Movies/TV category, Page 27
‘Saturday Night Live’ to Trump: ‘We’ve been with you all along’
The first “Saturday Night Live” since Donald Trump’s election victory began with the most somber of tones as a group of plainly dressed cast members, primarily women and minorities, described their new reality. “To many people, including many people watching right now, the results were shocking and even horrifying,” Ego...
TV Talk: CMU grad, ‘Pretty Little Liars’ alum stars in Christmas programsVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. PASADENA, Calif. — Actor Ian Harding graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s acting program in 2010 and didn’t have to pay his dues waiting tables, as many actors do. Instead, he was almost immediately cast in...
Elaine Effort, former KQV news reporter, dies
Elaine Effort, an award-winning pioneer of Pittsburgh journalism and a longtime broadcaster on news station KQV Radio, unexpectedly died Wednesday, according to the Pittsburgh Black Media Federation, of which she was a founding member. “Mrs. Effort was always willing to listen to new ideas and roll up her sleeve to...
TV Talk: More smiles than laughs from ‘St. Denis;’ Pittsburgh’s Nielsen rank ticks upVideo
NBC’s “St. Denis Medical” (8 p.m. Nov. 12) has a great cast — Wendi McLendon-Covey, Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier — but this mockumentary set at a bland Oregon hospital is more “American Auto” than “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation.” “St. Denis” will conjure a smile but it doesn’t...
4 years make a big difference for Donald Trump — and for Fox News
Four years ago, Fox News precipitated an internal crisis with a bold election night call that President Joe Biden would beat Donald Trump in the crucial state of Arizona. This year illustrated the difference that four years can make. Fox News wasn’t the first network early on Wednesday to declare...
TV Q&A: How does ‘Yellowstone’ get away with more profanity than other TV shows?
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 does “Yellowstone” seem to have a different foul-language barrier than other TV shows? — Steve, Titusville Rob: I suspect if you compared “Yellowstone” episodes...
Ruby slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ are for sale nearly 2 decades after they were stolen
DALLAS — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” are on the auction block nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, convinced they were adorned with real jewels. Online bidding has started and will continue through Dec. 7, Heritage Auctions...
Hugh Grant spent half his career in rom-coms. Now he plays monsters, and he’s never been happierVideo
NEW YORK — After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead. “Sorry about that,” he apologizes. “Tech hell.” Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the “devil’s tinderbox.” “I think they’re killing us. I hate them,” he says....
TV Talk: Netflix’s ‘Piano Lesson’ director seeks to honor Hill District, August WilsonVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming month. ^ The second Pittsburgh-set film-with-an-exorcism of 2024 arrives this month with Netflix’s adaptation of Pittsburgh native August Wilson’s play “The Piano Lesson,” playing at Waterworks Cinema Friday and streaming Nov. 22 on Netflix. Unlike Netflix’s...
Republican member of FCC claims Harris’ ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance could violate equal time rules
A Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission voiced concerns that Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend may have violated a rule that requires networks to provide equal airtime to both candidates. “The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased...
TV Talk: Networks warn viewers before airing some political ads
In recent weeks, particularly during sporting events and news broadcasts, broadcast TV outlets have aired content warnings before televising political ads that carry anti-trans messaging and in front of ads with graphic images for a little-known anti-abortion presidential candidate. “The following political advertisement contains graphic images that may disturb viewers,”...
Interview: Original ‘Housewife’ Luann de Lesseps brings Countess Cabaret show to Pittsburgh
Luann de Lesseps, perhaps better known as Countess Luann as one of the original castmates of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” has gotten used to explaining her version of cabaret. ”It’s really a personal story, how culture meets cabaret meets comedy meets a fashion show, because I’ll be...
TV Talk: ‘The Diplomat’ is Netflix’s best ongoing dramaVideo
Netflix stated a goal of creating TV shows that are like “gourmet cheeseburgers,” but those patties often come off the grill more McDonald’s and less Five Guys. However, returning drama “The Diplomat” is that Netflix rarity: A great show. Now streaming all six episodes of its second season, “The Diplomat”...
TV Q&A: Who’s the new forecaster 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: Who’s the new weatherman on KDKA-TV? — Ed, Oil City Rob: With the TV season now back in full swing, it’s unsurprising that some folks...
CNN bans conservative writer after ‘beeper’ comment to Muslim commentatorVideo
NEW YORK — CNN has banned conservative writer Ryan Girdusky from the network as a result of a contentious on-air exchange in which he told panelist Mehdi Hasan that “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.” “Did you just say I should die?” Hasan asked. He was responding to Girdusky’s...
Teri Garr, the offbeat comic actor of ‘Young Frankenstein’ and ‘Tootsie,’ has diedVideo
LOS ANGELES — Teri Garr, the quirky comedy actor who rose from background dancer in Elvis Presley movies to co-star of such favorites as “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has died. She was 79. Garr died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr battled...
TV Talk: Disney replays a past hit with ‘Wizards Beyond Waverly Place’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. The reboots come quicker after the original than ever these days, with a sequel series to 2007-12 Disney Channel tween hit “Wizards of Waverly Place,” now called “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” debuting this week (two...
World Series off to best viewership start since 2017, averaging 14.55 million viewers
LOS ANGELES — The World Series is averaging 14.55 million viewers through two games, the best start for the Fall Classic since 2017. Saturday’s 4-2 victory by the Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Yankees averaged 13.44 million on Fox, Fox Deportes and streaming. That is a 65% increase...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Oct. 25-27
It’s the final weekend before Halloween! Between throwing together last-minute costumes and scrounging for a halfway decent pumpkin, we all have big plans. Just in case you want to scare up something else to do, here are some fun ideas. Row House of Horrors Row House Cinema in Lawrenceville takes...
Makeover at AMC Waterfront theaters could spur more development at complex
Plans for potential additions like restaurants, hotels and apartments at The Waterfront are connected to a multimillion-dollar renovation of the AMC Waterfront 22, set for next year. AMC Theatres has announced the signing of a long-term lease extension for the 22-screen theater, which has been a staple at The Waterfront...
TV Talk: German leader reimagined as detective; ‘Pradeeps’ fact-checkedVideo
For the sheer novelty, it’s hard to beat the oddity that is “Miss Merkel,” a two-episode foreign series that imagines former German chancellor Angela Merkel as a Jessica Fletcher-like amateur detective. Now streaming on indie service MHz Choice, the German-language “Miss Merkel” (with English subtitles) stars veteran German actress Katharina...
TV Q&A: Did a WPXI reporter exit?
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 think WPXI-TV’s Lonni Rivera is a freelancer, but I haven’t seen her in quite a while. Is she on vacation or maybe I am...
Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with bone marrow cancer
NEW YORK — Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is battling bone marrow cancer behind bars at Rikers Island in New York, according to reports. Weinstein was specifically diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, NBC News reported. It is a rare type of cancer where “the bone marrow makes too many white...
TV Talk: Recent books go behind the scenes of ‘West Wing,’ ‘Sopranos,’ ‘Gilmore Girls,’ ‘thirtysomething,’ ‘Golden Girls’
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers reading tips for recent books about TV. One of the best aspects of writing about TV is the opportunity to occasionally visit the sets of shows to gather insider intel. A raft of recent books about the industry take readers behind the...
TV Talk: Michael Keaton on ‘SNL,’ ‘Sunday Night Football’ this weekendVideo
Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton will make multiple appearances on NBC this weekend, beginning with hosting “Saturday Night Live” (11:30 p.m. Saturday, WPXI-TV) and continuing Sunday as part of the cinematic opening sequence (around 8:17 p.m. Sunday) for the New York Jets-Pittsburgh Steelers game on “Sunday Night Football” (coverage starts at...
