Movies/TV category, Page 53
The Hollywood writers strike is over after guild leaders approve contract with studios
LOS ANGELES — Leaders of the screenwriters union declared their nearly five-month-old strike over Tuesday after board members approved a contract agreement with studios, bringing Hollywood at least partly back from a historic halt in production. The governing boards of the eastern and western branches of the Writers Guild of...
Striking Hollywood actors vote to authorize new walkout against video game makers
LOS ANGELES — Striking actors have voted to expand their walkout to include the lucrative video game market, a step that could put new pressure on Hollywood studios to make a deal with the performers who provide voices and stunts for games. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Radio and...
TV Talk: Why it’s so hard to find some football on TV, especially college games
Sports rights have always bounced among media companies, but there are so many more TV outlets today than 50 years ago. With dozens of outlets across broadcast, cable and streaming, it can be challenging to figure out where your team might be playing week to week. In an on-demand TV...
‘Dancing with the Stars’ premiere on track amid WGA’s tentative dealVideo
LOS ANGELES — The latest season of “Dancing with the Stars” will debut as originally planned, following months of tension and uncertainty amid the monthslong writers’ strike. ABC confirmed to the L.A. Times on Monday that the star-studded dance competition will premiere Tuesday at 8 p.m. Pacific, just days after...
Record-breaking ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ film now a worldwide ‘theatrical event’
The already record-breaking “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” film “is going global,” according to AMC Theatres. AMC said the movie will screen Oct. 13, 2023, in more than 100 countries around the world. Tickets for international shows go on sale today. The film is already scheduled to play in more...
David McCallum, star of hit TV series ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ and ‘NCIS,’ dies at 90
LOS ANGELES — Actor David McCallum, who became a teen heartthrob in the hit series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” in the 1960s and was the eccentric medical examiner in the popular “NCIS” 40 years later, has died. He was 90. McCallum died Monday of natural causes surrounded by family at...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Penguins’ Willie O’Ree Academy on WQED-TV, ‘Smackdown’ on the move, fall TV
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including WQED-TV’s new 30-minute documentary “Equity on Ice: The Willie O’Ree Academy” (8 p.m. Oct. 5, Channel 13), produced by Beth Dolinar and Dave Forstate...
Tentative deal reached to end the Hollywood writers strike. No deal yet for actors
LOS ANGELES — Union leaders and Hollywood studios reached a tentative agreement Sunday to end a historic screenwriters strike after nearly five months, though no deal is yet in the works for striking actors. The Writers Guild of America announced the deal in a statement. The three-year contract agreement —...
‘Expend4bles’ opens with epic flop while ‘Nun 2’ claims top spot again at the box office
LOS ANGELES — Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham weren’t enough to save ” Expend4bles ” from a debut box office flop. The fourth installment suffered the action-packed franchise’s worst opening weekend while ” The Nun 2 ” took home the top spot for a third straight week, Comscore reported on...
Usher to headline 2024 Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas
LOS ANGELES — Usher has a new confession: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in Las Vegas. The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Usher would lead the halftime festivities from Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. The music megastar, who has...
‘Silence of the Lambs’ actress meets fans, returns to the well at restored film location in Fayette County
The first time actress Brooke Smith’s character Catherine Martin spent time inside the ominous “Buffalo Bill” house in the 1991 thriller “The Silence of the Lambs,” she was trapped in a dingy basement well at the mercy of a deranged serial killer. This weekend, Smith ventured back into the basement...
TV Talk: ‘Krapopolis’ a smart bet on Fox’s part
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. There are times when a TV show feels like an odd duck for its network (e.g. Fox’s 2007 Pittsburgh-set sitcom “Back to You,” which might have lasted longer than a single season if it had...
Rupert Murdoch, whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down
NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian media magnate whose creation of Fox News made him a force in American politics, is stepping down as leader of both Fox’s parent company and his News Corp. media holdings. Fox said Thursday that Murdoch would become chairman emeritus of both companies,...
Bob Ross’ 1st TV painting, done in a half hour, goes on sale for nearly $10M
MINNEAPOLIS — What would Bob Ross think? The artist who brought painting to the people, with works completed for PBS viewers in less than a half-hour with little more than a large bristle brush, putty knife and plenty of encouragement, certainly wouldn’t have envisioned one of his works going up...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh chef enters ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ with Gordon RamsayVideo
Mattias Butts of Ross had to keep quiet for almost two years about his role as a contestant on the upcoming American Dream-themed, 22nd season of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” (8 p.m. Sept. 28). “When I finally got to tell somebody, it was very strange because I felt like a kid...
TV Q&A: What happened to WQED-TV’s signal?
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 Channel 13 having trouble with its signal? I’m 20 miles from Pittsburgh and sometimes I turn on Channel 13 and it’ll say “no picture”...
TV Talk: Kurt Angle documentary streams on Peacock
For documentary filmmaker Alex Perry, there wasn’t much question that he was interested in making a film about Dormont native, Olympic gold medalist, one-time TV sports anchor and pro wrestler Kurt Angle. “Kurt was my favorite pro wrestler growing up,” Perry said in a phone interview last week. “When I...
ABC will air an additional 10 ‘Monday Night Football’ games because of writers and actors strikes
LOS ANGELES — ABC will be airing more “Monday Night Football” games than originally planned. An additional 10 games originally set to appear only on ESPN will be simulcast on ABC. The additional games will be on network television because of the ongoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America...
Steve Mears, Josh Getzoff switch radio, TV roles as Penguins play-by-play broadcasters
Josh Getzoff still has the hourglass Mike Lange gifted him. When Getzoff replaced the Pittsburgh Penguins iconic play-by-play radio voice in 2021, Lange gave him an hourglass — an egg timer in all reality — that served as a reminder to read out the score and time of the game...
Michael Keaton takes in Steelers, Pirates games in Pittsburgh
A day after watching the Pittsburgh Pirates game, actor Michael Keaton took in the Steelers on “Monday Night Football.” Keaton, a Robinson native, watched some of the warmups Monday night from the sideline wearing a Pirates hat. He watched as the Steelers defeated the Browns, 26-22. On Sunday, with the...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Royce Jones’ departure, Mister Rogers tribute song, Disney characters meet the NFLVideo
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including a new Mister Rogers tribute song and video released last week by actress/singer Kate Micucci. The video features illustrations of Rogers and Mr. McFeely...
TV Talk: PBS dramas return, including ‘Annika,’ WWII-set ‘World on Fire’Video
On Pittsburgh’s WQED-TV, PBS dramas remain unimpacted by the strikes and will see the return of “Masterpiece” series “World on Fire” (9 p.m. Oct. 15) and “Annika” (10 p.m. Oct. 15) for their second seasons. Additional PBS dramas include season two of “Hotel Portofino” (8 p.m. Oct. 15) and the...
TV Talk: Prepare for an onslaught of unscripted series on broadcast channels’ fall lineupsVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for the coming season. With just two exceptions — NBC’s “Quantum Leap” and “Magnum P.I.” reboots, which filmed enough episodes to debut new episodes this fall — viewers’ scripted live-action favorites won’t have any new episodes this fall because of...
Hollywood strikes enter a new phase as daytime shows like Drew Barrymore’s return despite pickets
NEW YORK — “The Drew Barrymore Show” will begin airing fresh episodes on Monday but a lot of off-air controversy will be clinging to its typically bubbly host. Barrymore — a daughter of a proud acting dynasty — is making new batches of her syndicated talk show despite picketers outside...
TV Talk: Royce Jones exits KDKA-TV, Penguins on Channel 19
KDKA-TV reporter/anchor Royce Jones, who anchored the 10 p.m. news on KDKA-TV sister-station WPKD-TV, Channel 19, is no longer employed by the stations. In a two-sentence email sent to staff this week, KDKA/WPKD news director Shawn Hoder wrote, “FYI Royce Jones is no longer employed with CBS News Pittsburgh, KDKA/WPKD....
