or


[07/22/08 - 03:20 PM]
At the Movies, Television's Most Popular and Respected Movie Review Program, Names Two New Co-Hosts - Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz - and Adds Several Exciting New Segments to Show's Format
The revamped series will debut the weekend of September 6.

[via press release from ABC]

"AT THE MOVIES," TELEVISION'S MOST POPULAR AND RESPECTED MOVIE REVIEW PROGRAM, NAMES TWO NEW CO-HOSTS - BEN LYONS AND BEN MANKIEWICZ - AND ADDS SEVERAL EXCITING NEW SEGMENTS TO SHOW'S FORMAT

NEW SEASON TO PREMIERE WEEKEND OF SEPTEMBER 6, 2008

Television's most popular and respected movie review program, "At The Movies," today announced that two new charismatic co-hosts, Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz, will co-host the next generation of the series when its new season begins the weekend of September 6, 2008. Both of these critics will bring their unique personalities and extensivequalifications to the series, and the show will also be adding several new exciting segments. This follows the announcement that famed Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert and his co-host Richard Roeper have bid farewell to the weekly television series.

A native New Yorker and best known as E! Entertainment's resident film expert, Ben Lyons interviews actors and reports from film festivals around the globe. His versatility as a host and critic finds him on the red carpet and reviewing films for "E! News," "The Daily Ten," as well as his featured blog and original broadband series, "The Lyons Den," on E! Online. Lyons has previously been featured on "Good Morning America," MTV's "Your Movie Show," "MSNBC at the Movies" and "Access Hollywood," and has a passion for music having worked as a segment producer on the nationally syndicated "Hip-Hop Nation."

Ben Mankiewicz has been a popular host for Turner Classic Movies for five years. He was also the host of "The Young Turks" on Sirius Satellite Radio, a live, daily alternative talk show discussing politics, film, pop culture, sports, and media. Prior to his work on Turner Classic Movies, Mankiewicz was a reporter and anchor for WCSC-TV in Charleston, South Carolina and he also served as the anchor of "The Times," a daily news magazine at WAMI-TV Miami.

"I am incredibly excited to be involved with such a prestigious show," said co-host Ben Lyons. "Reviewing films for a living is a thrill, and now that I will be a critic for 'At the Movies,' it is an honor and huge responsibility that I look forward to."

"I am thrilled and honored beyond words to be joining the series," added co-host Ben Mankiewicz. "As a movie fanatic, this is my dream job. Without question, I certainly have very big shoes to fill."

In addition to the new co-hosts, "At the Movies" will also introduce new segments, a new set, new music and new graphics with the September premiere. The show will continue its signature "cross-talk" reviews, where the co-hosts debate the latest motion picture and DVD releases, and add "Critics Round-Up," which features the co-hosts in lively discussions with other well-respected critics via satellite from cities across the country. Also, in the "3 to See" segment, the co-hosts recommend their top three "must see" films in theatres now, to give viewers a chance to make quick decisions on what to see that weekend.

In discussing the future of the series, Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group, who oversees Buena Vista Productions, stated, "Over the years, 'At the Movies' has become synonymous with fun, compelling movie reviews. With the addition of Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz as our talented, charismatic new co-hosts, and exciting new segments planned, we're confident that audiences will be enjoying 'At the Movies' for many years to come."

Both Ben Lyons and Ben Mankiewicz grew up immersed in the movie business; one in a family of film critics and one in a family of filmmakers. Lyons comes from a very distinguished family of journalists and film critics, including his father, film critic Jeffrey Lyons, and grandfather, renowned New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons. Mankiewicz comes from a legendary filmmaking family. Mankiewicz's grandfather, Herman Mankiewicz, won an Oscar for writing the screenplay for "Citizen Kane." His great uncle, Joseph Mankiewicz, won four Oscars for writing and directing "All About Eve and "A Letter to Three Wives." His cousin, Tom Mankiewicz, wrote several classic James Bond movies including "The Man with the Golden Gun," "Live and Let Die," and "Diamonds Are Forever." He also wrote "Superman" and "Superman II."

The show's comprehensive website, AtTheMoviesTV.com, is the only online destination on the internet to feature a 20-year video archive of every movie review in the show's history, and will offer full-length reviews for all the movies and DVDs reviewed each week by Lyons and Mankiewicz. In addition, the new "Critics Round-Up" will be incorporated into the site, along with a number of new online-exclusive features in coming months.

Buena Vista Productions has also named David Plummer as the new executive producer of "At the Movies." Plummer will be upped from his current position as supervising producer on "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper."

Television pioneers Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel first paired up in 1975 at WTTW in Chicago when they hosted the local movie review show, "Sneak Previews." In 1978, the show moved to PBS and was syndicated shortly thereafter by Tribune Syndication and was renamed "At the Movies." In 1986, Disney-ABC Domestic Television (then known as Buena Vista Television) acquired the show, calling it "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies." Upon Gene Siskel's passing in 1999, the show retained the "Siskel & Ebert" title until the following fall when it became "Roger Ebert & the Movies." In July 2000, film critic Richard Roeper was named Ebert's new co-host and the show was retitled, "Ebert & Roeper and the Movies." The show was renamed "Ebert & Roeper" in 2001 and subsequently was modified to "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper" last year. Ebert celebrated his 30th anniversary as a television film critic in 2005.

"It has been a remarkable 22 years working with our good friend Roger Ebert," commented Janice Marinelli, president, Disney-ABC Domestic Television. "Roger is an exceedingly gfted critic and journalist who has made an indelible mark on the film industry. It has been our privilege to work alongside Roger and we are proud to have been his television partner for these many years. He is an extraordinary man of uncompromising strength and determination." She continued, "Richard's talent, enthusiasm and insights have been an integral part of the show for the past eight seasons. We thank him for his invaluable contributions and we are especially grateful to him for hosting the show so skillfully these past two years during Roger's absence. We wish them both the very best."

"At the Movies" will debut its 23rd season in national syndication the weekend of September 6, 2008. Buena Vista Productions oversees production of the series, which is distributed by Disney-ABC Domestic Television. The series is produced at WLS-TV in Chicago. Check local listings for time and channel at www.AtTheMoviesTV.com.





  [july 2008]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
  


· ACCESS HOLLYWOOD (SYNDICATION)
· AT THE MOVIES (SYNDICATION)





[05/31/24 - 01:15 PM]
"Air" to Make Broadcast Debut June 11 on ABC
From award-winning director Ben Affleck, "Air" reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike's fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand.

[05/31/24 - 12:53 PM]
The CW Sets Return of "Masters of Illusion," "World's Funniest Animals" for Thursday, June 20
Look for said duo back-to-back starting at 9:00/8:00c.

[05/31/24 - 12:08 PM]
Disney+ Anthology Series "Goosebumps" Adds Recurring Cast Arjun Athalye, Stony Blyden, Sakina Jaffrey, Eloise Payet, Christopher Paul Richards and Kyra Tantao
The previously announced series regular cast includes David Schwimmer, Ana Ortiz, Sam McCarthy, Jayden Bartels, Elijah Cooper, Galilea La Salvia and Francesca Noel.

[05/31/24 - 10:31 AM]
"Saturday Night Live" Was the #1 Entertainment Series Across Broadcast and Cable for the 2023-24 Season in the 18-49 Demo
The top-rated telecast of the season in total viewers was the Ryan Gosling/Chris Stapleton episode on April 13, 2024, with 8.9 million.

[05/31/24 - 09:30 AM]
CBS Finales Dominate in Live+7 Viewership
CBS' May finales experienced significant increases with Live+7 Day viewing, currently having 16 of the top 25 shows with the highest seven-day lift.

[05/31/24 - 09:00 AM]
Max Original Comedy Special "Hannah Einbinder: Everything Must Go" Debuts June 13
Actress, comedian, and star of the Emmy-winning Max Original comedy series "Hacks," Hannah Einbinder takes the stage at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles for her first stand-up special.

[05/31/24 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Juanpis Gonzalez: The People's President" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When a spoiled Colombian snob becomes president through money and connections, he finds staying in power takes more than he expected.

[05/30/24 - 08:01 PM]
"Master of the House" Unveils a Scandalous Tale of Power and Greed on July 18
The mysterious death of Asia's largest diamond tycoon sets the stage for the series, premiering on July 18.

[05/30/24 - 06:01 PM]
Video: "The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse" - Official Trailer #2 - Netflix
As a prophecy of doom unfolds upon the peaceful land of Britannia, a pure-hearted boy sets out on a journey of discovery - and revenge.

[05/30/24 - 04:02 PM]
"Son of a Donkey" Brings Back Theo and Nathan Saidden in New Series for Netflix and Princess Pictures
The Saiddens will write, direct, produce and star in the series also produced by Princess Pictures for Netflix.

[05/30/24 - 04:01 PM]
Netflix Announces New Romance Series from Japan Starring: Shun Oguri, Han Hyo-Joo, Yuri Nakamura, and Jin Akanishi
"Romantic Anonymous" (wt) is currently in production and will be coming to Netflix in 2025.

[05/30/24 - 02:16 PM]
Interest Rates Are at an All-Time High as Season 15 of Bravo's "Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles" Returns Wednesday, July 10 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Returning for Season 15 are agents Josh and Heather Altman, Josh Flagg and Tracy Tutor.

[05/30/24 - 02:06 PM]
HBO, NFL Films, and the Chicago Bears Announce "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears," A New Season of the Groundbreaking Sports Reality Series, Debuting August 6
General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will be at the helm, guiding 2024's first overall draft pick, quarterback Caleb Williams, 2024's ninth overall pick, wide receiver Rome Odunze, and an array of veteran players including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Jaylon Johnson, and Montez Sweat.

[05/30/24 - 02:02 PM]
Apple TV+ to Premiere Season Two of Drama Series "Pachinko" on August 23
Season two of "Pachinko" will premiere globally on Friday, August 23 with one episode, followed by one episode weekly every Friday through October 11.

[05/30/24 - 01:31 PM]
"The Vince Staples Show" Renewed for Season 2
Who's Vince Staples? Well, that's a tricky question. He's kind of famous, but he's not. He's kind of rich, but he's not. He's also kind of a criminal. But he's... not? Follow him on his daily adventures, where anything that can go wrong usually does.