Richard Roeper has decided not to continue with the show, and it looks like Disney has decided to not continue with the show.
This show has been on, in some form, for 33 years, and I’ll really miss it. It hasn’t been the same since Roger left due to illness. In a way, it never was the same since Gene died, but it has always been good.
I hope something similar replaces it.
Man, I remember when Siskel and Ebert were on Sneak Previews (and was shocked to discover the show continued after they got their commercial network show…needless to say, nobody aired it, where I lived)…
You’re right, the show hasn’t really been the same since Gene died - I hadn’t watched it regularly since Roeper became the permanent co-host - and it’s been limping along since Roger had his surgery…But, it’s really a pity that it’s ending…it’s just been so much part of my life since I was a sprog.
Ebert’s statement makes it sound like he is politely pissed off about this. I wonder what he’s got cooking to replace it.
That’s really sad, but Roeper says he’s going to reboot with a similar show, and Ebert says that some kind of new iteration of a “thumbs” show is in the hopper as well.
I hope the two of them just re-team, develop essentially the same show, and get it back on the air.
I really like Roeper and think in some ways, he does better than Gene. I really miss Roger, though. I’m wondering if he will ever return.
I love how both Ebert and Roeper sound politely pissed off at Disney - not at each other, but at Disney. Its kind of like talking about your ex “I wish him the best and am sure he’ll find happiness” (with that shameless hussy he’s shacking up with who is going to spend him blind and then find a new sugar daddy).
I stopped watching after Gene Siskel died. He and Roger had the best chemistry. I loved it when they violently disagreed on the merits of a film.
Great. First, Statler and Waldorf stop their reviews. Now this.
Damn. All the movie review shows are disappearing. All I could find were “Roper & Whoever” and “Reel Talk With Lyons and Bales”. There’s the various trailer shows on HD Net with that miserable bastard Robert Wilonsky. Any other shows?
David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz are still going.
I thought Robert Wilonsky was insufferable when he hosted with Roeper, but I rather like him on his trailer shows.
I think Roeper was uncomfortable with Ebert being canned from his own show. I think Roeper actually has some real integrity. He’s never, ever said a bad thing about Roger Ebert, and as far as I know, Ebert hasn’t said anything bad about him.
I think it’d be great if they re-teamed on another network or in a web production or something. I know Ebert can’t speak, but they could figure something out - even if Ebert’s review appeared in print or Roeper read it to the audience.
But I think it’s more likely that Ebert’s venture will be something like a web site for movie reviews, with ‘Two Thumbs Up’ being worked into the theme.
I’m sure that there’s a better source for this, but Wikipedia names the replacements for Roeper and Phillips:
Haven’t heard of either of them. Wiki describes the younger Lyons as a film critic and reporter for E! and Mankiewicz as a host for Turner Classic Movies and Sirius Satellite Radio.
Can’t help but to pre-judge here: this sounds awful. I’m no fan of Jeffrey Lyons, so Ben loses points with me before I ever even see him. But the promise of “new segments” is what really puts me off… a few movie criticism shows have come and gone during Ebert & Roeper’s run, and straying from the straightforward old Siskel/Ebert format is never a good idea. The current competing Lyons & Bailes Reel Talk is a near-abomination, IMO.
Too bad about all this. I didn’t like the choice of Roeper at first, but I’ve come to really like the show with him and Phillips. I’d even go so far as saying I’d take either of them over Siskel in his final years, when he had developed an annoying habit of describing directions he would have gone with the script instead of reviewing the actual film as it was written and produced.
Confirmation on the replacements from the Suntimes. The linked article offers this tidbit on the “new segments.”
That might not be so bad. I don’t think hearing from more critics can hurt anything.