The News

After years of loyal service, Robert Ebert is leaving his beloved television program. Never again will channel surfers get to see two middle aged film critics argue about the merits of the latest Robin Williams movie at 2 in the morning. Oh god…I miss it already.

Behind the News

For decades movie criticism has been defined by two Chicago film lovers sitting in balcony determining the success or failure of a movie with their ever-powerful thumbs. Siskel And Ebert first hit the airwaves in 1975 when they reviewed films on PBS and by the 1980s they had become an institution. Their nationally syndicated TV show was a ratings hit and practically every movie poster printed featured a thumb rating. Gene Siskel's untimely death in 1999 put a damper on the program, but after a parade of guest hosts Roger Ebert marched on with the much more placid and agreeable Richard Roeper at his side. The show retained its popularity until recent years and now it seems as though it has sadly gone they way of the dodo and Ore-os cereal.

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After eight years of filling Gene Siskel's shoes, Richard Roeper announced that over the weekend that he would not be renewing his contract, which expires in August. He declined to comment on what had specifically occurred, but said that he was happy to be moving on. After this announcement it came as no surprise that Roger Ebert rejected his contract offer this week. Disney claims that At The Movies will continue, but they plan to reconfigure the program as an Entertainment Tonight-style show with more of a focus on Hollywood movies (just what the world desperately needs!). This shouldn't really come as much of a shock given the fact that Ebert and ABC have been on shaky ground for a few years now.

For the last few years Roger Ebert has not been a prominent figure on the television program that made him famous. In 2002 Ebert underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his salivary gland. The surgery was a success and he was able to continue the show, but the cancer returned in June 2006 and part of his jaw bone had to be removed. While recovering from surgery in the hospital, Ebert's reconstructed jaw collapsed and he had to be rushed into emergency surgery. Since then, Ebert has been in a constant state of recovery, running in and out of the hospital and unable to maintain appearances on At The Movies because of how the surgeries have affected his speech patterns. For two years the show has run with Roeper and a variety of guest hosts. Though still surprisingly insightful when featuring a strong guest host, the show has floundered with the consistently boring Roeper in charge. He is to film criticism what Al Gore is to politics.

Last August, ABC put Ebert through the ringer when it came time to renegotiate his contract and the critic responded by threatening to take away his trademarked "thumps up/thumbs down" rating system. Since then, things have been understandably tense between both parties and the end always seemed near. The news that both critics will be leaving the show wasn't so much a surprise as it was an inevitability. Both Ebert and Roeper have announced plans to continue working in television, but have not been specific about their intentions. Roeper told the press that he would "proceed elsewhere ... as the co-host of a movie review show that honors the standards established by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert more than 30 years ago." Hopefully he won't be as snore-inducing in a solo venture.

Meanwhile Roger Ebert has made it clear that he and Gene Siskel's widow still own the trademark for the thumbs rating system and are currently discussing plans to continue the tradition of the show. Given that the program hinged entirely on Ebert and his co-hosts opinions the audience should follow Roger where ever he ends up and it is practically impossible to imagine At The Movies continuing to be any sort of success without the hosts. Given that Ebert is still far from being in pristine health, it is unlikely that he will return to television anytime soon. This means that television film criticism will now be limited entirely to wacky mustache wearing eccentrics on morning talk shows…god help us all.

Here are a few clips to commemorate the memory of the classic show:

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