Movies/TV category, Page 52
TV Talk: Fred Rogers’ Production’s ‘Odd Squad’ gets 4th season and it’s U.K.-based
Fred Roger’s Production’s “Odd Squad,” a rare live-action series for PBS Kids that educates children in math concepts while entertaining viewers of all ages with humorous adventures, will return for a fourth season, this time going across the pond to become “Odd Squad UK.” In this new season a new...
Former Russian state TV journalist gets 8½-year sentence in absentia for Ukraine war criticism
A Moscow court on Wednesday sentenced a former state TV journalist 8½ years in prison in absentia for protesting Russia’s war in Ukraine, the latest in a crackdown on dissent that has intensified since the invasion began nearly 20 months ago. Marina Ovsyannikova was charged with spreading false information about...
TV Q&A: On which Pittsburgh channel will Steelers’ Thursday night games air?
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: Will Thursday night football games be broadcast on local channels or will it be subscription streaming TV only? — Mark, via email Rob: Just like...
TV Talk: KDKA’s ‘High Q’ renamed for 25th season; film workers stage market fundraiser
It started as “Hometown High Q,” then went by “KDKA High Q,” but for its 25th season that begins airing this weekend at 11 a.m Saturdays, the show will be titled “KD Quiz.” In his fourth season as the show’s host, KDKA meteorologist Ray Petelin said there will be more...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking new celeb couple with Pittsburgh roots, Messi on Apple TV+, strike’s aftermath
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment including a new couple alert: Upcoming “Deal or No Deal Island” host and Mt. Lebanon native Joe Manganiello, who filed for divorce from wife Sofia...
‘Toy Story’ meets the NFL: Sunday’s Falcons-Jaguars game to feature alternate presentation for kidsVideo
Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the “Toy Story” universe will be taking in an NFL game for the first time. Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars at London’s Wembley Stadium will be contested inside of Andy’s room as part of an alternate telecast. The “Toy Story Funday Football”...
TV Talk: Missing this series? Watch that show insteadVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. With the 2023-24 TV season underway, viewers are mostly finding their favorite scripted series aren’t back due to the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes. No new “Abbott Elementary,” no original “Chicago Fire,” no fresh “Blue...
Netflix’s DVD-by-mail service bows out as its red-and-white envelopes make their final trip
The curtain is finally coming down on Netflix’s once-iconic DVD-by-mail service, a quarter century after two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs came up with a concept that obliterated Blockbuster video stores while providing a springboard into video streaming that has transformed entertainment. The DVD service that has been steadily shrinking in the...
Michael Gambon, actor who played Dumbledore in ‘Harry Potter’ movies, dies at 82
LONDON — Veteran actor Michael Gambon, who was known to many for his portrayal of Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore in six of the eight “Harry Potter” films, has died, his publicist said Thursday. He was 82. A statement by his family, issued by his publicist, said he died following “a...
TV Talk: Former Pittsburgher hosts ‘Rico to the Rescue;’ ‘Gen V’ cynically quotes Mister RogersVideo
Monroeville native Rico Leon lucked out when his car broke down in Denver six years ago. He ended up staying in the Mile High city, which led to a career fixing reconstruction messes other contractors started but never finished. That business resulted in him starring in his own TV show,...
TV Talk: Mt. Lebanon native Joe Manganiello to host NBC game show rebootVideo
Mt. Lebanon native Joe Manganiello, who recently starred in AMC+’s canceled sci-fi drama “Moonhaven,” will host NBC’s reboot of “Deal or No Deal” in 2024. Manganiello, a 1995 graduate of Mt. Lebanon High School and a 2000 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s acting program, takes over from Howie Mandel, who...
TV Q&A: Where did Ray Petelin’s ‘Hey Ray’ sidekick go?
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 hasn’t Elizabeth Petelin been on the “Hey Ray” segments recently with her dad, KDKA-TV meteorologist Ray Petelin? The banter between them was priceless. —...
The Hollywood writers strike is over after guild leaders approve contract with studios
LOS ANGELES — Leaders of the screenwriters union declared their nearly five-month-old strike over Tuesday after board members approved a contract agreement with studios, bringing Hollywood at least partly back from a historic halt in production. The governing boards of the eastern and western branches of the Writers Guild of...
Striking Hollywood actors vote to authorize new walkout against video game makers
LOS ANGELES — Striking actors have voted to expand their walkout to include the lucrative video game market, a step that could put new pressure on Hollywood studios to make a deal with the performers who provide voices and stunts for games. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and...
TV Talk: Why it’s so hard to find some football on TV, especially college games
Sports rights have always bounced among media companies, but there are so many more TV outlets today than 50 years ago. With dozens of outlets across broadcast, cable and streaming, it can be challenging to figure out where your team might be playing week to week. In an on-demand TV...
‘Dancing with the Stars’ premiere on track amid WGA’s tentative dealVideo
LOS ANGELES — The latest season of “Dancing with the Stars” will debut as originally planned, following months of tension and uncertainty amid the monthslong writers’ strike. ABC confirmed to the L.A. Times on Monday that the star-studded dance competition will premiere Tuesday at 8 p.m. Pacific, just days after...
Record-breaking ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ film now a worldwide ‘theatrical event’
The already record-breaking “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film “is going global,” according to AMC Theatres. AMC said the movie will screen Oct. 13, 2023, in more than 100 countries around the world. Tickets for international shows go on sale today. The film is already scheduled to play in more...
David McCallum, star of hit TV series ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ and ‘NCIS,’ dies at 90
LOS ANGELES — Actor David McCallum, who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular “NCIS” 40 years later, has died. He was 90. McCallum died Monday of natural causes surrounded by family at...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Penguins’ Willie O’Ree Academy on WQED-TV, ‘Smackdown’ on the move, fall TV
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including WQED-TV’s new 30-minute documentary “Equity on Ice: The Willie O’Ree Academy” (8 p.m. Oct. 5, Channel 13), produced by Beth Dolinar and Dave Forstate...
Tentative deal reached to end the Hollywood writers strike. No deal yet for actors
LOS ANGELES — Union leaders and Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement Sunday to end a historic screenwriters strike after nearly five months, though no deal is yet in the works for striking actors. The Writers Guild of America announced the deal in a statement. The three-year contract agreement —...
‘Expend4bles’ opens with epic flop while ‘Nun 2’ claims top spot again at the box office
LOS ANGELES — Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham weren’t enough to save ” Expend4bles ” from a debut box office flop. The fourth installment suffered the action-packed franchise’s worst opening weekend while ” The Nun 2 ” took home the top spot for a third straight week, Comscore reported on...
Usher to headline 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas
LOS ANGELES — Usher has a new confession: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in Las Vegas. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Usher would lead the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. The music megastar, who has...
‘Silence of the Lambs’ actress meets fans, returns to the well at restored film location in Fayette County
The first time actress Brooke Smith’s character Catherine Martin spent time inside the ominous “Buffalo Bill” house in the 1991 thriller “The Silence of the Lambs,” she was trapped in a dingy basement well at the mercy of a deranged serial killer. This weekend, Smith ventured back into the basement...
TV Talk: ‘Krapopolis’ a smart bet on Fox’s part
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. There are times when a TV show feels like an odd duck for its network (e.g. Fox’s 2007 Pittsburgh-set sitcom “Back to You,” which might have lasted longer than a single season if it had...
Rupert Murdoch, whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down
NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings. Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies,...
