Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Mank "stormed off the set" of At the Movies

CHICAGO (AP)--After several months as the co-host of the syndicated movie review show At the Movies, film critic Ben Mankiewicz stormed off the set Tuesday following a series of heated exchanges between himself, co-host Ben Lyons, and several staff members.

"Hosting At the Movies, the show previously helmed by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, has been a real honor," Mankiewicz told the Associated Press. "But let's be honest, this isn't Siskel & Ebert. I don't know if that is even possible anymore, film criticism has changed so much with the Internet. At the very least those are the standards that we should strive for. But I feel like the producers of the show have just stopped trying."

Mankiewicz declined to comment specifically about Lyons, other than to say that he is "a nice kid." As to his future with the show, he said simply of the producers that "the ball is in their court".

Lyons declined to be interviewed for this story.

Since the show parted ways with previous hosts Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper, speculation has been rampant for some time that the show was on the verge of either cancellation or the firing of Lyons or Mankiewicz. A number of highly critical articles in the mainstream press and the blogosphere since the new hosts were hired have helped to cement the opinion among many that the program was in decline along with film criticism in general.

Ironically, after a shaky first few months in which ratings dropped by 23%, the show's viewership rebounded during the period leading up to the Academy Awards. But the story behind the scenes has been far different from the rosy picture painted by the improved ratings.

"Lyons and Mankiewicz have had a very stormy relationship off-screen," says one production assistant for At the Movies who asked to remain anonymous. "Most episodes, there are at least one or two takes which have to be scrapped because Mankiewicz throws up his hands in frustration, rolls his eyes, or just lets out a long sigh. He really hasn't been a team player."

Brian Frons, the ABC/Disney executive in charge of the show, expressed disappointment with the behavior of Mankiewicz but assured the Associated Press that the show would continue with or without him. "There are literally dozens of laid off film critics who would jump at the opportunity to sit across the aisle from Ben Lyons. I am sure that we will have no trouble finding a replacement for him," Frons said in reference to Mankiewicz.

"I produce a hit show," Frons continued. "What did he ever do?"

Nothing official has been announced as to whether or not Mankiewicz will remain, but the anonymous staffer suggested that interviews may have already occurred. "Both Lou Lumenick [of the New York Post] and Roger Moore [of the Orlando Sentinel] have been in the office to talk to Frons. On the other hand, I hear that Lyons has been talking up Shawn Edwards [of WDAF-TV in Kansas City]."

Critics of the show predicted that this is the beginning of the end of At the Movies in its current form. "Hopefully this will now free my Tivo from the Sunday morning recap of At the Movies and restore our faith in the Lord," said Erik Childress, vice president of the Chicago Film Critics Association, who also writes a feature called "Ben Lyons Quote of the Week" that ridicules Lyons' critiques.

"The chickens have come home to roost," said Scott Johnson, the blogger behind the website StopBenLyons.com. "Maybe now Brian Frons can get back to his first love--ruining daytime soap operas."

Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper have both made references on their blogs about starting a new television show. Roeper declined to comment for this article and Ebert did not immediately return a phone call from the Associated Press.

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On the Net:

At the Movies

Ben Lyons' Written Movie Review Archive

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, if only today weren't April 1...

Anonymous said...

nice try, but i have a calender AND google. but i have to admit, you did get my hopes up, only to allow me demolish them myself via a search engine.

Anonymous said...

This is an april fool's joke, right?

Kevin Klaw said...

Really. It has to be an April Fool's joke. This line gave it away:

"There are literally dozens of laid off film critics who would jump at the opportunity to sit across the aisle from Ben Lyons. I am sure that we will have no trouble finding a replacement for him,"

Nice try.

andrew said...

this is an april fools joke isnt it? no way he actually left and no way would shawn edwards cohost

Anonymous said...

April Fools right

Anonymous said...

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Anonymous said...

Ha ha April Fools right? Good one.

Anonymous said...

April Fools right? Haha

Anonymous said...

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Unknown said...

If nothing else, the tipoff should've been Ebert not immediately responding to the phone call.

Scott said...

Yeah, the Ebert "phone call" was a deliberate clue, but there are several other clues as well . . .

renee avis said...

I actually tried to give Ben Lyons a chance. However, I have given up.

I went to see the Orphan in a large theater and it was packed! The movie gave the audience a roller coaster ride the entire movie. Everyone just loved it! It had a Perfect Cast, Amazing Sound, and the Director pulled it all together with all the right touches. The thriller is as suspenseful as "The Shinning".

Ben ripped The Orphan apart. My mouth just dropped. I could not believe it. It was as though he saw it at 4:00 a.m. after partying all night, and he was just not in the mood for it.

If "At The Movies" don't hire back last years team of critics- they are going to go off the air.
If that happens... I think Richard Roeper should just create his own show.

Ney