Movies/TV category, Page 126
TV Talk: Peggy Finnegan bids Pittsburgh viewers farewell as she retires from WPXI-TV
Humble to the end, retiring WPXI-TV news anchor Peggy Finnegan twice tried to make Channel 11’s farewell coverage about everyone else. On Friday’s noon newscast, anchor Gordon Loesch tried to celebrate Finnegan but she turned it around and praised his work as an anchor and reporter over his 17 years...
Sewickley artist Claire Hardy’s rose paintings will be in the background of ‘The Bachelor’Video
While drama is always in the forefront of “The Bachelor,” the background should interest Western Pennsylvania viewers when Season 25 of ABC’s romantic reality show starts Jan. 4. First, the season, starring suitor Matt James was filmed at Nemacolin Resort in Fayette County. Second, paintings by Sewickley artist Claire Hardy...
Jeremy Bulloch, ‘Star Wars’ actor who played Boba Fett, dead at 75
Jeremy Bulloch, the English film star who suited up as the fan-favorite bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died, according to another actor who played the character. He was 75. Bulloch’s death was announced Thursday on Instagram by Daniel Logan, who portrayed a young version...
TV Talk: Powerful, filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Ma Rainey’ debuts on NetflixVideo
The latest Netflix adaptation of one of Pittsburgh native August Wilson’s plays, the filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” stars Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman in a period piece that feels relevant and timely. An almost unrecognizable Davis, jettisoning any semblance of vanity, stars as Ma Rainey, a real...
In ‘Ma Rainey,’ channeling the blues of August Wilson
NEW YORK — Like many of those involved in the making of “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” it’s not easy for Viola Davis to summarize what playwright August Wilson has meant to her except to answer, “Everything.” Davis’ first stage role was in Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.” She made...
Tom Cruise unleashes rant about social distancing on ‘Mission: Impossible’ set
LONDON — Tom Cruise has launched an expletive-laden rant at colleagues on the set of his latest “Mission: Impossible” movie, after he reportedly spotted two workers failing to respect social distancing rules. In audio released by the Sun tabloid, the 58-year-old Hollywood star can be heard warning that anyone caught...
Trafford’s Mark Milovats brings Christmas special to local TV audienceVideo
Trafford native and international recording artist Mark Milovats will be sharing his “Christmas Wonderland” stage production with digital viewers and television audiences. The special, comprising highlights from the live 2018 holiday production, will air on WTAE at 5 p.m. Sunday. “Christmas Wonderland” has been syndicated for broadcast throughout the holiday...
TV Q&A: Why so few episodes of ‘This is Us’ this season?
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 NBC only broadcast two weeks of “This is Us” and “The Blacklist” and then they are not going to broadcast again until January?...
‘Wonder Woman 1984’ hopes to lasso a little holiday joyVideo
Patty Jenkins wasn’t even finished making ” Wonder Woman ” when she started dreaming up a sequel for her and star Gal Gadot. The first film had the weight of both female-fronted superhero films and female-directed blockbusters on its shoulders and had yet to prove the skeptics wrong. But Jenkins...
‘The Dark Knight,’ ‘Grease’ among films inducted into National Film Registry
This year’s inductees into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry, a collection of the most influential American movies, include a neo-noir superhero action spectacle, a ’50s-set ’70s musical and an animated send-up of a classic fairy tale trope. “The Dark Knight,” “Grease” and “Shrek” are just three of the...
TV Talk: Time to catch up on the best TV of 2020
It’s inaccurate to consider this a literal “best of” list for that implies a TV critic can watch every TV series released this year. It’s nearly impossible for any one person to make such a claim in the current 500-series-relased-annually era, so instead consider this my list of favorites from...
Disney unveils plans to stream a galaxy of new series, films
The Walt Disney Co.’s streaming plans shifted into hyper speed Thursday, as the studio unveiled a galaxy’s worth of new streaming offerings including plans for 10 “Star Wars” series spinoffs and 10 Marvel series that will debut on Disney+. In a virtual presentation for investors, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek...
TV Talk: IUP grad explores toxic masculinity in ‘Nate’ on NetflixVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. No one who watches the recently-released Netflix comedy special “Nate: A One Man Show” will confuse it with any other comedy special. The avant-garde, one-hour special is rated TV-MA for good reason and stars Natalie...
TV Talk: Holiday gift ideas for TV fans
Seeking a gift for the TV fan in your life? Here’s what to get if they’re always raving about: DVD box sets: Thousands of TV series are available on streaming services but DVD box sets give fans tangible evidence of their devotion to a program. New complete series sets include...
Ellen DeGeneres: Positive test for coronavirus but ‘feeling fine’
LOS ANGELES — Ellen DeGeneres says she has tested positive for covid-19 but is “feeling fine right now.” Production on her daytime talk show has been paused until January, producer Telepictures said in a statement that followed DeGeneres’ Thursday announcement. In an Instagram post, DeGeneres said anyone who was in...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘I’m Your Woman’ shows crime story from another angle; joyous ‘The Prom’ premieresVideo
Filmed-in-Pittsburgh movie “I’m Your Woman,” streaming Friday on Amazon’s Prime Video, tracks a seldom seen aspect of a cinematic crime story. Instead of focusing on the mobsters, the film follows the criminal’s wife, Jean (Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), and the impact of her husband’s criminal activity as she...
TV Q&A: Why isn’t ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ on TV this year?
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: Looking at the Trib’s holiday television schedule and noticed no listing of the 1947 Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street”!!! How come? — John, Leechburg...
Pittsburgh’s Billy Porter to join New Year’s Eve show from Times Square
Last New Year’s Eve, Billy Porter was working in New Orleans. This year he’ll still be working — but in New York City. The “Pose” star and Pittsburgh native will join Ryan Seacrest and Lucy Hale on ABC in Times Square on Dec. 31 for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’...
Christopher Nolan calls Warner’s streaming plan ‘a mess’Video
Christopher Nolan, one of Warner Bros.’ most important filmmakers, has come out strongly against the company’s decision to debut its films on HBO Max and in theaters in 2021. The “Tenet” filmmaker told The Associated Press Monday that it’s not a good business decision and criticized how the company handled...
David L. Lander, Squiggy of ‘Laverne & Shirley,’ dies at 73
LOS ANGELES — Actor David L. Lander — the unforgettable Squiggy on ABC’s “Laverne & Shirley” — has died, his family confirmed to the Los Angeles Times. Lander passed away Friday evening at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after having battled multiple sclerosis for 37 years. His wife, Kathy Fields...
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ sparks chess boom in Pittsburgh
When “The Queen’s Gambit” became a smash hit on Netflix, a chess institute in Pittsburgh with a similar name got plenty of online attention — both good and bad. “We’ve been getting so many tags on social media, and specifically Twitter,” said Ashley Lynn Priore, president of The Queen’s Gambit...
Scene from ‘Elf’ comes to life as Buddy meets dad in Boston
BOSTON — Just like a real-life movie, the story of Buddy the Elf meeting his biological father has come to life, just in time for the holidays. Doug Henning wore a costume like the one actor Will Ferrell’s character wore in “Elf” while meeting his father face to face for...
Colorado student, scientist named Time’s ‘Kid of the Year’
LONE TREE, Colo. — A 15-year-old Colorado high school student and young scientist who has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems has been named Time Magazine’s first-ever “Kid of the Year.” Gitanjali Rao, a sophomore at STEM School...
TV Talk: ‘Your Honor’ debuts with excruciating drama
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. There’s a reason Netflix’s “The Queen’s Gambit” became a worldwide buzz magnet: Not only is “Gambit” well-made, well-acted and impeccably produced, it also tells a story that moves consistently in a positive direction. That trajectory...
In seismic shift, Warner Bros. to stream all 2021 filmsVideo
NEW YORK — In the most seismic shift by a Hollywood studio yet during the pandemic, Warner Bros. Pictures on Thursday announced that all of its 2021 film slate — including a new “Matrix” movie, “Godzilla vs. Kong” and the Lin-Manuel Miranda adaptation “In the Heights” — will stream on...
