Movies/TV category, Page 100
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: A Steelers fans’ ‘True Story,’ Steelers TV ratings drop, ‘American Rust’ canceled
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 the decline of TV ratings for Steelers games in a season where NFL ratings generally rebounded. Benz and Owen discuss the “True Story” episode...
Howard Hesseman, star of ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ dies at 81
NEW YORK — Howard Hesseman, who played the radio disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on the sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati” and the actor-turned-history teacher Charlie Moore on “Head of the Class,” has died. He was 81. Hesseman died Saturday in Los Angeles due to complications from colon surgery, his manager...
‘Peacemaker’ puts John Cena film character in topical light
NEW YORK — In last year’s “The Suicide Squad,” John Cena’s Peacemaker is a jingoistic, bigoted superhero. Transferring the DC Comics character to a TV series spinoff gave writer-director James Gunn a forum to hold the flawed character to the light in these days of political divide. Cena, one of...
‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic resentenced to 21 years in prison
OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge resentenced “Tiger King” Joe Exotic to 21 years in prison on Friday, reducing his punishment by just a year after an appeals court ordered a new sentence. Joe Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving...
‘Book of Boba Fett’ writes a great chapter, but it’s someone else’s story
NOTE: Spoilers ahead through Wednesday’s episode of “Book of Boba Fett” and the first two seasons of “The Mandalorian” on Disney+. Let’s be clear: I love “The Mandalorian.” It’s a great series, and I can’t wait for the third season. So I was a bit surprised when this week’s episode...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native directs HBO special on Steelers great Terry BradshawVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for this week. Part stand-up comedy, part concert film, part biography, the new 75-minute HBO special “Terry Bradshaw: Going Deep” aims to give viewers new insights on the Hall of Fame Steelers quarterback. “I’m not looking to push anybody...
TV Talk: ‘Pam & Tommy’ offers a wild, weird ride; ‘Ghosts’ renewed
There are some moments in Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy” that will make viewers take notice one way or another, but early episodes of this limited series are fairly hum-drum when they’re not way over-the-top. Then it improves, becoming more nuanced in later episodes. Streaming Wednesday, “Pam & Tommy” is one...
‘Book of Boba Fett’ is the ‘Star Wars’ universe fans deserve
A long time ago, in a Gilpin Township home far, far away, I discovered the “extended Star Wars universe” after being enthralled by the original film trilogy. It came in the form of “Tales from Jabba’s Palace,” an anthology of stories that delved into the lives of the weird creatures,...
Amy Schneider’s 40-game ‘Jeopardy!’ winning streak ends with loss to librarianVideo
LOS ANGELES — One word made all the difference Wednesday on “Jeopardy!” Champion Amy Schneider’s dazzling streak on the quiz show is over, snapped by a Chicago librarian after 40 consecutive wins and nearly $1.4 million in prize money. Schneider’s success put her in the ranks of Ken Jennings, who’s...
TV Talk: CMU grad Denée Benton helped craft, advocate for her ‘Gilded Age’ characterVideo
Denée Benton, a 2014 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s musical theater program, stars in HBO’s “The Gilded Age” (9 p.m. Monday, HBO; also streaming on HBO Max), as Peggy Scott, a young Black woman striving to make it as a writer while working as a secretary for old money matriarch...
TV Q&A: Where can I see new ‘Judge Judy’ episodes?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: Does any station in Pittsburgh carry new episodes of “Judge Judy”? – Mike, Whitehall Rob: Channel 11 continues to carry “Judge Judy” reruns at 3...
Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival returning to Lawrenceville’s Row House CinemaVideo
After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Pittsburgh Japanese Film Festival is returning live to Lawrenceville. Screenings are planned for March 18-31 at Row House Cinema at 4115 Butler St. Passes go on sale Friday. “Our opening night film will be ‘The Island of Cats,’ which has never been shown in...
TV Talk: Showtime cancels filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘American Rust’
Almost three months after its first-season finale, Showtime canceled filmed-in-Pittsburgh “American Rust.” “We can confirm that ‘American Rust’ will not be moving forward with a second season,” read a Showtime statement. “We would like to thank our partners at Boat Rocker, our talented showrunner Dan Futterman and the rest of...
‘Aftershock’ puts human face to maternal health crisis in U.S.
It was 2017 when filmmaker Paula Eiselt started seeing articles about rising maternal mortality rates in the United States. She’d had traumatic experiences giving birth to her four children, but didn’t realize that the problems were widespread and disproportionately affecting Black women. Tonya Lewis Lee, in her travels and conversations...
TV Talk: Point Park celebrates 1st Myron Cope Day, ‘Proud Family’ on Disney+Video
The School of Communication at Point Park University will celebrate its first Myron Cope Day on Feb. 7, celebrating the Pittsburgh broadcasting legend at 200 Lawrence Hall. Three panels will include a look at his career as a print journalist (10-10:45 a.m.), broadcast journalist (10:45-11:30 a.m.) and as a radio...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking Tori Yorgey, ‘Fraggle Rock’ and ‘The Pale Blue Eye’
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 WTAE-TV (as of next week) reporter Tori Yorgey and her viral live shot, the latest Tom Hanks movie to film in Pittsburgh, Netflix’s “The...
Reporter Tori Yorgey talks live shot fame after being hit by car, joining WTAE
Praised for her dedication and good humor while also instigating discourse around television reporter safety, it’s been a whirlwind for future WTAE reporter Tori Yorgey in the days days after she was hit by a car while reporting live from a water main break in Dunbar, W.Va. The Philadelphia-area native...
TV Talk: Soapy ‘Promised Land,’ comedies ‘The Afterparty’ and ‘Astrid & Lilly’ premiereVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for the coming week. There’s promise in ABC’s latest prime-time soap, but its makers sure don’t make it easy on viewers initially. Premiering at 10 p.m. Monday on WTAE-TV, “Promised Land” introduces the large, wealthy Hispanic family that owns Heritage...
‘Spider-Man’ comes back swinging, takes No. 1 from ‘Scream’
After spending one weekend in second place, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” proved it still had some fight left. Sony’s superhero juggernaut swung back to first place in its sixth weekend in theaters and became the sixth highest grossing film of all time, globally. The film topped the North American charts...
‘SignTasTic!,’ game show featuring sign language, filming in Pittsburgh
A unique new game show aiming to raise awareness about American Sign Language and the deaf community is being filmed in Pittsburgh. Each episode of the show, dubbed “SignTasTic!,” features two contestants who have to learn 50 sign language words before the show. The show then tests how well they’ve...
Louie Anderson, Emmy-winning comedian, dies at 68Video
LOS ANGELES — Louie Anderson, whose four-decade career as a comedian and actor included his unlikely, Emmy-winning performance as mom to twin adult sons in the TV series “Baskets,” died Friday. He was 68. Anderson died at a hospital in Las Vegas of complications from cancer, said Glenn Schwartz, his...
Tom Hanks returning to Pittsburgh region to film ‘A Man Called Ove’
Tom Hanks is set to return to the Pittsburgh region to film another project after having portrayed the late Fred Rogers in the 2019 “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” The U.S. adaptation of “A Man Called Ove” will film in Western Pennsylvania this year, Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native’s Zachary Quinto film gets Sundance screening; gorgeous ‘Gilded Age’ debuts
Most viewers first got to know Pittsburgh native Zachary Quinto as the sinister Sylar on NBC’s “Heroes.” He plays another dark, complex character in “Chaperone,” a 16-minute short film written/directed by Pittsburgh native Sam Max that’s now streaming through Jan. 30 as part of the virtual Sundance Film Festival. Max...
TV Talk: Future WTAE reporter hit by a car live on the airVideo
Local TV news reporter Tori Yorgey will begin her new job at Pittsburgh’s WTAE-TV in February, but her last week on the job at WSAZ-TV in Huntington, W.Va., has been eventful: She was struck by a car during a live broadcast and continued reporting, becoming a viral sensation on Twitter...
Greensburg native’s directorial debut will premiere Jan. 21 on NetflixVideo
A few years ago, Sujata Day would likely have described her directorial debut, “Definition Please,” in terms of the number of theaters and cities where it would be opening. And while the Greensburg native’s debut won’t be premiering in theaters, she could conceivably say it will be opening on 95...
