• Bronze statues of mythical methamphetamine cookers Walter White and Jesse Pinkman were installed at a convention center in Albuquerque, N.M., last week to celebrate the "Breaking Bad" TV series and its entertainment legacy, winning applause in a city that played its own gritty supporting role. Local politicians including Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller mixed with stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul and director Vince Gilligan to unveil the artwork, donated by Gilligan and Sony Pictures. The 2008-13 show and its ongoing prequel, "Better Call Saul," helped fuel a renaissance in filmmaking in New Mexico, while also cutting close to Albuquerque's real-life struggles with drug addiction and crime. Gilligan said he recognized that the statues of "two fictional, infamous meth dealers" won't be universally cherished. "In all seriousness, no doubt some folks are going to say, 'Wow, just what our city needed.' And I get that," Gilligan said. However, "I see two of the finest actors America has ever produced. I see them, in character, as two larger-than-life tragic figures, cautionary tales." Still a fixture on Netflix, AMC's "Breaking Bad" follows the fictional underworld trajectory of a high-school science teacher, played by Cranston, and a former student, played by Paul, as they team up to produce and distribute meth amid violent, cliffhanger plot twists. The show and its iconic lead characters are lionized on T-shirts and airport merchandise, while tour guides in Albuquerque shepherd fans to former film locations in a replica of the RV from the show that doubled as a meth lab. Keller heralded the economic impact of "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul" on the city. "While the stories might be fictional ... jobs are real every single day," Keller said. "The city is also a character. ... We see ourselves in so many ways, good and bad."
• Barack Obama's presidential portrait will be unveiled at the White House in a September ceremony hosted by his former No. 2, President Joe Biden. Portraits of the former president and Michelle Obama will be presented in the East Room on Sept. 7, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week. The artists and details about the artwork won't be released until the day of the ceremony. The private, nonprofit White House Historical Association has arranged portraits of presidents and first ladies since 1965, when it negotiated acquiring a portrait of former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The White House portraits won't be the Obamas' first in Washington. They attended the unveiling of their portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in 2018. Obama joked then that artist Kehinde Wiley cheerfully ignored his suggestions for that likeness to feature "less gray hair" and "smaller ears."
Bryan Cranston takes photos with his fans during the "Breaking Bad" statue unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Breaking Bad fans are pictured during the "Breaking Bad" statue unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Aaron Paul, left, and Bryan Cranston, view statues of their characters during the "Breaking Bad" unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Walter White and Jesse Pinkman statues from "Breaking Bad" are pictured during an unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Bryan Cranston, left, takes a photo with a fan, Jackson Day, who is dressed as Heisenberg, during the "Breaking Bad" statue unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Bryan Cranston, left, and Aaron Paul view statues of their characters during the "Breaking Bad" unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)
Aaron Paul greets his fans during the "Breaking Bad" statue unveiling event in downtown Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday July 29, 2022. (Chancey Bush/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)