Roger Ebert reviving 'At the Movies'
Legendary film critic and Twitter master Roger Ebert announced that he's reviving his classic half-hour review program "At the Movies" on PBS.
Titled "Roger Ebert Presents At the Movies," the show will be hosted by Christy Lemire, film critic of The Associated Press, and Elvis Mitchell of NPR.
Ebert noted that the series, whose long-runnning syndicated version was recently canceled, was returning to its public station birthplace. The new program will launch on WTTW Chicago, just like the original incarnation of "At the Movies" (titled "Opening Soon at a Theater Near You") did in 1975.
"At the Movies" will bring back Ebert's copyrighted "Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down" rating device, which was removed from the syndicated program after Ebert left the show. The critic lost his ability to speak after a battle with cancer.
"This is the rebirth of a dream," Ebert wrote. "I believe that by returning to its public roots, our new show will win better and more consistent time slots in more markets. American television is swamped by mindless gossip about celebrities, and I'm happy this show will continue to tell viewers honestly if the critics think a new movie is worth seeing."
Ebert will act as co-producer along with his wife, Chaz Ebert. The show will debut in January. Ebert will employ a computer voice to appear on episodes under a segment titled "Roger's Office." He says he will not debate the two co-hosts.
"They'll be awarding the Thumbs, and you can't have three Thumbs."
UPDATE: "At the Movies" will, for the first time, at last, be in HD. That was always a derided criticism of the syndicated version in recent years -- who wants to watch movie clips in standard def when you have HD trailers online? The show will also be available online as well.
