Rob Owen stories, Page 15
TV Talk: Eddie Murphy’s back in 4th ‘Beverly Hills Cop;’ KDKA-TV hires meteorologistVideo
Now streaming on Netflix, “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” is the type of tentpole film that would have been a holiday weekend theatrical release in the pre-streaming era. Despite the rough reception to “Beverly Hills Cop III” in 1994 — 11% fresh among critics, 35% fresh among audiences on RottenTomatoes.com...
TV Q&A: Where can one watch a new classic cartoon network?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Has any local station become an affiliate for the new MeTV Toon channel in the Pittsburgh area? It’s a channel that plays classic cartoon shows....
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native wants you to guess: Is he ‘The Mole’?Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Reality series “The Mole,” which began on ABC in 2001 and then got revived by Netflix two years ago, introduces a Pittsburgh contestant in the show’s second season on Netflix. Now streaming its first five...
TV Talk: CNN’s debate rules keep candidates on track
The first debate of the 2024 general election presidential cycle broke from tradition, albeit in different ways than the 2020 debates that saw then-President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden talk over and sneer at one another. Unlike for the past several decades since 1988, Wednesday’s debate was not...
TV Talk: Shaler grad writes music for ‘Ariel;’ ‘The Bear’ roars again; MeTV Toons launchesVideo
For its latest animated series, “Disney Jr.’s Ariel,” inspired by “The Little Mermaid” story, animated and live-action films, producers enlisted Anthony M. “Tone” Jones, a 2000 graduate of Shaler Area High School, to help create one-to-two songs per episode. “Disney’s Jr.’s Ariel” (9 a.m. Thursday, Disney Junior; eight episodes available...
TV Q&A: How can WPXI make its ‘most-watched news station’ claim?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Channel 11, WPXI-TV says they are the “most-watched news station” in Pittsburgh. What is this based on? One show or newscasts throughout the day? —...
TV Talk: ‘King Coal’ offers an elegy for connection rooted in a controversial industry
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. The critically acclaimed documentary film “King Coal” already played in Pittsburgh cinemas and its initial run was extended due to high demand. This week, “King Coal” is available for home viewing as the first film...
TV Talk: WTAE names South Hills native Ashley Liotus as sports anchor/reporter
Following Emily Giangreco’s departure in April, WTAE named Ashley Liotus the station’s newest sports anchor/reporter. Liotus has freelanced for Channel 4 since 2022, prior to Giangreco’s arrival. “We are thrilled to officially make Ashley part of our WTAE Channel 4 family,” WTAE general manager and president Charles W. Wolfertz III...
TV Talk: ‘Orphan Black’ rebootedVideo
In the 2013-17 BBC America sci-fi serial “Orphan Black,” actress Tatiana Maslany played multiple clones of her primary character, ultimately creating one of the better recent genre series, albeit one that grew overly convoluted as the series’ mythology expanded season-by-season. The new sequel series, “Orphan Black: Echoes” (10 p.m. Sunday,...
TV Q&A: How many sportscasters are on KDKA-TV?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: How many sportscasters are there on KDKA-TV? — Bill via email Rob: Bob Pompeani and Richie Walsh are the full-time KDKA sports reporters/anchors, and freelancer...
TV Talk: ‘House of the Dragon’ successfully toggles between heartbreak and dark humor in 2nd seasonVideo
The first season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel series “House of the Dragon” was a mixed bag: So many — too many, really — characters with similar-sounding names and blond wigs, a time jump that resulted in the recasting of roles just as viewers started to get to know...
TV Talk: Pittsburgher competes on PBS’s ‘Great American Recipe’
Western Pennsylvania native Doug Heilman wasn’t familiar with PBS’s “Great American Recipe” (9 p.m. Monday, WQED-TV), now in its third season, so when a casting producer reached out over his social media encouraging the home cook Heilman to apply, Heilman ignored that direct message for two weeks. “It seemed spammy....
TV Talk: ‘Watson’ filming locally, ‘The Deliverance’ dated
CBS’s upcoming Pittsburgh-set medical/investigative procedural “Watson,” slated to air Sunday nights in spring 2025, will film predominantly in Vancouver, British Columbia. But star Morris Chestnut and some other cast members are in Pittsburgh this week to film exterior scenes over several days that will be inserted into episodes of the...
TV Q&A: Did Alby Oxenreiter retire from WPXI?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: What’s the story with Alby Oxenreiter? He hasn’t been seen for about a year on WPXI-TV. I’m wondering if he decided to retire early because...
TV Talk: Western Pa. native films Apple TV+’s ‘Presumed Innocent’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Scott Turow’s 1987 novel “Presumed Innocent,” already adapted into a 1991 feature film starring Harrison Ford, gets the limited series treatment this week as Apple TV+ debuts its eight-episode take on the same story. This...
TV Talk: Western Pa. natives star in new seasons of ‘Deadliest Catch,’ ‘Love Island USA’Video
Next week, Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” returns for its 20th season (8 p.m. June 11) and for the first time in several years the show’s crabbers had the ability to catch red king crab during the October 2023 to February 2024 season (fishing for king crab was forbidden beginning in...
TV Q&A: Did WTAE hire a new weekend anchor?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Another new anchor was on Channel 4 Saturday night, June 1. Why so many new hires in Pittsburgh? Are all the stations going to make...
TV Talk: WPXI reporter’s live shot goes viral after ‘a woman tried to grab my face’
WPXI’s Andrew Havranek, the station’s Westmoreland County bureau reporter, doesn’t usually work weekends. But on Saturday during the 5:30 p.m. newscast on PCNC, Havranek was filling in, reporting from outside the Kenny Chesney concert at Acrisure Stadium when his live shot went sideways. Havranek said bystanders asked if he was...
TV Talk: May sweeps ratings released; ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ endsVideo
Although sweeps periods are diminished by daily ratings measurement, ratings periods in February, May and November still offer a snapshot of a Pittsburgh market that remains competitive. KDKA-TV crept ahead of WPXI at 5 and 6 a.m. in households (WTAE remained No. 1). But in the key demo of viewers...
TV Talk: A recovering Jeremy Renner struts confidently through Pittsburgh-filmed ‘Mayor of Kingstown’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Following a horrific snowcat accident in January 2023, it was initially questionable if “Mayor of Kingstown” star Jeremy Renner would survive, let alone walk again. But 18 months later, watching him in the TV-MA-rated third...
TV Q&A: Where has Jeff Verszyla been?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Why haven’t I seen Jeff Verszyla on WTAE-TV lately? How come? — John, via email Rob: I reported on May 16 that Verszyla would be off...
TV Talk: Disney+ profiles Muppets creator Jim HensonVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Before settling on the career goal of TV critic, I went through four distinct areas of job interest, all entertainment-related. As much as I was a fan of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” it was always the...
TV Talk: NFL spreads telecasts among networks, streaming platformsVideo
Remember in January when the NFL’s AFC Wild Card game streamed nationally on Peacock and viewers were confused about how to watch it? Well, steel yourself for the 2024-25 NFL season with games on platforms as varied as Amazon’s Prime Video, home to Thursday night games for a couple of...
TV Talk: Point Breeze’s Victoria Groce wins ‘Jeopardy! Masters’Video
Point Breeze’s Victoria Groce won this year’s “Jeopardy! Masters” tournament on ABC on Wednesday night, vanquishing past “Jeopardy!” champs including Yogesh Raut, James Holzhauer, Amy Schneider, Mattea Roach and Matt Amodio. “Masters” began taping in mid-April with its final episode, where Groce won $500,000 and the Trebek Trophy, recorded May...
TV Q&A: Does retired KDKA anchor Stacy Smith star in an Ozempic TV ad?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Does Stacy Smith do a commercial for Ozempic where he’s stepping off a small airplane with clipboard in hand? — Susan, via email Rob: I...
