How's Roger Ebert Doing?

Cafe Society
1

Ebert said more than a month ago he was going in for some followup surgery. Made it sound routine and relatively minor. Said he’d done some reviews and Great Movies essays etc ahead of time to be doled out until he returned. Sounded like he’d be gone very briefly, but it’s starting to stretch out. The editor of his website, Jim Emerson, has been doing more of the reviewing these last couple of weeks, and he’s simply boring to read. I cannot read his reviews.

So has anyone heard how Ebert is doing?

2

I second the OP.

3

I found a couple articles from late Jan that claimed the surgery went well, but nothing after that. So perhaps he later developed some complications and they haven’t gone public with it, or perhaps it’s just taking him longer then expected to recover to the point that he feels like writing again (though when I’m sick, I usually spend the time watching movies and writing on the internets, which is more or less his job description)

4

Here is an article from Friday about his film festival in Champaign, Ill. the last weekend of April. It says

but makes no other mention of him.

5

I hope he’s OK. I really enjoy his reviews.

6

He’s been coming to the Conference on World Affairs for decades, but it’s already been announced that he won’t be there this year. I don’t think his prognosis is good.

7

He still cannot speak. The most recent photo I saw he still had a large bandage around his neck. A few weeks ago the local ABC station (where he used to do reviews) said he had gone to California for more surgery and that it went “well.”

8

He’s outlived Jack Valenti, so he’s had the last laugh there. I figure he’s just hanging on until he’s certain Vincent The Brown Bunny Gallo’s career is over.

9

He’s the same age as Harrison Ford. If Og must take one, I’d prefer it to be Harrison.

10

Pretty asinine comment, I’d say.

11

AP story

Ebert’s letter

12

I miss him. He once wrote me back! My claim to fame…

I hope things go well for him. He is cancer fee (per the article-and his quote), so there is that. IANAD or a speech pathologist, but I imagine that after the surgery to restore his voice, he will need intensive speech therapy and his voice will be altered.
I like his reviews as well. I don’t always agree with him, but I do rely on his opinion.

13

Never mind…didn’t see Garfield226’s post.

14

If the photo from last fall is accurate, he did appear to be standing. I think he had to go to rehab to regain his ability to walk having been laid up in bed for so long?

15

He wrote me back once too! I hope he’s getting better and is back in action soon.

16

Actually, he later gave a positive to Gallo’s recut of the movie, and that’s the only review available on his website.

But I do find him the most interesting and articulate film critic out there.

17

Personally, I’d rank him a close second to A.O. Scott, but I do like Ebert very much. He’s been missed onAt the movies, that’s for sure. The guy they have with the beard annoys me to no end. Robert Wilonsky isn’t bad when he’s on though.

18

Yeah, I know, but after Ebert panned the first cut, Gallo cursed Ebert and “gave” him cancer. I didn’t hear anything about Gallo “lifting” the curse after Ebert praised the recut version.

19

From the letter Ebert wrote, cited in Garfield226’s post:

20

Just saw a short piece about him tonight on either Access Hollywood or Extra! tonight. Sorry, I don’t know these shows they just seem to come on when I leave the room for a few minutes. If it helps he was being interviewed by that Billy Bush creature. The jist seemed to be that he is cancer free and doing well but still recovering. He can’t talk due to the surgery on his thyroid gland or to remove it. And there was something said about part of his jaw being removed because of the cancer. I wish I had paid better attention but my phone rang as this story started and I couldn’t follow it as well as I would have liked.