On the heels of the announcement that Richard Roeper would be exiting At the Movies, we now get the word that Roger Ebert is also leaving the balcony.
The end of an era for sure. In fact, as long as I’ve been alive, Roger Ebert has been doing movie reviews on television. Starting in 1975, he and Gene Siskel were doing reviews for Chicago’s WTTW locally, but eventually went national. They made the leap to commercial television in 1982, and then joined Disney in 1986.
Siskel died of a brain tumor in 1999, and Richard Roeper was selected as a successor in 2000 after beating out a ton of other candidates.
In a statement by Ebert, he said that he’s “cutting ties” with the show that he and Siskel made famous.
Ebert said Disney-ABC Domestic Television had decided to take the show “in a new direction” and he won’t be associated with it.
I’m so very curious what Disney is trying to do here with At the Movies. Granted Ebert has been gone for two years, but will anyone really watch the show with no-name talent? I predict a slow death, although I really want to see their plans.
I am also wondering what Ebert and Roeper have in store for themselves, whether together or separate. I don’t know when Ebert would be ready to be on TV again, but it would be awesome to see the pair reunited once more.
Kids going to be kids, that or Walt Disney's cryogenically frozen head. But I will stick with a young hip booyah multimedia perhaps with celebs interviews.
I haven't watched that show in years. I didn't even know what Roeper looked like.
Actually, if they both are going to leave, it makes sense to adopt a totally new format for the show. I bet it will be a mix between the old At the Movies and an Access Hollywood type show. Ugh.
Yeah, I've already heard WHO the new people are, and what they plan to do…I think I'll skip it.
What you don't like mancow (its that “shock” jock right? and Jeffrey Lyons?