# Roger Ebert loses his thumbs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 25, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888 "2007-08-25T14:29:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/1 "2007-08-25T14:29:53Z")
Roger Ebert is renegotiating his contract with Disney to return to _Ebert and Roeper_, which he has been absent from for over a year due to health problems. Apparently, Disney is not accepting the offer Ebert wanted, and in retaliation is refusing Ebert to let him use his “thumbs up/thumbs down” rating system, which is (alongside the phrase “two thumbs up”) a registered trademark of himself and the estate of Gene Siskel. [This AP article](http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070825/ap_en_tv/tv_ebert_thumb_ban) claims that Ebert chose to remove the thumbs, but [Ebert himself](http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070824/REVIEWS/70825001) says it was Disney’s decision. I would give this decision two thumbs down, but I don’t want Roger to sue me. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/2 "2007-08-25T14:41:07Z")
Thought Ebert couldn’t talk anymore or that it was very hard for him to? ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/3 "2007-08-25T14:58:07Z")
[QUOTE=Burrido] Thought Ebert couldn’t talk anymore or that it was very hard for him to? [/QUOTE] Still, even without speech he can indicate his approval or disapproval for a film by pointing his thumbs up or…ohh. Well that is gonna make things tough. ---
**Author:** ![Campion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@Campion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Campion)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/4 "2007-08-25T15:07:25Z")
He needs to start a new thing – thumbs are so last year. Maybe a chicken dance of approval? ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/5 "2007-08-25T15:52:04Z")
Based on the title of this thread, I was sure that Ebert’s condition got worse and was actually losing his thumbs…sorely disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/6 "2007-08-25T16:39:08Z")
[QUOTE=Surbey] Based on the title of this thread, I was sure that Ebert’s condition got worse and was actually losing his thumbs…sorely disappointed. [/QUOTE] That’s a terribly unkind and unwarranted thing to say. Who the hell are you? ---
**Author:** ![Leechboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Leechboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leechboy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/7 "2007-08-25T16:51:10Z")
According to his [email to Ain’t It Cool News](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33784). It’s other other way round. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/8 "2007-08-25T17:47:39Z")
Maybe he can use one of his other fingers? 😃 (I’m sorry, I’m a terrible person.) ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/9 "2007-08-25T17:49:09Z")
[QUOTE=Surbey] Based on the title of this thread, I was sure that Ebert’s condition got worse and was actually losing his thumbs…sorely disappointed. [/QUOTE] That’s what I thought, only more along the lines of “phew”. ---
**Author:** ![Malodorous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47774/32.png) [@Malodorous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malodorous)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/10 "2007-08-25T17:52:06Z")
[QUOTE=Fiver] That’s a terribly unkind and unwarranted thing to say. Who the hell are you? [/QUOTE] Roeper? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/11 "2007-08-25T18:24:55Z")
Can he still use Aroma The Educated Skunk? ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/12 "2007-08-25T20:14:11Z")
[QUOTE=Leechboy] According to his [email to Ain’t It Cool News](http://www.aintitcool.com/node/33784). It’s other other way round. [/QUOTE] Yes, that is what I pointed out- Ebert said it was Disney who forced the thumbs off the show, not Ebert himself. And the title of the thread was intentionally meant to be ambigous. It’s a hook for people to look inside. ---
**Author:** ![Yag\_Rannavach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/858c86/32.png) [@Yag\_Rannavach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yag_Rannavach)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/13 "2007-08-25T20:15:15Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Can he still use Aroma The Educated Skunk? [/QUOTE] “Two Aroma sprays!” ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/14 "2007-08-25T20:54:40Z")
So… Did Ebert take a sudden interest in walnuts? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/15 "2007-08-25T21:05:13Z")
Maybe he was 64 grand in the hole. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/16 "2007-08-25T21:33:25Z")
Anyone remember when Opus received the first artificial nose? As he was leaving the hospital, a reporter asked him for a “thumbs up” “As you can see, that is clearly not his thumb.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/17 "2007-08-25T23:56:11Z")
Who knew Ebert was borrowing money from Bed Bug Eddie?! ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/18 "2007-08-26T05:53:55Z")
BTW, I just watched the show for this week, and the thumbs are gone. They haven’t figured out what to do about it yet. The summary was very fuzzy. (Well, not this week where almost everything sucked.) I can see a problem unless they come up with a hate meter or something. ---
**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/19 "2007-08-26T05:53:57Z")
[QUOTE=Fiver] That’s a terribly unkind and unwarranted thing to say. Who the hell are you? [/QUOTE] I’m just disappointed because I was looking forward to a very interesting and heart felt thread about the tragic loss of his thumbs. However, I come to find that the “Two Thumbs” trademark is being withheld by some party as a bargaining chip in a contract. One would be socially dramatic and mean something to us all. The other is about money. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2007, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888/20 "2007-08-26T06:09:02Z")
[QUOTE=Surbey] Based on the title of this thread, I was sure that Ebert’s condition got worse and was actually losing his thumbs…sorely disappointed. [/QUOTE] I feel compelled to make a joke now about sticking out like a sore thumb but am not sure how to work it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roger-ebert-loses-his-thumbs/416888.md?page=2)