Editor's Picks category, Page 235
Jill Biden’s skin cancer could fuel advocacy in cancer fight
WASHINGTON — Jill Biden’ s advocacy for curing cancer didn’t start with her son’s death in 2015 from brain cancer. It began decades earlier, long before she came into the national spotlight, and could now be further energized by her own brush with a common form of skin cancer. The...
‘American Idol’ star CJ Harris dead at 31 of apparent heart attackVideo
CJ Harris, a singer who competed on “American Idol” during the reality competition’s 13th season, has died. The Alabama native was 31 years old. A family member told TMZ that Harris was taken to a hospital via ambulance but died following a suspected heart attack on Sunday in Jasper, Ala....
Kimberly Palmer: How to tackle holiday debt in January
After years of being in debt, Rachel Kramer Bussel came to a realization: “If I don’t become proactive about it, I will be in debt for the rest of my life.” For Bussel, a freelance writer near Atlantic City, New Jersey, that meant scaling back spending and putting any available...
Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida dies at age 95
Italian film legend Gina Lollobrigida, who achieved international stardom during the 1950s and was dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” after the title of one of her movies, died in Rome on Monday, her agent said. She was 95. The agent, Paola Comin, didn’t provide details. Lollobrigida had...
TV Talk: Behind the scenes at Critics Choice Awards
CENTURY CITY, Calif. — Sure, on TV the stars look glamorous in their bespoke wardrobes, but what’s it like to attend a televised awards show? As a journalist who covers TV/streaming, I’ve not yet made it into the room where it happens, but I have made it into the next...
Ways to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in Pittsburgh
Several organizations are hosting events Monday to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Here are some ways to honor King’s legacy in Pittsburgh: Prayer breakfast The Allegheny County Bar Association on Monday is hosting their 24th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast and Program at Ebenezer Baptist...
‘Jagged Little Pill’ crafts Alanis Morissette songs into jukebox musical
Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album, “Jagged Little Pill,” marked an alt-rock, grunge swerve from the Canadian singer-songwriter’s two previous dance-pop albums. Songs like “You Oughta Know” explored hot-button themes like sexuality, sexual harassment, self-help and societal apathy. The songs and themes are incorporated in “Jagged Little Pill,” a jukebox musical that...
Prime Stage Theatre awarded National Endowment for the Arts Grant
Pittsburgh’s Prime Stage Theatre has received a significant financial boost for its plan to produce the world premiere stage adaptation of “Perseverance,” the story of a Holocaust survivor’s life in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood. Prime Stage has been awarded a $10,000 Grant for Arts Projects from the National Endowment for...
Eggflation: How to work around the high price of eggs
Eggs are expensive. They shouldn’t be. Traditionally, eggs are one of the most affordable sources of protein available. In 2018, the average price of a dozen large eggs in Pennsylvania was about $1.50. On sale or at the right store, you could get them for just 99 cents. That means...
Prime Stage Theatre set to open Harriet Tubman play
Most Americans know about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, but there are many more details that aren’t as well known about this fascinating and exceedingly brave woman. A good many of those details are woven into an upcoming Prime Stage Theatre production opening this week at the New Hazlett...
Phipps Conservatory show explores orchid and bonsai history, culture
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens presents an annual show highlighting the beauty and abundance of its orchid and bonsai collections. This year’s show will do that — and more. “Orchid and Bonsai Show: Origin Stories,” opening Saturday in the historic glass house in Pittsburgh’s Oakland section, also will provide historical...
TV Talk at TCA: More TV series than ever, more challenges than ever destabilize entertainment industryVideo
PASADENA, Calif. – The entertainment business is in turmoil, particularly in TV and streaming. On the TV side, ratings for linear – broadcast and cable – continue an inexorable decline. For streaming, viewing is on the rise but profits remain scarce due to exorbitant programming costs. Those challenges impact companies...
Steelers’ Levi Wallace talks importance of air quality with Acmetonia Primary School students
School can sometimes be a drag, but an educational show featuring an NFL football player and a professional DJ made for a fun afternoon for Acmetonia Primary School students. Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Levi Wallace was welcomed with raucous cheers and applause Friday when he visited the Allegheny Valley district school...
Whale entangled in fishing gear off Outer Banks fights for its life, NOAA says
A struggling right whale is “heavily entangled” in fishing gear off North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and likely won’t survive, according to NOAA Fisheries biologists. The whale’s predicament was discovered Jan. 8, as an aerial team from Florida’s Clearwater Marine Aquarium flew 20 miles off Rodanthe, according to a NOAA Fisheries...
Big Spring Spirits opens new location in Sewickley
Big Spring Spirits, an award-winning distillery based in Bellefonte, recently opened a new bar and restaurant in Sewickley. Doors opened at the estimated 1,000-square-foot facility at 418 Beaver St. in November shortly before Thanksgiving. Located at a former bank, project manager Josh Wyka said his seven-member crew have served a...
5 thing to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Jan. 13-15
Local flavors “Taste of Westmoreland” is the theme for Art on Tap 2.0, from 6 to 8 p.m. today at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, 221 N. Main St., Greensburg. The 21-and-older happy hour will feature libations and light bites from local vendors, including Bella Terra Vineyards, Salem Spirits...
TV Talk: Filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ debuts 2nd seasonVideo
PASADENA, Calif. – Paramount+ series “Mayor of Kingstown” filmed its second season in Pittsburgh, and viewers can see the results when season two begins streaming episodes weekly Sunday. My first impression: Kingstown, Mich., has a lot more bridges in season two than it had in season one, which filmed in...
Lisa Marie Presley dies at 54 after hospitalization
WEST HILLS, Calif. — Lisa Marie Presley — the only child of Elvis Presley — died Thursday after being hospitalized earlier that day, her mother said in a statement. The singer was 54. “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter...
Monroeville couple open Back To The Foodture on 5th near PPG Paints Arena
Joe Giuffre and his son Joey were the first customers. They found a booth near the back and ordered loaded buffalo chicken fries. “The owners are great people, and they are family-oriented,” Joe said about Back To The Foodture on 5th, minutes after it opened on Jan. 2. “It’s a...
Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, others pay tribute after death of Jeff Beck
Reactions to the death of Jeff Beck, rock innovator and guitar virtuoso who died Tuesday. “The six stringed Warrior is no longer here for us to admire the spell he could weave around our mortal emotions. Jeff could channel music from the ethereal. His technique unique. His imaginations apparently limitless....
TV Talk at TCA: Conceived-in-Pittsburgh video game ‘The Last of Us’ becomes excellent HBO seriesVideo
PASADENA, Calif. – After finally moving on from the original “Walking Dead,” which ended its run late in 2022 (though there will apparently be spin-offs ad infinitum), the last thing I was looking forward to was HBO’s “The Last of Us” (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO, HBO Max), a dramatic series...
Jeff Beck, guitar god who influenced generations, dies at 78
NEW YORK — Jeff Beck, a guitar virtuoso who pushed the boundaries of blues, jazz and rock ‘n’ roll, influencing generations of shredders along the way and becoming known as the guitar player’s guitar player, has died. He was 78. Beck died Tuesday after “suddenly contracting bacterial meningitis,” his representatives...
No more Ronzoni pastina?! The new year is off to a bad start.
PHILADELPHA — Ronzoni, the 108-year-old pasta brand, announced recently that it will stop making pastina — and America is not happy. Italian American parents have fed the tiny, star-shaped pasta cooked in soup, or fixed in a bowl with milk, butter, and Parmesan cheese, to generations of infants and children....
Flight delayed or canceled? Experts share some advice
Thousands of travelers were stranded at U.S. airports Wednesday due to an hours-long computer outage. More than 1,100 U.S. flights were canceled and nearly 8,000 flights were delayed as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the tracking site FlightAware. Even though the Federal Aviation Administration was at fault for the outage,...
Tatjana Patitz, supermodel of ’80s and ’90s, dies at 56
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Tatjana Patitz, one of an elite group of famed supermodels who graced magazine covers in the 1980s and ’90s and appeared in George Michael’s “Freedom! ‘90” music video, has died at age 56. Patitz’s death in the Santa Barbara, California, area was confirmed by her New...
