Entertainment NOW

March 26 - April 1, 2023 | Entertainment Now 11 By Michelle Rose TV Media Mob justice (league): If you've seen 2022's "The Batman," you might have caught a reference (or several) to the character of Sal- vatore Maroni, whose arrest paved the way for Carmine Falcone's (John Turturro, "Severance") rise to pow- er. And if you know a little about the comic book character, you're proba- bly hoping to see the mob boss in the film's planned spinoff show, HBO Max's "The Penguin." It seems your wish has been granted. Fresh off his appearance in "John Wick: Chapter 4" (2023), Clancy Brown recently boarded "The Penguin," and the always- busy character actor is set to recur as Gotham City's infamous crime lord. The character of Sal Maroni was previously portrayed by Dennis Pal- adino in 1995's "Batman Forever," Eric Roberts in 2008's "The Dark Knight," and by David Zayas in the Fox series "Gotham." In the DC Comics universe, he's been around since 1942, and he's (in)famously the one who tossed acid at Harvey Dent, horribly disfiguring him and giving rise to Dent's gangster alter- ego, Two-Face. Naturally, fans are wondering if this might be a way of bringing Two- Face into the story. However, the more pressing question is whether Maroni will appear in flashbacks or will next be seen mounting a crimi- nal comeback, seeing as "The Pen- guin" will take place in the after- math of the events featured in the film. Produced by Warner Bros. Televi- sion and DC Studios, the drama cen- ters on the titular character, Oswald "The Penguin" Cobblepot, played once more by Colin Farrell ("The Banshees of Inisherin," 2022). Cris- tin Milioti ("Palm Springs," 2020) will play Sofia Falcone, the daughter of Carmine Falcone. Other cast members include Rhenzy Feliz ("Marvel's Runaways"), Michael Kelly ("House of Cards"), Shohreh Aghdashloo ("The Expanse") and Deirdre O'Connell ("The Boy Down- stairs," 2017). As for Brown, this won't be his first portrayal of a DC supervillain: he spent years voicing Superman's nemesis, Lex Luthor, in various DC Animated Universe shows. He's even crossed over into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having por- trayed Ray Schooner in "Daredevil" and voiced Surtur in "Thor: Ragn- arok" (2017). An eight-episode limited series, "The Penguin" is expected to arrive on HBO Max sometime next year. Five and done: It may be the longest-running drama on Para- mount+, but "Star Trek: Discov- ery's" reign will soon come to an end, sadly. The streamer recently an- nounced that the sci-fi series will wrap after Season 5, which should arrive on our screens in early 2024. In an official statement, Tanya Giles, chief programming officer at Paramount Streaming, praised the series' storytelling while alluding to the streamer's plans for giving the series — its first commissioned original series and its first contribu- tion to the ever-expanding Star Trek franchise — a proper sendoff. "'Star Trek: Discovery' is a peren- nial favorite on the service, near and dear to the hearts of legions of Star Trek fans as well as all of us here at Paramount+," Giles said. "The se- ries and its incredible cast and cre- atives ushered in a new era for Star Trek when it debuted over six years ago, embracing the future of streaming with serialized storytell- ing, bringing to life deep and com- plex characters that honor Gene Roddenberry's legacy of represent- ing diversity and inclusion, and pushing the envelope with award- winning world-building." Giles added: "This final season will see our beloved crew take on a new adventure, and we can't wait to celebrate the series' impact on the franchise leading up to its final season early next year." Filming for the 10-episode sea- son began back in June 2022, and principal photography recently wrapped, though Deadline reported some additional filming might be planned. The fifth/final season will find the crew of the USS Discovery — in- cluding Captain Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green, "The Walking Dead"), the first Black woman to captain a ship in the Star Trek uni- verse — uncovering a mystery that sends them on a cross-galaxy hunt for a secret ancient power. With "Star Trek: Picard" and now "Discovery" coming to an end, fans are already speculating about the new offshoot, "Star Trek: Starfleet Academy," which is reportedly in development at CBS Studios, as well as "Discovery" spinoff "Section 31," starring Michelle Yeoh ("Every- thing Everywhere All at Once," 2022). And, of course, there are more stories to come from current series "Star Trek: Prodigy," the ani- mated "Star Trek: Lower Decks" and the upcoming second season of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." Ray away: Yet another famous face is leaving daytime television. CBS Media Ventures announced that the current 17th season of the syndicated daytime talk show "Ra- chael Ray" will be its last. In a statement to Deadline, Ray said, "In my more than 20-plus years in television, I have had 17 wonderful seasons working in day- time television with 'Rachael.' How- ever, I've made the decision that it's time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter in my broadcast ca- reer." One of the first programs to re- sume filming (at home) during the pandemic, "Rachael Ray" features a mix of cooking, celebrity inter- views, health and lifestyle tips, makeover segments and musical performances. Following its pre- miere in September 2006, it became the top syndicated strip show in its freshman year, and throughout its run, it earned 37 Daytime Emmy nominations, winning three times for Outstanding Talk Show. The cancellation was announced the same day a report surfaced that Ray had launched Free Food Stu- dios, a new production company. Stars on Screen Clancy Brown has joined the cast of "The Penguin" APPLE CRISP BAKLAVA BEIGNET CAKE CANNOLI CHURRO COBBLER COCADA COOKIE CREAM PUFF CRULLER CUPCAKE CUSTARD DOUGHNUT DULCE DE LECHE ECLAIR FLAN FRITTER FRUIT SALAD GELATO ICE CREAM LEMON SQUARE MACARON MOUSSE PARFAIT PECAN PIE PIE S'MORE SORBET STRUDEL TIRAMISU TRIFLE What's for Dessert? From the list, find each word and circle its letters in the puzzle to reveal a message relating to this week's theme.

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