Movies/TV category, Page 126
TV Talk: Eureka! Syfy debuts comedic drama ‘Resident Alien’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. With media companies prioritizing streaming services over their basic cable networks, the number of original scripted shows on cable has started to decline. Other than “The Magicians,” which ended last year, Syfy’s scripted originals have...
Larry King, broadcasting giant for half-century, dies at 87
LOS ANGELES — Larry King, the suspenders-sporting everyman whose broadcast interviews with world leaders, movie stars and ordinary Joes helped define American conversation for a half-century, died Saturday. He was 87. King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his production company, Ora Media, tweeted. No cause of death...
Tom Brokaw says he’s retiring from NBC News after 55 years
NEW YORK — NBC News veteran Tom Brokaw said Friday that he is retiring from the network after 55 years. Brokaw, author of “The Greatest Generation,” was NBC’s lead anchor at “Nightly News” and for big events for more than 20 years before giving way to Brian Williams in 2004....
Seth Meyers calls Ted Cruz a ‘jagoff’ after Pittsburgh vs. Paris commentsVideo
Yinz are gonna love this. Late-night host Seth Meyers — whose father is a Pittsburgh native — took time on Thursday’s “Late Night” show on NBC to deliver a Pittsburgh-centric clap back at Sen. Ted Cruz’s recent comments. Cruz said that by rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, President Biden is...
Santa lookalike from Robinson vies for prizes on ‘Let’s Make a Deal’
Check out the Santa Claus lookalike on the Jan. 29 episode of “Let’s Make a Deal.” That’s Michael Murray of Robinson, vying for big prizes on the long-running game show, airing at 10 a.m. on CBS. Murray teaches health and physical education to Pittsburgh Public Schools students from kindergarten through...
10 movie favorites starring PittsburghVideo
What makes Pittsburgh such an attractive movie location? Tax credits for film companies are just the beginning, says Dawn Keezer, director of the Pittsburgh Film Office. “We have such a diversity of locations. Pittsburgh can look like any place in the world,” she says. “The only things we don’t have...
WPXI reporter Cara Sapida navigates cancer during pandemicVideo
Reporter’s note: When I heard last summer that my colleague from WPXI, Cara Sapida, had been diagnosed with breast cancer, my heart ached for her and her family. One year ago, I, too, was diagnosed. My scenario is similar to Cara’s — a mother of two with no family history....
City Theatre films singer Jill Sobule’s tale of middle-school angst
Middle school is a tough gig — just ask singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. She poured her experiences into a musical called “F*ck7thGrade” that was presented in its initial form in Pittsburgh at City Theatre Company’s 2018 Momentum Festival of New Plays. Now, City Theatre will premiere a concert film of the...
Point Park University students, alumni featured in Sheetz commercial
Keep an eye out this spring for a Sheetz commercial featuring Point Park University students. A professor in Point Park University’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Kiesha Lalama, worked with a production team to cast and choreograph a television commercial for Sheetz convenience stores. “Working with Sheetz was amazing,” said...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh TV production bounces back; CMU grad stars in ‘Bridge and Tunnel’Video
Netflix’s horror series “Archive 81” has been filming in and around Pittsburgh since November and will be joined in a couple of weeks by another Netflix program, “The Chair.” Showtime’s “Rust” expects to film in March. Beyond these three series, 2021 local big-budget TV/film production is in a holding pattern....
New ‘This Is Us’ episodes delayed for 2 weeks because of covid-19
The coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc in Hollywood productions. NBC’s acclaimed “This Is Us” has been forced back into hiatus due to “Covid-related production delays.” The family drama, which was forced to scrap Tuesday night’s episode, won’t return until Feb. 2, according the NBC website. No new episode tonight,...
TV Q&A: If I drop cable but want to see Penguins games, what TV service should I add?
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 really need to dump the cable portion of my Comcast bill. I saved your item about the Pens when AT&T SportsNet had their disagreement...
Netflix’s ‘Archive 81’ filming in North Side and Downtown Pittsburgh
In November, a random group of visitors walked into The Government Center, an independent record store on Pittsburgh’s North Side, with no interest in making a purchase. “They came in to search out specific locations,” said owner Josh Cozby, referring to film scouts for Netflix’s production company, looking for spaces...
10 things younger than Betty WhiteVideo
Like fine wine Betty White just gets better with age. And goodness knows she’s given us so many reasons to love her. And, thankfully, she’s had plenty of time to do so. White turns 99 on Jan. 17. Happy birthday to the Golden Girl. All of this got us to...
Netflix seeks background actors for upcoming show shoot in Pittsburgh
Netflix is looking for college-age students in Pittsburgh to be background actors for the upcoming filming of “The Chair.” The six-episode dramedy, written by executive producer and showrunner Amanda Peet, will star Golden Globe-winner Sandra Oh of “Killing Eve” and Emmy-winner Jay Duplass from “Transparent.” The Pittsburgh Film Office said...
TV Talk: Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ revisits sitcom styles through the decades on Disney+Video
Streaming service Disney+ debuts its first scripted Marvel series, “WandaVision,” which defies superhero story expectations in three episodes made available for review. But there are hints that action set pieces will come eventually during the nine-episode season. “WandaVision” finds Marvel heroes Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and sentient robot...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s WPGH adds national morning newscast
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns Pittsburgh’s WPGH-TV, Channel 53, and WPNT-TV, Channel 22, tries to break into the morning news game with the Monday premiere of “The National Desk” (7-9 a.m. weekdays on WPGH). The...
Tom Hanks heads TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration
NEW YORK — Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. “I was left speechless when I was asked to perform! ” Lovato wrote...
TV Q&A: Why does background noise obscure Steelers announcers?
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 am not a guy that watches a lot of football. However, I seldom miss a Steelers game. I think my hearing is pretty good...
PBS’ ‘Masterpiece’ marks 50th year with challenges ahead
LOS ANGELES — As PBS’ “Masterpiece” marks its 50th anniversary Sunday, the drama and mystery showcase could rest on its reputation built with acclaimed programs including “I, Claudius” and “Elizabeth R” and polished anew by surprising pop-culture hits “Sherlock” and “Downton Abbey.” But “Masterpiece” executive producer Susanne Simpson says it’s...
Sentimental video tribute opens Alex Trebek’s final ‘Jeopardy!’
More than two months after Alex Trebek’s death, fans of “Jeopardy!” finally got the chance to say goodbye. A video tribute to the host closed Friday’s episode of the quiz show, the final one that Trebek taped before pancreatic cancer claimed his life on Nov. 8. The 90-second montage, set...
Roku buys library of the short-lived streaming service Quibi
Roku is buying the content library of Quibi, the short-lived streaming service, to bulk up its own free ad-supported channel. Quibi, short for quick bites, raised $1.75 billion from investors including major Hollywood players like Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom. It produced shows that were released in 10- to 12-minute increments...
TV Talk: PBS reboots ‘All Creatures Great and Small’
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. It’s difficult to imagine a better TV balm coming off the annus horibilis that was 2020 than the latest production from “Masterpiece,” celebrating its 50th anniversary with the debut of a remake of an early...
Review: Khashoggi documentary ‘The Dissident’ is essential viewing
It’s hard to decide what’s most shocking in “The Dissident,” Bryan Fogel’s urgent, gripping new documentary about the horrific murder of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Of course, there are the terrifying details of the killing itself, chillingly recounted here through transcripts of recordings from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey,...
Late night hosts react with shock, anger to Capitol attack
Late night TV talk show hosts expressed anger and frustration at the violence at the U.S. Capitol, offering somber monologues that pleaded for unity even as some aimed pointed barbs at those they held responsible for the mobs’ actions. “It was a terrible day in the history of this country,”...
