Lyons, Mankiewicz No Longer 'At the Movies'

It hasn't health-care-at-town-hall-meetings kind of protests, but the hiring of Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz to host At the Movies was never really popular. And now, our brief national nightmare is over. Disney/ABC has replaced the pair of critics with A.O. Scott of The New York Times and Michael Phillips from The Chicago Tribune, and it shouldn't be viewed in any way as a coincidence that the show will once again be hosted by newspaper veterans. After all, this is the show that Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel debuted over 30 years ago in another form, refined it, and became national celebrities while broadening the reach of film criticism. So to go from Ebert, even when he was paired with Roeper, with Ben Lyons and anybody is an awfully bad move. Mankiewicz I had no real problem with. I think he's fine reading those trivia-laced synopses on Turner Classic Movies. But Ben Lyons is a moron. Just read StopBenLyons.com. So rather than trying to appeal to younger viewers presumably less interested in legitimate film commentary, ABC has stopped filling buckets with water from the sinking ship. Yep, Lyons and Mankiewicz lost ratings for ABC, about 20% in the one year it was on the air. In Scott, the show inherits one of the more respected national names in the game, and I've read enough of Michael Phillips that I have no doubt it's also a step in the right direction. They'll make their debut the week of September 5th. Check your local listings.

Comments

[Zack Solomon]

HahahHah
Fuck those douchbags. Menk is Ok, but Lyons is a chode

[Ruby Blye]

HahahHah
Nobody watches movies anymore. Films are the new movies.