Rob Owen stories, Page 27
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s Heidi isn’t the sole ‘Survivor;’ Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in his first TV seriesVideo
Going into this 44th season of CBS’s “Survivor,” Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt of Jefferson Hills described a strategy of head-down, don’t-rock-the-boat, no-nonsense play. That worked for almost the entire season. It was clear from the first episode, in which she was barely featured, that Lagares-Greenblatt likely was in it for the long...
TV Q&A: Why did James Corden leave ‘The Late Late Show’?Video
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: Why did James Corden choose to leave “The Late Late Show?” I enjoyed that program. — Gary, Leechburg Rob: Corden said in several interviews that...
TV Talk: WPXI-TV adds to on-air roster; Rick Sebak launches podcast
WPXI-TV made three recent on-air hires, including one familiar face (for those with a long local TV news memory). Adis Juklo (pronounced “add-is” “you-klo”), who grew up in Lawrenceville and Aspinwall, is the station’s new weekend morning meteorologist. Antoinette DelBel is a new full-time reporter. Lonni Rivera is on her...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking fall TV schedules, animated ‘Gremlins,’ ‘American Born Chinese’
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment including Ming-Na Wen, who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and graduated from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, lending her voice to a character...
TV Talk: Ming-Na Wen voices character in ‘Gremlins’ series; ABC, CW set fall scheduleVideo
Actress Ming-Na Wen, who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, said she was drawn to a voice acting role in the animated prequel series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” by her love of sci-fi and the show’s 1920s setting. The series uses...
TV Talk: Soaring fights, searing drama make all-family series ‘American Born Chinese’ a best betVideo
Based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, the Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” proves to be one of the year’s best surprises. A coming-of-age story that at times brings to mind TV greats “My So-Called Life” (though this one is from a boy’s perspective) and “Freaks and Geeks,”...
TV Q&A: Why no substitute when one of the WTAE morning anchors is absent?
Q: For more than a year, WTAE-TV has used three anchors on its morning newscasts and when one of the anchors is off, they never use a substitute anchor in order to keep three people at the anchor desk at any one time. Why don’t they ever use a substitute...
TV Talk: W.Pa. native writers in Hollywood explain why they’re on strike; NBC, Fox unveil fall lineups
Striking writers of scripted TV/streaming dramas and comedies have to make their case in an entertainment environment that’s changed radically since the last strike 15 years ago. During that previous 100-day Writers Guild of America strike that began in November 2007 — in the heart of the 2007-08 TV season...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking TV with retired WTAE-TV anchor Sally Wiggin
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, and this week they welcome a special guest, former WTAE-TV news anchor Sally Wiggin. Wiggin offers an update on her post-WTAE life (she retired in...
TV Talk: TV’s most memorable moms reflect American erasVideo
TV show characterizations, like all popular culture, simultaneously reflect the times and push the envelope. It’s how “The Brady Bunch” got away with its blended family concept in the late 1960s without mentioning that Carol Brady got divorced. One can track the changes in American culture through the roles of...
TV Talk: Former President Barack Obama visited Pittsburgh to film Netflix’s ‘Working’ documentaryVideo
Inspired by the 1974 non-fiction Studs Terkel book “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do,” the four-episode Netflix docu-series “Working: What We Do All Day” not only counts former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as executive...
TV Talk: Broadcast networks plan summer series premieres, ‘Doc Martin’ back on WQED-TVVideo
With the writers’ strike in full effect — and the prospect of directors and actors striking when their contracts are up June 30 — networks are scrambling to balance the need for summer programming with contingencies for fall programming in the event the strike (or strikes) haven’t concluded by July...
TV Q&A: When will ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ end?Video
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: When will “Grey’s Anatomy” end and why hasn’t it yet? There’s been HUGE turnover recently, and I thought the end of Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) would...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s Ritual House pastry sous chef competes on ‘Summer Baking Championship’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Western Pennsylvania native Zoe Peckich, who recently moved from pastry chef at Monterey Bay Fish Grotto on Mt. Washington to pastry sous chef at Ritual House in Downtown Pittsburgh, makes her TV series competition debut...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking writers’ strike, WPCW-TV drops The CW, ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Dodgeball’ sequel
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including last week’s news that WPCW-TV will drop its affiliation with The CW and how that may (or may not) open up another possible home...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s WPCW-TV drops its CW affiliation, will go independent
Pittsburgh’s WPCW-TV will no longer be an affiliate of The CW effective sometime this fall, perhaps as soon as Sept. 1. CBS announced Friday to the staffs of its owned stations that are current CW affiliates that they will become independent TV stations on that date. “We look forward to...
TV Talk: ‘Sam Now’ surprises; ‘Muppets Mayhem’ disappointsVideo
PBS’s “Independent Lens” debuts an engrossing, emotional 90-minute documentary “Sam Now” (10 p.m. Monday, WQED-TV) about a family where the mother, Jois, abandons her kids — doesn’t tell them where she’s gone, if she’s safe; doesn’t make any effort to see how the kids are doing without her — and...
TV Talk: ‘Daniel Tiger’ visits Hosanna House; new Steelers player on ‘Hey Rookie;’ Pete Davidson’s ‘Bupkis’ premieresVideo
“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” PBS’s animated “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” spin-off produced by SouthSide Works-based Fred Rogers Productions, debuts three new episodes next week, including one that visits Hosanna House in Wilkinsburg during a live-action, mid-episode interstitial. The May 9 episode (9 a.m. Tuesday, WQED-TV) focuses on the skill of children learning...
TV Q&A: Why does KDKA-TV play the national anthem every morning?
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 is up with KDKA-TV playing the national anthem before the start of their morning news every day? — @xloribeth, via Twitter Rob: From near...
TV Talk: Hollywood writers strike; Comcast briefly drops NFL Network
As expected, the Writers Guild of America, which represents writers of scripted film and TV programs, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which represents studios and streamers in collective bargaining, failed to come to terms on a new contract Monday night. The WGA called a strike that...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Mulaney’s ‘Baby J’ on Netflix, Aerosmith returning to Pittsburgh one last timeVideo
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including this past weekend’s show at Acrisure Stadium with a “Yellowstone” twist, the upcoming return of Aerosmith for their final (?) tour and a new...
TV Talk: Frank Nicotero hosts Very Local game show on the streets of PittsburghVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Pittsburgh native Frank Nicotero has experience hosting a man-on-the-street quiz show: He was the host of the early 2000s game show “Street Smarts” for several years. Now, Nicotero is back on the streets for Hearst’s...
TV Talk: ‘Love & Death,’ ‘Fatal Attraction,’ ‘Queen Charlotte,’ ‘A Small Light’ debutVideo
In the next few weeks, networks and platforms will continue to debut the last of their Emmy-bait series to have the required six episodes on air/streaming before the May 31 cut-off date for 2023 Emmy submissions. It’s the reason for the deluge of new scripted programming in recent weeks that...
TV Q&A: Is a ‘chief’ in charge of all the other meteorologists in Pittsburgh?
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. Question: Just wondering why on WPXI-TV they call Stephen Cropper “Pittsburgh’s Chief meteorologist?” I would think he is WPXI’s chief meteorologist. Or does their designation mean...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Tucker Carlson, Don Lemon ousted; local chef on ‘Chasing Carbon Zero’
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including a local chef who appears on the PBS “NOVA” special “Chasing Carbon Zero” Wednesday. The pair discuss the big media news of the day:...
