The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving longtime home of ABC
In a seismic shift for one of television’s marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday. ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028. That year will mark the 100th...
TV Talk: ‘Pluribus,’ ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Andor’ among 2025 TV’s best scripted shows
As broadcast channels move into reruns for the holidays, it’s an ideal time to catch up on the best scripted series of the year: 1. “Pluribus” (Apple TV): Writer Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”) re-teams with “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn for this unique, often darkly comic story of an...
Faith-based entertainment sees a revival in Hollywood. Defining what it is can be a challenge
LOS ANGELES — At the movies this fall, Josh O’Connor plays a hot priest with a complicated past, Keanu Reeves is an angel who lost his wings, and Elizabeth Olsen has a romantic dilemma in the afterlife. Hollywood, it seems, has found God. But it’s not just starry big-budget Netflix...
‘Buck Rogers’ star Gil Gerard dies at 82
Actor Gil Gerard, best known for playing the title character in the popular TV series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” has died. He was 82. Gerard died on Tuesday of “a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” according to a Facebook post from his wife, Janet Gerard. “From...
NBC’s Tom Llamas talks broadcasting from Pittsburgh
Tonight at 6:30 on WPXI, Tom Llamas will anchor “NBC Nightly News” from a familiar – but undisclosed for security reasons – Pittsburgh location as part of NBC News’ “Reporting for America” campaign, an effort to report from communities nationwide, not just from the media centers on the coasts. Llamas...
TV Q&A: Where did KDKA’s Erica Mokay go?
Q: What’s up with Erica Mokay on KDKA-TV, who’s been missing from KDKA+ morning news with John Shumway? She has been off, then came back for a few days, and now she’s off again. Has she been sick? — Nancy, via Facebook Rob: It’s December, a time when TV news...
Warner Bros. asks investors to reject takeover bid from Paramount Skydance
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. is telling shareholders to reject a takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, saying that a rival bid from Netflix will be better for customers. “We strongly believe that Netflix and Warner Bros. joining forces will offer consumers more choice and value, allow the creative community to...
From Emmet Otter to Mr. Magoo, here are some overlooked holiday specials
It’s only about a week until Christmas, and by now, you’ve probably exhausted the run of typical holiday specials. We all love Charlie Brown and Vince Guaraldi’s instantly familiar piano tunes but you might want to look a little deeper to find a unique Christmas special. Here’s a handful of...
‘NBC Nightly News’ to broadcast from Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will be in the national spotlight when “NBC Nightly News” broadcasts live from the city on Tuesday night. As part of their “Reporting for America” campaign, the news program is bringing the broadcast to a number of metropolitan areas around the country, and their Tuesday night stop will be...
TV Talk: New ‘The Pitt’ trailer released; Hamlin on HallmarkVideo
Although a teaser for season two of “The Pitt” released in August, a new trailer offers more hints about what’s to come in season two — perhaps even some spoilers; watch at your own peril. This preview of the Pittsburgh-set ER drama, which debuts its second season at 9 p.m....
WPXI taken off Verizon’s FiOS TV in retransmission spat
Following weeks of negotiations and threats of a looming impasse, Verizon failed to reach agreement on a new retransmission deal with WPXI parent company Cox Media Group and Pittsburgh’s Channel 11 is no longer available to subscribers to Verizon’s FiOS TV. “The telecom giant is blocking viewers’ access to breaking...
Rob Reiner’s death elicits social media tributes honoring film legacy
Online tributes poured in Monday across the internet and social media following the news of filmmaker Rob Reiner’s death. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in an apparent homicide. Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds, the...
Rob Reiner’s son Nick arrested after the director and his wife were found dead at their home
LOS ANGELES — The 32-year-old son of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murder and held without bail Monday in the stabbing deaths of his parents in their Los Angeles home, authorities said. The case will be given to prosecutors on Tuesday as they consider formal charges...
Rob Reiner, ‘When Harry Met Sally’ director, ‘All in the Family’ actor and political activist, dead at 78
Rob Reiner, the son of a comedy giant who became one himself as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation with movies such as “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally …” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” has died. He was 78. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were...
‘Zootopia 2’ reclaims No. 1 spot at box office, grosses $1B worldwide
NEW YORK — “Zootopia 2” regained the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office with $26.3 million in its third weekend of release, according to studio estimates Sunday, as The Walt Disney Co. animated sequel became the year’s second film to gross $1 billion worldwide. With “Avatar: Fire and...
Amy Schumer says she and her husband have decided to end their marriage
Comedian Amy Schumer says she and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, have decided to end their marriage. Schumer, an actress, author and writer, announced the planned split in a social media post on Friday. “Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after...
Hailee Steinfeld and NFL husband Josh Allen are expecting their first child
Actor Hailee Steinfeld and her husband, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, are expecting their first baby together. Steinfeld, known for her roles in “Hawkeye,” “Sinners” and the “Pitch Perfect” franchise, announced her pregnancy Friday in her Substack newsletter as part of a list of her favorite moments of the year....
TV Talk: Michelle Wright to retire from WTAE
Michelle Wright, the longest-tenured morning news anchor in the Pittsburgh TV market, will retire from WTAE following the Feb. 27 broadcast. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” said Wright, who is leaving by her choice well before the expiration of her current contract. “I approached [Channel 4 news...
TV Talk: PBS profiles Dick Van Dyke, debuts charming musical-comedy ‘Happiness’Video
On the cusp of turning 100 Saturday, TV legend Dick Van Dyke gets the “American Masters” treatment in the new PBS film “Starring Dick Van Dyke” (9 p.m. Friday, WQED-TV). The two-hour documentary offers an entertaining career retrospective that’s full of surprises, including: • CBS initially canceled “The Dick Van...
CBS appoints Tony Dokoupil as anchor of its flagship ‘CBS Evening News’ broadcast
CBS News appointed Tony Dokoupil as anchor of the “CBS Evening News” on Wednesday, charging him with taking on ABC’s dominant David Muir on one of the flagship shows for broadcast television. Dokoupil, who has been part of the “CBS Mornings” team since 2019, will start his new job on...
AMC Waterfront movie theater reveals completed interior renovation
For the first time in its 25-year history, the AMC Waterfront 22 movie theater in Homestead has received a makeover. Beginning in April of this year, major renovations took place throughout the cinema’s interior, from the lobby to the theaters and beyond. At a media tour on Wednesday, AMC on-site...
TV Talk: ‘The Pitt’ returns Jan. 8 as characters grapple with events of season oneVideo
This week, Entertainment Weekly named the cast of “The Pitt” the “entertainers of 2025” in advance of the show’s Jan. 8 return for its second season on HBO Max. In its exclusive interview with the show’s stars from the set while filming the show’s second season — other interviews with...
TV Q&A: Why more than one forecaster in a newscast?
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: I’ve noticed Jill Szwed has been on the morning news Monday-Wednesday. Is it really necessary to have two meteorologists? — Catherine, via email Rob: It...
Here are 5 takeaways from the Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Netflix documentary
Rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s four-part documentary on embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs premiered last week on Netflix, and it is currently the platform’s most-viewed show. “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” traces Diddy’s ascent to becoming one of hip-hop’s most powerful figures and his subsequent downfall amid a wave of...
Takeover bid of parent company means limbo for CNN, some fellow cable networks
Paramount Skydance’s hostile takeover bid of Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Monday, places CNN and its sister cable networks squarely back into what is likely to be an extended period of management limbo. There was some relief at CNN with last Friday’s announcement that Netflix was buying Warner’s studio and streaming...