Most of us are probably still reeling from the news that Ebert and Roeper have decided to entirely abandon their much-beloved
At The Movies. The folks over at Disney don’t seem to quite understand that for us rabid Ebertphiles, this is like the death of a favorite pet or a girl we were kind of seeing. We need a little time to mourn. But alas. They had to capitalize on the sudden renewed interest in the show and immediately announce the dynamic duo’s replacements (Now son, I know your father just died yesterday but I would like to introduce you to my new boyfriend Ron…)
The (un)lucky pair with the ever-so-daunting task of replacing the film criticism legends are Ben Lyons (E!, Access Hollywood) and Ben Mankiewicz (Turner Classic Movies). Hmm, Lyons and Mankiewicz. Rolls right off the tongue, don’t it? Apparently the studio is looking to jazz up the show a bit and make it more appealing to a younger audience through a slew of fresh segments. Ironic, since the appeal of the original was its minimalism and simplicity. Just two gentleman, well-spoken and well-educated, talking eloquently and passionately about film. It doesn’t get much better than that now, does it.
Extra Tidbit:
Roger Ebert is the only person to win a Pulitzer for film criticism and I'm pretty sure it'll stay that way.
