Movies/TV category, Page 182
8 movies we’ll be talking about at next year’s Oscars
If Democratic presidential candidates are criss-crossing New Hampshire and buying vintage sequined jackets in South Carolina to boost their bona fides for the 2020 election, then it can’t be too early to talk about next year’s Oscars, right? That’s a rhetorical question. Of course, it’s too soon. But that’s not...
Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter brought costume collection to Pittsburgh last yearVideo
Ruth E. Carter made history by becoming the first African American woman to win an Oscar for costume design. There was talk of Carter’s immense talent in August when she visited Pittsburgh to introduce part of her vast collection at the Senator John Heinz History Center—the first museum to showcase...
Judge allows Smollett to travel to meet with attorneys
CHICAGO — A Chicago judge says “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett can travel out-of-state to meet his lawyers while he’s free on bond on charges he falsely reported being attacked by two masked men. Anne Kavanagh is a spokeswoman for Smollett’s attorneys, who say he’s innocent. Kavanagh says attorney Mark Geragos,...
Some stars snubbed from ‘In Memoriam’ at Oscars
Several actors and movie stars did not make the cut for the Oscars “In Memoriam” montage. While the Academy did acknowledge the passing of actors and icons like Penny Marshall, Burt Reynolds, Marvel’s Stan Lee, and “Superman” star Margot Kidder, several familiar faces were left off the list. The among...
‘Green Book’ best picture Oscar provokes backlash from film’s detractors
Given the fraught topic of race and racism in America, it should surprise no one that the best picture Oscar for “Green Book” is now surrounded by controversy. The movie about an Italian-American bouncer who chauffeurs an African-American pianist around the Jim Crow South — based on a true story...
The final list of winners at the 91st Academy Awards
The final list of the winners at the 91st Academy Awards: Best picture: “Green Book” Best actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” Best actor: Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” Best director: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma” Best supporting actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” Best supporting actor: Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” Foreign...
Mt. Lebanon native Jay Hart takes Oscar for production design
Jay Hart, a Mt. Lebanon native, won the Oscar for production design for the big-budget, super-hero movie “Black Panther” Sunday night at the Academy Awards. He shared the award with Hannah Beachler, who together worked on the film. Beachler took the microphone first on stage and spoke, but Hart didn’t...
In an upset, ‘Green Book’ wins best picture at Oscars
LOS ANGELES — The segregation-era road-trip drama “Green Book” was crowned best picture at the 91st Academy Awards on Sunday, handing Hollywood’s top award to a film seen as a feel-good throwback by some and ridiculed as an outdated inversion of “Driving Miss Daisy” by others. In a year where...
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ tops Oscar weekend with $55.5M
LOS ANGELES — “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” breathed some fire into a slumping box office with a franchise-best $55.5 million debut over Oscar weekend. Writer-director Dean DeBlois’ third and supposedly final installment in the “How to Train Your Dragon” series notched the best opening of the...
Quiz: Test your Oscar smarts
The 91st annual Academy Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. Here’s a quick test of your brain power when it comes to the golden statue that Hollywood bestows on the best the year’s best films....
Pittsburgh region looks to add to its Oscars cache
Need a rooting interest to get into the 2019 Academy Awards? Think local. Some household names with ties to Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania have won Oscars for their on-screen performances, including Michael Keaton (Robinson), Holly Hunter (Carnegie Mellon University graduate), Shirley Jones (Charleroi-born, Smithton-raised), Frances McDormand (Monessen) and Jimmy Stewart...
Curtain set to go up on a host-less but drama-filled Oscars
NEW YORK — A winter of discontent for the Academy Awards will culminate Sunday in an Oscar ceremony that may lack a host but isn’t missing intrigue. The run-up to the 91st Academy Awards has been a series of missteps and backtracks by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and...
U.S. Latinas rally around ‘Roma’ actress Yalitza Aparicio
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Yalitza Aparicio, the Oscar-nominated, first-time actress in “Roma,” is finding strong support among Mexican-American women who identify with her indigenous roots despite backlash she is receiving in Mexico. Some Mexican-American women say they are glad Aparicio’s high-profile role is challenging typical images of light-skinned Latinas in Spanish-language...
‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin celebrated by Google Doodle
Google’s home page Friday featured the original Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, cuddling a croc. The legendary Australian outdoorsman’s 57th birthday would have been Feb. 22, (it was also the date of National Wildlife Day this year) so it was doubly appropriate the search engine pay homage by showing the man...
‘Empire’ producers cut Jussie Smollett from season’s last episodes
CHICAGO — Actor Jussie Smollett’s character on “Empire” will be removed from the final two episodes of this season in the wake of his arrest on charges that he staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself last month in downtown Chicago, producers of the Fox TV show announced Friday. The...
Here kitty, kitty! Row House Cinema to screen CatVideoFest
Row House Cinema will continue its tradition of putting adorable and hilarious cats on the big screen by hosting the 2019 CatVideoFest. The 70-minute cute kitty compilation will run March 10-21 in the theater at 4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville. A portion of proceeds from 70-minute program will go to local...
Review: Third ‘Dragon’ doesn’t fly as high as previous installmentsVideo
With an adorable (albeit fire-breathing) star and a formidable villain, the animated adventure “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” has a lot going for it. In this third installment of the series of films about Vikings and their dragons — based on books by Cressida Cowell — returning...
New Harry Potter roller coaster opening at Universal Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. — Harry Potter fans should get ready to rev their engines. A new roller coaster modeled after the character Hagrid’s motorcycle will open at Universal Orlando Resort in June. The theme park resort said Thursday that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure will take riders on a trip with...
Review: ‘Fighting With My Family’ is a cheeky, fun sports biopicVideo
The more globally famous the celebrity, the tougher audiences tend to be on a biopic. Unless it’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” because, you know. All those hits. A different sort of hit-making and punishment-taking sets the tone in “Fighting With My Family,” based on a true story. It’s not a story, or...
At Academy Awards, race for best picture is too close to call
NEW YORK — On a year where one of the lead Oscar contenders is titled “The Favourite,” the 91st Academy Awards lack a clear front runner. Normally a fairly predictable process with one or two favorites, this year’s best picture race has been maddeningly unclear, almost devious in its contradictions....
‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett turns himself in to face charge
CHICAGO — Chicago police say “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has turned himself in to face a charge of making a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck. Police spokesman...
Harry Potter film festival in final year at Row House Cinema
“You can laugh, but people used to believe there were no such things as the Blibbering Humdinger or the Crumple-Horned Snorkack!” So said Luna Lovegood in “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” Before the age of Harry Potter, people didn’t believe in horcruxes, boggarts or dementors, either. Row...
Brothers in Smollett case are bodybuilders, aspiring actors
CHICAGO — An attorney representing the brothers at the center of an investigation into the attack reported by Jussie Smollett said Wednesday that her clients “manned up” and testified in front of a grand jury, before prosecutors charged the “Empire” actor with filing a false police report. Gloria Schmidt spoke...
Latest Pixar short ‘Kitbull’ will warm your cold heart
Looking for a bit of “awww” in the midst of winter? Pixar’s latest entry in its SparkShorts program is “Kitbull,” a hand-drawn story about an unlikely friendship between a stray kitten and a pit bull. Directed by Rosana Sullivan, the heartwarming story opens on a black kitten whose cardboard box...
CNN hires GOP political operative to lead 2020 election coverage
From reactions on the internet, the newest hire from Cable News Network has made a big splash. The only problem is many believe CNN has gone to the deep end. Sarah Isgur, former spokeswoman and senior counsel at the Justice Department under Jeff Sessions, is said to be its new...
