Ileen Maisel, who served as a studio executive at Paramount, Lorimar and New Line Cinema and as a producer on films including Onegin, Ripley’s Game and The Golden Compass, has died. She was 68.
Maisel died Feb. 16 of cancer in London, her home for the past 34 years, her sister, Hollywood publicist Cheryl Maisel, announced.
Maisel received a BAFTA nomination for best British film for producing Samuel Goldwyn’s Onegin (1999), starring Ralph Fiennes, and was said to be most proud of her work on the Fine Line Features thriller Ripley’s Game (2002), starring John Malkovich.
In addition to the New Line fantasy The Golden Compass (2007), which starred Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig and grossed $372.2 million at the global box office, her other producing credits included Twelfth Night (1996), Inkheart (2008), and Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism (2015).
Born in Los Angeles on April 6, 1955, Ileen Marla Maisel began working for entertainment journalist Rona Barrett...
Maisel died Feb. 16 of cancer in London, her home for the past 34 years, her sister, Hollywood publicist Cheryl Maisel, announced.
Maisel received a BAFTA nomination for best British film for producing Samuel Goldwyn’s Onegin (1999), starring Ralph Fiennes, and was said to be most proud of her work on the Fine Line Features thriller Ripley’s Game (2002), starring John Malkovich.
In addition to the New Line fantasy The Golden Compass (2007), which starred Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig and grossed $372.2 million at the global box office, her other producing credits included Twelfth Night (1996), Inkheart (2008), and Molly Moon and the Incredible Book of Hypnotism (2015).
Born in Los Angeles on April 6, 1955, Ileen Marla Maisel began working for entertainment journalist Rona Barrett...
- 3/26/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Editor’s note: Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age writer Julian Fellowes has written a heartfelt salute to his friend and colleague, the producer Ileen Maisel, who died in London on February 16 aged 68.
Ileen Maisel was born in Los Angeles, California, where she was raised. In fact, her father had moved there from Alabama to work in retail sales, so she had no immediate help with a career in show business, but it was clearly enough that she breathed the same air as the great filmmakers of the past and present. It is no surprise to learn that by the age of 15 she was working for the entertainment journalist Rona Barrett.
From then on, she embraced, bathed in, and generally loved the film industry until the end of her life. There was never much doubt as to where she was headed and she was still young when she entered the industry.
Ileen Maisel was born in Los Angeles, California, where she was raised. In fact, her father had moved there from Alabama to work in retail sales, so she had no immediate help with a career in show business, but it was clearly enough that she breathed the same air as the great filmmakers of the past and present. It is no surprise to learn that by the age of 15 she was working for the entertainment journalist Rona Barrett.
From then on, she embraced, bathed in, and generally loved the film industry until the end of her life. There was never much doubt as to where she was headed and she was still young when she entered the industry.
- 3/26/2024
- by Julian Fellowes
- Deadline Film + TV
When “Moonlighting” premiered on ABC on March 3, 1985, with a two-hour movie, all the ingredients for what a blockbuster the show became were in place. Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis had undeniable chemistry; the verbal dexterity was on full display; and the ingredients for what would become the show’s signature physical comedy was there in the climactic moment at the airport. No, wait, at the top of the Capitol Records building. No, no, it was at the top of the Eastern Columbia Building in downtown Los Angeles. The full sequence is one of the most thrilling, vertigo-inducing action moments of any TV series then or today, as audiences are discovering now that “Moonlighting” is streaming on Hulu. Not only is the building itself gorgeous, but as reluctant new partners in a detective agency on their first case, Shepherd and Willis dangle over the edge and clamber onto a horizontal ladder directly over downtown L.
- 11/25/2023
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
“Moonlighting,” the ’80s detective series that revived Cybill Shepherd’s career and gave Bruce Willis his, has long been notoriously unavailable. But all that changes when its 67 episodes begin streaming on Hulu on October 10.
Yes, that’s correct: Five seasons encompassed all of just 67 episodes of a network show. The series — created by Glen Gordon Caron — was infamous for missing its deadlines to make it to air (there’s even a joke in “The Golden Girls” about staying in to watch an episode that’s “only been rerun three times”) and by on-set strife that garnered reams of tabloid coverage.
Prevented by music rights issues from streaming, the series is poised to win over a new generation of fans for whom the behind-the-scenes drama will just be background noise. Per TVLine, the songs sung by the cast and the Al Jarreau theme song remain intact; ambient music has been swapped out where necessary.
Yes, that’s correct: Five seasons encompassed all of just 67 episodes of a network show. The series — created by Glen Gordon Caron — was infamous for missing its deadlines to make it to air (there’s even a joke in “The Golden Girls” about staying in to watch an episode that’s “only been rerun three times”) and by on-set strife that garnered reams of tabloid coverage.
Prevented by music rights issues from streaming, the series is poised to win over a new generation of fans for whom the behind-the-scenes drama will just be background noise. Per TVLine, the songs sung by the cast and the Al Jarreau theme song remain intact; ambient music has been swapped out where necessary.
- 9/26/2023
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
James Adolphus’ new HBO documentary Being Mary Tyler Moore begins with an awkward 1966 interview of Moore by producer and talk show host David Susskind.
As Susskind rambles about how Laura Petrie, Moore’s character from The Dick Van Dyke Show, was a “strained idealization” of the American housewife, Moore sits with a big, clearly forced smile, before she finally breaks and launches into a celebration of Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique.
I’m rather sick of “Being” in the title for both documentaries and scripted stories — as if claiming to capture the essence of a person is shorthand for profundity — but Being Mary Tyler Moore is definitely invested in this sort of clash between superficial appearances and actual “being” when it comes to one of the most beloved and decorated women in TV history.
The documentary doesn’t always provide definitive answers on who Mary Tyler Moore was, but...
As Susskind rambles about how Laura Petrie, Moore’s character from The Dick Van Dyke Show, was a “strained idealization” of the American housewife, Moore sits with a big, clearly forced smile, before she finally breaks and launches into a celebration of Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique.
I’m rather sick of “Being” in the title for both documentaries and scripted stories — as if claiming to capture the essence of a person is shorthand for profundity — but Being Mary Tyler Moore is definitely invested in this sort of clash between superficial appearances and actual “being” when it comes to one of the most beloved and decorated women in TV history.
The documentary doesn’t always provide definitive answers on who Mary Tyler Moore was, but...
- 3/14/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Image Source: Getty / Leon Bennett / Michael Ochs Archives
Kelly Rowland has Twitter in a frenzy thanks to a resurfaced photo of late music legend and disco queen Donna Summer. On Dec. 19, music critic Craig Seymour shared a photo of Summer's 1979 spread in Rona Barrett's Hollywood Magazine, sweeping up nearly 30,000 likes from fans who said they noticed a striking resemblance between Rowland and Summer. "My wife showed me a pic for half a second and asked me to guess who it was. The way I said Kelly Rolland so fast...
Kelly Rowland has Twitter in a frenzy thanks to a resurfaced photo of late music legend and disco queen Donna Summer. On Dec. 19, music critic Craig Seymour shared a photo of Summer's 1979 spread in Rona Barrett's Hollywood Magazine, sweeping up nearly 30,000 likes from fans who said they noticed a striking resemblance between Rowland and Summer. "My wife showed me a pic for half a second and asked me to guess who it was. The way I said Kelly Rolland so fast...
- 12/20/2021
- by Chanel Vargas
- Popsugar.com
Bill Harris, the veteran Hollywood broadcast journalist who served as a co-host on the syndicated program At the Movies, has died. He was 75.
Harris died Thursday at the City of Hope hospital after a short bout with cancer, family spokesman Rusty Citron announced.
Harris was hired as one of the first reporters for Entertainment Tonight, which premiered in 1981, and he served as head writer/reviewer on Rona Barrett's gossip segments for the Today show and Good Morning America.
In 1986, Harris and New York critic Rex Reed assumed the aisle seats occupied by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on Tribune Broadcasting's ...
Harris died Thursday at the City of Hope hospital after a short bout with cancer, family spokesman Rusty Citron announced.
Harris was hired as one of the first reporters for Entertainment Tonight, which premiered in 1981, and he served as head writer/reviewer on Rona Barrett's gossip segments for the Today show and Good Morning America.
In 1986, Harris and New York critic Rex Reed assumed the aisle seats occupied by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on Tribune Broadcasting's ...
Bill Harris, the veteran Hollywood broadcast journalist who served as a co-host on the syndicated program At the Movies, has died. He was 75.
Harris died Thursday at the City of Hope hospital after a short bout with cancer, family spokesman Rusty Citron announced.
Harris was hired as one of the first reporters for Entertainment Tonight, which premiered in 1981, and he served as head writer/reviewer on Rona Barrett's gossip segments for the Today show and Good Morning America.
In 1986, Harris and New York critic Rex Reed assumed the aisle seats occupied by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on Tribune Broadcasting's ...
Harris died Thursday at the City of Hope hospital after a short bout with cancer, family spokesman Rusty Citron announced.
Harris was hired as one of the first reporters for Entertainment Tonight, which premiered in 1981, and he served as head writer/reviewer on Rona Barrett's gossip segments for the Today show and Good Morning America.
In 1986, Harris and New York critic Rex Reed assumed the aisle seats occupied by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on Tribune Broadcasting's ...
Great news for Clint Eastwood fans! Bronco Billy is available on Blu-ray From Warner Archives. Ordering information can be found Here
Ask Clint Eastwood to select personal favorites from amongst his movies and you might be surprised by one choice. “It’s an old-fashioned theme,” Eastwood says, “but if, as a film director, I ever wanted to say something, you’ll find it in Bronco Billy.” “One of the funniest and most touching films you’ll see this or any year” casts Eastwood as the ace sharpshooter and head of a modern Wild West tent show. Life’s been hard for Billy and his ragtag troupe. But their luck might change – in the unlikely person of a highfalutin society dame (Sondra Locke). You may already have a favorite Eastwood role. Watch Bronco Billy and, chances are, you’ll have another.
Clint Eastwood was well on the way of his extraordinary...
Ask Clint Eastwood to select personal favorites from amongst his movies and you might be surprised by one choice. “It’s an old-fashioned theme,” Eastwood says, “but if, as a film director, I ever wanted to say something, you’ll find it in Bronco Billy.” “One of the funniest and most touching films you’ll see this or any year” casts Eastwood as the ace sharpshooter and head of a modern Wild West tent show. Life’s been hard for Billy and his ragtag troupe. But their luck might change – in the unlikely person of a highfalutin society dame (Sondra Locke). You may already have a favorite Eastwood role. Watch Bronco Billy and, chances are, you’ll have another.
Clint Eastwood was well on the way of his extraordinary...
- 7/25/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In its rare, long and illuminating interview with Barbra Streisand, Variety ties its scoop to the lone Oscar she won in 1969 for the previous year’s “Funny Girl.” I remember well the night she won because I was in the press room of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion when she made her appearance there in a see-through pantsuit over black lingerie.
I was wearing an off-the-rack dirt-brown tweed suit.
If the TV viewing audience was scandalized by Streisand’s apparel, so too, I assumed, were those tux and gown-wearing journalists in the press room when I made my appearance. The shame.
Who knew the media dressed as if they were attending the show instead of covering it? All we saw on TV were nominees and presenters being interviewed on the red carpet and the parade of tux and gown-bedecked guests making their way into the Pavilion. We never saw the working stiffs in the trenches backstage.
I was wearing an off-the-rack dirt-brown tweed suit.
If the TV viewing audience was scandalized by Streisand’s apparel, so too, I assumed, were those tux and gown-wearing journalists in the press room when I made my appearance. The shame.
Who knew the media dressed as if they were attending the show instead of covering it? All we saw on TV were nominees and presenters being interviewed on the red carpet and the parade of tux and gown-bedecked guests making their way into the Pavilion. We never saw the working stiffs in the trenches backstage.
- 2/27/2018
- by Jack Mathews
- Gold Derby
What's the right thing to say about a closeted movie career in an industry that feeds on gossip? There's plenty to say, if you're Tab Hunter. The '50s heartthrob breaks his silence with a remarkably candid and positive account of his astonishing, unique Hollywood experience. Tab Hunter Confidential Blu-ray FilmRise 2015 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date August 23, 2016 / 19.95 Starring Tab Hunter, Allan Glaser, Clint Eastwood, Connie Stevens, Portia de Rossi, Robert Wagner, Debbie Reynolds, Lainie Kazan, George Takei, Noah Wyle, John Waters, Liz Torres, Tab Hunter, Dolores Hart, Terry Moore, Don Murray, Robert Osborne, Darryl Hickman, William Wellman Jr., Rae Allen, Rona Barrett, Venetia Stevenson, Rex Reed, Etchika Choureau, Marilyn Erskine, Henry Willson, Shannon Bolin, Eddie Muller, Ronnie Robertson, Gary Giddins, Tamara Asseyev, Neal Noorlag, Marilyn Gevirtz, Jo-An Cox Bunton, Lou Simon, Evelyn Kramer. Cinematography Nancy Schreiber Film Editor Jeffrey Schwarz Original Music Michael Cudahy Produced by Allan Glaser, Neil Koenigsberg,...
- 8/26/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A water main break at a movie theater can wreak havoc on a film festival!
The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, was supposed to start Sunday April 19th at the Tivoli Theatre. But the organizers had to reschedule when the Tivoli had to shut down because of the water disaster. The show will go on, but the schedule has been changed.
The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis...
The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, was supposed to start Sunday April 19th at the Tivoli Theatre. But the organizers had to reschedule when the Tivoli had to shut down because of the water disaster. The show will go on, but the schedule has been changed.
The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis...
- 4/20/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Come get your Q on, St. Louis! The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs April 19-23 at the Tivoli Theatre. The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis (“Back on Board”) and former Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter (“Tab Hunter Confidential”). Other prominent films include the latest from avant-garde queer filmmaker Bruce la Bruce (“Gerontophilia”) and lesbian-themed films starring Geraldine Chaplin (“Sand Dollars”) and the directorial debut from HBO...
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis (“Back on Board”) and former Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter (“Tab Hunter Confidential”). Other prominent films include the latest from avant-garde queer filmmaker Bruce la Bruce (“Gerontophilia”) and lesbian-themed films starring Geraldine Chaplin (“Sand Dollars”) and the directorial debut from HBO...
- 3/13/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Review Laura Akers 7 Oct 2013 - 06:36
Can Castle escape the Moonlighting curse? Here's Laura's review of Dreamworld...
This review contains spoilers.
6.2 Dreamworld
When you study the history of Western theatre, you learn that almost all tragedies until the twentieth century (and even many thereafter) were written either following the “rules” Aristotle supposedly outlined for the form, or in opposition to those rules: one main plot, one scene for all action, all action in a space of twenty-four hours.
When it comes to TV shows that involve leads with romantic tension between them, there are also rules that are followed, largely defined by mid-eighties series Moonlighting: leads must be kept apart, romantic tension must be maintained through near misses and plot twists, there is no actual happiness in happily ever after.
But Aristotle wasn’t saying how tragedy should be. He was describing some common elements in good tragedy. And...
Can Castle escape the Moonlighting curse? Here's Laura's review of Dreamworld...
This review contains spoilers.
6.2 Dreamworld
When you study the history of Western theatre, you learn that almost all tragedies until the twentieth century (and even many thereafter) were written either following the “rules” Aristotle supposedly outlined for the form, or in opposition to those rules: one main plot, one scene for all action, all action in a space of twenty-four hours.
When it comes to TV shows that involve leads with romantic tension between them, there are also rules that are followed, largely defined by mid-eighties series Moonlighting: leads must be kept apart, romantic tension must be maintained through near misses and plot twists, there is no actual happiness in happily ever after.
But Aristotle wasn’t saying how tragedy should be. He was describing some common elements in good tragedy. And...
- 10/7/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
By Lee Pfeiffer
Remember that scene in Mel Brooks' The Producers when the first performance of Springtime for Hitler has just been performed for an opening night crowd on Broadway? The camera pans around the silent audience to show people sitting slack-jawed, mouths agape at the travesty they have just witnessed. I had a similar experience watching Sextette for the first time. Mind you, as a long time retro movie analyst, I was well-aware of the film's reputation as a notorious misfire. However, no criticism can quite prepare anyone for the experience of actually watching this bizarre spectacle unfold before your eyes. Scorpion Video has made that possible with a special edition DVD release of the 1978 musical comedy that was to be Mae West's second attempt to make a big screen comeback. (The first, the notorious 1970 bomb Myra Breckenridge, outraged her when she saw the final cut.) Sextette...
Remember that scene in Mel Brooks' The Producers when the first performance of Springtime for Hitler has just been performed for an opening night crowd on Broadway? The camera pans around the silent audience to show people sitting slack-jawed, mouths agape at the travesty they have just witnessed. I had a similar experience watching Sextette for the first time. Mind you, as a long time retro movie analyst, I was well-aware of the film's reputation as a notorious misfire. However, no criticism can quite prepare anyone for the experience of actually watching this bizarre spectacle unfold before your eyes. Scorpion Video has made that possible with a special edition DVD release of the 1978 musical comedy that was to be Mae West's second attempt to make a big screen comeback. (The first, the notorious 1970 bomb Myra Breckenridge, outraged her when she saw the final cut.) Sextette...
- 1/22/2013
- by [email protected] (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
From 1962 to 1992, keeping America entertained late at night largely was the duty of one man.
And it was a task Johnny Carson performed willingly and enjoyably, as his iconic status as longtime caretaker of NBC's "The Tonight Show" confirms. David Letterman's new CBS contract will make him the longest-running after-hours host in television history, but even he acknowledges the late Carson was the king -- as does PBS' highly enjoyable, thoughtfully organized "American Masters" profile "Johnny Carson: King of Late Night," debuting Monday, May 14 (check local listings).
"It's always nice to look back when you're looking at good things," reasons trumpeter Doc Severinsen, Carson's bandleader for 25 of the 30 years of his "Tonight" tenure. "I don't think there was ever a day when we didn't realize where we were and what we had, but that would be true for Ed (McMahon, Carson's perennial announcer and sidekick) and me probably more than for Johnny.
And it was a task Johnny Carson performed willingly and enjoyably, as his iconic status as longtime caretaker of NBC's "The Tonight Show" confirms. David Letterman's new CBS contract will make him the longest-running after-hours host in television history, but even he acknowledges the late Carson was the king -- as does PBS' highly enjoyable, thoughtfully organized "American Masters" profile "Johnny Carson: King of Late Night," debuting Monday, May 14 (check local listings).
"It's always nice to look back when you're looking at good things," reasons trumpeter Doc Severinsen, Carson's bandleader for 25 of the 30 years of his "Tonight" tenure. "I don't think there was ever a day when we didn't realize where we were and what we had, but that would be true for Ed (McMahon, Carson's perennial announcer and sidekick) and me probably more than for Johnny.
- 5/14/2012
- by [email protected]
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Rock Hudson Rock Hudson: Dark And Handsome Stranger Documentary The synopsis below of Andrew Davies and Andre Shafer's Rock Hudson: Dark and Handsome Stranger is from the Berlin Film Festival website: Rock Hudson was a dream of a man; the epitome of masculinity: tall, slim and muscular, with a deep, mellifluous voice. His glossy black hair, sparkling eyes, high cheek bones and sensuous lips made Rock Hudson one of the sexiest film stars that Hollywood has ever produced. Twenty-five years ago, shortly before his sixtieth birthday, Rock Hudson died of Aids-related illnesses. He was the first Hollywood celebrity to succumb to the acquired immune deficiency syndrome. But who was Rock Hudson really? This documentary sheds light on a famous actor star who performed a clandestine balancing act between his private and public lives; between the heterosexual world of an extremely manly looking screen idol and a darker side of forbidden...
- 6/26/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
By Greg Hernandez
HollywoodNews.com: I flipped on the television this morning to MSNBC and heard anchor Thomas Roberts share the news that Elizabeth Taylor had died.
I felt suddenly so sad.
We knew she had been so ill but it still came as a shock much like when Lucille Ball died in 1989. Both women were in their late 70s and somehow we thought they would live forever.
And just as Lucy has, so will Elizabeth.
As a movie star crazy kid growing up in the 70s, I would devour every issue of ‘People Magazine’ and Rona Barrett’s various magazines and was particularly fascinated with Miss Taylor.
My mom had always been a big fan of the actress so whenever her movies were on television, I’d watch them with her. I didn’t really understand ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,’ ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ or ‘Butterfield 8′ when...
HollywoodNews.com: I flipped on the television this morning to MSNBC and heard anchor Thomas Roberts share the news that Elizabeth Taylor had died.
I felt suddenly so sad.
We knew she had been so ill but it still came as a shock much like when Lucille Ball died in 1989. Both women were in their late 70s and somehow we thought they would live forever.
And just as Lucy has, so will Elizabeth.
As a movie star crazy kid growing up in the 70s, I would devour every issue of ‘People Magazine’ and Rona Barrett’s various magazines and was particularly fascinated with Miss Taylor.
My mom had always been a big fan of the actress so whenever her movies were on television, I’d watch them with her. I didn’t really understand ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,’ ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ or ‘Butterfield 8′ when...
- 3/24/2011
- by Greg Hernandez
- Hollywoodnews.com
For more than thirty years Rona Barrett reported entertainment. She was the "Perez Hilton/TMZ/ShowbizTonight" of her day. If it mattered she knew it. Gossip became news if it came to us through Rona. She had an uncanny direct-to-the camera delivery that catapulted her across ABC's line-up as the "go-to" source from all the network's Tinseltown news. Barrett's talent and tenacity fed her skyrocketing inertia. She was publishing three magazines simultaneously - all with an insider's seat to Hollywood's stories. Anti-war, sexing, boozing, beautiful and vibrant Hollywood had a dialogue with America because Rona got the jaws flapping. From Presley, to Paul Newman, from The Rolling Stones to Raquel Welch, Rona's conversations were famously intimate and benchmarks for Barbara Walters, Oprah, and even Larry King to follow. Barrett moved from Hollywood in...
- 10/2/2010
- by Tom Gregory
- Huffington Post
You can’t be a film critic and not feel melancholy about the passing of Ebert & Roeper, yet another sad milestone in the imminent death of film criticism. It is truly the end of an era. Ebert’s always been a hero and an inspiration. At the risk of sounding disingenuous, it was an honor just be rejected as a guest critic on Ebert & Roeper. It really was. So I couldn’t help but feel a little wistful when today’s kick-ass episode of Sctv opened with “Gene Shalit’s Critic’s Special”, a variety-show spoof where the owner of the world’s greatest walrus mustache and caterpillariest eyebrows mugs and sings his way through songs and sketches alongside Dave Thomas’ Roger Ebert, Joe Flaherty’s Gene Siskel and Catherine O’Hara’s Rona Barrett. It’s a pitch-perfect spoof of both tacky variety shows (that trickiest, most elusive of...
- 7/23/2008
- avclub.com
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