Movies/TV category, Page 61
‘Succession’ finale: Fans react to end of Emmy-winning hit drama
WASHINGTON — With the end of the critically acclaimed drama’s fourth and final season, dedicated fans of “Succession” now know the answer to the series’ central question: Which of the Murdoch-esque Roy family siblings will prevail? Oh, and — for those who haven’t yet watched, here’s the spoiler alert. The...
‘The Little Mermaid’ makes box office splash with $95.5 million opening
“The Little Mermaid” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend. Disney’s live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic easily outswam the competition, bringing in $95.5 million on 4,320 screens in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday. And Disney estimates the film starring Halle Bailey...
5 questions to consider as you get ready for the ‘Succession’ finale
There’s no Iron Throne, but the stakes feel just as high. “Succession,” the critically acclaimed drama chronicling a Murdoch-esque feuding billionaire family, wraps its four-season run on Sunday with a highly anticipated 88-minute finale. And just like another tentpole HBO show, “Game of Thrones,” there’s no shortage of theories over...
CBS is television’s most popular network for 15th straight year
NEW YORK — CBS claimed the distinction of most-watched television network for the 15th straight year, even as those bragging rights don’t mean what they used to. The network averaged just under 6 million viewers on a typical moment in prime time for the season that just concluded, the Nielsen...
Court says Hugh Grant’s lawsuit alleging illegal snooping by tabloid can go to trial
LONDON — A London court on Friday rejected an attempt by the publisher of The Sun tabloid to throw out a lawsuit by actor Hugh Grant alleging that journalists and investigators it hired illegally snooped on him. Justice Timothy Fancourt said a trial in January will have to determine whether...
TV Talk: Streaming services, cable networks schedule scripted summer seriesVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for the coming season. There are still a few summer series that don’t yet have premiere dates — notably Disney+’s “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” — but here are the new and returning scripted cable and streaming shows viewers can expect...
‘Brady Bunch’ house on the market — for $5.5 millionVideo
Here’s the story … of one of the most famous TV homes of all time. And it’s now for sale. The iconic Brady Bunch house in Studio City, Calif., is on the market via Redfin for $5.5 million. The house has quite a storied history. It began as just the...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s Heidi isn’t the sole ‘Survivor;’ Arnold Schwarzenegger stars in his first TV seriesVideo
Going into this 44th season of CBS’s “Survivor,” Heidi Lagares-Greenblatt of Jefferson Hills described a strategy of head-down, don’t-rock-the-boat, no-nonsense play. That worked for almost the entire season. It was clear from the first episode, in which she was barely featured, that Lagares-Greenblatt likely was in it for the long...
Fan-made ‘Mister Rogers’ Lego set could become real, but only if you vote
If it was up to one fan, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood would literally be in your home. Or at least a miniaturized version of it. Matt Smith recently made a detailed Lego re-creation of the set of the beloved children’s television show and the show’s Neighborhood of Make-Believe. Now, he wants...
TV Q&A: Why did James Corden leave ‘The Late Late Show’?Video
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: Why did James Corden choose to leave “The Late Late Show?” I enjoyed that program. — Gary, Leechburg Rob: Corden said in several interviews that...
Netflix to charge an additional $8 month for viewers living outside U.S. subscribers’ households
Netflix on Tuesday outlined how it intends to crack down on the rampant sharing of account passwords in the U.S., its latest bid to reel in more subscribers to its video streaming service as its growth slows. To combat password sharing, Netflix said it will limit U.S. viewership of its...
TV Talk: WPXI-TV adds to on-air roster; Rick Sebak launches podcast
WPXI-TV made three recent on-air hires, including one familiar face (for those with a long local TV news memory). Adis Juklo (pronounced “add-is” “you-klo”), who grew up in Lawrenceville and Aspinwall, is the station’s new weekend morning meteorologist. Antoinette DelBel is a new full-time reporter. Lonni Rivera is on her...
Irish actor Ray Stevenson, of ‘Rome’ and ‘Thor’ movies, dies at 58
Ray Stevenson, who played the villainous British governor in “RRR,” an Asgardian warrior in the “Thor” films, and a member of the 13th Legion in HBO’s “Rome,” has died. He was 58. Representatives for Stevenson told The Associated Press that he died Sunday but had no other details to share...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking fall TV schedules, animated ‘Gremlins,’ ‘American Born Chinese’
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 Ming-Na Wen, who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and graduated from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama, lending her voice to a character...
Hawaii’s Iam Tongi claims ‘American Idol’ titleVideo
A high school student from Hawaii is the newest “American Idol.” Iam Tongi, 18, was crowned the winner of season 21 during Sunday’s finale on ABC. Tongi, Megan Danielle Worship and Colin Stough were the final three contestants. Stough came in third while Worship came in second in fan voting....
‘Fast X’ speeds to No. 1; knocks ‘Guardians 3’ to 2nd
The 10th installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise was off to the races this weekend, knocking “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” out of first place and easily claiming the No. 1 spot at the box office. “Fast X” earned $67.5 million in ticket sales from 4,046 North American...
Television’s biggest mystery: how long will pipeline for new programming be closed?
NEW YORK — For decades, the week in May when television executives revealed what new shows were coming and which old ones were going spoke to the power and influence that ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox had over popular culture. This past week offered more evidence of how that is...
In Cannes, Harrison Ford bids adieu to Indiana JonesVideo
CANNES, France — As the Cannes Film Festival crowd stood in rapturous applause, a visibly moved Harrison Ford stood on the stage, trying to keep his emotions in check. The warmth of the audience and a clip reel that had just played had left Ford shaken. “They say that when...
Sean Penn, backing WGA strike, calls Producers Guild the ‘Bankers Guild’
CANNES, France — Sean Penn strongly backed the current Hollywood screenwriters strike while speaking at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, saying the dispute over Artificial Intelligence is “a human obscenity.” Penn addressed the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike in a press conference for his new film, “Black Flies,”...
TV Talk: Ming-Na Wen voices character in ‘Gremlins’ series; ABC, CW set fall scheduleVideo
Actress Ming-Na Wen, who grew up in Mt. Lebanon and graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Drama, said she was drawn to a voice acting role in the animated prequel series “Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai” by her love of sci-fi and the show’s 1920s setting. The series uses...
TV Talk: Soaring fights, searing drama make all-family series ‘American Born Chinese’ a best betVideo
Based on the graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang, the Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” proves to be one of the year’s best surprises. A coming-of-age story that at times brings to mind TV greats “My So-Called Life” (though this one is from a boy’s perspective) and “Freaks and Geeks,”...
CNN names Kaitlan Collins to fill prime-time vacancy in Chris Cuomo’s old slot
NEW YORK — CNN said Kaitlan Collins will host a new hourlong show at the center of the prime-time lineup, filling a slot left vacant since the firing of Chris Cuomo and as the network’s ratings are at a low ebb. Collins will begin regularly hosting the 9 p.m. Eastern...
Movie review: Jason Momoa saves ‘Fast X’ from furiously speeding off into numbnessVideo
Fans and critics may disagree over when exactly the “Fast & Furious” franchise jumped the shark, but there is only one correct answer: When the Pontiac Fiero went into space. Weightless and violating every physical law, the floating car — tasked with bumping a satellite in the ninth installment —...
Johnny Depp says ‘I have no further need for Hollywood’
CANNES, France — Appearing at the Cannes Film Festival the day after premiering his first film in three years, Johnny Depp said Wednesday that he has “no further need” for Hollywood. Depp made a rare public appearance to face questions from the press following the opening-night premiere of “Jeanne du...
TV Q&A: Why no substitute when one of the WTAE morning anchors is absent?
Q: For more than a year, WTAE-TV has used three anchors on its morning newscasts and when one of the anchors is off, they never use a substitute anchor in order to keep three people at the anchor desk at any one time. Why don’t they ever use a substitute...
