Movies/TV category
Jennifer Grey set for ‘Dirty Dancing’ sequel, filming this yearVideo
NEW YORK — Nobody puts Jennifer Grey in a corner. The “Dirty Dancing” star is finally about to reprise her role in the 1987 hit’s long-awaited sequel, going into production this year. Grey, 65, is officially confirmed to once again play her Golden Globe-nominated role of Frances “Baby” Houseman in...
TV Q&A: Has CBS’s ‘Tracker’ gotten darker this season?
Q: Does “Tracker” on Sunday evenings on CBS seem to have “darker” stories this year? Colter Shaw is having help from another official or his brother. And Reenie had a male escort in the Nov. 30 episode. That seems out of character. And Reenie lied to Colter that she was...
CBS News chief Bari Weiss tells staff ‘we’re toast’ if they continue on current path
Addressing her staff three months into her job as CBS News boss, Bari Weiss on Tuesday invoked legendary newsman Walter Cronkite as a symbol of old thinking and said that if the network continues with its current strategy, “we’re toast.” Squirrel Hill native Weiss announced the hiring of 18 new...
TV Talk: Lady Gaga channels Mister Rogers in Super Bowl adVideo
Pop music star Lady Gaga covers the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” theme song, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, in a commercial for Redfin / Rocket that will air during Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8. It will be first Super Bowl ad for Redfin, an online real estate brokerage recently purchased...
TV Talk: Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ trades action for character drama on Disney+Video
After the usual Marvel logo at the start of Disney+’s “Wonder Man,” there’s also a logo for Marvel Spotlight, which is basically the indie version of Marvel — stories that are more grounded and character-driven and that don’t require knowledge of Marvel Cinematic Universe story arcs. The banner first showed...
New episode of ‘The Pitt’ honors Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life attack
Along with the latest episode of “The Pitt” on Thursday night came a storyline honoring Pittsburgh’s synagogue shooting victims. The Oct. 27, 2018, shooting killed 11 people across three congregations — Tree of Life, New Light and Dor Hadash. The reference came during “9:00 a.m.,” Episode 3, Season 2 of...
TV Talk: Patrick Dempsey murders his way through Alzheimer’s in ‘Memory of a Killer’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Back in the early 2000s, antiheroes on TV were all the rage thanks to “The Shield,” “The Sopranos,” “Damages” and a slew of other series that centered on characters who would have been each show’s...
Q&A: Fox Chapel native’s film on human trafficking gets rereleaseVideo
Erin Galey was a long way from her hometown of Fox Chapel when she discovered the story that would inspire her short film, “Brave Girl.” She was a student at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in Singapore, pursuing her master’s degree in film production, when a friend...
‘Sinners’ makes history, setting Oscars nomination recordVideo
Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” led all films with 16 nominations to the 98th Academy Awards on Thursday, setting a record for the most in Oscar history. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters showered “Sinners” with more nominations than they had ever bestowed before, breaking the 14-nomination...
TV Talk: Supermodels combust in bloody, provocative ‘The Beauty’
There was a time when TV writer/producer Ryan Murphy’s name attached to a series meant it would be edgy but also thought-provoking, out-there but still considered quality TV. Alas, those days are mostly gone. Murphy’s shows now tend to be schlockfests — see Hulu’s “All’s Fair” — that viewers may...
TV Q&A: Are TV journalists paid by appearance?
Q: Are TV journalists paid a flat salary or is it based on each appearance? When Tony Dokoupil took on duties of a third hour of “CBS Mornings,” was he paid more, or does the basic contract cover anything the network asks them to do? What about now that he’s...
’60 Minutes’ airs report on Trump deportations that was suddenly pulled a month agoVideo
“60 Minutes” on Sunday aired its story about Trump administration deportations that was abruptly pulled from the newsmagazine’s lineup a month ago, a move that had triggered an internal battle about political pressure that spilled out into the open. Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi made no reference to her dispute with CBS...
TV Talk: ‘CBS Evening News’ to broadcast from Pittsburgh
This evening, Pittsburgh will be the backdrop for what’s become perhaps the most controversial network newscast in America, as CBS brings its retooled “Evening News” to KDKA-TV. The broadcast, airing at 7 p.m., is part of a market-by-market tour for newly installed anchor Tony Dokoupil and editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, a...
Horror comedy musical ‘I: Scream’ to show at Lindsay Theater
What if that refreshing bowl of creamy dessert tried to eat you back? In Aleen Isley’s new film “I: Scream — A Minty Musical,” a glob of chilly, sweet ice cream gains sentience and endeavors to consume everything in its path. The Lindsay Theater will show the film — which...
TV Talk: ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoff starts comic, grows darkVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” wants to signal to viewers that it won’t be the same-old, same-old “Game of Thrones” spinoff. Viewers meet lead character Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall (Peter Claffey) as he’s...
Kathleen Kennedy, steward of ‘Star Wars,’ steps down from Lucasfilm
After more than 13 years at the helm of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down from the “Star Wars” factory founded by George Lucas. The Walt Disney Co. announced Thursday that it will now turn to Dave Filoni to steer “Star Wars,” as president and chief creative officer, into its...
HBO Max gives back to AGH staff with ‘The Pitt’ screening, gifting suite
Workers at Allegheny General Hospital got a big “thank-you” from HBO Max on Wednesday. The streaming service behind hit medical drama “The Pitt” set up a day-long “gifting suite” at the hospital. They also had an advance screening of season two, episode two of “The Pitt,” which wasn’t scheduled to...
TV Talk: CMU grad Holly Hunter leads ‘Starfleet Academy’Video
Even back to the 1980s, there’s been chatter about a “Star Trek” movie or series set at Starfleet Academy, the training center for the crews of the starships Enterprise, Voyager and Discovery. Many “Trek” fans hated the idea of a Starfleet Academy-set story, fearing it would be more “90210” and...
TV Q&A: When will the WPXI vs. Verizon dispute end?
Q: Is there any known timeframe for the WPXI vs. Verizon Fios dispute to be resolved? Lack of “Saturday Night Live,” “Sunday Night Football” and 11 p.m. news, to name a few, is beyond frustrating. I pay for a cable package that includes WPXI and I feel like I am...
The Runarounds’ Will Lipton on sold-out concerts, Amazon Prime show and moreVideo
Just to set the record straight, the Runarounds are a real band. But there’s also a fictionalized version of the group on an Amazon Prime series also named “The Runarounds.” The show, created by Jonas Pate (Netflix’s “Outer Banks”), follows a group of recent high school grads chasing their dreams...
Noah Wyle shows love for Pittsburgh after Golden Globes win for ‘The Pitt’Video
Add “The Pitt” lead actor Noah Wyle to the growing ranks of Pittsburgh appreciators — his own local connections even played a role in setting the series in the ‘Burgh. The HBO Max medical drama takes place at the fictional Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s emergency department. Now in its second...
TV Talk: ‘The Pitt,’ Noah Wyle make it a hat trick with Golden Globes wins
“The Pitt” completed a hat trick, winning the Golden Globes Award for best drama series following its Emmy and Critics Choice wins in the same category. Star Noah Wyle also notched his third awards season win, taking home the Globes trophy for best lead TV drama actor. Before Wyle’s win...
Timothée Chalamet wins his 1st Golden Globe, ‘Sinners’ wins for cinematic achievement
Timothée Chalamet won his first Golden Globe at Sunday’s ceremony, while “One Battle After Another” and “Sinners” collected multiple awards and Amy Poehler won for best podcast. The win Sunday for Chalamet was possible foreshadowing for the 30-year-old star’s first Oscar. Though he memorably won at the Screen Actors Guild...
Veteran actor T.K. Carter, known for ‘The Thing’ and ‘Punky Brewster,’ dies at 69
DUARTE, Calif. — Veteran actor T.K. Carter, who appeared in the horror film “The Thing” and “Punky Brewster” on television, has died at the age of 69. Carter was declared dead Friday evening after deputies responded to a call regarding an unresponsive male in Duarte, California, according to the Los...
The Clarks release new EP to ride the wave of ‘The Pitt’ song inclusionVideo
When viewers turned on the season two premiere of HBO Max hit series “The Pitt” on Thursday, the first thing they heard was the dramatic percussion intro of The Clarks’ “Better Off Without You.” The inclusion of the Pittsburgh music-scene titans was an effort by producers to add local flavor...
