Movies/TV category, Page 125
City Theatre films singer Jill Sobule’s tale of middle-school angst
Middle school is a tough gig — just ask singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. She poured her experiences into a musical called “F*ck7thGrade” that was presented in its initial form in Pittsburgh at City Theatre Company’s 2018 Momentum Festival of New Plays. Now, City Theatre will premiere a concert film of the...
Point Park University students, alumni featured in Sheetz commercial
Keep an eye out this spring for a Sheetz commercial featuring Point Park University students. A professor in Point Park University’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Kiesha Lalama, worked with a production team to cast and choreograph a television commercial for Sheetz convenience stores. “Working with Sheetz was amazing,” said...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh TV production bounces back; CMU grad stars in ‘Bridge and Tunnel’Video
Netflix’s horror series “Archive 81” has been filming in and around Pittsburgh since November and will be joined in a couple of weeks by another Netflix program, “The Chair.” Showtime’s “Rust” expects to film in March. Beyond these three series, 2021 local big-budget TV/film production is in a holding pattern....
New ‘This Is Us’ episodes delayed for 2 weeks because of covid-19
The coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc in Hollywood productions. NBC’s acclaimed “This Is Us” has been forced back into hiatus due to “Covid-related production delays.” The family drama, which was forced to scrap Tuesday night’s episode, won’t return until Feb. 2, according the NBC website. No new episode tonight,...
TV Q&A: If I drop cable but want to see Penguins games, what TV service should I add?
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 really need to dump the cable portion of my Comcast bill. I saved your item about the Pens when AT&T SportsNet had their disagreement...
Netflix’s ‘Archive 81’ filming in North Side and Downtown Pittsburgh
In November, a random group of visitors walked into The Government Center, an independent record store on Pittsburgh’s North Side, with no interest in making a purchase. “They came in to search out specific locations,” said owner Josh Cozby, referring to film scouts for Netflix’s production company, looking for spaces...
10 things younger than Betty WhiteVideo
Like fine wine Betty White just gets better with age. And goodness knows she’s given us so many reasons to love her. And, thankfully, she’s had plenty of time to do so. White turns 99 on Jan. 17. Happy birthday to the Golden Girl. All of this got us to...
Netflix seeks background actors for upcoming show shoot in Pittsburgh
Netflix is looking for college-age students in Pittsburgh to be background actors for the upcoming filming of “The Chair.” The six-episode dramedy, written by executive producer and showrunner Amanda Peet, will star Golden Globe-winner Sandra Oh of “Killing Eve” and Emmy-winner Jay Duplass from “Transparent.” The Pittsburgh Film Office said...
TV Talk: Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ revisits sitcom styles through the decades on Disney+Video
Streaming service Disney+ debuts its first scripted Marvel series, “WandaVision,” which defies superhero story expectations in three episodes made available for review. But there are hints that action set pieces will come eventually during the nine-episode season. “WandaVision” finds Marvel heroes Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and sentient robot...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s WPGH adds national morning newscast
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns Pittsburgh’s WPGH-TV, Channel 53, and WPNT-TV, Channel 22, tries to break into the morning news game with the Monday premiere of “The National Desk” (7-9 a.m. weekdays on WPGH). The...
Tom Hanks heads TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration
NEW YORK — Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. “I was left speechless when I was asked to perform! ” Lovato wrote...
TV Q&A: Why does background noise obscure Steelers announcers?
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 am not a guy that watches a lot of football. However, I seldom miss a Steelers game. I think my hearing is pretty good...
PBS’ ‘Masterpiece’ marks 50th year with challenges ahead
LOS ANGELES — As PBS’ “Masterpiece” marks its 50th anniversary Sunday, the drama and mystery showcase could rest on its reputation built with acclaimed programs including “I, Claudius” and “Elizabeth R” and polished anew by surprising pop-culture hits “Sherlock” and “Downton Abbey.” But “Masterpiece” executive producer Susanne Simpson says it’s...
Sentimental video tribute opens Alex Trebek’s final ‘Jeopardy!’
More than two months after Alex Trebek’s death, fans of “Jeopardy!” finally got the chance to say goodbye. A video tribute to the host closed Friday’s episode of the quiz show, the final one that Trebek taped before pancreatic cancer claimed his life on Nov. 8. The 90-second montage, set...
Roku buys library of the short-lived streaming service Quibi
Roku is buying the content library of Quibi, the short-lived streaming service, to bulk up its own free ad-supported channel. Quibi, short for quick bites, raised $1.75 billion from investors including major Hollywood players like Disney, NBCUniversal and Viacom. It produced shows that were released in 10- to 12-minute increments...
TV Talk: PBS reboots ‘All Creatures Great and Small’
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. It’s difficult to imagine a better TV balm coming off the annus horibilis that was 2020 than the latest production from “Masterpiece,” celebrating its 50th anniversary with the debut of a remake of an early...
Review: Khashoggi documentary ‘The Dissident’ is essential viewing
It’s hard to decide what’s most shocking in “The Dissident,” Bryan Fogel’s urgent, gripping new documentary about the horrific murder of Saudi columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Of course, there are the terrifying details of the killing itself, chillingly recounted here through transcripts of recordings from the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey,...
Late night hosts react with shock, anger to Capitol attack
Late night TV talk show hosts expressed anger and frustration at the violence at the U.S. Capitol, offering somber monologues that pleaded for unity even as some aimed pointed barbs at those they held responsible for the mobs’ actions. “It was a terrible day in the history of this country,”...
TV Talk: Cable, streaming offer fresh shows to start the new yearVideo
Even as broadcast network shows return to the air this month, production on programs at most of the major studios in Los Angeles did not resume as scheduled this week due to rising covid-19 cases. Many series were pushed back to a Jan. 11 production restart and others, including NBC’s...
Mt. Lebanon man leads Video Trust, national group supporting academic film libraries
A lifelong love of the movies has led to a Mt. Lebanon man leading a nonprofit that helps strengthen film collections at academic libraries around the country, from kindergarten through university level. Chad Hunter is the new executive director of Video Trust, a 40-year-old national organization that provides professional development...
TV Q&A: How were the ratings for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ with new host Tyra Banks?
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: How were the ratings of “Dancing with the Stars” when comparing last year to this year since Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews were fired? —...
Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton to play Batman in 2022 movie
Pittsburgh native Michael Keaton is slated to reprise his role as Batman in “The Flash,” a film anticipated for 2022. In the upcoming movie, DC Films will employ what is known as a multiverse, which allows for different versions of the same character to exist simultaneously in parallel worlds. This...
Cinemark theaters set to reopen, showing new and classic filmsVideo
Cinemark will reopen its Pennsylvania theaters on Friday, including these Southwestern Pennsylvania locations, in accordance with updated local covid mandates: • Cinemark Monroeville Mall and XD, 600 Mall Circle Drive • Cinemark North Hills and XD, 851 Providence Blvd., McCandless • Cinemark Robinson Township and XD, 2100 Settlers Ridge Center...
TV Talk: Joe Kenda recounts the cases of other cops on ‘American Detective’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. On Investigation Discovery’s “Homicide Hunter,” Westmoreland County native Joe Kenda seemed like he retold cases from memory because he did: Episodes were based on cases he worked for the Colorado Springs, Colo., police department. In...
Report: Talk show host Larry King in hospital with covid-19
LOS ANGELES — Former CNN talk show host Larry King has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for more than a week, the news channel reported Saturday. Citing an unidentified person close to the family, CNN said the 87-year-old King is undergoing treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Hospital protocols...
