Rob Owen stories, Page 30

Rob Owen
Rob Owen
Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
TV Talk: ‘Stranger Things’ ends its bloated season; Chris Pratt stars in bleak thriller ‘Terminal List’ 
Just when you think Netflix’s “Stranger Things 4” couldn’t get more bloated, writers/directors the Duffer Brothers make the last two episodes of the season even longer. Episodes eight and nine, now streaming, clock in at 85 and 140 minutes, respectively. That’s a lot of “Stranger Things” — too much, as...
TV Talk: Joe Manganiello on Pittsburgh pizza, Primanti’s-level fame and ‘Moonhaven’
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. When Joe Manganiello was in Pittsburgh earlier this year to throw out the first pitch at the Pirates’ home opener, it was the realization of a dream long delayed. “The Pirates have asked me a...
TV Talk: New faces to appear on Pittsburgh newscasts in July
Prepare to see several unfamiliar faces on local newscasts in the next month as stations restock their on-air ranks. Kristen Powers The most notable on-air addition is the arrival this week of WTAE’s new weekday anchor, who will sit alongside Mike Clark during the 11 p.m. newscast. With or without...
TV Q&A: Why are ‘Jeopardy!’ and ‘Wheel of Fortune’ switching time slots?
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: I have seen some other markets do this and I never thought that WPXI-TV would do so: Is there a particular reason why “Jeopardy!” and...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Bob Pompeani’s 40th anniversary at KDKA, ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ ‘Obi Wan’ finale
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 KDKA-TV sports anchor Bob Pompeani celebrating 40 years at the station with a “Pompeaniversary” special (7:30 p.m. July 9). The pair discuss the finale...
TV Talk: ‘Only Murders in the Building’ even better in season two 
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. There was an outpouring of love for Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” from critics and viewers that I chalk up to an appreciation of stars Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez more than...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Sprung’ springs up on Amazon Freevee in August
“Sprung,” the Amazon Freevee comedy series from writer Greg Garcia (“My Name is Earl,” “Raising Hope”) that filmed in Western Pennsylvania in summer and fall 2021, will premiere on the streaming service Aug. 19. “Sprung” follows a group of formerly incarcerated people who band together to use their criminal experience...
TV Talk: Winning ‘Loot’ stars ‘SNL’ vet Maya Rudolph, who has a Pittsburgh connection 
“Loot” is a hoot. If Apple TV+ was a linear network, feel-good comedy “Loot” would be the ideal “Ted Lasso” companion series. Though not quite as earnest as “Ted,” “Loot” is similarly unafraid of delivering humor with a side of warm pathos. But be advised: The premiere episode, streaming June...
TV Q&A: Where can you catch up on ‘This Is Us’?
Q: Do you know if “This Is Us” is looking to go into syndication? I’ve Googled it and found nothing and was a little surprised. I would have thought they would have sold it to someone. — Jim via email Rob: The bottom dropped out of the syndication market in...
TV Talk: Stephanie Allison hired at WPXI; WQED to debut Esther Bush documentary; ‘Ghosts’ pop-up in Altoona
Ever since the departure of Danielle Dozier a year ago, Channel 11 has been down to three staff meteorologists even as KDKA-TV and WTAE-TV staffed up to five. Freelancer Stephanie Allison did fill-in work on Channel 11 and the station advertised the fourth forecaster position late last year. Now, Allison...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Joe Arena’s leaving; CMU student in ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’; ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’; NHL ratings
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 Joe Arena’s pending departure from WPXI-TV and Carnegie Mellon University freshman Lola Tung, who landed her first-ever on-camera role in Amazon Prime Video’s “The...
TV Talk: CMU student stars in ‘Summer I Turned Pretty’ on Amazon Prime 
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. In addition to classwork and scene work that’s usual for Carnegie Mellon University drama students, in the spring of 2021, CMU freshman Lola Tung also booked her first on-camera role via a video audition...
TV Talk: Joe Arena to depart WPXI-TV; train to be a grip in local TV and film production
After almost a decade as an anchor/reporter at Channel 11, Joe Arena is leaving WPXI after his June 26 newscast for a job at News 12 Long Island, a 24-hour local cable news channel, where he’ll be a lead weekday afternoon/evening news anchor. Arena, a New York City native, called...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ dances onto Apple TV+ 
A local mall became writer/director filmmaker Cooper Raiff’s soundstage substitute when he filmed 10 of the 22 production days of “Cha Cha Real Smooth” at the Galleria at Pittsburgh Mills in late summer 2021. “Almost all of the party were set somewhere inside, like, a frickin’ Pac Sun...
TV Q&A: Why do ‘Jeopardy!’ hosts get different introductions?
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: Any idea why on “Jeopardy!” Ken Jennings is introduced as hosting “Jeopardy!” but Mayim Bialik is introduced as the host of “Jeopardy!”? — Kitty, Charleroi...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking the passing of actor Philip Baker Hall, ‘American Rust,’ ‘Peaky Blinders,’ ‘A League of Their Own’
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, why Amazon Freevee wanted to revive “American Rust” and the “A League of Their Own’ teaser trailer. Benz weighs in on early episodes of season...
TV Talk: ‘Evil’ explores fear-based doomscrolling on Paramount+ 
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. While husband-and-wife writers Robert and Michelle King’s “The Good Fight” won’t return to Paramount+ until Sept. 8 for its sixth and final season, their supernatural-adjacent “Evil” returns Sunday for its third season — but it’s...
TV Talk: Amazon Freevee revives ‘American Rust,’ ‘Justified’ revisits Pittsburgh
Never say never again: Five months after Showtime canceled filmed-in-Pittsburgh “American Rust,” the Western Pennsylvania-set drama has been revived. Amazon Freevee, formerly IMDb TV and also home to the upcoming filmed-in-Pittsburgh comedy “Sprung,” ordered a second season of “American Rust” starring Jeff Daniels and Maura Tierney. It will again film...
TV Talk: If you’re not watching ‘For All Mankind,’ you’re missing Apple TV+’s best series 
In an era of too much TV, critics have to jump from reviewing one new show to the next and often don’t have the luxury of sticking with all the shows they like. But after hearing enough good things from TV critic friends about how great Apple TV+’s “For All...
TV Q&A: Why hasn’t a KDKA-TV anchor been on the air?
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: Where has Meghan Schiller of KDKA-TV news been? Why hasn’t she been on the air? – Susan, Steubenville Rob: In early May, Schiller posted about...
TV Talk: W.Pa.-filmed ‘League of Their Own’ premieres in August 
All eight episodes of Amazon Prime Video’s “A League of Their Own,” which filmed throughout Western Pennsylvania in 2021, will finally premiere on the streaming service on Aug. 12. The series is inspired by the 1992 Penny Marshall-directed film of the same name that starred Geena Davis and Tom Hanks....
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking TV news sweeps ratings, ‘All Rise,’ streaming movies, ‘Obi Wan Kenobi’
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 May sweeps TV newscast ratings. The pair also review – spoilers included! – what they liked and disliked about “Obi Wan Kenobi” episode three...
TV Talk: New channel, same courtroom: ‘All Rise’ returns 
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. “All Rise” was a welcome outlier on CBS during its two-season, 2019-2021 run on the network. A courtroom procedural among a sea of law enforcement procedurals, “All Rise,” at least in early episodes, got...
TV Talk: Pittsburgher hosts A&E’s ‘Living Smaller’
As a former New York City resident, Pittsburgher Cinque Cerra-Saunders has experience “Living Smaller,” which is also the title of the A&E series he hosts at 12 and 12:30 p.m. Saturdays beginning June 4. “In New York City, we don’t call it living smaller, we just call it living,” Cerra-Saunders...
TV Talk: Streaming saves the mid-tier movie; WTAE-TV improves morning news lead in May sweeps 
While Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun Maverick” was busy drawing movie fans back to theaters last weekend, making a record-breaking $160 million over four days, streaming services have reclaimed the middle-budget movie (films made for $5-$50 million) for their platforms. And some of them are quite good. Disney+’s “Chip ‘n Dale:...


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