Movies/TV category, Page 3
TV Talk: Pittsburgh native celebrates ‘Jaws @ 50;’ Apple TV+ show seeks extras
This 50th anniversary summer since the release of Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws,” which ushered in the box office blockbuster era, got the attention of local theatergoers last month with Barebones Productions’ “The Shark Is Broken,” a stage play set behind the scenes during the making of “Jaws.” And “Jaws” content remains...
Paramount to pay $16 million in settlement with Trump over ’60 Minutes’ interview
In a case seen as a challenge to free speech, Paramount has agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump over the editing of CBS’ ” 60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris in October. Paramount told media outlets the money will go...
TV Q&A: Did KDKA’s Lauren Linder leave?
Q: Did Lauren Linder leave KDKA-TV news? — Dave, via Facebook Rob: She did not. Linder simply moved from mornings to the dayside shift. It happens often that viewers question if a reporter left a station when the reporter just moved to work a different shift, a news time the...
Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose ministry was toppled by prostitution scandals, dies at 90
BATON ROUGE, La. — Televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, whose multimillion-dollar ministry and huge audience dwindled following his prostitution scandals, has died. He was 90. Swaggart death was announced Tuesday on his public Facebook page. A cause wasn’t immediately given, though Swaggart had been in ill health. The Louisiana native was best...
‘Jurassic World’ needed a restart. Steven Spielberg knew who to call
NEW YORK — EXT JUNGLE NIGHT An eyeball, big, yellowish, distinctly inhuman, stares raptly between wooden slats, part of a large crate. The eye darts from side to side quickly, alert as hell. So begins David Koepp’s script to 1993’s “Jurassic Park.” Like much of Koepp’s writing, it’s crisply terse...
‘F1’ opens with $55 million, delivering Apple its biggest big-screen hit
NEW YORK — Apple has its first box-office hit. “F1 The Movie” debuted with $55.6 million in North American theaters and $144 million globally over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday, handing the tech company easily its biggest opening yet. Though Apple Original Films has had some notable successes...
Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary turned acclaimed TV journalist, dead at 91
NEW YORK — Bill Moyers, the former White House press secretary who became one of television’s most honored journalists, masterfully using a visual medium to illuminate a world of ideas, died Thursday at age 91. Moyers died in a New York City hospital, according to longtime friend Tom Johnson, the...
TV Talk: ‘The Bear’ back in better shape, more story for former Pittsburgher star
Spoiler alert: This column addresses Season 4 of “The Bear,” now available in its entirety, with mild thematic spoilers. There was general consensus that Hulu’s restaurant dramedy “The Bear” declined in quality last summer during the show’s third season. But, good news: “The Bear” returns much improved, fresher and with...
TV Q&A: Did a WPXI reporter exit?
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 saw that WPXI has a new reporter, Rachel Pierce. Who did she replace? — Gary, via Facebook Rob: It’s unclear if Rachel Pierce is...
TV Talk: Family-friendly ‘Nautilus’ sails rough seas from Disney+ to AMC
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Like last summer’s final season of “Snowpiercer,” AMC’s two-episode debut of “Nautilus” (9-11 p.m. June 29, AMC, AMC+) represents another salvage operation. Just as TNT declined to air the fully produced “Snowpiercer” season as a...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh-filmed ‘Forked’ debuts at PIFF; local chef makes EatThis.tv pilot
With advances in digital technology and cameras, anyone can make a TV pilot these days. Getting it distributed is a greater challenge, but two indie projects with Western Pennsylvania ties are having a moment. ‘Forked’ Writer/actor Sarah Goeke first got inspired to make her web series “Forked” while performing in...
List of the top summer movies since ‘Jaws’ turned it into blockbuster season in 1975
LOS ANGELES — “Jaws” turns 50 this week, and its legacy of the summer movie blockbuster remains strong. The titles that have packed the most summer moviegoers into theaters since 1975 represent some of the best known films of the last half century, including five “Star Wars” movies, Pixar favorites...
TV Q&A: How does a Pirates announcer handle a losing team?
Q: The Pittsburgh Pirates have had three winning seasons in the last 30 years. The one constant during this period is play-by-play announcer Greg Brown. I read a report that Greg has called well over 2,000 Pirates losses and Brown is the losingest play-by-play announcer among active announcers. Has Greg...
TV milestone: Streaming is now bigger than cable and broadcast combined
LOS ANGELES — For the first time, streaming services have eclipsed traditional television in overall U.S. TV viewership, according to a Nielsen report released Tuesday. YouTube, Netflix, Paramount+ and other streaming services combined to attract 44.8% of all television usage in May, representing the largest share to date for direct-to-consumer...
TV Talk: HBO’s ‘Gilded Age’ grows more dramatic in 3rd season
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. HBO’s “The Gilded Age” returns for its third season (9 p.m. June 22, HBO, Max) and the show remains the best (and only!) “Upstairs Downstairs”/“Downton Abbey”-esque series in production today. Sometimes it feels like not...
TV Talk: Reimagined ‘Walking with Dinosaurs’ stomps to PBS
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. When the original “Walking with Dinosaurs” debuted in 1999, Emily Bamforth was a teenager already intrigued by Mesozoic creatures. Her favorite film remains the original “Jurassic Park” (the sequels, reboot and the reboot’s sequels, not...
TV Talk: Magee doc talks filming ‘1000-lb Sisters’
For Dr. Peter Rubin, professor and chair of plastic surgery at UPMC, being filmed isn’t that unusual. He’s had cameras trained on him during surgery for a documentary, for medical teaching films and he’s been a guest on “Dr. Oz.” But appearing in a reality docu-series was new. Rubin appeared...
TV Talk: WTAE, WPXI sweep May ratings; ‘Revival’ debuts on Syfy
In the May 2025 local weekday newscast ratings, WTAE newscasts ranked first most often in households, a measure of general popularity, and WPXI newscasts had the greatest number of newscasts ranking first in the key demographic of persons ages 25-54, often used to set advertising rates. In households, WTAE was...
TV Q&A: Why isn’t ‘Live’ live some days?
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’ve noticed that “Live with Kelly and Mark” has now a small previously recorded message that pops up at the beginning of every episode. Has...
Disney to pay almost $439 million to take full control of streaming service Hulu
Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service. The move closes out an appraisal process that’s dragged on for a few years. Disney said in November 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast...
Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M lawsuit against ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Blake Lively
NEW YORK — A judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit filed by actor and director Justin Baldoni against his “It Ends With Us” costar Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment and retaliation. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman’s decision is the latest development in the bitter legal...
Foreperson’s complaints signal a divided jury at Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo retrial
NEW YORK — The foreperson of the jury deliberating in Harvey Weinstein ‘s #MeToo retrial told the judge Monday that some jurors are ganging up and “pushing people to change their minds” based on information that wasn’t presented in court. “They fight together and I don’t like it,” the foreperson...
Warner Bros. Discovery to split into 2 companies, dividing cable and streaming services
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. Discovery will split into two public companies by next year, calving off its cable operations from its streaming service. Warner Bros. Discovery said Monday that Streaming & Studios will include Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, and HBO Max, as...
TV Talk: Stephen Moyer talks Pittsburgh, ‘Art Detectives,’ ‘Elsbeth’
Actor Stephen Moyer, best known for his role as vampire Bill Compton on HBO’s “True Blood” (2008-14), has a new British detective drama, “Art Detectives,” streaming on Acorn TV on June 9. But before we got into his new show, Moyer wanted to talk about Pittsburgh. “My daughter (Lilac Emery-Haynes)...
TV Talk: Golf gets pop culture moments with ‘Stick,’ ‘Happy Gilmore 2,’ ‘Steel Links’
With the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club coming up June 12-15, golf is in the zeitgeist locally — but there are also multiple national programs with golf themes coming this summer, beginning this week with Apple TV+’s “Stick” and continuing in July with Netflix’s “Happy Gilmore 2.” Invariably,...
