Entertainment category, Page 237
‘Hooked on a Feeling’ singer B.J. Thomas dies at 78
B.J. Thomas, the Grammy-winning singer who enjoyed success on the pop, country and gospel charts with such hits as “I Just Can’t Help Believing,” “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling,” has died. He was 78. Thomas, who announced in March that he had been diagnosed...
Gavin MacLeod, ‘Love Boat’ captain, dies at 90
LOS ANGELES — Gavin MacLeod, the veteran supporting actor who achieved stardom as Murray Slaughter, the sardonic TV news writer on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” before going on to even bigger fame as the cheerful Capt. Stubing on “The Love Boat,” has died. He was 90. MacLeod died early...
WTAE’s Twitter account throws shade at WPXI
Fridays, particularly before a holiday weekend, are often dubbed “take out the trash day” for when a company wants to make moves that could be poorly received in hopes that most people aren’t paying attention. Someone running WTAE-TV’s social media account opted for a different kind of trashing on Twitter...
Voice of Disney’s ‘Sebastian the Crab’ dies at age 72
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Samuel E. Wright, the South Carolina native who famously voiced “Sebastian the Crab” in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and had an acting career spanning five decades, died this week. He was 72. Wright died Monday in New York after a three-year bout with prostate cancer, according to...
WWE returns to Pittsburgh this summer
After a last-minute cancellation in 2020, the WWE is coming back to Pittsburgh. The sports entertainment company on Friday announced new live event dates for this summer. Pittsburgh is slated for a Supershow at 7:30 p.m. July 24 at PPG Paints Arena. The arena has the event listed on their...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend, May 28-31
Taking the stage Stage Right’s School for the Performing Arts will end its school year with three fully produced shows, Friday through Sunday in Science Hall Theater at the Westmoreland County Community College Youngwood campus. The schedule includes: “Bye Bye Birdie Young Performers Edition,” ages 8-12, 6 p.m. Saturday and...
TV Talk: ‘Friends’ cast reunites; May sweeps local news ratings released
HBO Max and media hype over the long-in-the-works “Friends” reunion would make more sense if it was the cast of the one-time NBC hit reuniting to reprise their classic characters, but this is not that. The “Friends” reunion, streaming on HBO Max, is just the actors as themselves reminiscing about...
Bill Cosby denied parole after failing to participate in ‘sex offender’ therapy program
Bill Cosby was denied parole in his sex assault case this month in part because of his failure to complete a prison program for sex offenders, the Pennsylvania Parole Board said. The comedian isn’t eligible for release until Sept. 25 at the earliest, but the board starts interviewing candidates three...
Rock on: WDVE’s Memorial Day 500 has begun
In Pittsburgh, it’s the unofficial start of summer — not just the Memorial Day holiday weekend but the accompanying WDVE radio countdown of 500 classic rock tunes. The station calls it “The Memorial Day 500,” and it’s beloved by fans throughout Western Pennsylvania. “Yes, we are doing the countdown again,...
‘School of Rock’ actor Kevin Clark killed in bike accident
CHICAGO — Kevin Clark, who played drummer Freddy “Spazzy McGee” Jones in the 2003 movie “School of Rock” with Jack Black, was killed when he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle along a Chicago street early Wednesday. Police said Clark, 32, was struck after running a red...
World Square, an event with international flair, returns to Downtown Pittsburgh
World Square is returning to Market Square. After missing last year because of the pandemic, “World Square — Welcoming All of Pittsburgh’s Neighbors” will return June 11-13. Hours are 5 to 8 p.m. June 11, noon to 8 p.m. June 12 and noon to 6 p.m. June 13. The three-day...
TV Talk: TV specials shine a light on 1921’s Tulsa race massacreVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Although The Washington Post began to dig into the history of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre earlier, it was HBO’s 2019 fictional limited series “Watchmen” that really turned the spotlight on this shameful forgotten piece...
Pittsburgh-raised music star Wiz Khalifa revealed on ‘Masked Singer’Video
In the end, it makes sense that Wiz Khalifa would turn out to be The Chameleon. After all, he’s already a chameleon-like multi-hyphenate: rap star, actor (“Dickinson”) and businessman (Khalifa Kush cannabis). The Pittsburgh Allderdice grad was unmasked Wednesday night on the fifth season finale of Fox’s “The Masked Singer”...
After 38 years, Stacy Smith anchors his last KDKA-TV newscastVideo
In the end, the most stoic of Pittsburgh news anchors remained as steady as ever. Stacy Smith’s voice cracked just the tiniest, almost imperceptible bit as he bid farewell to a 50-year broadcasting career, 38 years of it at Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV. Smith anchored his final KDKA-TV newscast at 6 p.m....
‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ author Eric Carle dies at 91
NEW YORK — Eric Carle, the beloved children’s author and illustrator whose classic “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and other works gave millions of kids some of their earliest and most cherished literary memories, has died at age 91. Carle’s family says he died Sunday at his summer studio in Northampton,...
Over 500 Freeport students showcase their art in virtual art show
About 550 students, ranging from kindergarten through 12th grade, are showcasing their creative talents in Freeport Area School District’s virtual art show. The show, which features art from students taking classes in person and remotely, is being held online for the second year because of the covid-19 pandemic. Before covid-19...
Grammys change rules for album of the year award
The Recording Academy has updated its rules for the album of the year Grammy, giving more producers and songwriters a better chance at winning the top award. The academy announced Wednesday that any producer, songwriter, engineer or featured artist on an album nominated for album of the year will also...
Amazon to buy MGM, studio behind James Bond and ‘Shark Tank’
NEW YORK — Amazon is going Hollywood. The online shopping giant is buying MGM, the movie and TV studio behind James Bond, “Legally Blonde” and “Shark Tank,” with the hopes of filling its video streaming service with more stuff to watch. Amazon is paying $8.45 billion for MGM, making it...
TV Q&A: Why do newscasts use so much file footage? They didn’t do that in Walter Cronkite’s day
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 is it that the local TV news stations feel the need to always fill with file photos/video when on a given subject? I’ll pick...
Marilyn Manson wanted in New Hampshire on assault warrant
Police in New Hampshire have issued an arrest warrant for Marilyn Manson on assault charges. Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, is wanted in Gilford, N.H., on suspicion of two counts of simple assault, the town’s Police Department said in a Facebook post. Cops said the 2019 incident involved...
‘Humans’ movie set for 2021 release
May 25—The film adaptation of Stephen Karam’s Tony Award-winning play “The Humans” should hit our screens this year. The movie, which wrapped production in 2019, is set to come out in 2021, according to the Internet Movie Database, although an exact release date has not been announced. The story focuses...
Fireworks over New Stanton returning for 2nd yearVideo
Fireworks over New Stanton is returning after the event was first implemented as a way to boost moral during the covid-19 pandemic. This year’s event, scheduled for Saturday, is a way to welcome summer while also celebrating what borough leaders hope is the start to the end of the pandemic....
Penn Middle Drama Club will stream spring musical, ‘Annie Jr.’
Students in Penn Middle School’s Drama Club are preparing to stream two weekends of “Annie Jr.,” and it’s been a sprint from the start, according to club sponsor Sharon Wiant. “We started very late,” Wiant said. “Normally, we start in January and we usually need every bit of that time....
Artist Vanessa German to lead Pittsburgh walk for George Floyd, others lost to violence
Vanessa German is going for a walk to pay tribute to George Floyd and other people of color lost to violence. German, a citizen-artist from Homewood, will lead The Blue Walk on Thursday. It is what she called “a reckoning ritual.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
TV Talk: WPXI meteorologist Danielle Dozier leaving Pittsburgh
Danielle Dozier, weekend evening meteorologist at WPXI since April 2018, will exit the station this week. Dozier’s last broadcast will be at 12 p.m. Wednesday. Dozier says it was her choice to leave Channel 11 but she wasn’t yet ready to say at what TV station or in which TV...
