Entertainment category, Page 264
‘Tenet’ tallies $20.2M as Americans step back into theaters
NEW YORK — In a litmus test for American moviegoing in the pandemic, Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” brought in an estimated $20.2 million through the holiday weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters. The result could be greeted as either the rejuvenation of U.S. cinemas — more Americans went to the movies...
Connecticut city won’t waste John Oliver’s donation, on 1 condition
DANBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut city won’t waste an opportunity to get a sizeable donation from comedian John Oliver about a weeks-long joke pertaining to the name of a sewage plant in the area. Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said on WTNH-TV that he would accept Oliver’s challenge to name the...
Influencer culture skewered in Gia Coppola film at Venice
VENICE — Coronavirus lockdowns have kept most U.S. filmmakers and actors away from the Venice Film Festival, but Gia Coppola and Maya Hawke have brought a bit of today’s America to the Lido with “Mainstream,” a skewering look at YouTube and influencer culture. The two descendants of Hollywood royalty (Coppola...
Freeport Theatre Festival presents ‘President Arthur’s Inspiration’
The words in these letters spoke volumes. Julia Sand wrote to then-vice president Chester A. Arthur, who would become the 21st president of the United States, offering advice on how to be a better man. Arthur read the correspondence and seemingly took it to heart. You will have to come...
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra announces financial changes because of pandemic
In the wake of canceled concerts and postponed tours, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on Thursday announced a series of financial cutbacks to help sustain the organization through the pandemic. The 87 musicians have agreed to a 25% reduction in base salary. Additionally, 75% of the staff has been affected with...
Who’s watching? Carnegie Museum exhibition explores dark side of AI
In 1984, Rockwell sang a song called “Somebody’s Watching Me,” a paean to paranoia that included the line, “I always feel like somebody’s watching me.” Maybe it was just a timely shout-out to George Orwell’s dystopian novel — in which somebody always was watching — or maybe Rockwell really was...
Steelers’ Ryan Shazier takes stadium seats to fans in new Pepsi videoVideo
Pepsi gives a nod to a pair of Pittsburgh Steelers fans missing the Heinz Field experience this year in a new video as part of the soft drink maker’s national “Made For Football Watching” campaign. In the 4-minute “Every Game Is a Home Game” video, Ryan Shazier, who played linebacker...
TV Talk: WQED documentary recounts a WWII story in ‘Harbor from the Holocaust’
WQED-TV documents a World War II story of survival in its one-hour film “Harbor from the Holocaust,” debuting nationally on PBS stations at 10 p.m. Tuesday. “Harbor,” the first national documentary to come out of WQED since 2015, recounts the stories of a few of the 20,000 Jewish refugees who...
Trib sports columnist Tim Benz to join WPXI’s ‘Final Word’
Tribune-Review sports columnist Tim Benz is joining the regular lineup of WPXI-TV’s social media-driven Sunday night sports show “The Final Word.” Benz will become a regular panelist on the 11:30 p.m. program on an every-other-week basis. He joins Trib columnist Mark Madden among others. His first show is Sunday. The...
‘The Batman’ shoot suspended after positive covid-19 test
A member of production on “The Batman” has tested positive for covid-19 and the U.K shoot has been temporarily suspended. A spokesperson for Warner Bros. said Thursday that the individual is currently isolating in accordance with established protocols. Robert Pattinson is starring as the caped crusader in the new film...
‘Git Up’ singer Blanco Brown undergoes surgery after car accidentVideo
“The Git Up” singer Blanco Brown is in intensive care after suffering significant injuries in a head-on vehicle collision near Atlanta. A statement from his record label, BBR Music Group, said the writer and producer was injured Monday night and was transported to a local hospital where he underwent a...
Top stars at Venice Film Fest praise gender-neutral prizes
Two stars at the Venice Film Festival, Cate Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, have praised the decision by the Berlin festival to award gender-neutral prizes, with Swinton predicting other award ceremonies will follow suit. Organizers of the Berlin International Film Festival announced last month that they would stop awarding separate acting...
TV Talk: Netflix launches astronaut drama ‘Away,’ HBO Max airs ‘Raised by Wolves’
Of all the genres to get a boost from #PeakTV and the rise of streaming services, “astronaut drama” may be the most surprising. Hulu had one-and-done “The First” (2018), National Geographic Channel had two seasons of hybrid docu-series/drama “Mars” (2016-18), Apple is home to “For All Mankind” and Netflix already...
The Rock, his family tested positive for the coronavirus
LOS ANGELES — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson shared some unfortunate news on his home front: He and his family tested positive for the coronavirus. Johnson announced their diagnosis in an 11-plus minute video on Instagram on Wednesday. He said he was shocked after hearing their positive tests, calling the ordeal...
Prince Harry and Meghan sign production deal with Netflix
NEW YORK — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have a new home: Netflix. Six months after detangling their work lives from the British royal family, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have signed a multiyear deal to produce nature series, documentaries and children’s programming for the streamer, according to...
‘Tiger King’ star Carole Baskin to ‘Dancing With the Stars’Video
Like all cool cats and kittens, Carole Baskin is going to “Dancing With the Stars.” The reality TV star who became a pop culture sensation with Netflix’s docuseries “Tiger King” is joining the new crop of celebrity dancers that includes TV and film actress Anne Heche, former NBA star Charles...
‘Superman’s Not Coming’: Erin Brockovich’s new book is about saving our drinking water
Erin Brockovich would be the first to acknowledge that her new book, “Superman’s Not Coming: Our National Water Crisis and What We the People Can Do About It” (Pantheon, $28.95), isn’t light reading. And not just because the chemistry involved goes well beyond H2O. “You have to like read a...
TV Q&A: Do laid off KDKA-TV anchors have to abide by a non-compete?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review. Q: Since anchors Rick Dayton and Susan Koeppen were laid off and did not voluntarily leave KDKA-TV, can they be held to a no-compete clause? -Bob, Mt....
Pittsburgh Cultural District lights up for entertainment industry ‘red alert’Video
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust today is joining a nationwide “red out” to call attention to the ongoing shutdown of the live events industry and to urge Congress to pass the RESTART Act and extend Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation to unemployed and independent contractors, often called 1099...
Review: ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is one of Charlie Kaufman’s strangest films to dateVideo
Writer/director Charlie Kaufman, the brain behind “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Adaptation.” and “Being John Malkovich,” became a Hollywood darling for his willingness to stretch the limits of storytelling. But while his weird and whimsical style broke the rules and taunted tradition, his screenplays always excavated unexpected nuggets of...
Miranda Lambert leads CMA noms, Luke Combs’ streak continuesVideo
Country star Miranda Lambert turns her “Wildcard” into an ace as she’s the leading nominee at the 2020 Country Music Association Awards, including her first entertainer of the year nomination in five years. The CMAs announced Tuesday that Lambert earned seven nominations. The Grammy winner was pushed by the success...
‘American Idol’ holding virtual auditions for upcoming season
The search is on for the next “American Idol” via virtual Zoom auditions. “Idol Across America” remote auditions are taking place across all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., for the first time since the show’s inception. Idol hopefuls have the chance to audition face-to-face in front of “American Idol” producers...
TV Talk: Starz’s ‘Power’ spawns sequel series
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Usually a TV show spin-off takes a character or concept from the original series and builds a new show around that one element. “Power Book II: Ghost” (9 p.m. Sunday, Starz) does the opposite, removing...
Ed Sheeran and wife Cherry announce birth of daughter Lyra
Ed Sheeran and his wife, Cherry, have announced the birth of their daughter, Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. The singer-songwriter said in an Instagram post that the couple’s “beautiful and healthy daughter” was born last week. View this post on Instagram Ello! A quick message from me as I have some...
Pittsburghers remember Chadwick Boseman’s artistic influence on Steel City
Number 42 was foremost on the minds of Major League Baseball players who wore it last Friday. It was the number Jackie Robinson wore, and the day was set aside to honor his accomplishments, including breaking baseball’s color barrier. But the number 43 also crept into the consciousness of baseball...
