Movies/TV category, Page 75
Whitney Houston reminds us we’re human, says biopic director Kasi LemmonsVideo
When news broke that a Whitney Houston biopic was in the works, many folks had the same question: Why? “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody” arrived in theaters Friday. It is preceded by countless TV movies, reality series, documentaries, books and other projects that delve into Houston’s life, loves...
Sports reporter’s snarky winter storm coverage goes viralVideo
What do you do when your TV news team is short-staffed around the holidays and you have a major winter storm blowing in? Well, send your sports reporter into the field, of course. But you’d better be prepared for some blowback. Because they were low on reporters and most of...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh noir thriller ‘Pale Blue Eye’ delivers mystery, chills, character-driven drama
Director Scott Cooper’s “The Pale Blue Eye,” filmed last winter in Western Pennsylvania, is a rarity for movies today generally and movies on Netflix specifically. Generally, it’s a movie for adults and without superheroes, which makes it stand out. For Netflix, it’s the rare original movie where mood plays a...
World Cup final the most-watched soccer match in United States
Argentina’s dramatic victory over France in penalty kicks in the World Cup final has become the most-watched soccer match of any kind in the United States. With Nielsen and Fox releasing the “match only” rating on Wednesday, Sunday’s match had an English- and Spanish-language total combined audience of 26,726,000. The...
‘Top Gun,’ ‘Black Panther’ advance in Oscars shortlist
Blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick,”“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” and pop stars like Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Rihanna just got one step closer to getting Oscar nominations. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Wednesday announced shortlists in 10 categories for the...
Diamond Theatre of Ligonier showing locally filmed thriller, ‘The Pale Blue Eye’ Video
It’s unusual for a small-town theater that shows movies mainly on the weekends to screen a big-budget film on its premiere date. The Diamond Theatre of Ligonier has scored such a coup with “The Pale Blue Eye,” opening nationwide on Friday. A screening is set for 8 p.m. in the...
TV Q&A: What happened to Heather Abraham?Video
Q: Why isn’t Heather Abraham anchoring KDKA-TV’s morning newscast anymore? — Donna, Leechburg Rob: We reported in September that after almost 12 years of early mornings, Abraham requested to step way from anchoring the morning newscasts. Lindsay Ward succeeded Abraham as morning co-anchor. “It was not easy to come to...
TV Talk: Mark Cuban returns to Pittsburgh for ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ segment
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was back in his native Pittsburgh on Tuesday to tape a segment for an upcoming profile on “CBS Sunday Morning,” grabbing lunch with four childhood friends at Galley Bakery Square. Todd Reidbord, one of the owners of Bakery Square parent company Walnut Capital who arranged...
The best movies of 2022 and where to find them
The movies returned at something close to full force this year. Covid masks all but vanished from multiplex crowds, and from the audiences at the press screenings I attended (though I kept mine handy). Sundance did cancel its in-person screenings for the second January in a row, thanks to the...
Chelsea Handler wants to return to late night, and isn’t scared of being canceled
LOS ANGELES — The devil works hard, but Chelsea Handler works harder. Last week, the enterprising comedian wrapped up her 40-plus city Vaccinated and Horny stand-up tour, which she launched in late 2021, pandemic be damned. Since then, she’s also been hosting a weekly hourlong advice podcast, “Dear Chelsea,” as...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking ‘Knives Out’ sequel ‘Glass Onion,’ ‘Emancipation,’ Immaculate Reception anniversaryVideo
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 Will Smith’s “Emancipation,” directed by Pittsburgh native Antoine Fuqua, and the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception, which will be celebrated during the Christmas...
‘E.T.’ model sells for $2.5M in Hollywood icon auction
A model of the title character used in filming Steven Spielberg’s 1982 classic “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” has fetched an out-of-this-world price at auction. The mechatronic figure sold for $2.56 million to an undisclosed bidder this past weekend, according to Julien’s Auctions. It was the star attraction in an “Icons &...
Movie review: Debauched ‘Babylon’ vacillates from tribute to indictment of HollywoodVideo
Damien Chazelle would really like to talk to you about “Singin’ in the Rain.” Of course, you already know the 1952 Stanley Donen MGM meta musical comedy starring Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds about the transition from silent to sound films, but if not, Chazelle will recount it for you,...
‘Avatar 2’ makes waves with $134 million domestic debut
”Avatar: The Way of Water” didn’t make quite as big of a splash as many assumed it would, but James Cameron’s big budget spectacle still helped breathe life into the box office this weekend. The sequel earned $134 million from North American theaters and $300.5 million internationally for a $434.5...
Cecily Strong leaves ‘Saturday Night Live’ after 11 seasonsVideo
After 11 seasons, Cecily Strong has said farewell to “Saturday Night Live.” A few hours before the last episode of the season Saturday, the TV show’s Instagram account posted a cue card saying, “we’ll miss you, Cecily.” The caption read “Tonight we send off one of the best to ever...
Most of the ‘Sister Wives’ have left Kody Brown. What’s next for the TLC show?
Kody Brown and his “sister wives” are no more. At least for now. Meri Brown, 51, of TLC’s reality TV show “Sister Wives” confirmed this week that she has ended her 32-year marriage to Kody Brown, 53. She is the most recent partner to leave Kody. While the show is...
How does ‘Titanic’ hold up 25 years later? A few things are different these days
If you were a person interested in movies 25 years ago, you might remember hearing that James Cameron’s “Titanic” was on target to be a legendary flop. “Can a disaster epic about an epic disaster avoid the very fate it dramatizes?” asked a story in The Washington Post about six...
TV Talk: WPXI reaches new deal to stay on Verizon
The number of ways to access WPXI-TV will not shrink further this week after a threatened retransmission dispute with Verizon reached an amicable conclusion. Last month Channel 11 came off DISH Network because of a carriage dispute, which is currently ongoing. This week, the threat of a retransmission agreement impasse...
TV Talk: Harrison Ford discusses starring in ‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1923’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Of all the Taylor Sheridan-produced shows — “Yellowstone,” “1883,” “Mayor of Kingstown” — his two most recent are the best yet. Last month, it was the premiere of the Sylvester Stallone-starring “Tulsa King,” which added...
Review: ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ is a big screen blastVideo
It is impossible to talk about “Avatar: The Way of Water” without sounding hyperbolic. But James Cameron’s sequel is a truly dazzling cinematic experience that will have you floating on a blockbuster high. No matter if you’ve spent a second of your life in the past 13 years thinking about...
TV Talk: WOW wrestling star Rachel Kelvington has roots in Western Pa.Video
On the first-year, nationally-syndicated series “WOW — Women of Wrestling,” wrestler Chantilly Chella is from Indio, Calif. In real life, the woman who plays Chella, Rachel Kelvington, is from Western Pennsylvania. But the rest of Chella’s backstory, as revealed in a November episode (supportive mom, alcoholic dad), syncs up with...
Will Smith took over hosting ‘Red Table Talk’ to focus on ‘Emancipation’
Want all of the “Emancipation” promotion with none of the awkward questions about that Oscars slap that inevitably get posed to Will Smith? Then the movie star’s takeover of his family’s “Red Table Talk” series is just what the doctor ordered. On Smith’s “Red Table Takeover” with kids Trey, Willow...
‘Ellen’ show DJ tWitch dead at age 40
The man known to many daytime viewers of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” as tWitch has died, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office. Stephen Boss, known as tWitch while serving as DJ on DeGeneres’s daytime show was 40 years old. TMZ is reporting the death appears to be...
‘When Harry Met Sally,’ ‘Iron Man’ added to film registry
They’ll have what she’s having. The 1989 rom-com “When Harry Met Sally” is one of 25 films chosen this year to enter the National Film Registry, a list that ranges from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” to an 1898 silent documentary, long thought lost, about the Mardi Gras parade in New...
TV Q&A: Who’s the new KDKA-TV anchor?
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 turned KDKA-TV on as a newscast was concluding at 7 p.m. Dec. 2. There was a new female anchor with Kym Gable. Who is...
