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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 13, 2012 2 coverstory By Kyla Brewer TV Media B ryan Cranston is so bad, he's good. He's great, in fact -- so great, the ac- tor has earned three Emmy wins for his role as Walter White in AMC's "Breaking Bad," a role he's set to reprise in the premiere of the series' fifth and final season, airing Sunday, July 15. move, AMC will present the fi- nal season of "Breaking Bad," which follows former chemistry teacher White as he sinks deeper and deeper into the seedy drug underworld, over the course of two sum- mers. Consisting of 16 epi- sodes in total, Season 5 be- gins this summer with eight of those episodes, but the se- ries conclusion isn't set to hit TV screens until Summer 2013. While it may be unorth- odox, the strategy will likely bode well for the cable chan- nel, as it will keep viewers on the hook longer. The show has been a hit from the very be- ginning and AMC execs should be sad to see it go. What began as an arguably noble attempt by White to se- cure his family's future in the wake of a cancer diagnosis has spiraled completely out of control. Initially, the teacher enlisted the help of former student Jesse (Aaron Paul) to make and distribute metham- phetamine in the hopes he could earn enough money to cover his cancer treatments and provide for his family if the unthinkable happened. Since then, Walter and Jes- se have become more em- broiled in the dangerous drug trade, rising through the ranks from lowly pawns to power players. Despite a few falling-outs over the years, the duo is back together in Season 5 and ready to take on In an unconventional Too much of a 'Bad' thing Drugs and drama abound in fi nal season of AMC hit memorable TV credits include dentist Tim Whatley in NBC's "Seinfeld" and Buzz Aldrin HBO's "From the Earth to the Moon." Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul star in "Breaking Bad" the world in the wake of last season's shocking finale. Fans are eager to find out what will happen now that drug lord Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) is gone, and White assumes his post as kingpin. In addition to Paul, Cran- ston shares the "Breaking Bad" screen with Anna Gunn as his long-suffering wife Sky- ler, R.J. Mitte as his son Walter Jr. (who has cerebral palsy), Dean Norris as his lawman brother-in-law Hank, and Bet- sy Brandt as his sister-in-law Marie. Rounding out the cast are Emmy-winning writer Bob Odenkirk as lawyer Saul Goodman and seasoned TV actor Jonathan Banks as thug and "cleaner" Mike. to. Critics have been singing the praises of the show from the very beginning when "Newsday" deemed "Break- ing Bad" a "must-see series" after its January 2008 pre- miere. The show hadn't lost momentum by last season, making several top-series lists and even drawing the at- tention of "Time" magazine, which heralded White's "I am the one who knocks" line as one of the best TV lines of the year. brilliance and madness and somehow manages to elicit sympathy from TV viewers in spite of White's heinous, seemingly remorseless acts. In less capable hands, it would be a tough sell, but the actor has done his job beauti- fully, evidenced by the afore- mentioned Emmys. Right now, Cranston is hot on the big screen with roles in Adam Shankman's "Rock of Ages" (2012) and "Madagas- car 3: Europe's Most Wanted" (2012). He's also set to star as villain Vilos Cohaagen in Len Wiseman's highly anticipated remake of "Total Recall," scheduled to be released in August. Season 5 has a lot to live up Cranston snagged his three "Breaking Bad" Emmys for the first three seasons of the show, and it's important to note that Season 4 debuted in July, after the May 31 cutoff for the 2011 awards. His triple win made him the first actor in a cable series to win the honor three consecutive times, and only the second ac- tor overall to earn it three times in a row (after Bill Cos- by in 1966-1968 for "I Spy"). "Breaking Bad" has been a boon for Cranston, but it was the Fox comedy "Malcolm in the Middle" (2000-2006) that made him a bona fide star. His work as hapless dad Hal earned him his first three Emmy nominations. Other While the onscreen talent is indisputable, creator Vince Gilligan is also a force in the show's success. The former "The X-Files" producer has pushed the boundaries of television with "Breaking Bad" by completely trans- forming the main character. Usually, TV series establish stable characters so that the show may go on for season after season. But "Breaking Bad" has seen White spiral further downwards as he sheds his meek schoolteacher persona for his current larger- than-life ego. Though the end is in sight, all may not be lost for fans of the show. Cranston recently told the "L.A. Times" that he would consider a "Breaking Bad" movie. Mind you, while he's open to the idea, who knows whether White will ac- tually survive the end of the series. If Gilligan does have it all worked out, how the show ends is a closely guarded se- cret for now. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: My kids love Disney's "Mulan," but every time I watch it, I can't figure out who does the singing for the main male character. I know I've heard that voice before -- can you help? A: It certainly was a new experience for former teen star Donny Osmond. Stepping in as a ringer on an animated film, to do the singing for a character while another actor han- dles the dialogue was a new feat. However, it can't really be called a departure, since Osmond's had no real pattern to depart from. Osmond has held just about every gig there is in the en- tertainment business, and he has even done voice acting -- in 1995 he did a voice in the Canadian made-for-TV animat- ed film "Nilus the Sandman: The First Day" -- however, he didn't get to do it in the 1998 Disney hit "Mulan." In "Mulan," Osmond provides the singing voice of Capt. Li Shang, who trains the disguised Mulan at a military camp, performing the song "I'll Make a Man Out of You." Having started out as an adorable child star, singing in his family band The Osmonds, Donny soon became a teen heartthrob. He later tried his hand as a variety show host alongside his sister, on "Donny and Marie." Of course, the natural next step was acting, starting with the forgettable 1978 film "Goin' Coconuts" (again, along with his sister). He later combined the acting and singing on Broadway, most notably in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Q: How did Gilligan finally get off the island? A: Spoiler alert! They never got off the island -- at least not during the regular series. The original "Gilligan's Island" series ran on CBS from 1964 to 1967, but at the end of that run, Gilligan and company were still marooned. It took 11 more years, and the made-for-TV reunion film "Rescue From Gilligan's Island," before they finally made it off the island. Sadly, the end of the film saw them back on it again. They made it off again in the next TV special, "The Cast- Luckily, the new season shows just as much promise with Cranston again in the leading role. As White, the ac- tor dances a fine line between aways on Gilligan's Island," in 1979, and though they incred- ibly ended up back on the island once more, it was by choice this time. The end of that film saw the Howells turn the island into a resort, with the others joining in as partners. "The others," though, looked a little bit different -- at least one of them did. Tina Louise, who played Ginger on the original series, didn't return for any of the specials. She was replaced in "Rescue" and "Castaways" by Judith Baldwin. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com.

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