Editor's Picks category, Page 172
College releases its annual list of banished words: Is it cringe-worthy? Or iconic?
Wait for it: At the end of the day, hacks need to slay 10 cringe-worthy words and phrases, according to an iconic list from a Michigan university. The 2024 Lake Superior State University Banished Words List, released Sunday, is: hack, impact, at the end of the day, rizz, slay, iconic,...
TV Talk: Morning local newscast launches on WPGH-TV next week; Fox readies ‘Grimsburg’Video
WPGH-TV, Channel 53, will launch a 7 to 8 a.m. weekday newscast on Jan. 8, per promos that are airing and TV listings. As reported last month, this 7 a.m. newscast, like the 10 p.m. news on WPGH, will be produced and staffed by personnel from WPXI-TV. Channel 11’s morning...
Shake Shack eyes 2nd Pittsburgh location in city’s East End
A popular burger chain is looking to add a second site in Pittsburgh. Shake Shack will be moving into a new development in Pittsburgh’s East End, the second location announced in the city for the New York-based burger chain. O’Hara-based Echo Realty announced last week that Shake Shack will be...
Paula Abdul accuses ‘American Idol’ producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexual assault in lawsuitVideo
LOS ANGELES — Paula Abdul has accused former “American Idol” producer Nigel Lythgoe of sexually assaulting her in the early 2000s when she was a judge on the reality competition show, according to a new lawsuit. The lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles also accuses Lythgoe of sexually assaulting Abdul...
Mickey Mouse will soon belong to you and me — with some caveats
LOS ANGELES — M-I-C-K-E-Y will soon belong to you and me. With several asterisks, qualification and caveats, Mickey Mouse in his earliest form will be the leader of the band of characters, films and books that will become public domain as the year turns to 2024. In a moment many...
British actor Tom Wilkinson, known for ‘The Full Monty,’ ‘Michael Clayton’, dies at 75
LONDON — Tom Wilkinson, the Oscar-nominated British actor known for his roles in “The Full Monty,” “Michael Clayton” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” has died, his family said. He was 75. A statement shared by his agent on behalf of the family said Wilkinson died suddenly at home on...
Zakk Sabbath, Creed Bratton, Three Dog Night among January’s top Pittsburgh concerts
An alum of “The Office” with a deep musical background, a veteran heavy-metal guitarist and a long-running rock band known for its three-part harmonies will be in Pittsburgh in January. Here’s a look at the most notable shows coming to the area this month: Top shows Jan. 9: Zakk Sabbath,...
Chef’s themed dinners in North Huntingdon offer creativity, fun, delicious food
Nick Saxon loves the creativity that the kitchen provides . From his main job as executive chef and beverage director for Braddock’s Rebellion, the restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel in Downtown Pittsburgh, to his commercial kitchen, SaxonFood Ink in Prospect, Butler County, Saxon loves nothing more than firing up a...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 29-Jan. 1
It’s the final weekend of 2023 and a long weekend for some. Here are some fun ways to send off one year, while welcoming in another. First Night Pittsburgh’s annual New Year’s Eve celebration turns 30 years old Sunday night. The Highmark First Night Pittsburgh event is a six-hour arts-focused...
Slippery Rock University’s marching band set to perform in London’s New Year’s Day Parade
The tubas – five in all – went first. They and other large brass and percussion instruments, plus enough band gear to fill a 26-foot box truck, had to be packed up and shipped overseas weeks before members of the Slippery Rock University Marching Pride band boarded flights for London....
Pop culture in Pittsburgh: A look back at 2023
There was no shortage of news in 2023 throughout the region’s arts and entertainment scene. From Taylor Swift to Kennywood, here are the region’s biggest cultural stories of 2023. ‘Swiftburg’ Arguably the concert of the year and the 2023 version of Beetlemania, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour sold out both nights...
2 new books highlight interesting Pittsburghers
A billionaire entrepreneur, Mt. Lebanon’s Mark Cuban started buying and selling baseball cards in a local park when he was 9 or 10. New Kensington’s Rich Engler, who has promoted more than 6,000 concerts in the Pittsburgh area and other markets across the U.S., at one time lived behind a...
Western Pa. animal shelters scramble to keep up with influx of surrendered pets
Toni Younkin’s phone rings at all hours of the day. As director of Pet Adoption League, a small-scale animal shelter, Younkin knows people need help even outside of business hours. She starts her day early to feed, socialize and take care of the dogs at her organization’s New Stanton-area facility....
5 things to do in Westmoreland: Dec. 29-31
It’s the final weekend of 2023, and there are plenty of ways to celebrate. Live Casino New Year’s Eve party On Sunday night, Live Casino Pittsburgh will host a New Year’s Eve ’70s disco inspired celebration at the Hempfield casino, off Route 30 adjacent to the Westmoreland Mall. Starting at...
First Night Pittsburgh: What you need to know
Pittsburgh will host a double celebration Sunday evening — welcoming 2024 and recognizing a special anniversary. Highmark First Night Pittsburgh turns 30. “I was looking at the dates earlier this year, and I realized Highmark First Night Pittsburgh started 30 years ago,” said Sarah Aziz, director of programming and manager...
U.S. postal inspectors: Don’t fall for counterfeit stampsVideo
While mailing holiday cards and presents to loved ones, there’s a distinct possibility that you were frantically looking for more stamps at some point last week. In fact, you may have been tempted to buy them in bulk, at a discounted rate, through any number of websites or email links....
Penn Township holiday project enters 8th year supporting Western Pa. homeless shelters
The best part of Kellie Haldie’s Christmas is delivering gifts, clothes and personal care items to people living in local homeless shelters. About 35 volunteers join Haldie in the annual giving project, Blessing Our Sheltered Hearts, which started in 2016. This year, volunteers supported three shelters and about 150 families...
Comedian Tom Smothers, one-half of the Smothers Brothers, dies at 86
Tom Smothers, half of the Smothers Brothers and the co-host of one of the most socially conscious and groundbreaking television shows in the history of the medium, has died at 86. The National Comedy Center, on behalf of his family, said in a statement Wednesday that Smothers died Tuesday at...
Best movies of 2023: ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Fallen Leaves,’ ‘May December’Video
The Associated Press’ Film Writers Lindsey Bahr and Jake Coyle’s picks for the best movies of 2023: LINDSEY BAHR 1. ‘Oppenheimer’ Christopher Nolan has had so many major films in a relatively short time, that “Oppenheimer” might seem like a given, rather than the triumphant fusion of everything he’s passionate...
Pa. dog license fee hike takes a nip out of owners’ wallets to pay for more wardens
The new year could bring the return of more frequent canvassing of neighborhoods by state dog wardens, checking to make sure dogs have current licenses and rabies vaccinations. That is only one change the new year will usher in as an updated dog law, intended to keep pets and the...
TV Q&A: Should local TV stations avoid ‘Hey, Martha’ stories?
Q:Can you explain why our local news stations cover frivolous topics that deliver no value to a Pittsburgh viewer? Below is just a sample of topics that have been covered specifically by WTAE, although the other local news stations do this as well. These topics are either non-local events, not...
From novices to experienced musicians, Western Pa.’s open stages offer chance to shine in the spotlight
When Riley Galloway gets up to sing at the weekly acoustic open stage at Yellow Bridge Brewing in Delmont, you’d never know that she’s been playing in public for only a few months. The 16-year-old Irwin resident’s voice fills the space with the confidence of someone who has been performing...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast finale: Myron Cope sings; ‘American Rust’ switches platforms, David ‘Mr. McFeely’ Newell honored
In this final episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast (alas, we’ve been canceled), host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment including WTAE-TV’s new local special, “Holiday Flashback” (7 p.m. Dec. 30, repeating at 5 p.m. Dec. 31), which will include...
Taylor Swift, Pink, Ed Sheeran among Pittsburgh’s biggest concerts in 2023
Taylor Swift broke attendance records with two shows this summer at Acrisure Stadium — and that doesn’t even include the tens of thousands of ticket-less fans who partied along outside the stadium. Swift’s pair of mega-shows were the highlight of Pittsburgh’s 2023 concert schedule, which also drew stadium shows from...
State, federal legislators look to keep AM radio a standard, free feature in vehicles
In recent years, some car manufacturers, including Ford, Tesla and Volkswagen, have quietly proposed removing AM radio from some vehicles. Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters think it’s the tip of a subscription-based iceberg and are hoping recent bipartisan federal legislation can stop it in its tracks. “The best...
