No Roeper. Now no Ebert. No show?

So the "At the Movies" as we knew it is dead. Richard Roeper's last day on "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper" is scheduled for mid-August. There was some kind of contract dispute with Buena Vista television, which produces the show. This is according to Associated Press out of Chicago. Having done the show with Richard, I was always impressed by his professionalism and his politeness (From my first minute on the set he treated me as though we'd been doing the show for years). His wit is much quicker than TV conveys (television never tells the whole truth, ever), and he never messed up while we taped (I made several gaffes). This won't be the last of him. Roeper has promised to bring good, serious movie talk back to television. All I can say is: Dude, hurry up.

(Not much later in the day Roger Ebert, who's been ill and recovering from cancer, announced he'd be leaving the show, too. But like Roeper, he vowed he (and Roeper and their thumbs) would be back on the air on some future show. Stay tuned.)