Editor's Picks category, Page 169
TV Talk: Carnegie Mellon grad Matt Bomer talks ‘Fellow Travelers’
Matt Bomer (“White Collar”), a 2001 Carnegie Mellon University graduate, is winning accolades for his role in the often risqué, queer love story “Fellow Travelers” (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime; streams on Paramount+ with Showtime). The series is written by Southwestern Pennsylvania native Ron Nyswaner, who grew up in Clarksville, Greene...
Rapper Travis Scott creates ‘UTOPIA’ in Pittsburgh concert
Rapper Travis Scott didn’t let some bad tacos get in the way of his sold-out Pittsburgh show Friday night. Saying he received two IVs after battling the stomach woes for about a day, Scott had no intentions of following the medical advice he received. “The doctor told me if I...
Vento’s Pizza in East Liberty reopens under new family ownership
Vento’s Pizza, the East Liberty restaurant that has been home to “Franco’s Italian Army” for decades, is up and running again. After its longtime owner retired and closed the pizzeria in February, a new family has taken over. They’re working with the Vento family to keep the spirit of the...
McDonald’s bringing back McNugget Buddies in adult Happy Meal
As a child, seeing which mini-toy was inside a McDonald’s Happy Meal was always a thrill. Getting all the miniatures in the collection was a must, which meant multiple trips to the Golden Arches fast-food restaurant. McDonald’s is bringing that sense of wonder back — for kids and adults. “This...
Leona’s ice cream to open scoop shop in Lawrenceville
Ice cream wholesaler Leona’s is moving into the brick-and-mortar world and is set to open a scoop shop in Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood next year. Co-owner Katie Heldstab said Leona’s has agreed on a spot inside the soon-to-be-complete Lawrence Hall on Butler Street in Lawrenceville. She said the location is perfect...
Asteroid will pass in front of bright star Betelgeuse to produce a rare eclipse visible to millions
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — One of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it to produce a one-of-a-kind eclipse. The rare and fleeting spectacle, late Monday into early Tuesday, should be visible to millions of people along a...
CMU grad and Hollywood icon Ming-Na Wen to be at Steel City ConVideo
Hollywood icon and Carnegie Mellon University grad Ming-Na Wen returned to the Pittsburgh area this week to cheer on her beloved Steelers and meet with fans in Monroeville. She will be among the celebrities at Steel City Con at the Monroeville Convention Center Friday and Saturday, the first two days...
Luminary Night gathers holiday cheer in downtown Greensburg
The streets of downtown Greensburg were transformed into a holiday wonderland Thursday evening, complete with elves, cookies, hot chocolate, horse-drawn carriages, a live Nativity , and a visit from Santa for the 54th annual Luminary Night. Hosted by the nonprofit Greensburg Business and Professional Association, the event gathers local organizations...
Local musicians will take the stage in A Very Yinzer Christmas concert
Certain holiday music is often associated with a specific singer — such as Andy Williams’ voice in “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” What if the sounds of that song brought to mind one of Pittsburgh’s well-known musicians? Well, they just might because Scott Blasey, lead vocalist of...
Monessen native Michael Moorer along with Hatton, Calderon, Corrales elected to Boxing Hall of Fame
CANASTOTA, N.Y. — Monessen native Michael Moorer, the first left-hander to win the heavyweight title, and fellow two-division champions Ricky Hatton and Ivan Calderon were elected Thursday to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Diego Corrales, who died two years after winning a 2005 bout voted “Fight of the Year,”...
5 things to do in Westmoreland County: Dec. 8-10
Chestnuts are roasting on the open fire, and Jack Frost is already starting to nip at noses. If that isn’t enough to get you in the holiday spirit, there are plenty of activities that will this weekend in Westmoreland County. Free improv workshop Leaders of StoryZ, a nonprofit theater and...
Def Leppard, Journey, Steve Miller Band coming to PNC Park
It seems like a rock music lover’s dream: Def Leppard and Journey on the same bill, with the Steve Miller Band thrown in for good measure. Well, that dream is headed to Pittsburgh’s PNC Park in July. The concert, part of Def Leppard and Journey’s 23-city Summer Stadium Tour in...
Boyz II Men set to return to Pittsburgh at Rivers Casino
Boyz II Men, the powerhouse R&B act that ruled the charts in the 1990s, will return to Pittsburgh for a performance at Rivers Casino in February. The trio, known for their hits “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” “One Sweet Day” (with Mariah Carey) and “Motownphilly,” is...
TV Talk: ‘Monk’ back on the case; ‘Archies’ vs. ‘Archie’Video
TV reboots get built on ricketier foundations than “Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A ‘Monk’ Movie,” streaming Friday on Peacock. On the 2002-09 USA cable series, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) was known as the germ-phobic, “obsessive-compulsive detective.” So it wasn’t that deep into the covid-19 pandemic before Shalhoub, who got covid...
‘At the right place, at the right time’: Go Laurel Highlands recognizes 9 photo contest winners
For Connie Weyant, the photograph that placed her in the top nine of Go Laurel Highlands’ annual photo contest took years of patient waiting. Weyant, of Somerset, has been observing Somerset Lake for about eight years in search of a bald eagle. She’s received countless calls from friends, pointing her...
Norman Lear, revolutionary TV producer of ‘All in the Family,’ has died at 101
Norman Lear, the writer, director and producer who revolutionized prime time television with “All in the Family” and “Maude,” propelling political and social turmoil into the once-insulated world of sitcoms, has died. He was 101. Lear died Tuesday night in his sleep, surrounded by family at his home in Los...
Taylor Swift is named Time’s person of the year
NEW YORK — Is the year of Taylor Swift over now? Not yet. Time magazine named Swift its person of the year on Wednesday, a week after Spotify announced she was the most-played artist on the streaming platform. Swift was picked from a group of nine finalists that included Barbie,...
When is St. Nicholas Day? And how did this Christian saint inspire the Santa Claus legend?
NEW YORK — The white-bearded Christian saint whose acts of generosity inspired America’s secular Santa Claus figure is known worldwide — but Saint Nicholas’ origin story is not. The legends surrounding jolly old St. Nicholas — celebrated annually on Dec. 6 — go way beyond delivering candy and toys to...
TV Q&A: Did Chris Hoffman leave KDKA-TV? Where’s WPXI’s Alby Oxenreiter?
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: Just wondering why we haven’t seen Chris Hoffman on KDKA-TV for quite a while. — Linda, via Facebook Rob: Hoffman posted to social media that...
Mariah Carey rocks Pittsburgh with soulful performance of holiday hits
Santa hats and sparkly outfits adorned the crowd Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena in Uptown Pittsburgh, and with so much holiday bling, there’s only one show it could have been for — singer Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas One And All!” tour. Opening the concert with an overture to “Sugar...
Pittsburgh Symphony, Mendelssohn Choir bring Handel’s ‘Messiah’ to Saint Vincent in Unity
The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, under the direction of Manfred Honeck, performed George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah” on Tuesday in the Saint Vincent Archabbey Basilica. First performed on April 13, 1742, in Dublin, Ireland, “Messiah” didn’t have its premier in London until nearly a year later....
Ruth Reichl’s Town Hall South talk focuses on America’s poor food quality
Former Los Angeles Times and New York Times food critic, chef and author Ruth Reichl said the quality of American food isn’t nutritionally what it once was — or should be. The James Beard Award-winning writer took the stage at Upper St. Clair High School Theater, pulled her glasses down...
Over 50% of people feel competitive with their neighbors over holiday decorations: survey
You can see it all across America: One person puts up their Christmas decorations, then another person, then another, each with increasingly more lights and wreaths. If this is something you, reader, have seen, you’re not alone in your observation: A new survey on 2023 holiday decorating trends has found...
Desert island albums: Here’s what Grace Potter, Nicotine Dolls, Barns Courtney and others would bring with them
It’s a simple enough question: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three albums would you want with you? Plenty of bands who either played or were scheduled to perform in Pittsburgh this fall offered their choices, with albums ranging from big band to gospel to alternative rock,...
Rockstar releases trailer for ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ early amid leak
Looks like Christmas came early for fans awaiting a sneak peek at Rockstar Games’ long-awaited “Grand Theft Auto VI.” The gaming company posted Friday on X (formerly Twitter) that the trailer would arrive Tuesday. However, a now-suspended X account leaked the trailer early and prompted the company to officially release...
