Entertainment category, Page 58
TV Talk: David Johnson retires from WPXI after 40 years
WPXI announced that veteran news anchor David Johnson, 67, will retire from Channel 11 effective Dec. 13. Johnson, who joined the station in January 1985, currently anchors the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts on WPXI and the 6:30 and 10 p.m. news on WPGH-TV, Pittsburgh’s Fox affiliate. “As I...
‘Saturday Night Live’ to Trump: ‘We’ve been with you all along’
The first “Saturday Night Live” since Donald Trump’s election victory began with the most somber of tones as a group of plainly dressed cast members, primarily women and minorities, described their new reality. “To many people, including many people watching right now, the results were shocking and even horrifying,” Ego...
TV Talk: CMU grad, ‘Pretty Little Liars’ alum stars in Christmas programsVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. PASADENA, Calif. — Actor Ian Harding graduated from Carnegie Mellon University’s acting program in 2010 and didn’t have to pay his dues waiting tables, as many actors do. Instead, he was almost immediately cast in...
Kacey Musgraves floats through Pittsburgh on Deeper Well tourVideo
The past seven days have been a whirlwind for Kacey Musgraves. Fresh on the heels of this year’s divisive presidential election, with the country singer stressing “moving forward,” Musgraves racked up several new Grammy nominations (for best country album, best country song and best country solo performance). And that’s not...
Iron Maiden rocks Pittsburgh on Future Past tourVideo
Iron Maiden is out on the road on their Future Past tour, but they’re celebrating their present just as much as they’re honoring the past or looking to the future. The British heavy metal band, who will be celebrating a 50th anniversary next year, appeared as relevant as ever in...
Here are 5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 8-10
Enjoy being in the thick of the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas pipeline this weekend! Whether you’re getting ready to Jingle Bell Rock — or still trying to avoid carols and ornaments for just a little while longer — here are a few things to do around town this weekend. Holiday Market and Tree...
TV Talk: More smiles than laughs from ‘St. Denis;’ Pittsburgh’s Nielsen rank ticks upVideo
NBC’s “St. Denis Medical” (8 p.m. Nov. 12) has a great cast — Wendi McLendon-Covey, Allison Tolman, David Alan Grier — but this mockumentary set at a bland Oregon hospital is more “American Auto” than “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation.” “St. Denis” will conjure a smile but it doesn’t...
Better Lovers guitarist Jordan Buckley on metalcore supergroup’s new album, chaotic live show and the futureVideo
For Better Lovers guitarist Jordan Buckley, the title of the metalcore supergroup’s debut album — “Highly Irresponsible” — appealed to him on multiple levels. Formed last year after the dissolution of Every Time I Die, Better Lovers features Buckley, bassist Stephen Micciche and drummer Clayton “Goose” Holyoak from that band,...
TV Q&A: How does ‘Yellowstone’ get away with more profanity than other TV shows?
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 does “Yellowstone” seem to have a different foul-language barrier than other TV shows? — Steve, Titusville Rob: I suspect if you compared “Yellowstone” episodes...
Low Cut Connie frontman talks energetic live shows, new documentary ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
For those who haven’t seen a Low Cut Connie show before, it’s a sweaty, physical night of music. Or as frontman Adam Weiner puts it: “Rock ‘n’ roll. High-energy, full-contact, cathartic, life-affirming rock ‘n’ roll.” Weiner, who frequently ends up with ripped shirts during live shows, has led the Philadelphia-based...
Ruby slippers from ‘Wizard of Oz’ are for sale nearly 2 decades after they were stolen
DALLAS — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” are on the auction block nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, convinced they were adorned with real jewels. Online bidding has started and will continue through Dec. 7, Heritage Auctions...
Dominican opera singer Zuly Inirio is making classical music more equitable
With her emotion-evoking operatic range and soprano heights, Dominican opera singer Zuly Inirio is challenging whose voice is embodied and heard throughout the genre. She first saw an opera — “La Traviata” by Giuseppe Verdi — at 15 while attending a Christian high school in Miami. “I fell in love...
Hugh Grant spent half his career in rom-coms. Now he plays monsters, and he’s never been happierVideo
NEW YORK — After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead. “Sorry about that,” he apologizes. “Tech hell.” Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the “devil’s tinderbox.” “I think they’re killing us. I hate them,” he says....
Here’s your Election Day playlist, from the ‘Animaniacs’ to WilcoVideo
It’s Election Day, and if there’s one thing we can all agree on — an increasingly difficult concept these days — it’s a collective sense of relief that, no matter the result, it’s going to be over soon. But not yet — which is why we’ve compiled this list of...
Prime Stage’s ‘First Mothers’ gives spotlight to the women who shaped U.S. presidents
The 45 men who have been president have come from many different states, parties and backgrounds, but they all have one thing in common: They had mothers. This often-unknown group of women and shaped the lives of our heads of state, but their stories are not told in high school...
Quincy Jones, music titan who worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson, dies at 91
Quincy Jones, the multi-talented music titan whose vast legacy ranged from producing Michael Jackson’s historic “Thriller” album to writing prize-winning film and television scores and collaborating with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles and hundreds of other recording artists, has died at 91. Jones’ publicist, Arnold Robinson, says he died Sunday night...
TV Talk: Netflix’s ‘Piano Lesson’ director seeks to honor Hill District, August WilsonVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming month. ^ The second Pittsburgh-set film-with-an-exorcism of 2024 arrives this month with Netflix’s adaptation of Pittsburgh native August Wilson’s play “The Piano Lesson,” playing at Waterworks Cinema Friday and streaming Nov. 22 on Netflix. Unlike Netflix’s...
Republican member of FCC claims Harris’ ‘Saturday Night Live’ appearance could violate equal time rules
A Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission voiced concerns that Vice President Kamala Harris’ appearance on “Saturday Night Live” this weekend may have violated a rule that requires networks to provide equal airtime to both candidates. “The purpose of the rule is to avoid exactly this type of biased...
Kamala Harris makes surprise visit to ‘SNL,’ promising to ‘end the dramala’
At the tail end of an arduous, hotly contested presidential election campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris managed to have the last laugh. On ” Saturday Night Live,” that is. Appearing in the episode’s cold open as the mirror image of Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee reassured herself: “You...
Goose singer/guitarist talks spontaneity, stage setup ahead of Pittsburgh showVideo
Maintaining spontaneity is a crucial ingredient for a jam band like Goose, which is known for its improvisation amid fluid, marathon performances. “That’s an interesting and ultimately a mysterious thing in and of itself,” guitarist/singer Rick Mitarotonda said. “Some nights, things just flow pretty readily and some nights they don’t....
‘Pittsburgh Steelers: An Illustrated Timeline’ documents the team’s storied history
Jim Wexell spent weeks during the summer of 2023 in the library, but not just any library. It was the Pro Football Hall of Fame library in Canton, Ohio. There, he perused everything written about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ storied franchise as he researched book ideas. Wexell filled 10 legal pads...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Nov. 1-3
One last round of scary good times can be found this post-Halloween-kend. Laugh, eat, share, groove and browse with some killer events. Here are a few fun things to check out. Hometown Homegrown Take a bite of everything Pittsburgh at the Heinz History Center in the Strip District. Their Hometown-Homegrown...
TV Talk: Networks warn viewers before airing some political ads
In recent weeks, particularly during sporting events and news broadcasts, broadcast TV outlets have aired content warnings before televising political ads that carry anti-trans messaging and in front of ads with graphic images for a little-known anti-abortion presidential candidate. “The following political advertisement contains graphic images that may disturb viewers,”...
Pittsburgh Public Theater transports audience into fantastical world of ‘The Hobbit’
For anyone who loves adventure, Pittsburgh Public Theater breathes new life into a classic journey with their production of “The Hobbit,” running at the O’Reilly Theatre in downtown Pittsburgh through Nov. 10. And yeah, this one’s kind of for the nerds. Many know the tale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,”...
Interview: Original ‘Housewife’ Luann de Lesseps brings Countess Cabaret show to Pittsburgh
Luann de Lesseps, perhaps better known as Countess Luann as one of the original castmates of “The Real Housewives of New York City,” has gotten used to explaining her version of cabaret. ”It’s really a personal story, how culture meets cabaret meets comedy meets a fashion show, because I’ll be...
