Roger Ebert says "Ebert Presents: At the Movies" show in danger of being canceled! He needs help

[Better Believe It]

Ebert says show in danger of being canceled
Associated Press
November 7, 2011

Famed film critic Roger Ebert is telling his readers that he may have to cancel his television show "Ebert Presents: At the Movies" unless someone steps up and helps him and his wife pay for it.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic wrote on his blog Sunday night that after an initial contribution of $25,000 from Kanbar Charitable Trust gave, he and Chaz Ebert have been paying virtually all the bills for the show, which began airing on public television in January.

But after months of paying for everything from screen tests to interns to lunch on taping days, "We can't afford to support the show any longer," wrote Ebert, who can no longer speak after cancer surgery. "That's what it comes down to."

Ebert wrote that he had hoped foundations and others would step forward to underwrite the show, but that nobody has. And now, he wrote, American Public Television is asking him whether or not the show will be back next season, and he has to have an answer by the end of this month.

Read the full article at:

http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=681213

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Omigod, NO! I could not bear losing this show...

His show has been the only one my husband and I trust. We have watched all of his shows, from the very beginning, decades ago...

I'm really hoping that some big, well-endowed foundation will give them the much-needed support!

:(

[kysrsoze]

2. That would be a shame. I have it DVR'd every week. Pretty good show.

I've grown to really like the two hosts, Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky (say that 10 times fast), and tend to trust their judgment more so than most other critics these days.

[oberliner]

3. Internet has kind of rendered it obsolete

Nothing against Ebert but I think this show is an idea whose time has passed.

[Lionessa]

4. Ebert, I loves you, man. But a show about movies just doesn't

seem important enough in the scheme of things these days. Sorry you've invested so much, but movie critics are a dime a dozen and on tv and the net and embedded in movie and movie star forums all over. The idea of contributing for one more movie critic show when OWS, campaigns, and all the other economic and political groups needing contributions to try to right the wrong in our systems just seems foolish.

[AngryAmish]

5. Why did a charitable trust spend $25k to make a show about movie reviews?

I get that charities can spend their money on a broad way to improve society (look at the hundreds of millions spent on symphonies and opera companies) but it is not wise in my opinion. People are starving. Is the American movie industry dangerously underfunded? Year ago Mr. Ebert and his partner had a movie review show on PBS. It did well. Then they syndicated it and drank deep from a firehose of money spewed at them.

Enough is enough.

[Better Believe It]

6. Kick