Movies/TV category, Page 26
DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company. The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them...
TV Talk: Netflix delivers Christmas Day Steelers game; new Tamburitzans special on WQED-TVVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers local viewing tips for the holiday season. As the number of locally produced holiday specials continues to dwindle, Netflix enters the fray to gift Steelers fans nationwide by streaming the Steelers game (against the Chiefs) from Acrisure Stadium at 1 p.m. on...
TV Talk: ‘The Pitt’ to premiere in January on Max
Max announced its Pittsburgh-set, Noah Wyle-starring medical drama “The Pitt” will premiere on the streaming service in January. That’s a little bit of a surprise given that the 15-episode first season won’t wrap production until February, suggesting, perhaps, that the first season will debut in two batches of episodes. Or,...
Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police. Smollett’s appeal argued that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after...
TV Talk: ‘Pradeeps’ stars visit Penguins game; more ‘Kingstown;’ ‘Man on the Inside,’ ‘Cruel Intentions’ debut
It’s been about a month since “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh” premiered on Amazon’s Prime Video, and this weekend two of the show’s stars will be in town for an appearance at Saturday’s Penguins game against Utah Hockey Club (7 p.m. PPG Paints Arena). Ashwin Sakthivel, who plays Vinod, the garbage...
TV Talk: KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano retires
After 30 years as KDKA-TV’s political analyst and 23 years as the station’s full-time money and politics editor, Jon Delano will retire from the station Dec. 1, with his last day on-air next Monday. “I have always said that you should retire when you’re at the top of your game,...
Jay Leno injured after fall down hillside in Westmoreland County
Celebrity talk show host Jay Leno reportedly fell while trying to walk to a Hempfield restaurant last week, badly bruising his face and eye. The former “Tonight Show” host told “Inside Edition” he was staying at a Hampton Inn about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh and he fell while walking...
Trump’s casting call as he builds out his administration: TV experience preferred
WASHINGTON — There’s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television. Trump loves that “central casting” look, as he likes to call it. Some, like his choices for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and transportation secretary,...
Comcast to spin off cable networks, once star performers for the entertainment giant
WASHINGTON — Comcast will spin off many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, with people increasingly swapping out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms. Those one-time stars for Comcast’s NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf...
TV Q&A: How did a reporter’s hairstyle change so quickly?
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 noticed a while back that all of a sudden Trisha Pittman’s hair was longer than the day before. Has she been wearing a wig?...
Kissing the ring? MSNBC ‘Morning Joe’ hosts say they met with Trump to reopen lines of communicationVideo
MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, fierce critics of President-elect Donald Trump, say they traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a meeting with him to reopen lines of communication that would better serve their morning show viewers. With feelings still raw two weeks after the election, their journey to Trump’s Florida...
TV Talk: Netflix’s ‘Spellbound’ seeks to cast a spell on viewersVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Netflix’s new animated musical “Spellbound” introduces a soundtrack of songs by Alan Menken (“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and Glenn Slater (“Tangled”) in a tale that emphasizes the need to accept change. Ellian...
Dwayne Johnson’s $200 million-plus Christmas movie opens to $34.1 million
LOS ANGELES — Moviegoers were not exactly feeling the Christmas spirit this weekend, or at least not based on their attendance at “Red One” showings. The big budget, star-driven action comedy with Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans sold $34.1 million in tickets in its first weekend in theaters, according to...
Hollywood stars gather for honorary Oscars event celebrating Quincy Jones, Bond producers, more
LOS ANGELES — Many of Hollywood’s biggest stars are set to gather in Los Angeles Sunday night for the annual Governors Awards. The event, put on by the film academy’s board of governors, is honoring the late Quincy Jones, James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, filmmaker Richard...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 15-17
Does music rule your free time? Do you love a good beer on a cool night? How about checking out some new flicks? Pittsburgh is bursting with opportunities for every hobby this weekend. Check out a few here. Beers of the ‘Burgh Winter Warmer Get into a fancy holiday mood...
TV Talk: ‘Landman’ marks Taylor Sheridan’s best series yetVideo
“Landman,” streaming Sunday on Paramount+, is Taylor Sheridan’s best series yet. It’s even more entertaining than “Yellowstone.” Partly that’s the perfect match of actor and material — Billy Bob Thornton was born to play oil company fixer Tommy Norris. But it’s also the subject matter — West Texas oil, but...
Comedian and TV star David Cross to perform at Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead
David Cross is a prolific actor, comedian, author and director, but many may know him as the eccentric Tobias Funke from critically acclaimed sitcom “Arrested Development.” He’s also starred in “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” three “Alvin and the Chipmunks” movies and self-made series “The Increasingly Poor Decisions of...
TV Talk: WTAE announces new weekend morning anchor
WTAE general assignment reporter Lily Coleman will become the station’s new weekend morning news anchor effective Nov. 23. Coleman, who reported weekday mornings before most recently filling in as morning traffic/noon anchor while Elena LaQuatra has been on maternity leave (LaQuatra will be back to work next week), has also...
Social media reacts to Sexiest Man Alive pick
John Krasinski has emerged victorious as People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive — and social media users have many thoughts. Krasinski, 45, is best known for his role of Jim Halpert on the NBC’s The Office. He’s also a producer, director and writer who’s been married to actress Emily Blunt...
‘Wheel of Fortune’ blunder leads to free sausage for all. Here’s why
Sausage lovers are in luck this World Kindness Day. Johnsonville sausage is offering a free round of sausage Wednesday to people who post online about a kind act using the hashtag #KeepTheInternetJuicy. Why? The initiative was inspired by the viral “Wheel of Fortune” clip where contestant Will Jordan guessed the...
John Krasinski named People magazine’s 2024 Sexiest Man Alive
LOS ANGELES — Let the office debates begin — John Krasinski is People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive for 2024. The magazine announced the actor-writer-director as its pick Tuesday night during “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” Krasinski starred in “The Office” before launching the “Quiet Place” franchise and leading the...
TV Q&A: Why do stations cover high school football from the end zone?
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: One thing I’ve always wondered when watching highlights of high school football games — on really all the local news channels — is that they...
Chris Wallace is leaving CNN. He says he wants to see what the new media environment has to offer
Chris Wallace says he’s leaving CNN after three years and, at age 77, is eager to see what a transformed media environment has to offer. “When I look at the media landscape right now, the people who are going independent, whether it’s podcasting or streaming, that seems to be where...
Mattel says it ‘deeply’ regrets misprint on ‘Wicked’ dolls packaging that links to porn site
NEW YORK — Toy giant Mattel says it “deeply” regrets an error on the packaging of its “Wicked” movie-themed dolls, which mistakenly links toy buyers to a pornographic website. The error gained attention on social media over the weekend, where numerous users shared photos of the URL printed on the...
TV Talk: David Johnson retires from WPXI after 40 years
WPXI announced that veteran news anchor David Johnson, 67, will retire from Channel 11 effective Dec. 13. Johnson, who joined the station in January 1985, currently anchors the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WPXI and the 6:30 and 10 p.m. news on WPGH-TV, Pittsburgh’s Fox affiliate. “As I...
