Sunday on Fox.pp 14-15

Pablo Emilio Sandoval pp 16-17

“Grace and Frankie” Premiering Friday on Netflix. pp 12-13

S IXCelebrity POTLIGHTS

+

Featured STORIES

Christine Baranski of ‘The Good Wife’ on CBS. p 4

Kevin Dunn of Veep’ on HBO. p 5

Sutton Foster of ‘Younger’ on TV Land. p 6

Andrew Gruel Restaurant owners confront critics in ‘Say It to My Face’. p 7

David Buer Top 20 most influential trainers of all time. p 9

Reggie Lee Checking In. p 8

Profiled ATHLETE

Pictured: Actress Jane Fonda wearing

her ‘Barbarella’ costume on the Paramount Pictures movie set.

1968 Rome, Italy.

What’s HOT This Week Click to jump to these featured sections!

Particularly for viewers who love the macabre, another “Dreadful” time is on the immediate horizon.

None other than Freddy Krueger himself – “A Nightmare on Elm Street” icon Robert Englund – is a major fan who says he’s “pimping for everyone to watch” the Showtime series “Penny Dreadful,” which starts its second season Sunday, May 3.

Putting new spins on such classic characters as Dr. Victor Frankenstein (played by Harry Treadaway) and Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney), the show continues to involve a number of James Bond-franchise veterans: writer-creator John Logan and fellow executive producer Sam Mendes, who teamed on “Skyfall”; and stars Timothy Dalton (“The Living Daylights,” “Licence to Kill”), Eva Green (“Casino Royale”) and Rory Kinnear and Helen McCrory (“Skyfall”).

“I was planning this season 10 years ago,” Logan says, “and thinking about these characters and this world. I became fascinated with a particular part of Vanessa Ives’ (Green) past, which is where she learned to read the tarot ... because it’s not something that a girl, even one as unique as Vanessa Ives, knows how to do. And thinking about that led me into the world of the occult and the supernatural, and this season, we embrace witchcraft.”

Logan notes that he added McCrory’s spiritualist role of Evelyn Poole to shake things up for the other 19th-century characters. That surely applies to Dalton’s Sir Malcolm Murray, whose relationship with her “alienates him sort of romantically, personally, and supernaturally from the rest of the people in the series,” per Logan.

BY JAY BOBBIN

Editor's choice

‘Penny Dreadful’ assures more eerie times for Showtime

SSTORY

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“One of the special things in doing ‘Penny Dreadful,”’ Dalton maintains, “is that you have a writer with you. So many times, you’re doing work when there’s no chance of talking to a writer, and the best questions you could ever ask are, ‘What was in your mind when you wrote this? How did you see it? What was what is the point for you? What do you want to get out of this scene?’ And you can get it from the author’s mouth, and that’s a great guide. Then, our job is to give that added value.”

The situation also applies to such other “Penny Dreadful” stars as Josh Hartnett and Billie Piper. A particular challenge is faced by such actors as Treadaway, who have to reinvent long-familiar characters, and he says Season 2 is “very exciting” for his Frankenstein.

“He’s onto the crush from his creature, who’s kind of taught him in a way about the need for love,” Treadaway reflects, “and this whole big thing that he’s done, which is creating life. It’s kind of going to be a bit worthless if that life doesn’t have an opportunity to love within it ... and I think he’s realized that, so something he has created has taught him a lesson and is demanding that he gives him a vessel for love. And that’s what he sets out to do at the beginning of Season 2. It doesn’t all go to the plan, though.”

Harry Treadaway

http://www.sho.com/

FOLIO

CHRISTINEBARANSKI of ‘The Good Wife’ on CBSAs Season 6 of “The Good Wife” winds down, what do you think of the arc of your character, Diane Lockhart?It’s the nature of a television drama that things have to be dramatic for people to want to watch. I look back and think, “Wow, Diane has really surfed a lot of big, strong waves ... and has somehow held on and made it to shore.” She’s been through a lot, and I think that with every crisis, she gets stronger and has a better and clearer sense of vision. Like people do.I think this year has been very interesting, since she left the firm that she created. She literally walked out of the building and left it to those nasty guys, and she said to Cary and Alicia, “I bring all these clients and all these millions of dollars, plus my expertise, if you’ll have me.” And as she said to Alicia in the first scene of them together in Season 6, “We could be the most powerful firm in the country run by women.”

A lot has changed since then, including Alicia’s successful bid to become state’s attorney, though she had to resign later. How do you assess Diane’s position now?That’s an opportunity that Diane turned down last season, of course. For her, it was a comedown from the judgeship, and there was an ambivalence there. She wanted to be in a firm co-run by Alicia Florrick, since she’d always had hopes that she and Alicia could align and join forces.This season has seen Diane battling alone for Cary’s survival, and also for the survival of the firm. She gets the building and her offices back, and she’s curiously holding it on her own back again. She and Cary are unlikely bedfellows – he didn’t even want Diane to come on board – and I just find it so interesting and deft of the writers that they can constantly come up with these seismic power shifts that take the characters through these traumas. And yet, it remains believable.

JAY BOBBIN’S Q&A

CELEBRITYC



http://www.cbs.com/


KEVINDUNN

As a native Chicagoan and a Cubs fan, you must be thrilled that the Cubs should be competitive this year, no?You know, I never thought I would say that but I think they finally could put up a team. My expectations are not that high, being a Cubs fan, but I’d like to see them competitive and they finally spent some money and went after some pitching. And they do have some good young players who can knock the s... out of the ball. ... The Mets and Cubs are kind of similar just in terms of never quite getting there, although the Cubs hold court on that for sure.

You once worked as a carpenter. What type of projects did you do?In college and stuff, I did sets and I ran the shop. And then when I got to Chicago, I was waiting tables and tending bar and I really didn’t enjoy that very much. And some guy, Sandy, ... he was rehabbing places below Wrigley Field and he had done some television directing back in the ‘70s, and he hired me and he knew I was doing theater and stuff ... so he could adjust my schedule. I started on redoing floors and old windows, just kind of step by step.And I’m still doing it. I’ve got an old house here (in Los Angeles) that I’ve had for about five years. I did one earlier, a house in 1990, it took me 10 years to do and this’ll probably take me the same. ... I let the plumbers plumb and electricians do the electrical because I just don’t like to do anything wrong with that. There’s too many consequences.

GEORGE DICKIE’S Q&A

CELEBRITYC


of ‘Veep’ on HBO

http://www.hbo.com/

SUTTONFOSTERof ‘Younger’ on TV Land

Did your experience on “Bunheads” help prepare you for “Younger”?Oh, yeah. That was my first big television thing, and a lot of that dialogue was so Herculean that I was sort of overwhelmed. It taught me so much about how to exist in a TV world. It was like a very intense freshman year in college, and it completely helped me be prepared heading into “Younger.” Even from the first day on this set, I felt more confident and more at ease.

Your “Younger” character won’t be singing and dancing. Were you adamant about that?It’s not like that was a deal-breaker or anything. “Bunheads” was a perfect transition show for me, because it used all my background in dancing and singing. With “Younger,” I wanted to do something that was purely character- and story-driven, and frankly, I didn’t think it would make sense to have Liza sing.

You got married recently. Does it feel different this time around?Of course! I have no regrets about my past, about the experiences and the relationships that I have had. That’s what led me to the happy place where I am now. Marriage is a whole new ballgame for me now. Starting over is something I kind of went through earlier in my life, with being married and then having that go away. I had to decide whether to dwell on the past or pick myself back up and make a new start.

JOHN CROOK’S Q&A

CELEBRITYC



http://www.tvland.com/

FOODF

ANDREWGRUELThe popularity of online rating and review sites such as Yelp has turned America into a nation of critics, many of whom can ruin a restaurant owner’s day, and if not his business, via a snarky review.

Those reviews also can help a struggling eatery identify and fix problems in its operations, though. That’s the notion behind “Say It to My Face,” an entertaining new series premiering Saturday, May 9, on FYI.

In each episode, co-hosts Andrew Gruel and Anthony Dispensa host a “town hall” session between an often testy restaurant owner and a small group of people who have knocked his business online.

“My and Anthony’s goal is to generate a strategy for turning around the restaurant using the content from the online reviewers, no matter how frustrating that is for the restaurant owners,” Gruel says. “And we do it for as little money as possible, because these restaurant owners usually are on their last legs.”

As irritating as some of these reviews are, they almost invariably contain some kernels of valuable information, Gruel says, whether it’s an ill-conceived dish (like a burger topped with an egg, jelly and peanut butter in the series premiere) or murky marketing that confuses prospective customers.

“We look at any problems in the food, the ambience and the customer service, because those seem to be the three main pillars in all online reviews,” Gruel says. “People are going to continue writing these online reviews and no matter how much you love it or hate it, it’s not going to

change. It’s up to you to listen to what they say, find the truth in it and use it turn your restaurant around. You can use online reviews for your success and, if you don’t, it could lead to your failure.”

What is your favorite comfort food?“I’m a huge roast chicken and mashed potatoes guy. As someone who works 16 hours a day virtually 7 days a week in restaurants, I find myself walking by the rotisserie section of the local grocery store and grabbing the full roasted chicken and doing some quick microwave smashed potatoes when I am looking for comfort food in 20 minutes.”

Do you have any favorite spices?“The first is fish sauce, which is really more of a condiment. It’s important to

consider using umami in our food and having that rich, savory flavor. It won’t taste fishy, but it will add that richness. I love togarashi, which is almost like the Japanese equivalent of chili powder, a mixture of chili peppers and other spices. It adds some extra kick. I also make my own seasoning salt by mixing salt with fresh herbs, letting it dry for a day, then putting it in a coffee grinder.”

Where would you like to go on vacation?“If I had the time, I’d love to go to Paris. It’s a food-lover’s dream.”

Restaurant owners confront critics in ‘Say It to My Face’

JOHN CROOK’S WHAT'S FOR DINNER



http://www.aetv.com/

CCELEBRITY

After more than three seasons of being the clueless odd man out, Portland Police Sgt. Drew Wu finally has become part of the inner circle and knows the eerie secrets at the heart of “Grimm,” NBC’s hit Friday night thriller.

His real-life alter-ego, actor Reggie Lee, couldn’t be happier.

“I’m certainly working a lot more,” he says, laughing. “I’m a little more tired, but the payoff has been great. They’ve written him well this season. I think fans have been happy with it, and I’m happy with it. Some people on Twitter have been lobbying to get a promotion for Wu. All I can reveal right now is that you will see him in plainclothes. I can’t tell you how or why, except that it will be interesting.”

The Filipino actor moved as a child with his family to Ohio, where he spent his formative years. When he was 10 or so, he saw Timothy Bottoms playing a cancer-stricken track coach in a TV movie called “A Shining Season” and was so moved that he told his parents he wanted to become an actor. They said no, but years later, while starring in an independent film called “Chinaman’s Chance: America’s Other Slaves,” Lee found himself working opposite Bottoms, who was playing his character’s adoptive American father.

“It just felt like such a full-circle thing, meeting him, since he was kind of the person who got it all started,” Lee says. “He is such a wonderful human being. He has this inner sadness that is so prevalent in many of his films. He’s just a very emotional person. That was definitely one of the highlights of my career so far.”

A musical theater veteran, Lee admits that he and his “Grimm” colleagues would love to do a musical episode at some point.

JOHN CROOK’S CELEBRITY SCOOP

Born: Reggie Valdez in Oct. 1974 in Quezon City, Philippines. He eventually adopted his grandparents’ surname, Lee, professionally because he kept getting submitted for Hispanic roles.

Family matters: Two younger brothers, one a musician, the other a comic-book artist

Early credits: A national tour of “Miss Saigon,” dancing for Prince on the MTV Video Music Awards, a role in the acclaimed 1994 Broadway revival of “Carousel”

You may remember him as: Secret Service Special Agent Bill Kim on “Prison Break” and Ross, the heroic Gotham City cop gunned down by one of Bane’s thugs in “The Dark Knight Rises”

REGGIELEE



http://www.nbc.com/

CELEBRITIES PROFILED CCELEBRITY

DAV IDBUERDavid Buer has been recognized as one of the top 20 most inf luential trainers of al l t ime

- Buer is an Atlanta based personal trainer with 12 years experience.

- He is certified by some of the industries most prestigious organizations including the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), American Council on Exercise (ACE), National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM), International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), International Fitness Association (IFA), American Red Cross (CPR/AED), USA Track & Field and USA Powerlifting.

- Along with writing a weekly health and fitness blog in the Huffington Post, Buer is a contributor to LL Cool J’s book “Platinum 360 Diet and Lifestyle.”

- Buer’s athletic background includes success in track and field, football, boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, baseball, wrestling and swimming.

- Driven and always looking for an edge, Buer has dedicated his career to the research and development of superior training techniques and nutritional programs designed to correct muscular imbalances, rehabilitate minor injuries, stimulate your fat burning metabolism, dramatically improve strength, power, core stability, balance, endurance, mental function and flexibility at an accelerated pace.

- In 2003, Buer teamed up with famed Celebrity Fitness Guru and New York Times best-selling author David “Scooter” Honig to form SX-FITNESS LLC.

- He has also been responsible for organizing multiple youth athletic programs including popular speed and sports performance development camps on the West Coast that have helped many high school athletes earn scholarships to major universities across the country.


Oliver Platt of “The Good Wife” on CBS“My family was just down in Florida for a week, and we watched the entire first season of ‘Bloodline’ ... with great joy. We just thought it was fantastic. And my kids and I are binge-watching ‘Friday Night Lights.’ I always sort of dipped in and out, but never sat down to watch the whole thing in sequence, so that’s really fun.”

Lily Tomlin of “Grace and Frankie” on Netflix“I watch ‘Homeland,’ and I certainly watched ‘Empire.’”

Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder“I watch ‘The Walking Dead.’ I like ‘The Walking Dead.’ And ‘Sons of Anarchy.’ ‘Vampire Diaries.’ And I watch ‘Scandal,’ too. I just started watching ‘Scandal.’ I like it.”

Jane Fonda of “Grace and Frankie” on Netflix:“I TiVo ‘Homeland’ and ‘Empire,’ and we did ‘The Blacklist’ and ‘The Affair’ and ‘The Slap’ for a while. After a while, you either tune in or tune out.”

CCELEBRITY

CELEBS’ FAVORITE SHOWS

Oliver Platt

Lily Tomlin

Jane Fonda

Serge Ibaka

Set the DVR


SSTORY



BY JAY BOBBIN

BIANCA KAJLICH

For many of the stars of “Undateable,” doing a live episode is relatively no problem: They’re stand-up comics anyway.

NBC clearly is giving the sitcom every opportunity in its sophomore round ... first by moving it from summer into the regular television season, then by letting it have a live one-hour airing Tuesday, May 5. The episode will be performed twice that night, so that both the East Coast and West Coast truly see it live, and executive producer Bill Lawrence is ready for anything that may happen. At least, he thinks he is.

“It would be daunting to write an hour-long episode,” the veteran of “Spin City” and “Cougar Town” allows, “except what we’ll do is write a normal half-hour episode and leave plenty of room for what these young men and women do. I’m sure it wont get daunting until we get on stage and rehearse, and I see these knuckleheads trying to make each other laugh and do improv as they usually do.”

Among the “knuckleheads” are Chris D’Elia and Brent Morin as roommates Danny and Justin, typically seen with other comrades at Justin’s struggling bar. Fellow “Undateable” star Bianca Kajlich plays Danny’s sister Leslie; she performed in front of studio audiences during her seven seasons on CBS’ “Rules of Engagement,” but that show never was broadcast live.

“I remember that I did a play once,” Kajlich says, “and I thought I was going to throw up all over myself before I went on stage. I was like, ‘I’ve been acting for over a decade. How can I be getting this nervous?’ And you realize that when you’re doing something live, you have the buffer that the audience enjoys it when you screw up. It actually brings a new energy into the space.”

Two things viewers can expect from the live “Undateable,” Lawrence promises, are notable guest stars and a music element: “Part of it, for me, will be getting old friends from my other shows on. If Donald and Zach (Faison and Braff, formerly of Lawrence’s ‘Scrubs’) aren’t on this together, I’ve made a grave mistake. And with some of the videos we’ve done, we already have a strong musical component ... so, without a doubt, we will have a big-name recording artist on.”

http://www.nbc.com/

STORYS

JANEFONDA

Fonda and Tomlin,

TAKE TWO


LILYTOMLIN

Reunited in “Grace and Frankie,” premiering Friday on Netflix.

Story on next page


SSTORY

BY JAY BOBBIN

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are such good friends in real life, they’re enjoying the challenge of playing women who aren’t.

The former “9 to 5” co-stars reunite in “Grace and Frankie,” a Netflix comedy series premiering Friday, May 8 – and following the streaming service’s pattern of releasing an entire season of a series at once, 13 episodes in this case. The title characters are left by their husbands, played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston, who embark on their own relationship together ... leaving Grace (Fonda) and Frankie (Tomlin) to bond over that situation and others pertinent to women of their age.

“It’s easy to not be friendly with Lily,” Fonda jokes during an interview with both of them. “I had no problem at all with that.” And Tomlin’s typically droll response? “I welcome her animosity.”

In tandem with Dolly Parton, Tomlin and Fonda had huge success with the 1980 workplace satire “9 to 5,” which Fonda‘s company produced. She maintains a sequel never was discussed seriously: “We realized quite some time ago that (20th Century) Fox had no interest in doing it, and they owned the rights. It’s fun to do something totally new with somebody you worked with 35 years ago.”

Tomlin adds, “One of the interests we had in doing this was in talking about the issues that face older women in this culture.” However, Fonda notes, “We wanted to do it in the context of a comedy that’s also reality-based.”

Another engaging element of the show for Fonda and Tomlin is that each has worked with the other’s “husband”:

Two-time Oscar winner and AFI Life Achievement Award honoree Fonda recently wrapped up a run opposite Waterston on HBO’s “The Newsroom,” while four-time Emmy and two-time Tony winner – and Mark Twain Prize and Kennedy Center Honors recipient – Tomlin worked with Sheen during her time on “The West Wing.”

“In our marriage,” Tomlin reports, “Sam’s character, Sol, and mine were good friends and sort of suited for each other ... both a bit eccentric. Robert (Sheen) and Grace were less so.” Indeed, Fonda notes her ex-spouse couple in the show was “more uptight and conservative, and we didn’t have the sort of touchy-feely closeness that they had. To work with Sam and Martin is a thrill, because they’re both fantastic.”

Brooklyn Decker (“Friends With Better Lives”) and Ethan Embry (“That Thing You Do!”) also are in the cast of “Grace and Frankie,” created by sitcom-veteran executive producers Marta Kauffman (“Friends”) and Howard J. Morris (“Home Improvement”). The title stars always have liked to change things up, and they feel they’re doing that again in working for a relatively new programming source.

“The overall feedback that we’re getting,” Fonda says, “from people who have seen this is, ‘It’s not what we expected at all. It’s way more real than we thought, and there’s nothing like it on television.’ It’s not facile, and it’s not stereotypical.” Despite the enduring popularity of “Friends,” Tomlin reasons Kauffman “had to up the game to go to Netflix. She keeps up with the times, and I think Jane and I were both gratified that the show had this potential.”

SSTORY

Running full throttleDavid Ragan competes in the ‘Geico 500’ at

Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway Sunday on Fox.


Story on next page

BY GEORGE DICKIE

It’s the longest track on the Sprint Cup series and also one of the most notorious among drivers.

That’s because Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway, home of the Sunday, May 3, Geico 500 (on Fox), is probably known best for “the big one,” multicar pileups that can tear up race cars and lay waste to a driver’s championship chances.

The 2.66-mile tri-oval features a wide, smooth racing surface that allows cars to run at full throttle nearly throughout, making for average speeds of around 200 mph. And because restrictor plates are in use to limit engine power, cars typically run in close quarters in one large pack. So if there is a part failure on a car or a driver makes a mistake, there is little chance the cars running immediately behind can avoid a wreck.

“When someone makes a mistake (at other racetracks),” says driver David Ragan, who will vie in Sunday’s race, “everyone is spread out and guys can get slowed down and you can maneuver around that car that may be spinning or bouncing off the wall. But at Talladega, when you’re three wide, 15 rows deep, that’s a lot of race cars, and you’re going close to 200 mph and you just can’t slow down and maneuver around ... .”

“That’s another factor to play with your strategy throughout the day,” he continues, “is where do you want to run – toward the front, the middle, toward the back of the pack, watching out for other cars around you that are prone to make mistakes or maybe have an inexperienced driver. So

SSTORY



there are a lot of factors that go into trying to dodge the big one but sometimes it boils down to just luck.”

Ragan, who won this race two years ago, says the key to beating Talladega is patience.

“The Talladega race is a lot more mental than some of the other tracks because you do have to be extremely patient throughout the day,” he says. “And a lot of times, you may have a little faster car or have a good run on a car in front of you but you can’t go anywhere because there are cars on the outside, there are cars on the inside. There are times when you can be aggressive but there are times where you’re stuck and you can’t make the move that you’d like to make.”

Drivers must wait for their openings and be ready when opportunities present themselves. And be able to handle the heat of Alabama in May.

“Mentally, it’s a very challenging race, 500 miles there,” Ragan says. “You know, that’s almost a four-hour race, it’s a very long race, it’s physically hot in May when we’re there, so mentally it’s tough on everyone for sure, for not only the drivers but the spotters that are on the roof that are coaching the drivers, the crew chiefs for strategy on what to do, what not to do. So it’s definitely a mentally challenging event.”

Avoiding ‘the big one’ at Talladega

http://www.fox.com/

SPORTSS


FULL NAME: PABLO EMILIO SANDOVAL

NICKNAME: KUNG FU PANDA

BORN: AUG. 11, 1986 (AGE 28)

HOMETOWN: PUERTO CABELLO, CARABOBO, VENEZUELA

POSITION: THIRD BASE

BATS: LEFT AND RIGHT

THROWS: RIGHT

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5 FEET 11 INCHES/245 POUNDS

CAREER AVERAGE: .294

HITS: 946

HOME RUNS: 106

RBIS: 462

HONORS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: WORLD SERIES CHAMPION, 2010, 2012, 2014; WORLD SERIES MVP, 2012; MLB ALL-STAR, 2011-2012; HIT FOR THE CYCLE ON SEPT. 15, 2011

Story on next page


SPORTSS

The Boston Red Sox now have not one, but two big guys with big nicknames. Pablo Sandoval, aka Kung Fu Panda, the switch-hitting third baseman walked away from the San Francisco Giants after seven seasons and three World Series rings to join the Boston Red Sox. The Sox host the New York Yankees Sunday, May 3, on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

Sandoval’s move to Boston is more than just a move to a new team. He’s moving from the West Coast to the East and changing leagues as well. When he signed with the Red Sox, he stated that he needed a new challenge.

The Sox, who gave Sandoval a five-year, $100-million contract, are hoping he can team with the likes of aging David “Big Poppy” Ortiz to give Boston a more powerful lineup. Fans likely recall Sandoval’s three home runs in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, one in which he took home Series MVP honors. He had 24 postseason hits in 2012 and 26 in 2014. His best home run years were 2009 (25) and 2011 (23). His batting average has hung around .280 the past three seasons with the Giants.

In Boston, fans can expect more consistency at the plate. Remember, although he primarily plays third base, Sandoval has also spent time on the opposite corner at first, as well as behind the plate. He came into the league with the Giants as a backup catcher and third baseman. And he can always spell Ortiz at designated hitter.

BY DAN LADD

JAY BOBBIN'S THEATRICAL MOVIE REVIEW

REVIEW

MOVIES

Seventh round is as ‘Furious’ as ever

“FURIOUS 7”

By now, anyone who’s seen even one movie in the “Fast and the Furious” franchise knows what to expect.

That’s not meant as snark: It’s a fact, and the good news is that the series never fails to deliver.

“Furious 7” is the latest example, and it’s generally fast enough to overcome its cloud of tragedy, since founding co-star Paul Walker died before production was completed. This edition adds a couple of action-savvy notables to the cast – Kurt Russell and Jason Statham – and as soon as everyone is buckled in, it’s high-octane business as usual.

Statham plays the brother of a villain previously vanquished by Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (Walker) and company, and he’s out for big-time revenge ... prompting our more-or-less-heroes to try to get to him first. A big help to them would be the surveillance device that the government agent played by Russell is seeking, so they agree to assist him in locating it.

OK, so there’s the plot. Now, bring on the cars.

As usual, “Furious 7” does that, and then some. In one of the best of the many stunts, a vehicle crashes out of a skyscraper and goes flying into another one. And we’re not talking the ground floor here.

Yes, it’s fun to see the interplay among the regular characters and actors – Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez and a typically, enjoyably natural Dwayne Johnson also are back – and watching Walker participate in that camaraderie is bittersweet this time. But there’s no raison d’etre (which might seem a bit lofty a phrase in this case) for a “Fast and the Furious” movie without doing some innovative things automobile-wise, and “Furious 7” director James Wan and his crew have worked out some dazzlingly fresh spins on that count.

It’s pretty amazing to think how durable this series has proven to be, over a history that now stretches back 14 years. And if “Furious 7” proves anything, even with a major and necessary cast-of-characters alteration as it goes forward, it’s not out of gas yet.


M

Vin Diesel

“BLACKHAT” (May 12): A convict (Chris Hemsworth) is sprung to help dismantle a global cybercrime ring. (R: AS, P, V)

“STILL ALICE” (May 12): Julianne Moore earned an Oscar for her portrayal of a professor afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease. (PG-13: AS, P)

“GLEE: THE FINAL SEASON” (May 19): Rachel and Kurt (Lea Michele, Chris Colfer) challenge arts-opposed school principal Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) in the Fox series’ wrap-up. (Not rated: AS, P)

“THE NANNY: THE COMPLETE SERIES” (May 26): Fran Drescher – also the sitcom’s co-creator – plays saucy Fran Fine, who

becomes the unlikely employee of a Broadway producer (Charles Shaughnessy) and his children. (Not rated: AS)

“1776” (June 2): The musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence makes its Blu-ray debut in a newly augmented “Director’s Cut”; Ken Howard, Blythe Danner and William Daniels star. (Not rated)

“THE WIRE: THE COMPLETE SERIES” (June 2): The widely praised, Baltimore-set HBO drama series makes its Blu-ray debut; stars include Dominic West and Wendell Pierce. (Not rated: AS, N, P, V)

UPCOMING DVD RELEASES

Coming Soon on DVD...

JAY BOBBIN'S MOVIE REVIEW MOVIES TO WATCH

Top PickDVD

MOVIES

M

Chris Hemsworth

Dakota Johnson

“FIFTY SHADES OF GREY”One of the most anticipated movies of recent times comes to home video, as E.L. James’ provocative best-seller is adapted with Dakota Johnson – daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith – as Anastasia Steele, the student drawn into the darkly romantic life of enigmatic entrepreneur Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). Their affair has its own set of rules that excite her at first, but that she ultimately isn’t sure she can continue to live by. Co-stars include Marcia Gay Harden, Jennifer Ehle and singer Rita Ora; the soundtrack features Beyoncé, Ellie Goulding and Annie Lennox. DVD extras: two “making-of” documentaries. ››› (R, with additional unrated version on Blu-ray: AS, N, P) (Also on Bu-ray and On Demand)


SFAVORITE SHOWS

SUNDAY 8 p.m. on CBS Madam Secretary An uncomfortable encounter with ex-friend Juliet (Nilaja Sun) causes Elizabeth (Téa Leoni) to flash back to the roots of her association with the president (Keith Carradine) — who then led the CIA — in the drama’s first-season finale, “There But for the Grace of God.” Stevie (Wallis Currie-Wood) becomes more than friends with the president’s son (guest star Jason Ralph). William Sadler and (as himself) journalist Martin Bashir guest star. Season Finale New

MONDAY 10:01 p.m. on NBC

The Night ShiftTrace Adkins — not only a country-

music star, but a winner of “The Celebrity Apprentice” — guest stars as TC’s (Eoin Macken) group-therapy leader, who delivers a message from the White House, in the new episode “Moving On.” It’s not just lip service for the show: First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden also are slated to appear in the tale. Jordan (Jill Flint) teams with Paul (Robert Bailey Jr.) on the case of a youngster whose mother also needs medical help. New

TUESDAY 10:01 p.m. on ABC Forever

The series’ first-season finale, “The Last Death of Henry Morgan,” finds Jo (Alana De La Garza) caught between Henry (Ioan Gruffudd) and his longtime nemesis Adam

(guest star Burn Gorman) — and in the case of this show, we mean a really, really long time. The enemies’ latest showdown is prompted by the disappearance of the dagger that caused Adam’s first death, as well as the demise of Julius Caesar. John Noble (“Sleepy Hollow”) also guest stars. Season Finale New

9 p.m. on FOXNew GirlThe fact that Damon Wayans Jr. is leaving the show’s cast cues the departure of his character Coach in the fourth-season finale, “Clean Break.” The imminent exit elicits interesting reactions from other members of the gang, with Schmidt (Max Greenfield) deciding to do a massive cleanout of his own belongings — and Jess

Téa Leoni stars in “Madam Secretary”

Jill Flint stars in “The Night Shift”

Ioan Gruffudd stars in “Forever”


Hayden Panettiere stars in “Nashville”

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Sand Nick (Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson) pondering whether there’s still something romantic between them. Lamorne Morris also stars. Season Finale New

WEDNESDAY 10 p.m. on ABC Nashville

Juliette’s (Hayden Panettiere) rooftop concert success apparently has her basking in glory again in the new episode “Is the Better Part Over,” but those around her worry that she actually has postpartum depression. Will (Chris Carmack) gets a couple of bombshells, in the form of a surprise visit from his father plus a potential tabloid story. Deacon and Rayna (Charles Esten, Connie Britton) try to deal with the uncertainty generated by his health prognosis. New

10 p.m. on NBCChicago PDTheir emotions are elsewhere, having just suffered a loss, but the team has to focus on the job after an explosion at a cafe in the new episode “There’s My Girl.” A youngster (guest star Haley Seda, daughter of series regular Jon Seda) is the only true eyewitness, but her mother is reluctant to let her help. Mouse’s (guest star Samuel Hunt) technical skills may do much to advance the probe. Guest star Markie Post returns as Lindsay’s (Sophia Bush) mother. New

THURSDAY 10:01 p.m. on ABC American Crime

Matt may not have been as much a blameless victim in the murder as it first seemed — at least according to Aubry’s (Caitlin Gerard) claims — in the new “Chapter Ten.” Barb (Felicity Huffman) is devastated by the implications, prompting Russ (Timothy Hutton) to come to the forefront in making sure justice is served. Aubry’s account also has a drastic effect on Hector (Richard Cabral), whose

FAVORITE SHOWS

testimony is negated, leaving him vulnerable to deportation. New

FRIDAY 8 p.m. on ABC

Shark TankIt’s not that crime shows don’t feature enough corpses, as it is but they may get a new source, thanks to one of the entrepreneurs in this new episode. The person is a Tampa, Fla. scientist who has created a synthetic and realistic cadaver — the actual purpose of which is to aid medical testing. Also, two Seattle residents put forth their idea for personalized action figures, and several Philadelphia women pose a concept for online interior design. Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, and Kevin O’Leary then decide

if they want to invest or pass. New

SATURDAY 8 p.m. on FOX

BackstromThe search for a drug-case witness evolves into a homicide investigation in “Inescapable Truth.” While trying to figure out how the victim managed to leave a court-ordered stint in rehab, Backstrom (Rainn Wilson) becomes suspicious of the man’s fellow band members — none of whom cared very much for him. The sleuth also is in store for a surprise from Valentine (Thomas Dekker). Lolita Davidovich (“Raising Cain”) guest stars.

Caitlin Gerard stars in “American Crime”

Lori Greiner in “Shark Tank”

Thomas Dekker stars in “Backstrom”


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