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Breaking Bad transformed pop culture, began the Netflix renaissance, and lifted Bryan Cranston out of his relatively obscure career in Hollywood. If not for Vince Gilligan and his eye for talent, the majority of the series cast would have been encased in guest/supporting roles or in Cranston’s case, as a middle-aged dad in a dysfunctional family sitcom after Malcolm in the Middle.

Bryan Cranston as Walter White in Breaking Bad [Credit: AMC]

In hindsight, however, not all facets of the AMC sleeper hit are laudable. There are darker truths, allegations, and unsolved mysteries hidden within the annals of Breaking Bad history. Cast members were accused of crimes so flagrant that they would be blacklisted by the industry in today’s socio-political climate. One such accusation almost destroyed the reputation of Breaking Bad, if not tarnished its legacy entirely.

The World of Breaking Bad Gets a Bit Too Realistic Bryan...

Chicago – With film/TV production and stages still shut down for the most part, what are actors doing to fill the void? For Laura Ann Parry, it’s been a chance to sharpen her craft, to do “new normal” auditioning and focus on what projects are upcoming. The Chicago character actor considers it part of the overall journey.

Actor Laura Ann Parry

Photo credit: Laura Ann Parry

Laura Ann Parry is also a lawyer, and took on her next career of being an actor after observing her daughter in classes. She hit the ground running after encouragement from her first instructor, and landed her first professional part in the independent film “You Don’t Say!” That was shortly followed by a role in a Lifetime Channel film, “Cleveland Abduction.” She also worked side-by-side with Jim O’Heir (Gary/Jerry in “Parks and Recreation”) in the indie film “Mind Over Mindy,” and...

Law & Order True Crime is taking on the Menendez brothers murder case.

In NBC’s new eight-episode true-crime drama, Edie Falco plays defense attorney Leslie Abramson, who represents Lyle (Miles Gaston Villanueva) and Erik Menendez (Gus Halper) in the brothers’ trial for the murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez. The brothers were convicted in 1996 of the crime, and Law & Order True Crime attempts to examine why they did it.

For relative newcomers Villanueva and Halper, the road to seeing Law & Order True Crime come to the small screen has been long and arduous. Villanueva, a former Young & the Restless soap star, turned down role of Lyle due to a previous commitment to a play, before the part came back around again months later. Halper first auditioned for Lyle last October (“Right away they said, this is wrong,” he laughed) before re-auditioning for Erik and landing the part in February.

The TV brothers...

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The FBI is asking for any information to help in their pursuit of a suspected serial “child predator” in Ohio who remains at large after he was caught on video, People confirms.

The FBI believes the same man is responsible for an attempted child abduction in Elyria, Ohio, in February and a day-long abduction of a 6-year-old girl in Cleveland in May, bureau spokeswoman and special agent Vicki Anderson tells People.

“We’re scared he’s going to strike again, and that’s why we really need the public’s help,” Anderson says.

Our perception of the Forest City having only seen it on screen.

All this week, Cleveland, Ohio, is being overrun with politicians, their supporters, and protestors of their platforms as the Republican National Convention is being held at the Quicken Loans Arena through Thursday. To help get a better sense of this “Cleve-Land,” as Howard the Duck calls it, we’re looking to entertainment, specifically movies and television, for what it can tell us about this city. If there’s anything we miss or misunderstand, blame Hollywood.

Cleveland Rocks

It’s the Rock and Roll Capital of the World, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so it’s not surprising that, to an outsider, Cleveland primarily looks like a city where music reigns. You could make a nice concert with all the fictional bands based there, including Cherry Bomb from Howard the Duck, The Barbusters from Light of Day, the...

'Room' movie with Brie Larson 'Room' movie review: Easy to appreciate, difficult to like The film Room, adapted by Emma Donoghue from her own 2010 novel, has been the talk of Hollywood since well before it was actually made. Its distributor, A24 (fast becoming the Miramax of its generation), acquired rights at Cannes prior to its production. Since its premiere at Telluride, critical praise has been overwhelmingly positive and I appreciate it too. I just didn't like it. Mostly, Room made me really uncomfortable. Which, one supposes, is how we know it's working. Even the contemplation of such a circumstance – a young woman taken unwillingly, held captive, and raped repeatedly for years – is a mind-boggler that requires significant credulity. Except that it happened. Fictional vs. real life abduction To be clear, the story of the girl who was kidnapped by the local neighborhood sociopath that you are probably thinking of right...

The Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig Lifetime movie, “A Deadly Adoption,” slayed 2.1 million total viewers on Saturday night, making it the No. 1 original program on cable for the evening. Its one million viewers from the key 25-54 demographic placed it behind other 2015 Lifetime Original Movies “Whitney,” “Cleveland Abduction” and “With this Ring.” Over the course of six telecasts this past weekend, “A Deadly Adoption” took home more than six million total viewers. Also Read: Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig Are Torn Apart in New Trailer for Lifetime's 'A Deadly Adoption' (Video) Inspired by a true story, the high­-stakes...

Lifetime original movie Cleveland Abduction, based on Michelle Knight’s bestselling memoir of the Cleveland kidnappings, averaged 3.1 million total viewers in its world premiere Saturday night, according to Nielsen Fast Cable Ratings. The movie, starring Taryn Manning as Knight and Raymond Cruz as Ariel Castro, also averaged 1.3 million adults 25-54, 1.2 million adults 18-49, and 1.1 million women 25-54 viewers in its 8 Pm time slot. Compared with earlier Lifetime…...

Taryn Manning wasn't afraid to take on the role of Michelle Knight, though her mom couldn't help but express her concern.

In Cleveland Abduction, the Orange Is the New Black actress plays the oldest of the three women who were held captive by Ariel Castro for nearly a decade before their daring escape in 2013.

These days Knight, now 34, is a happy and thriving young woman, but she endured horrors at the hands of Castro, which made Manning's mother understandably queasy.

"She was horrified," Manning, 36, tells People of calling her mom to tell her she'd been offered the part in the Lifetime movie.

The brutal, gruesome, and oddly uplifting tale of Cleveland Abduction feels more like a film worthy of the Oscar race than something you'd see on Lifetime. The network’s newest — and arguably most graphic — film is based on the true story of Ariel Castro, the man who kidnapped three women between the ages of 14 and 21 and held them captive for more than a decade. Orange Is the New Black actress Taryn Manning stars as Michelle Knight, Castro’s eldest and first victim. “There’s a part [...]...

Playing one of the most hated men in America is not a fun job. Raymond Cruz knows that first hand as he prepares for the release of Lifetime's Cleveland Abduction, which depicts the horrific crimes three women endured at the hands of Ariel Castro, who kidnapped and imprisoned Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Georgina DeJesus in his home for years. The film, which premieres on May 2 at 8 p.m., largely centers on Knight (played by Taryn Manning), the first victim Castro abducted. She was held for more than 11 years, until she, the other women, and Berry's child, were rescued

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Cleveland Abduction premieres May 2 at 8/7Ct on Lifetime. What It’s Based On: The shocking discovery that former school bus driver Ariel Castro held three women hostage in his suburban Cleveland home for more than a decade, fathering a child with one. Lifetime of a Lesson: Truth is stranger (and scarier) than fiction. This stunning survivor story is told from the perspective of 21-year-old single mom Michelle Knight (Taryn Manning), who was abducted by Ariel Castro (Breaking Bad‘s Raymond Cruz) in 2002. Castro later added naive teens Amanda Berry (Samantha Droke) and Gina DeJesus (Katie Sarife) to his house of horrors. … Continue reading →

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