Ebert's Revamped 'Movies' Faces Cancellation

The state of movie criticism is far different than when the avuncular Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert first flashed their thumbs on national TV.

Film bloggers rule, while veteran movie scribes are losing their gigs left and right from mainstream publications.

Perhaps that’s why Ebert’s rebooted review show, “At the Movies,” is struggling to find critical funding to keep it on the air. The show, which launched in January, might not survive if its financial situation doesn’t improve. Ebert shared the sobering news via his web site:

“Unless we find an angel, our television program will go off the air at the end of its current season,” the veteran critic says.

Ebert claims it isn’t a ratings issue. But if the show garnered a healthy audience, why wouldn’t someone rush in with their checkbook open?

Conservatives might blame Ebert’s alienating political views and angry tweets against a hospitalized Rush Limbaugh last year as reasons why the new show is struggling. More likely, there simply isn’t a market for review content when people can already go to YouTube and see spunky online critics weigh in on the films of the day.

The new “At the Movies” is co-hosted by Associated Press film critic Christy Lemire and Chicago Reader’s Ignatiy Vishnevestsky. Ebert serves as a producer on the program.