Movies/TV category, Page 31
TV Talk: Enroll in FX’s ‘English Teacher’ for smart laughsVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. FX deservedly cleaned up in this year’s Emmy nominations — its “Shogun” and “The Bear” received the most and second-most awards of any series — but the network, which produces programming for both its own...
TV Talk: Jeff Goldblum causes ‘Kaos;’ Caitlin O’Connor honored; WPXI reporter exits
It’s a busy week for performers with Western Pennsylvania ties: Friendship’s Learnmore Jonasi competed and advanced to the semifinals on “America’s Got Talent.” (He’ll next perform on the Sept. 11 episode of “AGT.”) This weekend, 2007 Uniontown High School grad Caitlin O’Connor, who had a role in HBO’s “Winning Time”...
TV Talk: KDKA-TV’s Ray Petelin and daughter go viral with sweet videoVideo
KDKA-TV meteorologist Ray Petelin and his daughter, Elizabeth, have experience appearing on-camera together in his “Hey Ray!” segments that air on Channel 2, but the pair’s exposure reached a whole new level following Ray’s social media posts last week. Ray Petelin edited together interviews he did with Elizabeth at the...
TV Q&A: Is KDKA-TV likely to drop a meteorologist?
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 that KDKA now has five meteorologists on its staff with the addition of Trey Fullbright. I am curious to know if there are...
‘ER’ creator Michael Crichton’s estate sues Warner Bros. over upcoming hospital drama ‘The Pitt’
LOS ANGELES — The estate of Michael Crichton, who wrote the screenplay for what became the pilot episode of “ER,” has sued Warner Bros. Television over a dispute about an upcoming medical drama it says is a rebranded version of an unauthorized reboot. After Crichton’s estate, led by his widow,...
Inaugural Newsapalooza festival to host CBS journalist Robert Costa as keynote speaker
An upcoming three-day festival is the latest effort by Point Park University’s Center for Media Innovation to spotlight the importance of celebrating and supporting journalism. The inaugural Newsapalooza event is scheduled for Sept. 26 to 28 at Point Park and its Pittsburgh Playhouse. The interactive program invites the public into...
NBC’s ‘Homicide’ is a great supplement for fans of ‘The Wire’Video
It wasn’t too difficult to get my father interested in HBO’s series “The Wire.” All I had to do was tell him it was created by the same guy who did “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He’ll be plenty excited NBC has opted to bring the series to its streaming...
‘Shrek’ rave brings nostalgia and strobe lights to Roxian Theatre
Once upon a time — in 2001 — an animated children’s film called “Shrek” was released. It eventually spawned a trio of sequels (with a fourth currently in development), television shows, a Broadway musical, a slew of Internet memes and … a traveling rave. “Shrek” was highly popular even at...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh resident Learnmore Jonasi competes on ‘AGT’Video
Comedian Learnmore Jonasi, a 31-year-old Pittsburgh resident born in Zimbabwe, is having a moment this summer on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” making it into the Top 44 with his next appearance tonight (8 p.m., WPXI-TV) as he competes for a spot in the show’s semifinals. Jonasi, who said on “AGT”...
Venice Film Festival: From ‘Joker 2’ to ‘Queer,’ here are 10 movies to get excited aboutVideo
VENICE, Italy — Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are getting ready to descend on the Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga and Brad Pitt. But while the allure of A-listers on those picturesque docks is a welcome return to form after last...
Why Punkie Johnson still has love for Lorne Michaels, even if ‘SNL’ was not her ‘zone’
Punkie Johnson’s relationship with “Saturday Night Live” is “still strong,” even if she won’t be among the cast members returning for its 50th season. “Mutually, we just understood that it was not my zone,” the stand-up comic said, shedding more light on her recent departure. Johnson, who joined the NBC...
TV Talk: Director Lee Daniels exorcises demons in Netflix’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘The Deliverance’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Director Lee Daniels approached his filmed-and-set-in-Pittsburgh exorcism thriller “The Deliverance,” streaming Friday on Netflix, not simply as a horror film but also an exploration of a dysfunctional family damaged by intergenerational trauma. And his...
Are convention viewing numbers a hint about who will win the election? Don’t bet on it
NEW YORK — In a close election campaign with both sides looking for an edge, the party with more people watching their midsummer convention would seem to have an important sign of success. Yet historically speaking, that measurement means next to nothing. Eight times over the past 16 presidential election...
Movie Review: ‘The Crow’ reimagined is stylish and operatic, but cannot outfly 1994 originalVideo
One of the first things you see in the reimagined “The Crow” is the sight of a fallen white horse in a muddy field, bleeding badly after becoming entangled in barbed wire. It’s a metaphor, of course, and a clunky one at that — a powerful image that doesn’t really...
Lionsgate pulls Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ trailer after controversyVideo
Lionsgate released a trailer for Francis Ford Coppola’s ” Megalopolis,” earlier this week which gave viewers the first official look at the science fiction drama starring Adam Driver. The film — which was aimed to be poised as a work of art that would be long remembered, much like Coppola’s...
TV Talk: Lesley Ann Warren on Blake Edwards, making ‘Clue’; August Wilson’s ‘Piano Lesson’ slatedVideo
PBS’s latest “American Masters” film, “Blake Edwards: A Love Story in 24 Frames” (9 p.m. Aug. 27, WQED-TV), proves entertaining and easily watchable regardless of a viewer’s familiarity with Edwards’ films. Directed, produced and co-written by Danny Gold (“Killing Me Softly with His Songs”), Edwards’ widow, Julie Andrews, leads viewers...
Your audience is filled with Republicans. The Democratic convention is underway. How to cover it?
The Democratic convention presents Fox News Channel with a delicate challenge: how to cover a party suddenly enthused about its election chances when much of the network’s audience has a different political viewpoint. During the Democrats’ first two days, Fox personalities called the proceedings “boring” and filled with “a lot...
TV Q&A: Which reporters/anchors are pregnant at WPXI?
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: Is everyone at WPXI-TV pregnant? — Rodney, via email Rob: Not sure about everyone — assume that would come as a surprise to the station’s...
Michael Keaton returns to big screen with ‘Beetlejuice’ sequel
Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton is set to reprise his role as Beetlejuice in the sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which will be released Sept. 6. Warner Bros. Pictures released the official trailer for the new movie in July. Keaton, 72, is also known for his portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman in Tim Burton’s...
Suri Cruise moves into Carnegie Mellon dorm with help from mom Katie Holmes
Suri Cruise, daughter of actress Katie Holmes and actor Tom Cruise, has officially moved into her dorm at Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland, Daily Mail reported. Suri, 18, moved in with Holmes’ help over the weekend, according to photos on the Daily Mail site. Holmes, 45, starred as Joey Potter...
Penn State student killed during hazing incident will be focus of A&E series’ next episode
A series on A&E will feature an episode dedicated to a hazing at Penn State which left one student dead. Episode three of “Houses Of Horror: Secrets of College Greek Life” will focus on the story of Tim Piazza, a 19-year-old freshman at Penn State who was pledging at the...
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible TV genre, dead at 88
Phil Donahue, whose pioneering daytime talk show launched an indelible television genre that made household names of Oprah Winfrey, Montel Williams, Ellen DeGeneres and many others, has died. He was 88. NBC’s “Today” show, citing family members, said Donahue died Sunday after a long illness. Dubbed “the king of daytime...
Father-and-son team of Eugene and Dan Levy to co-host the Emmys
NEW YORK — Eugene Levy and Dan Levy will make history at the Emmy Awards next month as the first ever father and son co-hosts. “We are thrilled to welcome two generations of comedy genius to the Emmy’s stage as hosts,” said Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego in a statement...
Matthew Perry’s death leads to sweeping indictment of 5, including doctors and reputed dealers
LOS ANGELES — Nearly 10 months after the death of Matthew Perry, the long-simmering investigation into the ketamine that killed him came dramatically into public view with the announcement that five people had been charged with having roles in the overdose of the beloved “Friends” star. Here are key things...
TV Talk: HBO’s ‘Chimp Crazy’: A better, more entertaining ‘Tiger King’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. If you liked Netfllix’s “Tiger King,” odds are you’ll love HBO’s “Chimp Crazy” (10 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 18-Sept. 8) from the same director, Eric Goode. If, like me, you thought “Tiger King” was ultimately a...
