Movies/TV category, Page 17
Why ‘The Pitt’ hits home: Show resonates as fictional measles episode mirrors real life
Locals watching “The Pitt” already have reason to think the Max television series hits close to home with its portrayal of an emergency room in Pittsburgh. A recent episode also fits in with current events, although tariffs weren’t mentioned. The subject was measles, and whether an ER physician would recognize...
TV Talk: What to watch for in the season finale of ‘The Pitt’
Max’s Pittsburgh-set ER drama “The Pitt” reaches its first-season finale tonight at 9 as the series wraps the extended shift of Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) and his colleagues who work in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center emergency department. Set during the 10-11 p.m. hour, the episode will have to address:...
Cannes Film Festival sets lineup with Ari Aster, Richard Linklater and Wes Anderson
PARIS — New films from Wes Anderson, Ari Aster, and Richard Linklater will compete for the Palme d’Or at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, organizers announced Thursday. Coming off a 2024 edition that produced the Academy Award best-picture winner “Anora,” as well as a number of Oscar contenders in “Emilia...
Pat McAfee’s ‘Big Night Aht’ was a long night full of surprise guests
Pat McAfee may be an ex-NFL player, a wrestling commentator and host of massively popular sports talk program “The Pat McAfee Show,” but he’s still a Pittsburgher at heart. And the city loves him back, as evidenced by the 90-minute ticket sellout for his Wednesday night PPG Paints Arena show...
TV Talk: ‘Hacks’ returns; ‘North of North,’ ‘Friends & Neighbors’ debutVideo
If it’s April, it’s the season when streaming services rush to release what they see as their Emmy-worthy shows in time to qualify for this year’s awards (eligibility ends May 31). Steel yourself for an onslaught of premieres over the next seven weeks. ‘Hacks’ Max’s “Hacks” remains a comedy gem...
TV Q&A: Is WTAE’s Ryan Recker related to a Pirates batboy?
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: Is Ryan Recker of WTAE related to Bobby Recker who was the batboy for the Pirates back in the early ‘60s? — Michael, Beaver Falls...
Surprise Kevin Spacey appearance at Steel City Con draws social media ire
Many Western Pennsylvania comic enthusiasts reacted with disappointment to Steel City Con’s last-minute announcement that controversial actor Kevin Spacey would attend this past weekend’s event. CJ Gatsby, a loyal customer of Steel City Con, said he waffled on whether to attend this past weekend, but the Spacey announcement solidified it...
Broadcast television is in trouble. Stations are asking Washington for help
As television station owners gathered in Las Vegas this week for the annual National Association of Broadcasters convention, they sent an urgent message to Washington that could be summed up in one word — “Help.” Streaming video has siphoned away the traditional viewing audience. Advertisers have shifted their budgets to...
CBS host Gayle King criticized for quoting gay slur in interview
After a wild moment on air, long-time CBS anchor Gayle King is under fire from fans. On an April 3 episode of “CBS Mornings,” Matteo Lane, an openly gay comedian, appeared on the show. During the segment with King, the host repeated a joke from Lane’s comedy routine. “Let’s talk...
‘Happy Days’ main cast reunites at Steel City Con
This weekend made for some happy days in Monroeville. Four main cast members of the popular 1970s show “Happy Days” — Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams and Don Most — had a reunion at Steel City Con in Monroeville. The actors participated in a panel discussion about the series...
TV Talk: ‘Last of Us’ remains best of TVVideo
“The Last of Us” returns for its second season (9 p.m. April 13, HBO, Max) and throws a lot of story and character development at viewers over its seven episodes. That’s mostly positive for people who appreciate the show’s grounded emphasis on the pseudo-father-daughter relationship between Joel (Pedro Pascal) and...
Denis Arndt, Tony-nominated star of ‘Heisenberg’ and veteran of David E. Kelley TV shows, dies at 86
NEW YORK — Denis Arndt, a character actor and favorite of TV writer and producer David E. Kelley, getting cast in “L.A. Law,” “Picket Fences” and “Chicago Hope,” and later earning a Tony nomination for his Broadway debut at age 77 in a play about mismatched lovers, has died. He...
‘Narcos: Mexico’ actor Manuel Masalva in coma after bacterial infection
Actor Manuel Masalva, known for his work in Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico,” is hospitalized in a medically induced coma in Dubai after contracting a highly infectious bacteria while vacationing. Manager Jaime Jaramillo Espinosa confirmed to the Los Angeles Times the 43-year-old had been in the Philippines but arrived in the United...
TV Talk: ‘The Pitt’ wraps 1st season, producers look ahead to season 2
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. “The Pitt” executive producers R. Scott Gemmill and John Wells, a 1979 Carnegie Mellon University grad, have already started work on Season 2 even as the show advances to its first-season finale at 9 p.m....
Final Four games average 15.3 million viewers, its biggest audience in 8 years
NEW YORK — Saturday night’s Final Four games averaged 15.3 million viewers on CBS according to fast national numbers from Nielsen, the most-watched national semifinals in eight years. The data also includes some out-of-home data. Numbers are expected to increase when the final numbers are released Tuesday morning. Some of...
Hollywood lands a much-needed box office hit with ‘A Minecraft Movie’
Hollywood needed “A Minecraft Movie” to be a hit, and it delivered in its opening weekend, significantly narrowing this year’s box office deficit. No one guessed just how big it would be. In its first few days in theaters, the movie earned a staggering $157 million in ticket sales from...
British police charge comedian Russell Brand with rape and sexual assault
LONDON — British police on Friday charged Russell Brand with rape and sexual assault following an 18-month investigation sparked when four women alleged they had been assaulted by the controversial comedian. London’s Metropolitan Police force said Brand, 50, faces one count of rape, one of indecent assault, one of oral...
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo tease new ‘Wicked: For Good’ footage during CinemaCon victory lap
LAS VEGAS — When Ariana Grande,Cynthia Erivo and director Jon M. Chu took the stage in Las Vegas last April to tease “Wicked” months before its theatrical release, there was cautious optimism that the long-anticipated film would be a hit. But when the pair hit the same stage at the...
TV Talk: ‘Pulse’ is no ‘Pitt;’ WPXI reporter exits
Acclaimed Pittsburgh-set ER drama “The Pitt” would be a hard act for any medical show to follow, but Netflix’s “Pulse” fares extremely poorly by comparison. “Pulse” is pretty much “Grey’s Anatomy” set in the post-#MeToo era if Meredith complained to HR about McDreamy instead of dating him for years. As...
NHL and Rogers announce a 12-year Canadian media rights deal through the 2037-38 season
TORONTO — The NHL and Rogers Communications announced a new 12-year national media rights deal Wednesday to air games on multiple platforms in Canada. The agreement, which was first reported Monday, is valued at $11 billion Canadian dollars, or roughly $7.7 billion. The new deal runs through the 2037-38 season....
Brentwood, Murrysville residents represent Pa. Women Work on national TVVideo
Say you receive an email from someone claiming to be a producer for an Emmy Award-winning TV program. Your thoughts may be along the same lines as the folks at Pennsylvania Women Work. “Our first reaction was thinking this was spam,” Kristin Ioannou, the nonprofit’s executive director, said about an...
TV Q&A: Is a WTAE anchor cutting back?
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: Is Michelle Wright at WTAE cutting back? I noticed she does behind-the-scenes stories like “4 Your Health” and “4 Your Money” earlier in the morning...
Val Kilmer, ‘Top Gun’ and Batman star with an intense approach, dies at 65
LOS ANGELES — Val Kilmer, the brooding, versatile actor who played fan favorite Iceman in “Top Gun,” donned a voluminous cape as Batman in “Batman Forever” and portrayed Jim Morrison in “The Doors,” has died. He was 65. Kilmer died Tuesday night in Los Angeles, surrounded by family and friends,...
The Lindsay Theater in Sewickley to take moviegoers on an ‘Antarctic Voyage’
As part of its Emerging Filmmakers Series, The Lindsay Theater and Cultural Center in Sewickley will show “Antarctic Voyage,” a documentary by award-winning director Kevin Schreck. The film is a chronicle of a 2023 biological research expedition to the island of South Georgia, which is situated in the South Atlantic...
Richard Chamberlain, TV actor who starred in ‘Dr. Kildare,’ dies at 90
LOS ANGELES — Richard Chamberlain, the handsome hero of the 1960s television series “Dr. Kildare” who found a second career as an award-winning “king of the miniseries,” has died. He was 90. Chamberlain died Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist, Harlan Boll....
