Movies/TV category, Page 26
TV Talk: Steelers get ‘Hard Knocks’ treatment on HBOVideo
Keith Cossrow, a 1993 Mt. Lebanon High School grad who’s vice president and head of content at NFL Films, said getting the Steelers on HBO’s long-running NFL docuseries “Hard Knocks” (9 tonight, HBO and Max) was a matter of finding the right format. In the past, “Hard Knocks” has done...
TV Talk: From ‘Blue Bloods’ to ‘Bluey’ to ‘Seinfeld,’ there are plenty of gift ideas for TV fans
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers gift-giving ideas for the TV fan in your life. Seeking a Christmas or holiday present for the TV fan in your life? This guide to new TV-themed gifts offers ideas by series titles: “Blue Bloods” will end Dec. 13, but fans can...
‘Moana 2’ sails to a record $221 million opening as Hollywood celebrates a moviegoing feast
NEW YORK — Christmas came early at the box office this year. “Moana 2” brought in a tidal wave of moviegoers over the Thanksgiving Day weekend, setting records with $221 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday. That, combined with “Wicked” and “Gladiator II,” made for an unprecedented...
Inside ‘The Underground’: Iron Mountain in Butler County preserves audio, video, digital media for the future
When audio engineer Brett Zinn began working with the master tapes of “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, he noticed an unusual item on the track list. “I was looking at it, when I was transferring, I’m like, ‘cup?’ What on earth is ‘cup?’ Why would I...
Yacht rock gets celebrated — smoothly, of course — in new documentary
NEW YORK — The stress of Thanksgiving is over. Now it’s time to heat up leftovers, relax on the couch and enjoy the smooth sounds of a wrongly mocked music genre: yacht rock. The late-’70s songs of Steely Dan, Michael McDonald and Christopher Cross take center stage Friday in the...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 29-Dec. 1
Now that we’re all full and well-rested after a Thanksgiving feast, we’re ready to work off some calories by getting out and about this weekend. Whether you’re into music, comedy or some holiday fun, here are a few things to check out around town. An Evening With Chevy Chase “National...
TV Talk: Hallmark courts NFL fans, Swifties with ‘Touchdown;’ ‘The Agency’ stunsVideo
PASADENA, Calif. — The road to Hallmark Channel’s Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce romance-inspired “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” (8 p.m. Saturday) began in January when the Kansas City Chiefs posted a Hallmark movie parody trailer that starred Tyler Hynes, who’s now also the star of “Holiday Touchdown” with Hunter King...
Police deny sitting on evidence as Netflix doc brings renewed attention to JonBenet Ramsey’s killingVideo
DENVER — Amid renewed interest in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey triggered in part by a new Netflix documentary, police in Boulder, Colorado, refuted assertions this week that there is viable evidence and leads about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old girl that they are not pursuing. JonBenet Ramsey, who...
Jim Abrahams, co-writer of ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun,’ dies at 80
Jim Abrahams, a writer and director behind slapstick comedies like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun” series, has died. He was 80 years old. The cause of death was natural causes, his son Josh said in a statement. He died at his home in Santa Monica, California. Along with childhood friends...
Thanksgiving Weekend Sports Guide: Your roadmap to NFL matchups, with other games, times and odds
The long sports-filled Thanksgiving weekend is a time when many Americans enjoy gathering with friends and family for good food, good company and hopefully not too much political conversation. Also on the menu — all the NFL and college sports you can handle. Here’s a roadmap to one of the...
TV Q&A: Where do TV stations get their filler news stories?
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: In a previous article you explained that the reason KDKA (and to a slightly lesser extent WTAE) mix in 3½ hours of filler material with...
How to watch and stream the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
NEW YORK — The holiday season really kicks off when the massive helium balloons start floating through New York. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade — two years away from its 100th birthday — this year will feature 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching...
10 options from Santa’s big bag of Christmas TV programming
Hollywood cranks out holiday programming as fast as toys are made in Santa’s workshop with broadcast networks, cable channels and streaming services offering seasonal specials. This year’s options include three sequels to the 2023 Hallmark Channel hit “Christmas on Cherry Lane,” a docuseries following what happens when a letter to...
At the crossroads of news and opinion, ‘Morning Joe’ hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting
One of the striking things about how furiously many people reacted to the news last week that MSNBC “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with President-Elect Donald Trump was how quaint their defenders sounded. “It is insane for critics to NOT think all of us in the...
Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of ‘Love Connection’ and ‘Scrabble,’ dies at 83
NEW YORK — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about covid-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an...
Christmas TV movies are in their Taylor Swift era, with two Swift-inspired films airing this year
Two new Christmas TV movies have a Taylor Swift connection that her fans would have no problem decoding. “Christmas in the Spotlight” debuts Saturday on Lifetime. It stars Jessica Lord as the world’s biggest pop star and Laith Wallschleger as a pro football player, who meet and fall in love...
DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit
DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company. The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them...
TV Talk: Netflix delivers Christmas Day Steelers game; new Tamburitzans special on WQED-TVVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers local viewing tips for the holiday season. As the number of locally produced holiday specials continues to dwindle, Netflix enters the fray to gift Steelers fans nationwide by streaming the Steelers game (against the Chiefs) from Acrisure Stadium at 1 p.m. on...
TV Talk: ‘The Pitt’ to premiere in January on Max
Max announced its Pittsburgh-set, Noah Wyle-starring medical drama “The Pitt” will premiere on the streaming service in January. That’s a little bit of a surprise given that the 15-episode first season won’t wrap production until February, suggesting, perhaps, that the first season will debut in two batches of episodes. Or,...
Jussie Smollett’s conviction in 2019 attack on himself is overturned
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police. Smollett’s appeal argued that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after...
TV Talk: ‘Pradeeps’ stars visit Penguins game; more ‘Kingstown;’ ‘Man on the Inside,’ ‘Cruel Intentions’ debut
It’s been about a month since “The Pradeeps of Pittsburgh” premiered on Amazon’s Prime Video, and this weekend two of the show’s stars will be in town for an appearance at Saturday’s Penguins game against Utah Hockey Club (7 p.m. PPG Paints Arena). Ashwin Sakthivel, who plays Vinod, the garbage...
TV Talk: KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano retires
After 30 years as KDKA-TV’s political analyst and 23 years as the station’s full-time money and politics editor, Jon Delano will retire from the station Dec. 1, with his last day on-air next Monday. “I have always said that you should retire when you’re at the top of your game,...
Jay Leno injured after fall down hillside in Westmoreland County
Celebrity talk show host Jay Leno reportedly fell while trying to walk to a Hempfield restaurant last week, badly bruising his face and eye. The former “Tonight Show” host told “Inside Edition” he was staying at a Hampton Inn about 30 miles outside of Pittsburgh and he fell while walking...
Trump’s casting call as he builds out his administration: TV experience preferred
WASHINGTON — There’s a common trait that President-elect Donald Trump is clearly prizing as he selects those to serve in his new administration: experience on television. Trump loves that “central casting” look, as he likes to call it. Some, like his choices for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and transportation secretary,...
Comcast to spin off cable networks, once star performers for the entertainment giant
WASHINGTON — Comcast will spin off many of its cable television networks that were once at the heart of the entertainment giant, with people increasingly swapping out their cable TV subscriptions for streaming platforms. Those one-time stars for Comcast’s NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf...
