TV | BLOGH: City Paper's Blog |
Friday, September 7, 2018

Posted By on Fri, Sep 7, 2018 at 1:24 PM

click to enlarge Catch Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown tonight on Treehouse Masters
Photo: Kennihan Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning
Antonio Brown (center) with Kennihan employees
I only watch Animal Planet to learn about treehouses. (I would rather see animals in person than on TV.) And I’m not even super into treehouses, but an upcoming episode of Treehouse Masters piqued my interest.

Tonight, Pittsburghers should join me in my new tree house obsession because a special Pittsburgh guest is featured: Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.

Since the premiere of Treehouse Masters in 2013, the scale and quality of the treehouses built by Pete Nelson have upgraded from treehouses to tree-mansions. In recent seasons, especially the current one, the treehouses on the show are nicer than most people’s homes. Brown’s is no exception.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Posted By on Wed, Oct 18, 2017 at 2:51 PM

click to enlarge Yes, that’s local U.S. Rep. candidate Tom Prigg in Netflix’s new 'Mindhunter' series
Photo courtesy of Tom Prigg
Tom Prigg
Did you see that SWAT member in the background of a scene where a young woman is being held hostage in Netflix’s recently premiered show "Mindhunter"?  Well, he’s from Southwestern Pennsylvania and he’s running for U.S. Congress.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, February 22, 2016

Posted By on Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 3:06 PM

click to enlarge Documentary (T)ERROR, about counter-terrorism investigations in Pittsburgh, screens on TV tonight
A scene from (T)ERROR

A new documentary about domestic counterterrorism investigations, (T)ERROR, screens tonight on PBS' Independent Lens (10 p.m. WQED).

(T)ERROR is a timely film from Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe, which addresses broad issues like freedom of religion, freedom of speech, profiling and domestic surveillance through one specific case. In 2011, Saeed “Shariff” Torres, a 63-year-old former Black Panther-turned-counterterrorism paid informant, is tasked by the FBI to ferret out, befriend and aid with the conviction of a "person of interest" in Pittsburgh, namely Khalifah Ali Al-Akili, of Wilkinsburg.

A bit of a braggart, Torres gives the filmmakers remarkable access, inviting them into his scheming to nail Al-Akili. Torres toggles between finding some thrill in the work and wishing he worked at a fancy cupcake bakery. Things get interesting when Al-Akili gets wind of the FBI investigation, and also invites the filmmakers to document his pushback.

On the surface, it's a real-life thriller, but real chills come from the firsthand accounts and on-the-wall documentation of how problematic this sort of investigation is — one more rooted in pursuing criminalized ideologies than actual crimes — as well as the inherent risks of using paid informants.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,