Statement from Roger Ebert regarding his long-standing famous show...
Published at: July 21, 2008, 3:48 p.m. CST by headgeek
Hey folks, Harry here - personally - I want Roger in a mo-cap suit after a full body laser scan - in his sweater and coat... Animated with his scripted reviews on air. Of course that's probably just me. Here's what my ol friend Roger has to say about Disney's decision to take his show into a new direction without him. To me - this would be like Macy's getting rid of Kris Kringle, but anyway... Here ya go...
Statement from Roger Ebert
After 33 years on the air, 23 of them with Disney, the studio has decided to take the program named "Siskel & Ebert" and then "Ebert & Roeper" in a new direction. I will no longer be associated with it.
The show was a wonderful experience. It was a great loss to me when surgery in July 2006 made it impossible for me to appear on the air any longer. Although I remained active behind the scenes, I feel that Richard Roeper and several co-hosts, notably Michael Phillips and A.O. Scott, have excelled at carrying on the tradition Gene Siskel and I began in 1975 with "Sneak Previews" on PBS.
Gene and I felt the formula was simplicity itself: Two film critics, sitting across the aisle from each other in a movie balcony, debating the new films of the week. We developed an entirely new concept for TV that has lasted all these years. Few shows have been on the air so long and remained so popular. We made television history, and established the trademarked catch-phrase "Two thumbs up."
The trademark still belongs to me and Marlene Iglitzen, Gene's widow, and the thumbs will return. We are discussing possibilities, and plan to continue the show's tradition.
Roger Ebert
