Entertainment category, Page 246
City Theatre films singer Jill Sobule’s tale of middle-school angst
Middle school is a tough gig — just ask singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. She poured her experiences into a musical called “F*ck7thGrade” that was presented in its initial form in Pittsburgh at City Theatre Company’s 2018 Momentum Festival of New Plays. Now, City Theatre will premiere a concert film of the...
Point Park University students, alumni featured in Sheetz commercial
Keep an eye out this spring for a Sheetz commercial featuring Point Park University students. A professor in Point Park University’s Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Kiesha Lalama, worked with a production team to cast and choreograph a television commercial for Sheetz convenience stores. “Working with Sheetz was amazing,” said...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh TV production bounces back; CMU grad stars in ‘Bridge and Tunnel’Video
Netflix’s horror series “Archive 81” has been filming in and around Pittsburgh since November and will be joined in a couple of weeks by another Netflix program, “The Chair.” Showtime’s “Rust” expects to film in March. Beyond these three series, 2021 local big-budget TV/film production is in a holding pattern....
New ‘This Is Us’ episodes delayed for 2 weeks because of covid-19
The coronavirus crisis continues to wreak havoc in Hollywood productions. NBC’s acclaimed “This Is Us” has been forced back into hiatus due to “Covid-related production delays.” The family drama, which was forced to scrap Tuesday night’s episode, won’t return until Feb. 2, according the NBC website. No new episode tonight,...
Westmoreland City artist finds beauty in everyday, recycled materials
Everyday objects and recycled materials are the foundation of works by Nicole Chmel Brown, in the first art exhibit of 2021 in the Greensburg Garden and Civic Center. “The materials I use in my art are recycled objects such as wood, wire, beads, washers, cardboard, toothpicks,” said the Westmoreland City...
Things to do in Western Pa.
Paint outdoors with the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley, or make a Valentine shadowbox at home with The Westmoreland Museum of American Art. Learn about ongoing preservation efforts at Fallingwater or the history of the world’s largest architectural plaster cast in Carnegie Museum of Art’s Hall of...
TV Q&A: If I drop cable but want to see Penguins games, what TV service should I add?
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 really need to dump the cable portion of my Comcast bill. I saved your item about the Pens when AT&T SportsNet had their disagreement...
New director comes to Latrobe Art Center from job at Bushy Run
There’s a debate in business circles on whether it’s good or bad to be the first to interview for a job, but being number one worked for Michael Tusay — the new executive director at Latrobe Art Center. “He was actually our first in-person interview,” board member Katie Miller said....
Netflix’s ‘Archive 81’ filming in North Side and Downtown Pittsburgh
In November, a random group of visitors walked into The Government Center, an independent record store on Pittsburgh’s North Side, with no interest in making a purchase. “They came in to search out specific locations,” said owner Josh Cozby, referring to film scouts for Netflix’s production company, looking for spaces...
Greensburg Art Center members follow ‘Vision’ for new exhibitionVideo
The state of the world is the inspiration for the upcoming member exhibition at Greensburg Art Center. “We decided that, with the way the world is right now, all of our institutions are being challenged to make things work,” exhibition chairwoman Rosemary Sovyak said. What everyone needs, she said, is...
Phil Spector, famed music producer and murderer, dies at 81
LOS ANGELES — Phil Spector, the eccentric and revolutionary music producer who transformed rock music with his “Wall of Sound” method and who later was convicted of murder, has died. He was 81. California state prison officials said he died Saturday of natural causes at a hospital. Spector was convicted...
Tarentum’s Manos Gallery to unveil new art exhibit
For Nivedita Eklahare, art is more than a picture. “I love the smell of oil paint,” said Eklahare, a native of India who lives in Richland. “And I love using bright colors, especially in wintertime when the weather is dreary. I do a happy dance when I sell one of...
Netflix seeks background actors for upcoming show shoot in Pittsburgh
Netflix is looking for college-age students in Pittsburgh to be background actors for the upcoming filming of “The Chair.” The six-episode dramedy, written by executive producer and showrunner Amanda Peet, will star Golden Globe-winner Sandra Oh of “Killing Eve” and Emmy-winner Jay Duplass from “Transparent.” The Pittsburgh Film Office said...
Irwin gallery exhibit says ‘check yourself’ for mental health struggles
Kade Ellinger is using personal experience with depression and anxiety — along with his artistic talents — in the hope of sparking a conversation about mental and emotional health. His exhibit, “Chiggity-Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself,” is showing through February at Feathers Artist Market and Gifts in Irwin. “Check...
Downtown Pittsburgh art gallery Blaqk House won’t let vandalism stop exhibit
You can’t keep art down. As such, Cynthia Kenderson and Nicky Jo Dawson say they will not allow vandalism of their gallery to stop them from showcasing something beautiful. The co-owners of Blaqk House Collections, a Downtown Pittsburgh art gallery, had its windows and a glass door smashed in November....
TV Talk: Marvel’s ‘WandaVision’ revisits sitcom styles through the decades on Disney+Video
Streaming service Disney+ debuts its first scripted Marvel series, “WandaVision,” which defies superhero story expectations in three episodes made available for review. But there are hints that action set pieces will come eventually during the nine-episode season. “WandaVision” finds Marvel heroes Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and sentient robot...
Carnegie Museum of Natural History offers new virtual field trips
The popular “Dinosaur Armor” exhibition is one of four virtual field trips now being offered by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, joining the museum’s growing library of virtual experiences. The experiences are available to individuals and educators, with more products slated in coming months to meet growing demand for...
Illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher dies in Las VegasVideo
BERLIN — German news agency dpa is reporting that illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher, the surviving member of duo Siegfried & Roy, has died in Las Vegas at age 81. The news agency said Thursday that Fischbacher’s sister, a nun who lives in Munich, confirmed his death of cancer. “He was at...
Lady Gaga to sing anthem at Biden’s inauguration
Joe Biden’s Inaugural Committee announced today that Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez will appear during his Jan. 20 swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol. Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem while Lopez will provide a musical performance. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States...
TV Talk: Pittsburgh’s WPGH adds national morning newscast
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owns Pittsburgh’s WPGH-TV, Channel 53, and WPNT-TV, Channel 22, tries to break into the morning news game with the Monday premiere of “The National Desk” (7-9 a.m. weekdays on WPGH). The...
Tom Hanks heads TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration
NEW YORK — Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States, with performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons. “I was left speechless when I was asked to perform! ” Lovato wrote...
Pittsburgh Opera postpones 1st-ever staging of Handel’s ‘Semele’
Pittsburgh Opera has postponed its first-ever production of George Frideric Handel’s “Semele” from February to May. The move was made “in response to ongoing covid-19 concerns, including high cases in Allegheny County and the slower-than-hoped-for vaccine rollout,” the opera said. “Semele” will be performed on six dates, May 8-20, at...
TV Q&A: Why does background noise obscure Steelers announcers?
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 am not a guy that watches a lot of football. However, I seldom miss a Steelers game. I think my hearing is pretty good...
Review: George Saunders offers a prolonged exercise in kindness
Have you ever wondered what makes a story great? George Saunders has, and at Syracuse University, where he has taught for more than 20 years, he takes his students under the hood of great fiction to show them how it works. Now, for the price of his latest book —...
Apollo teen songwriter finds success in national competitions
Music always came naturally to Jessa Pontier. The 18-year-old Apollo resident said she started singing when she 2 while banging on a toy piano. She could play a real piano by the time she was 6, and taught herself to play guitar around 10 or 11 — never taking any...
