Editor's Picks category, Page 242
TV Q&A: When will KDKA-TV’s Jon Delano escape his attic?
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’m wondering if you could find out when KDKA-TV will let Jon Delano out of his attic? — Ken, South Park Rob: In fairness, he...
Lensa’s magic-avatar portraits are all over social media
With people sharing AI-generated portraits on social media, attention is being drawn to the Lensa AI photo app. The app, from Prisma AI, has been around since 2018, but the new “magic avatar” feature debuted last month. The feature creates highly-stylized portraits that users share on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok....
TV Talk: ‘QED Cooks’ returns with first episode since the pandemic, ‘When in Rome’Video
WQED’s Saturday morning cooking franchise series “QED Cooks” returns with its first new episode since the March 2020 onset of the covid-19 pandemic with “When in Rome” (10 a.m.-12 p.m. Saturday and airing in the same time slot Dec. 17 and 20). Taped in late October and once again featuring...
Kirstie Alley, Emmy-winning ‘Cheers’ star, dies at 71
TAMPA, Fla. — Kirstie Alley, who won an Emmy for her role on “Cheers” and starred in films including “Look Who’s Talking,” died Monday. She was 71. Alley died of cancer that was only recently discovered, her children True and Lillie Parker said in a post on Twitter. Alley’s manager...
Bret Michaels to bring Parti Gras Tour to Star Lake in 2023
Bret Michaels makes no secret of his love for the Pittsburgh area and can’t seem to get enough when it comes to performing here. Fresh off this year’s extensive stadium tour with his band Poison — including an August performance at PNC Park – Michaels has announced he will perform...
Pittsburgh Pop podcast: Talking local TV news ratings, ‘Greg Donny,’ Top 10 TV of 2022
In this episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast, host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment, including the return of Yinzer-accented web comedy series “Greg Donny.” Owen and Benz also discuss November sweeps ratings for local TV newscasts, which station came...
Lost Stephen Sondheim musical reveals insight into a giantVideo
NEW YORK — A copy of what’s being called Stephen Sondheim’s first original cast recording has been found on a misplaced CD, capturing the legendary composer’s budding skills in a student-led musical while at Williams College in 1948. Sondheim was an 18-year-old sophomore when he wrote the music for “Phinney’s...
Unmarked graves, an ‘ugly history’: W.Va. weighs mine safety
HAVACO, W.Va. — Mayapple plants sprout in the sunken soil where the bodies lie, their leaves sheltering the unmarked graves like tiny umbrellas. The forgotten burial ground is overrun by four-wheel tire tracks near a path strewn with discarded bottles and other trash. More than a century of overgrowth on...
The time a ‘fake Fleetwood Mac’ was booked by Pittsburgh promoter Rich Engler
The recent death of longtime Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie brought memories flooding back for music industry insiders recalling the band’s storied and tumultuous history. Pittsburgh concert promoter Rich Engler is among them . Although Engler has several stories about bringing the rock group to Western Pennsylvania, one of his...
Bob McGrath, ‘Sesame Street’ legend, dies at 90
Bob McGrath, an actor, musician and children’s author widely known for his portrayal of one of the first regular characters on the children’s show “Sesame Street” has died at the age of 90. McGrath’s passing was confirmed by his family who posted on his Facebook page on Sunday: “The McGrath...
Easy homemade treats are sweet dreams for holidays
How do you put those visions of sugarplums dancing in your family’s heads when you are pulled in a hundred different directions? You want the holiday you had as a kid — all special moments, amazing smells and once-a-year bites. But now you know that your mom making that happen...
Vandergrift Back When Holiday Extravaganza wows crowds through Sunday
The Vandergrift Back When Holiday Extravaganza kicked off Friday with a bang. Thousands of festival-goers lined Grant Avenue to watch more than 20 floats, costumed characters and the award-winning Kiski Area High School Marching Band. “It was great,” said Steve Broda, a member of the committee who helped organize the...
Despite U.S. loss, World Cup draws Western Pa. interest
Bars and casinos don’t typically draw big crowds during breakfast time on the weekends, but the World Cup provided an exception to the rule Saturday morning. Thousands of Western Pennsylvania soccer fans flocked to nearby hangouts to watch the U.S. team ultimately fall to the Netherlands, 3-1. “(Soccer fans) like...
New Kensington Christmas parade dazzles with dancers, fire engines, Santa and even (fake) snow
The forecast called for rain but there were snow flurries in New Kensington on Saturday for the annual Christmas parade. The guest of honor, Santa Claus, arrived atop a fire engine under a squall of huge white flakes — made of foam and sprayed from a nearby truck. Crowds lining...
5 things to consider when picking a live Christmas tree
The Christmas tree tends to be the centerpiece when the halls are decked for the holidays. The question can be whether to go with a live or artificial tree. Here are two things to consider when making the choice: Shopping for a live tree is a great way to make...
From Christmas to country, Pittsburgh-area natives have new music coming outVideo
From original Christmas tunes just in time for the holidays to a self-empowerment anthem, native Pittsburghers have released new music in a variety of genres. Kels, ‘By This Christmas Tree’ EP Pine-Richland High School graduate Kelsey Hillock, who performs under the stage name Kels, released her first batch of original...
Space Force opens Pittsburgh hub to boost regional space and tech industries
Nearly four decades after the collapse of the steel industry, the Pittsburgh region has emerged as a growing technology hub in the fields of robotics and life sciences. Those industries are likely to see a boost from the newly created Keystone Space Innovation Center on Pittsburgh’s North Side. The facility...
Hundreds report seeing fireball streak across sky in Pa. and 11 states, CanadaVideo
The sky over the Pittsburgh region Thursday night was mostly obliterated by clouds, according to the National Weather Service. But anyone casting their gaze to the heavens around 7:30 p.m. and was lucky enough to catch a break in the clouds was treated to a spectacular light streaking across the...
Lawmakers, officials reflect on 30-year legacy of Pa.’s CHIP
When Chris Coles’ husband lost his job as a steelworker in the mid-1980s, she feared for her family. She feared for her ability to put food on the table and pay electric bills, and, most of all, she feared for her son Justin’s health. “We lost our health insurance immediately,...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County this weekend: Dec. 2-4
Holiday greens and gifts Hours for Greensburg Garden Center’s annual Gifts & Greens Sale are 3-7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at the Greensburg Garden & Civic Center, 951 Old Salem Road. Holiday merchandise includes trees of various sizes individually decorated by Garden Center members, along with aromatic...
5 things to do in Pittsburgh this weekend: Dec. 2-4
Holiday music and shopping — along with the ghostly appearance of William Shakespeare — are among events on tap this weekend in Pittsburgh. Shakespeare’s ghost Premiere performances of Pittsburgh playwright Nathan Wagner’s “Perdita” will be at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Friday in the New Hazlett Theater, 6 Allegheny Square...
TV Talk: Best scripted TV/streaming series of 2022
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. While TV and streaming offer fresh programming year-round, December remains one of the quieter TV months — that makes it a good time to catch up on shows you’ve missed. Below, you’ll find my favorites...
Elon Musk suspends Kanye West’s Twitter account
Early Friday, Kanye West’s Twitter account was suspended after the rapper posted a picture of a swastika merged with the Star of David. New Twitter CEO Elon Musk confirmed the suspension in a tweet replying to West’s post of an unflattering photo of the billionaire, which West called his “final...
Santa, songs add sparkle to Greensburg’s Luminary Night; public ranks wreaths for raffle
A visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library was one of the highlights Thursday for children attending downtown Greensburg’s annual Luminary Night. The library served cookies and hot chocolate and offered games, music, crafts and other activities as part of its free Winter Wonderland party...
Morgan Wallen adds PNC Park date this summer, releasing new music Friday
Morgan Wallen has unveiled concert dates for his 2023 world tour and announced that he will release not one, but three new songs on Friday. The country musician broke the news Thursday morning on social media where he revealed the titles of the soon-to-be-released tracks: “One Thing at a Time,”...
