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Replacements Named for Ebert & Roeper

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories:

Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz

It’s out with the old and in with the new.

Just a day after learning Ebert & Roeper was officially no more, we’re already being introduced to the program’s new reviewers.

For At the Movies’ 23rd season, a pair of Bens will be assuming the critiquing duties. Ben Lyons, best known for his movie work on E!, will be occupying one chair while Ben Mankiewicz, the host for Turner Classic Movies, will be sitting in the other.

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Read More | E! Online

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Ebert & Roeper Loses Ebert And Roeper

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Syndication, News

Ebert & Roeper

Thanks to some seriously questionable moves on behalf of Disney-ABC Domestic Television, fans of are throwing their two thumbs down…way down.

Both hosts of the film review show (formerly known as Siskel & Ebert) have just announced that they are parting ways with the long-running institution. Why? Well, it appears that the cheap owners are now opting to change things up.

Yesterday, said he was leaving the weekly program because negotiations to extend his current contract failed. The critic, who permanently joined Roger Ebert back in 2000, will last be seen during the weekend of Aug. 16-17. This contract dispute comes almost a year after regular viewers saw the ‘Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down’ mentions removed from the show. An “offensively low” offer with Ebert (who has the copyright on the gestures), forced the producers to come up with new ways to review films.

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Read More | Associated Press

An Open Letter—In Defense of Britney Spears

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Award Shows, Music, MTV, Editorial, Gossip

Dear Video Music Awards viewers:

Britney VMAsWe’re probably all tired of talking about Ms. Spears and her disastrous performance by now…but I’d been thinking about The Biggest Loser premiere last night and I just had to get this off my chest:  Britney isn’t fat.

Yes, she’s bigger now than we she last appeared on the VMAs.

Yes, she would have looked better in the corset.

Yes, I’m sick of this alter-stripper persona that she has taken on.

But dang—I thought she looked pretty good for someone who’d drinking frozen margaritas non-stop.  And heck, I’m just happy she didn’t wear those ugly brown boots onstage!

You can call her a train wreck, bad mother, lost child all you want….but let’s lay off the weight.

Yeah, you heard me right.  I’m actually defending Britney.  But make no mistake—I’m only defending her on this one issue.  For those of you who read my first open letter to Britney, I still stand behind everything I said then.

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HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me: In Love With Controversy?

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Drama, HBO, Gossip

HBOWith HBO’s gritty new drama, Tell Me You Love Me, the dramatic message is supposed to be about feeling. But the new series is telling me something different – HBO isn’t trying to create good drama…it’s a cable network trying to create good hype. In this business, hype is generally all you need. The series is scheduled to premiere Sunday at 9 pm ET, and early reports expound on the graphic sex scenes that strongly pepper the first episode. The show is really about relationships (isn’t everything) and relies on character interaction of all sorts – not just sexual action. Viewers will delve deeply into the lives of 20-something chef Jamie (played by Michelle Borth), who is engaged to Hugo (a very likely-sounding name attached to the character portrayed by Luke Kirby). Carolyn, a lawyer in his mid-30s that’s played by Sonya Walger, and her real-estate investor husband Palek (Adam Scott) will struggle with keeping their marriage alive as they (unsuccessfully) continue to attempt pregnancy. Ally Walker plays 40-something stay-at-home mom Katie, who no longer has sex with her husband Dave (Tim DeKay). These relationships revolve around the offices of Dr. May Foster (Jane Alexander), a couples therapist in her 60s who still enjoys great sex. (Here’s hoping HBO doesn’t get too showy with those scenes, right?) Despite the sort of boring plot (a therapist’s office…how original for HBO) and obvious attempt to target several demographics at once, some critics are lavishing early praise on the ambitious HBO drama.

Read More | CNN

A Thumbless Ebert & Roeper?

Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Syndication

Roger EbertFor nearly 30 years, has been sealing his movie reviews with a signature Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down.  Unfortunately, potentially-heated contract negotiations between Ebert and his distribution company have forced (temporary?) changes to the program.  Now both sides are pointing fingers at those allegedly responsible for pulling the digits.

Viewers of the most recent episode may have noticed a slight change in the program.  No thumbs!  Richard Roeper and his guest co-host made their opinions on such movies as The Nanny Diaries and Resurrecting the Champ as clear as possible without a ‘pointed’ summary.  (For the record—they disliked both films).

Disney-ABC Domestic Television claims the renowned critic put the copyrighted move on hold during negotiations (Ebert and the estate of the late Gene Siskel hold the rights to the critiquing method).  But through a statement posted on his website, Roger denies making that request.  In addition, he says that Disney (as of 8/24) had not gotten back to him after what he feels was an ‘offensively low’ offer.

As most you already know, health problems have kept Roger Ebert from fronting an episode of the show for over a year.  But he has been contributing in other ways and still posts through his own site.  I just pray that the distribution company isn’t trying to take advantage of his current status during their contract talks.  But then again—they wouldn’t do something like that, would they??

Read More | RogerEbert.com

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