Movies/TV category, Page 130
Film Pittsburgh Fall Festival goes online, as executive director nears 2 decades at helm
Kathryn Spitz Cohan began her tenure at what is now Film Pittsburgh just after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The executive director enters her 20th season amid another life-changing time – the covid-19 pandemic. Film Pittsburgh screens independent films from around the world, for themed festivals, and holds...
Jeffrey Toobin suspended by the New Yorker, steps away from CNN
NEW YORK — Author-commentator Jeffrey Toobin has been suspended by the New Yorker and is stepping away from his job as CNN’s senior legal analyst pending what the cable network is calling a “personal matter.” Vice reported earlier Monday that Toobin had exposed himself during a Zoom meeting with staffers...
Disney+ adds new content warning for racist depictions in classic films
Classic movies that feature racist stereotypes and other problematic elements now include a new content warning on Disney+. When viewers choose to play movies such as “Dumbo,” “Aladdin,” “Peter Pan,” “The Aristocats” and “Swiss Family Robinson” on the Disney streaming service, a written disclosure about its “negative depictions and/or mistreatment...
Stephen King’s thriller ‘Mr. Mercedes’ gets another chance
NEW YORK — One of Stephen King’s most creepy and tense stories was hiding in plain sight. “Mr. Mercedes” started life in 2017 as a broadcast offering on the AT&T-owned, DirecTV-exclusive Audience Network, only to be left marooned with an uncertain future after the obscure channel was shut down. The...
C-SPAN suspends Steve Scully after he admits to lie about hack
NEW YORK — C-SPAN suspended its political editor Steve Scully indefinitely Thursday after he admitted to lying about his Twitter feed being hacked when he was confronted about a questionable exchange with former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci. The news came on the day of what was supposed to be a...
Rudolph and his nose-so-bright into auction will take flight
Rudolph and his still-shiny nose are getting a new home, and it’s bound to be a lot nicer than the Island of Misfit Toys. The soaring reindeer and Santa Claus figures who starred in in the perennially beloved stop-motion animation Christmas special “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” are going up...
Steelers, Penguins fan Steve Byrne drops Pittsburgh references into directorial film debut
It’s natural for any filmmaker, right? You’re a week away from your first written and directed big-screen release. You’re worrying about how the premiere will be staged. You have press lined up all week. You’re coordinating with producers, actors and family. Above all else, though, one thing is weighing on...
Jack White to replace Morgan Wallen as ‘SNL’ musical guest
NEW YORK — Jack White will be the last-minute replacement musical guest on “Saturday Night Live” after country singer Morgan Wallen was dropped for breaking covid-19 protocols. Wallen was removed as musical guest on Thursday after TikTok videos showed him partying last weekend without a mask on among a large...
Country singer Morgan Wallen dropped as ‘SNL’ performer after breaking covid rules
Morgan Wallen has been dropped from performing on “Saturday Night Live” after breaking the show’s covid-19 protocols. The country singer posted a video on social media Wednesday about the show’s decision. He apologized after he was shown on TikTok socializing maskless at a crowded bar and house party this past...
‘Empire’ star Taraji P. Henson hailed for mental health work
“Empire” star Taraji P. Henson has enjoyed wealth, celebrity, a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination. But behind the scenes, she’s battled anxiety and depression. On Thursday, the 50-year-old actress and filmmaker — who has spoken publicly and powerfully about her private struggles — was honored by the...
Reel Q film festival includes movie with Hill District backdropVideo
This year, the Reel Q Pittsburgh LGBTQ+ Film Festival will feature 21 programs screening over 10 nights on virtual platforms, including a movie filmed almost entirely in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. In addition, the 35th annual event will offer a special closing night drive-in screening in Pittsburgh’s North Side. The festival...
‘Naked Celebs’ star in political PSA about ‘naked ballots,’ following example of Allegheny County polsVideo
It’s not enough for Pennsylvania elected officials to get naked to promote proper voting procedures in the November election. Celebrities are getting in on the action, too. In a viral video released today, titled “These Naked Celebs Have an Important Message for Voters,” well-known comedians and actors are shown naked...
‘Dune’ ditches 2020, while AMC commits to staying open
The 2020 theatrical release calendar is getting even slimmer in the wake of the announcement that Regal cinemas are temporarily closing, although AMC, North America’s largest theater chain, says it will remain open. Warner Bros. said late Monday that its sci-fi pic “Dune” will now open in October 2021, instead...
8 times Pittsburgh played a role on ‘Saturday Night Live’Video
After Pittsburgh was the setting for a skit on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” we wanted to find the other times the city or its sports teams have been featured on the long-running NBC comedy show. Here’s a partial list of the times Pittsburgh was featured in skits....
Reba McEntire, Darius Rucker take over as CMA Awards hosts
Country stars Reba McEntire and Darius Rucker are promising laughs and good music when they co-host this year’s CMA Awards in November. McEntire, a Country Music Hall of Famer and veteran host of country music awards shows, returns after hosting last year with Carrie Underwood and Dolly Parton. It will...
Pittsburgh featured in ‘Saturday Night Live’ skitVideo
Pittsburgh TV news was featured on the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” A local TV news report on a potential super-spreading event at the legal change of name office in the Pittsburgh federal building was the setting for a skit on “SNL” with a lot of sexual innuendo. The...
‘Saturday Night Live’ recreates debate in 46th season openerVideo
LOS ANGELES — “Saturday Night Live” went political with a parody of this week’s presidential debate, Chris Rock’s jab at President Donald Trump and Megan Thee Stallion’s message supporting Black people during her performance. The NBC late-night sketch series on Saturday night jumped into the reenactment of the recent debate...
Review: Sofia Coppola’s ‘On the Rocks’ is a modest delight
Few filmmakers can bring a rut to life like Sofia Coppola. When her characters are in a funk, whether it’s a Hollywood actor in between jobs, a few lost souls in a foreign place or a Queen, it’s never the stuff of melodrama. She has an eye for the comedic...
Row House Cinema hosting drive-in movies in Pittsburgh’s Strip District
Row House Cinema is teaming up with the Terminal in the Strip District for a month of drive-in movies. Row House Cinema will show a movie every Friday and Saturday in October — except for Oct. 30 — at the Terminal at 21st Street and Smallman Street. Doors will open...
Moderator Chris Wallace on the wild presidential debate: ‘It was revealing’
Fox News anchor Chris Wallace was surprised by the ugly contentiousness of the first 2020 debate between President Donald Trump and his opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden, on Tuesday, but he believes the clash still offered viewers plenty of insights about the two candidates. “Obviously it was not the...
Banff film festival adventure shorts to screen at Carrie FurnacesVideo
Venture Outdoors is taking its name literally for this year’s presentation of the world tour of the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival, a showcase of adventure films from around the globe. In previous years, the event was held in the Byham Theater in downtown Pittsburgh. On Oct. 15, this year’s...
Nearly a year after sudden exit, Shepard Smith returns to TV
NEW YORK — Two weeks shy of a year after abruptly quitting Fox News Channel with a declaration that “truth will always matter,” Shepard Smith returns to television this week at his unexpected new home. He begins a general interest nightly newscast Wednesday at 7 p.m. on the financial network...
Review: ‘Kajillionaire’ shows the pains of growing up a grifterVideo
We’ve been blessed, of late, with excellent movies about families of grifters. There was Hirokazu Kore-eda’s gloriously heartfelt “Shoplifters,” about a makeshift clan of small-time thieves whose familial bonds run at least as deep as DNA. Bong Joon Ho’s diabolical Oscar-winner, “Parasite,” gave us a nuclear family of con artists...
Ellen DeGeneres makes on-air apology, vows a ‘new chapter’
Ellen DeGeneres used her opening monologue of the new season of her daytime talk show to address allegations of a toxic work environment, apologizing for things “that never should have happened.” “I know that I’m in a position of privilege and power and I realize that with that comes responsibility,...
‘Schitt’s Creek’ sweeps comedy categories at Emmy AwardsVideo
LOS ANGELES — “Schitt’s Creek,” the little Canadian show about a fish-out-of-water family, made history at Sunday’s Emmy Awards with a comedy awards sweep, something even TV greats including “Frasier” and “Modern Family” failed to achieve. The Pop TV show’s awards included best comedy series and awards for its stars,...
