EBERT & ROEPER AND THE MOVIES

By: Steve Brennan Famed Film Critic Joined By Fellow Sun-Times Man



The Hollywood
Reporter Richard Roeper, a colleague of Roger Ebert's at
the Chicago Sun-Times, will permanently step into the
critic's chair opposite Ebert in the newly rechristened 'Ebert
& Roeper and the Movies,' Buena Vista Television announced
Wednesday.



Since the death last year of his longtime partner, Gene Siskel
(who wrote for the Chicago Tribune), the Pulitzer
Prize-winning Ebert has worked with a rotating group of guest
critics. Roeper has been a recurring guest on the show for the
past several months and will begin his full-time position
immediately.



'For more than a decade, this show has been integral to our
programming lineup,' BVT president Janice Marinelli said when
announcing Roeper's permanent move to the show. 'We think
Richard brings the perfect combination of journalist expertise
and love of the movies to this prestigious franchise.'



Ebert said: 'It's appropriate that we've picked up another
Chicago newspaperman for the show. Richard has been writing
regularly about the movies for many years in the Sun-

Times, is a gifted daily columnist and has a lot of radio
and television experience. He has strong opinions, a good
movie background and a quick sense of humor. From his first
program, I sensed the competitive give-and-take that's so much
a part of the show's tradition. I'm looking forward to working
with him.'



Roeper's daily column has appeared in the Sun-Times
since 1987, and he is distributed nationally by the New York
Times Syndicate. He has also written for Playboy, Spy, TV
Guide and Entertainment Weekly. He won a National
Headline Award for his column and two local Emmy Awards for
his work as a commentator on the Fox O&O WFLD in Chicago.
Roeper also has hosted talk radio programs on a number of
Chicago stations, including WLS-AM, WLS-FM, WLUP-FM and WMVP-

AM.