Movies/TV category, Page 117
Disney Junior series aims to give a kid’s eye view of race
LOS ANGELES — “Rise Up, Sing Out,” an animated shorts series presenting the concepts of race, racism and social justice to young viewers, is coming to Disney Junior. Designed for children ages 2 to 7 and their families, the series will include music by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Tariq “Black...
Marvel’s measured progression into weirdness has us ready for ‘Loki’Video
*** WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE *** You like Loki. I like Loki. Everyone likes Loki. One of the many tricks Marvel’s Cinematic Universe has pulled over its first several phases is making the smarmy villain into an endearing scamp whose death in “Avengers: Infinity War” was...
TV Talk: Wilkinsburg native says goodbye to ‘Last Man Standing’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Actors know they’ve signed up for an itinerant career, moving from one role to the next, but even by Hollywood standards the 2011-21 run of sitcom “Last Man Standing” has been a roller coaster for...
Passing on your password? Streaming services are past it
Many of us were taught to share as kids. Now streaming services ranging from Netflix to Amazon to Disney+ want us to stop. That’s the new edict from the giants of streaming media, who are hoping to discourage the common practice of sharing account passwords without alienating subscribers who’ve grown...
TV Talk: Summer TV series already debuting on cable, streamersVideo
It’s not yet Memorial Day but cable networks and streamers are already setting up their summer scripted series premieres, in part to get them out the door before the Summer Olympics in late July, a noticeably lighter month for premieres. On Friday Amazon’s Prime Video debuts “The Underground Railroad,” adapted...
TV Talk: Netflix sets premiere date for Pittsburgh-filmed ‘The Chair;’ ‘This is Us’ ending
Filmed-in-Pittsburgh Netflix comedy “The Chair” will premiere on the streaming service Aug. 27. The six-episode, half-hour comedy stars Sandra Oh and filmed locally earlier this year. The series follows the chair (Oh) of a university English department and should not be confused with Starz’s 2014 movie-making reality competition series, also...
Ellen DeGeneres to end long-running TV talk show next year
NEW YORK — Ellen DeGeneres is calling time on her long-running talk show. The daytime host, who has seen a ratings hit after allegations of running a toxic workplace, has decided that the upcoming 19th season will be the last, ending in 2022. It coincides with the end of her...
TV Q&A: Where has a WTAE-TV forecaster gone?
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 thought Ashley Dougherty returned from maternity leave already but I haven’t seen her on the noon news lately. Is she still with the station?...
TV Talk: John Shumway will anchor weekends on KDKA-TV
KDKA-TV veteran John Shumway will take over the weekend evening anchor desk this summer. The change in KDKA’s weekend anchor lineup comes after longtime weekend anchor Paul Martino was reassigned to weekday general assignment reporting and subsequently opted to retire July 1. KDKA reporters Bryant Reed and Royce Jones frequently...
Sportscaster Kenny Mayne leaving ESPN after 27-year stintVideo
“SportsCenter” anchor Kenny Mayne and ESPN have agreed to part ways after 27 years. “Salary cap casualty,” is how Mayne announced the decision via Twitter on Monday. I am leaving ESPN.Salary cap casualty.Thanks for the opportunity Vince Doria & Al Jaffe & for taking my solicitationsHerman/Stinton/Lynch.I will miss the people.I...
Amid outcry, NBC says it will not air Golden Globes in 2022
NEW YORK — Amid growing pressure on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, NBC said Monday that it will not air the Golden Globes in 2022. In a statement, the network said it believes the press association — which is facing possible boycotts from Netflix, Warner Bros. and many Hollywood stars...
Wendy Bell out of WJAS lineup
Wendy Bell is no longer in the weekday lineup on talk radio station WJAS. “All I can tell you is it’s a personnel matter and it’s currently being handled by the company,” said Michele Bradac, a spokeswoman for St. Barnabas, which owns the radio station. The radio station posted a...
TV Talk: Bethel Park’s Joe Serafini stars in ‘High School Musical’ Disney+ seriesVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. When the Disney+ series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” debuted in late 2019, Bethel Park native Joe Serafini had a recurring guest role in the show while still studying musical theater at the...
Elon Musk shows humility and hubris as ‘SNL’ hostVideo
Elon Musk showed a combination of humility and hubris as he opened his highly anticipated hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live.” The 49-year-old Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder and one of the world’s richest men opened his monologue by mocking his monotonal speaking style, saying no one can tell when he’s...
What to expect from the star-studded Vax Live fundraiser
LOS ANGELES — President Joe Biden, Prince Harry and Jennifer Lopez are among the big names advocating the importance of vaccine equity during the Global Citizen fundraising concert airing Saturday. The pre-taped event brought together celebrities and political leaders at “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the Word,” which was...
TV Talk: CMU grad, ‘Hamilton’ star sings lead in comedy from ’30 Rock’ writersVideo
Carnegie Mellon University musical theater grad Renee Elise Goldsberry, who played Angelica Schuyler in Broadway’s “Hamilton,” stars in the new Tina Fey-produced comedy series “Girls5eva,” now streaming all episodes on Peacock, included as part of a Comcast Xfinity subscription. The show follows members of a ‘90s girl group who attempt...
TV Q&A: Which shows are ‘on the bubble’ for renewal?
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: Recently you wrote about several CBS shows that have been renewed, but there was no mention of “SEAL Team.” Do you know the renewal status...
Star Wars strong: May the 4th be with youVideo
It’s May the 4th, and you know what that means. It’s Star Wars Day, the unofficial holiday celebrating the storied movie franchise and a play on what is arguably its best-known line: “May the Force be with you.” The Force gives certain people in the Star Wars universe extraordinary abilities...
Fifth graders’ Jeff Goldblum obsession gets love from Pittsburgh actor
Sometimes, school can be really fun. Not to mention a brush with your celebrity obsession. The fifth graders at Bristol Elementary in Webster Groves, Mo., have been working remotely this year because of the pandemic. The class’s teacher Samantha Brown decided — as great teachers are apt to do —...
Olympia Dukakis, Oscar-winning ‘Moonstruck’ star, dies at 89
MAPLEWOOD, N.J. — Olympia Dukakis, the veteran stage and screen actress whose flair for maternal roles helped her win an Oscar as Cher’s mother in the romantic comedy “Moonstruck,” has died. She was 89. Allison Levy, her agent at Innovative Artists, said Saturday that Dukakis died Saturday morning in her...
Jason Momoa’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh movie gets streaming debut date
The Jason Momoa-starring “Sweet Girl,” which filmed in Pittsburgh in late 2019, got a release date from Netflix this week: Aug. 20. Momoa stars as Ray Cooper, who vows to bring justice to those responsible for the death of his wife while protecting his daughter (Isabela Merced). The film, directed...
TV Talk: ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’ spin-off ‘Donkey Hodie’ debuts on PBSVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Even after the director says, “Cut!,” sometimes puppeteers stay in character. “I said all my lines right!” said Donkey Hodie, as performed and voiced by former Point Park University student Haley Jenkins. And she said...
TV Talk: Billy Porter’s ‘What If?’ to film in PittsburghVideo
Pittsburgh native and TV’s “Pose” star Billy Porter will bring his feature film directorial debut home, shooting the movie “What If?” in Western Pennsylvania this summer. Porter confirmed the filming during an interview on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday while promoting the final season of FX’s “Pose,” which kicks off...
TV Q&A: Why don’t laid off TV news anchors get rehired?
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: Just reading your articles about the new reporters at KDKA, and I’ve been wondering for a while now with all the new reporters coming to...
Oscars telecast draws 9.85 million viewers for ABC, a record lowVideo
Despite a night of historic firsts and a major upset in the best actor category, the 93rd Academy Awards could not avoid the TV ratings slide that has hit all award shows during the pandemic. ABC’s telecast of the Oscars hit an all-time low with an average of 9.85 million...
