Pittsburgh to honor filmmaker George Romero

Pittsburgh plans to honor Western Pennsylvania legend George Romero, known as the father of American zombie films, on Monday at the Downtown location where his cult classic “Night of the Living Dead” premiered in 1968.

Romero’s widow, Suzanne Desrocher, will be joined by Mayor Bill Peduto, representatives of the Pittsburgh film office and fans in remembering Romero at 10:30 a.m. outside the Byham Theater on Sixth Street. Sixth Street will be closed between Penn Avenue and Fort Duquesne Boulevard from 10 a.m. until noon.

“Night of the Living Dead” premiered at what was then the Fulton Theater on Oct. 1, 1968.

More than 30 organizations have committed to a series of events over the next month, including screenings, lectures and festivities, to recognize Romero’s work and highlight Pittsburgh as a destination to learn about his impact on American pop culture.

Romero, who died July 16 of lung cancer, is credited with incorporating conformity, racism, mall culture, militarism, class differences and other social ills into his films.

His second zombie classic, “Dawn of the Dead,” shot at the Monroeville Mall, debuted in 1978.

The Library of Congress in 1999 inducted “Night of the Living Dead” into the National Registry of Films.

Mindhunter To Close Streets in Etna, Sharpsburg

Sharpsburg and Etna are merging in more ways than just the detour around the Freeport Road bridge construction. They just exchanged a police officer and both are becoming the lair of the Mindhunter.

Jake Silver, assistant location manager for Late Seventies Productions of Pittsburgh, asked Sharpsburg council at its meeting last Thursday for permission to close some streets for filming of the Netflix series, Mindhunter. He’d already gotten Etna’s approval a month earlier to do some filming there.

Sharpsburg council is considering a request to close South Main Street for most if not all of the day on Thursday, Sept. 6 from 11 a.m. Only local traffic will be permitted on an intermittent basis during filming.

Also, parking along second through fifth street would be restricted where visible to their cameras during filming so late-model cars in the spaces closest to South Main will not impact the show’s 1980’s theme.

Mr. Silver also asked for the closing of the ramp from Sharpsburg to Route 8 on another day. Borough manager Bill Rossey told him they would need Pennsylvania Department of Transportation approval for that. Etna already okayed closing their ramp onto Route 8, according to Mr. Silver.

“Every month, people complain about parking,” Brittany Reno, Sharpsburg council president, told Mr. Silver. “So we’d have to figure out an alternative place to park.”

The location manager told council he’s been working with local businesses in the area and have asked them if they would open their lots to parking that day.

Chief Thomas Stelitano said he’s concerned about trucks going through Sharpsburg to Etna. Mr. Silver said he’d already spoken with local businesses about deliveries as well. “I have deals going with them for parking,” he said. “Not one of them has complained.” Already, Fazio Mechanical Service at 300 Main Street has agreed to open its lot that day , according to Mr. Silver.

Councilman Matthew Brudnok said he felt comfortable with the plan as long as residents have access to parking.

Fliers will be posted to let residents know where to park during filming and Sharpsburg and Etna police will be hired by the production company to direct traffic, Mr. Silver said. He told council they had once filmed on Middle Street with no problems. Information also will be posted on the borough’s website, said Chief Stelitano.

“Thanks for bringing the big screen to Sharpsburg,” Ms. Reno said.

Rita Michel, freelance writer, [email protected]

Pittsburgh Filmed Show, One Dollar, Premieres Tonight!

How And When To Watch One Dollar On CBS All Access

One Dollar premieres Thursday, Aug. 30, exclusively on CBS All Access.

One Dollar, a brand-new CBS All Access Original series about a group of characters who wind up embroiled in a shocking tale of multiple murders, premieres Thursday, Aug. 30, exclusively on CBS All Access.

Before the mystery starts to unfold, here’s a quick primer on what you can expect from the thrilling 10-episode drama and, of course, how to stream the series!

READ: CBS All Access Acquires One Dollar, A Thrilling New Series About Money And Murder

What you need to know
CBS All Access’ latest original drama series, One Dollar, premieres on Thursday, Aug. 30.

Then, every Thursday thereafter, a brand-new episode will be made available on-demand, exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers.

What is One Dollar about?
Set within a small Rust Belt town in post-recession America, One Dollar tells the unexpected story of a one-dollar bill changing hands amidst a group of characters who wind up embroiled in a shocking tale of multiple murders.

As the currency changes hands, so does the point of view of each episode, which paints a picture of a small town plagued by major class and cultural divides that spill out when local secrets are revealed.

Who are the stars of One Dollar?
The cast of One Dollar includes John Carroll Lynch, Nathaniel Martello-White, Christopher Denham, Philip Ettinger, Kirrilee Berger, Gracie Lawrence, Joshua Bitton, Níke Kadri, Hamilton Clancy, Greg Germann, Sturgill Simpson, Aleksa Palladino, Jeff Perry, and Leslie Odom Jr..

Who else is involved in the production of One Dollar?
The series is created by Jason Mosberg, who also serves as Executive Producer. Executive Producer Craig Zobel (Compliance, The Leftovers) directs all 10 episodes, and Matt DeRoss, Alexandre Dauman, Graham Gordy also serve as Executive Producers.

Watch on CBS All Access or CBS.com
Aside from streaming One Dollar on Thursday, Aug. 30, exclusively on CBS All Access, you’ll be able to stream the action through CBS All Access on your desktop, smartphone, and a variety of other electronic devices, including Apple TV, Android, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Channels, iPad, iPhone, PS4, Roku, Windows 10, Samsung TV, and Xbox.

Or, simply visit CBS.com.

More about CBS All Access
Not only will CBS All Access let you stream episodes of One Dollar, but you’ll be able to stream more CBS All Access Original series like The Good Fight, Star Trek: Discovery, No Activity, Strange Angel, plus the upcoming twisted thriller Tell Me A Story and an all-new reimagining of The Twilight Zone.

In addition, subscribers will get access to CBS network favorites like Big Brother, NCIS, The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Survivor, and exciting specials like the 54th Academy of Country Music Awards.

STREAM: Star Trek: Discovery, The Good Fight, And More Exclusively On CBS All Access

Subscribe now
If you want to take advantage of everything CBS All Access has to offer, you can try it absolutely free for a week!

After that, it’s only $5.99/month with limited commercials or $9.99/month commercial-free!

Stream the series premiere of One Dollar on Thursday, Aug. 30, exclusively on CBS All Access. Then, every Thursday thereafter, a brand-new episode (there will be 10 episodes in total) will be made available on-demand, exclusively for CBS All Access subscribers.

Was That Tom Hanks in a Greensburg Starbucks?

Was that Tom Hanks in a Greensburg Starbucks?

Shirley McMarlin

Was that the real Tom Hanks spotted in a Greensburg Starbucks on Tuesday?

It’s certainly possible, given the fact that the Academy Award-winning actor is set to star as Latrobe native son Fred Rogers in the new movie “You Are My Friend.”

The film from Sony TriStar Pictures is set to begin filming around Pittsburgh in the fall. So it’s quite possible Hanks was in the area doing some research.

https://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2018/07/09/film-production-based-on-story-about-mister-rogers.html …

— James Quinn (@WrestleWithJQ) 8:38 AM – Aug 22, 2018

Hundreds of aspiring extras in #Pittsburgh have shown up to a casting call for Mister Rogers movie to be filmed this fall with @tomhanks

— Luis Fabregas (@LuisTrib) 11:35 AM – Aug 25, 2018 · Pittsburgh, PA

The manager on duty this morning at the Starbucks on Route 30 East said he was unable to comment, since all media inquiries must “go through corporate.”

But there’s photo evidence on the Across Westmoreland Facebook page, and that makes it so, right? Facebook user John Joseph James posted the photo, which he says his brother-in-law sent to his wife.

He comments that it was taken in the Starbucks “on Route 30 near the Kia dealership. Not quite sure who this guy is, but someone told me he’s an up-and-coming star and to keep an eye out for him in the movies…”

Hanks could have been traveling from Pittsburgh to the Fred Rogers Center at Saint Vincent College when he had a hankering (get it?) for a pumpkin spice latte, which returned to the menu yesterday.

Or maybe he’s a Nitro Cold Brew kind of guy.

@tomhanks I heard you were in my area today? Did you visit Mister Rogers home town, my neighbor of Latrobe?

— Claudia (@CMarPA) 9:42 PM – Aug 28, 2018

In any case, Tom Hanks is welcome in Greensburg any time — and he’d be sure to get a good meal.

Dearest @tomhanks

Rumor has it that you’re in the Greensburg/Latrobe area. My friend Forrest (yes, that’s actually his name) is having a cookout this Sunday for Labor Day. If you don’t find yourself to be busy, feel free to pop in!

— Ashley (@Ashangelo) 10:45 PM – Aug 28, 2018

@tomhanks if your in greensburg come to Mr. Toad’s and have some steak on Wedensday. #hwtd #daisheretics

— Rev. Daisher Rocket (@RevRocket) 1:50 PM – Aug 28, 2018 · The Church Of Daisherology

Tom Hanks in Greensburg yesterday. Come eat at Pizza Hut Tom! Wilsonnnnnnnnnn!!!!!

— Summer Sager (@HEELSager) 6:40 PM – Aug 28, 2018

Looks like the friendly folks of Greensburg would love to be his neighbor too.

@tomhanks hello beautiful!! There is a picture roaming around on Facebook! You are in greensburg, pa!! I live not far would love to meet you and get a picture with you!! #yougotmail !

— Chelsey hall (@Chelseyhall20) 8:14 AM – Aug 29, 2018

is tom hanks still in greensburg bc my uncle has owed him $5 for 24 years and i’d like to give it to him

— ambi⟠ (@literally_amber) 9:04 PM – Aug 28, 2018 · Hempfield, PA

One Dollar Premiere

Tuned In: Yinzers rejoice! Pittsburghese prominently featured in CBS All Access drama series ‘One Dollar’

ROB OWEN

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

[email protected]

Finally, a TV series that prominently features the Pittsburgh accent and Pittsburghese!

For years viewers have complained TV shows set in Pittsburgh did not do justice to the regional dialect, but new drama “One Dollar,” streaming via CBS All Access Thursday, breaks that barrier.

Set in the fictional Western Pennsylvania town of Braden, the serialized drama follows a swath of characters connected by a $1 bill that changes hands and by possible murders at the mill for which there is blood from seven different people (aka “the seven bloods killings”) but no bodies are found.

The first episode of “One Dollar” wallows in the struggles of several sad sack characters and jumps around a confusing amount as it introduces the unwieldy, large cast, but the show becomes more engrossing in episodes two and three. “One Dollar” hits its stride by episode six, proving it’s a worthy addition to the Peak TV era.

The mill is owned by kindly Bud Carl, played by John Carroll Lynch (“Turn,” “Fargo”), who gets the MVP Award for most dedicated Pittsburgh accent. Bud is known as “Pop” to his workers, but future episodes reveal he may have a darker side.

Ken Fry, aka Mr. Walmart (Sturgill Simpson), steals from the rich in Braden Estates and sells what he’s stolen at a flea market, much to the consternation of the Braden police, led by Chief Trask (Chris Denham). His staff includes a rookie (Nike Uche Kadri) who gains a mentor in former police detective turned private investigator Jake Noveer (Nathaniel Martello-White).

Jake’s clients include a developer, Wilson Furlbee (Greg Germann, “Ally McBeal”), who wants dirt on the murder at the mill. Furlbee’s daughter, Dannie (Kirrilee Berger, “K.C. Undercover”), may know more about what happened that night at the mill.

The cast also includes Pittsburgh native Margot Bingham in a recurring role as Cass, a baker who catches Jake’s eye; Carnegie Mellon University grad Leslie Odom Jr. as a mover and shaker who’s new to Braden and “Scandal” alumnus Jeff Perry, who plays a Braden con man in declining health. Actress Ashlie Atkinson makes a winning impression as the only female steelworker at the mill.

Viewers have become accustomed to TV shows with large casts of unconnected characters who become entwined as the story unfurls. So, the $1 that connects the characters initially seems like an unnecessary gimmick (each episode is named after the character who has the $1 bill).

But at the end of episode two, the $1 gets passed to a school teacher, Carol Seerveld (excellent character actress Deirdre O’Connell), and episode three tells her difficult, touching story that’s sort of a tangent — it doesn’t appear she’ll be pulled into the main murder plot — but a worthwhile one. At this point, the $1 getting passed starts to seem a little more integral to the series’ design.

Showrunner Craig Zobel integrates a lot of elements from real Pittsburgh, including a running gag of a self-driving vehicle that zooms down the streets of Braden a la the autonomous Uber vehicles.

But mostly “One Dollar” is grounded in serious, realistic issues, including the economics of a small town rooted in its steel mill past versus a developer’s vision for its future and questions about racial prejudice inside the Braden police department. “One Dollar” also depicts the haves and have-nots of Braden, addressing socio-economic class disparity. And there’s a timeliness to the show with talk of tariffs kicking in that might help the steel industry and a white supremacist group that doesn’t believe the “seven gloves” murder actually happened, labeling it “fake news.”

Through its early episodes, “One Dollar” never mentions Pittsburgh (characters talk about going “to the city”) but an unfocused image of the Downtown skyline can be glimpsed at the end of the opening credits.

Scenes feature Market Square, PPG Place and a lot of images of steel mills, including the logo for Mon Valley Works Edgar Thompson Plant. Steel mill scenes were shot at Frontier Steel (Neville Island), CP Industries (McKeesport) and Arcelor Mital (Monessen).

The town of Braden is played by Braddock, North Braddock, Rankin, Swissvale, Arnold and New Kensington. Scenes were also filmed in North Versailles, Fox Chapel, Wilmerding, Forest Hills, Apollo and Vandergrift, among many other locations.

The show’s set decorator gets a lot of mileage out of a Terrible Towel that hangs in the background of at least one scene in the premiere and two scenes at two different locations in episodes two.

Multiple times characters refer to other characters as “Yinzers.” And in perhaps the most Pittsburghy moment in the first six episodes, Bud Carl asks his house cleaner, former foster kid Jenny Ludlow (Lindsay Burdge), “You think you can go over to Giant Eagle and get a carpet cleaning machine? Yinz doing OK these days?”

“One Dollar” is a TV show that gets Pittsburghers right.

Won’t You Be My Neighbor Opening

When Mr. McFeely dropped by “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” on the long-running children’s television program, the mailman always delivered a friendly “speedy delivery” greeting.

McFeely’s alter ego, David Newell, will pay a visit to Ligonier to host the opening night of a three-night showing of “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” at 8 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Diamond Theatre.

He will welcome families and introduce the film, and answer questions and sign autographs — as David Newell, not Mr. McFeely, he says — at its conclusion.

The documentary from Focus Films by Academy Award-winning producer/director Morgan Neville (“20 Feet from Stardom”) opened in theaters around the country on June 8, following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.

Since its opening, Newell says the film has had a great response, especially from adults that grew up watching “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” from 1968 to 2001 on public television, including WQED-TV in Pittsburgh, where it was filmed.

‘Oscar buzz’

There’s even some “Oscar buzz” that the documentary is favored to win an Academy Award, he says.

Newell, who worked with Fred Rogers for more than 35 years, has had several requests from theaters in Pennsylvania and in other states to make guest appearances since the documentary of Rogers’ life opened. Rogers passed away in 2003.

‘Speedy delivery’

Newell, who also served as an associate producer and properties manager on “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” and public relations director for Family Communications Inc., still portrays his Mr. McFeely character at special events.

He recalls one of his favorite memories of Rogers, which took place during the taping of the last episode of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

The script called for Mr. McFeely to make his usual entrance with his “speedy delivery” greeting and a “see you around the neighborhood” or similar exit.

But as he was leaving Mister Rogers’ TV house that day, he says “I decided to shake his hand as I was saying ‘speedy delivery’. The handshake was for me a ‘Thank you and it has been wonderful knowing and working with you for all these 35 years.’”

Black Panther Costumes Coming to Pittsburgh

Life’s been more hectic than usual these days for Academy Award-nominated costume designer Ruth E. Carter — and she owes that to Marvel Studios’ blockbuster “Black Panther.”

“I say all the time ‘Black Panther’ kind of shot me out of a cannon,” says Ms. Carter, the designer behind the film’s intricate Afro-futuristic garments. “I have been in demand.”

There’s a Netflix project with Eddie Murphy in the works and a 20-stop university lecture tour on the horizon, kicking off soon at Carnegie Mellon University. She appeared at Comic-Con International in July and will be doing an event at New York Fashion Week next month. All that buzz meant the time felt right to mount the first museum retrospective of her work.

“Heroes & Sheroes: The Art & Influence of Ruth E. Carter in Black Cinema” gets its world premiere Aug. 25 at the Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District, where it will be on view through Dec. 2. Patrons and press will get a first look on Aug. 24 during an opening celebration, and it will be unveiled to the public on Aug. 25. The exhibition is presented by Pittsburgh-based FashionAFRICANA in partnership with the Heinz History Center.

The exhibition will be a walk through Ms. Carter’s work from several films, including eight costumes from “Black Panther.” They will be joined by pieces she had stored away from Steven Spielberg’s “Amistad,” the “Roots” mini-series remake, Lee Daniels’ “The Butler,” Brian Gibson’s “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” Salim Akil’s musical film “Sparkle,” Ava DuVernay’s “Selma” and two of the movies she worked on with Spike Lee, “Do the Right Thing” and “Malcolm X.”

Together, she says these films not only represent milestones in her career about also in African-American history and in cinema.

“I feel like I’ve been dressing super heroes, heroes, my whole career,” she told the Post-Gazette when the exhibition was announced during a press conference in March. “I think Martin Luther King and Selma and the marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge were heroes and sheroes.”

She credits FashionAFRICANA founder Demeatria Boccella for being the catalyst for the project. Before “Black Panther” was released in theaters, she approached Ms. Carter with the idea of collaborating on some sort of fashion exhibit. Beyond “Black Panther,” she was familiar with Ms. Carter’s prestigious portfolio through her work as managing director for the Bill Nunn Theatre Outreach Project. The late Bill Nunn III, a Pittsburgh native and the project’s founder, was cast in a handful of Spike Lee’s films, perhaps most notably as Radio Raheem in “Do the Right Thing.” (Ms. Carter worked with an artist in Brooklyn to recreate the hand-painted shirt he wore in the film for the Pittsburgh exhibit.)

“My desire with FashionAFRICANA is to create a platform that recognizes world-class designers, directors, artists and models of the African diaspora,” says Ms. Boccella, who has produced events here in the past with works by Paris-based fashion photographer Mario Epanya and “Hamilton” costume designer Paul Tazewell. “I really wanted to seek out a black woman this time, and I have been following Ruth’s work for some time. I thought this would be such an extraordinary opportunity to celebrate her and her beautiful work.”

Darnell McLaurin, right, with FashionAFRICANA, sets up a display of costumes by designer Ruth E. Carter before a press conference in March announcing a new retrospective fashion exhibition of Ms. Carter’s work at the Heinz History Center. “Heroes & Sheroes: The Art & Influence of Ruth E. Carter in Black Cinema” will open to the public at the Heinz History Center on Aug. 25.(Jessie Wardarski/Post-Gazette)

The exhibition is designed to be a glimpse into what it means to be a costume designer, a world that Ms. Carter has gravitated toward since a young age. A native of Springfield, Mass., she was one of eight siblings in a single-parent home where creativity was encouraged.

“As a high school kid, I loved to be in drama class and I was performing in school plays. I did all that kind of stuff,” she says.

She attended Hampton University in Virginia, at first to study special education. She continued to audition for plays, and when she didn’t make the cut for one of them she was asked to design the costumes for it instead. Eventually, she switched her major to speech and drama, but because the school didn’t have a formal costume design program then she largely developed her own curriculum. That meant, getting lots of books on the subject and “dreaming about it,” she says.

More than 30 years and 40-plus films later, spending hours poring over books or scrolling through articles online is an integral part of her process. For instance, she researched African tribes like the Maasai for inspiration for what inhabitants of the fictional nation of Wakanda wore in “Black Panther.”

These sorts of insights will be sprinkled throughout the exhibition at the Heinz History Center. To complement them, the Heroes & Sheroes educational program has been created to engage middle school-age students from across Pittsburgh.

“It’s important to me that the black community has access to see this body of work,” Ms. Boccella says. “We’re hoping to create community days for those who may not have the resources to buy a ticket to go to the museum will be able to obtain free passes.”

An e-fund campaign has been launched on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo to help underwrite those costs.

In addition to possibly inspiring the next generation of costume designers, Ms. Carter wants the exhibition to illuminate for anyone the important role that costumes have in cinematic storytelling — and she hopes Pittsburgh is only the beginning. Representatives from other cities will be visiting here to see it, with the goal of having it travel across the country.

“I want to communicate to the world and to the Pittsburgh community the messages behind some of the costumes,” Ms. Carter explains. “Through some of this research, I have learned that people put their hands in their pockets during the Selma march as sort of a non-violent posture. That slaves were only given one set of clothes for the whole year. I felt there was so much more behind what I did that couldn’t be included in the two hours [of a film] that we have to tell the story. Now, I can tell my own story.”

The opening gala begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday with a V.I.P. reception, followed by tours of the exhibition and a dance party. Tickets are $75 for general admission and $150 for V.I.P. access at showclix.com or by calling 1-888-718-4253.

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Pittsburgh to honor filmmaker George Romero

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WQED is looking for new participants for their Next Generation Fellows program, do you have what it takes?