Allison told you yesterday that both Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper were leaving their film review show, At The Movies. Ebert has been off the show since 2006 because of health problems and Roeper couldn't come to terms on a new contract. They both explained that Buena Vista wants to take the show in a new direction and that they wouldn't be a part of it. Here is that new direction.
The new hosts of At The Movies are Ben Mankiewicz, a host on TCM, and Ben Lyons, from E!. Not sure how these two got to be the new hosts, other than the fact that they're both named Ben and I'm sure we'll see some cute reference to that, maybe even in the ads or the intro. I like the fact that Mankiewicz is from TCM; makes it sound like he knows what he's talking about (he's also the son of Frank Mankiewicz and the grandson of the guy who wrote Citizen Kane). But Lyons looks about 14 years-old and comes from a network with celeb gossip and reality shows, so that has me a little worried.
Then again, he's the son of film critic Jeffrey Lyons (the host of his own movie review show, Reel Talk), so maybe it's in his blood. But the article above says he called I Am Legend one of the greatest films ever made? Yikes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-22-2008 @ 1:26PM
Lorie said...
Never heard of Ben L. but I like Ben M. I saw him on TCM and I was impressed. I even wondered if TCM was grooming him to be Robert Osborne's heir apparent.
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7-22-2008 @ 1:31PM
Mitch said...
Lyons looks just like his father. Roeper was no Gene Siskel, and nobody's in Roger Ebert's league. Very sad. Two thumbs down, or at least at half-staff.
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7-22-2008 @ 1:31PM
erik said...
Is this airing on the Nepotism Channel?
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7-22-2008 @ 1:40PM
Sam said...
Let me guess: this show is called "Stupendous Fail." Right?
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7-22-2008 @ 1:47PM
Lucy said...
Oh, thank goodness, it's two white guys. I'm glad to see they're not afraid to go out on a limb and hire two white guys.
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7-22-2008 @ 1:48PM
Sam said...
Armond White from the NY Press would make for fantastic television.
7-22-2008 @ 1:55PM
kevjohn said...
Kegger on the At The Movies set!!
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7-22-2008 @ 1:58PM
Adam said...
Ben M. is the voice of and sometimes face on TMZ on TV. I hope this won't intefere with his gripping work.
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7-22-2008 @ 2:04PM
Sarah said...
i love Ben M. i back that choice 100%.
but as far as Ben L. is concerned... i can only say that anyone with an opinion can be a film critic. face it people; we will never have another Siskel and Ebert, so get used to the prattle of 24 year old gossip hosts.
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7-22-2008 @ 2:23PM
Allison Solow said...
Awful choices. Mankewicz has not impressed me one iota on TCM and if Lyons is as critical as his father, young Ben will love ever big-budget, pop movie that comes out. I Am Legend! Jeez. I guess it never would have occurred to Disney to hire actual film critics, men with writing credentials. That's what Siskel and Ebert had to recommend them.
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7-22-2008 @ 2:24PM
Gina said...
Big mistake with losing Ebert. I am not familiar with these two at all!
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7-22-2008 @ 3:12PM
Oreo said...
I won't be watching, but I can guess the show will be "B & B: At the Movies!", and they will call each other Big Ben and Little Ben.
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7-22-2008 @ 3:31PM
magnumpc said...
While I'm somewhat happy they got someone with a little movie cred (Mankiewicz and TCM), I am laughing at the choice of Ben Lyons for a couple of reasons.
First, superficially, he looks like a teenager in that photo. I'm 44 years and and have been watching Siskel and Ebert since the beginning -- and, now, I'm supposed to take movie-going advice from this kid?! Come on!
Second, I find it more than a little ironic that Ben's dad is Jeffrey Lyons who took over when Siskel and Ebert left Sneak Previews on PBS --> DISASTER!!! Like father like son...
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7-24-2008 @ 4:07AM
Brent McKee said...
"Second, I find it more than a little ironic that Ben's dad is Jeffrey Lyons who took over when Siskel and Ebert left Sneak Previews on PBS --> DISASTER!!! Like father like son..."
Well you can't entirely blame that on Lyons. After all he was partnered with the horrible Michael Medved.
7-22-2008 @ 5:33PM
jj said...
Ben M. has made some misakes when referencing film history during commentary of films on TCM...so it makes me wonder how much cred he could have if he can't make sure he knows his stuff before he says it...regardless if he wrote it or not.
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7-22-2008 @ 6:33PM
JeansLady said...
Ben L - OMG. I see him on E! on a program I watch. TPTB must have been desperate for hosts - why else would they have tapped Ben Lyons? I'm a big movie fan and I have NOT been impressed with him over the many months I've listened to his opinions on movies. Aren't we ALL movie critics when we give our opinion? BTW, why do we need movie critics anyway? My friends and family are better sounding boards as to whether a movie is good or not. How many times have you heard movie critics absolutely pan a movie and when it opens it's #1 at the box office for a week or two? It happens more often than you'd think.
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7-22-2008 @ 7:23PM
MichalkaManiac said...
Hey, give them a chance, at least. Look at Drew; he's seems to have still made TPIR good IMO, although THAT show has lost its longtime producer for the start next season...
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7-23-2008 @ 9:48AM
ChuckW said...
These two will no doubt infuse the show with their very left-wing political beliefs. Ebert and Roeper are both left-wing too, but they were professionals about it. Having the host of The Young Turks reviewing movies will be hilariously bad. Let me guess, their decade's top 10 will include Rendition, Stop-Loss, and Lions For Lambs, right?
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7-23-2008 @ 4:51PM
Karen said...
Oh dear lord. I can't STAND Ben Mankiewicz--he always comes off on TCM as way too invested in appearing young and hip and cool...needless to say he fails utterly. I've started fast-forwarding through his intros whenever he shows up before a film I've recorded. No one can ever replace Robert Osborne, but this jerk doesn't even come close.
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7-23-2008 @ 6:51PM
Pam said...
A BIG THUMBS DOWN! When are we going to see women review movies on this show ??? And for that fact any reviewer other than white, male, 40 - 50 years of age?? And I have another idea, why not have kids review children's movies? Or each week a reviewer from another country or ethnic background - wakeup America, we are no longer a small American village. We are
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