More on the Ebert & Roeper replacements

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: Two Bens to replace Ebert, Roeper : : : Move over Ebert and Roeper. Here come the two Bens. : Ben Lyons of E! Entertainment Television and Ben Mankiewicz of Turner Classic Movies today were named co-hosts of what was described as "the new generation" of "At the Movies" by the Walt Disney Co.'s Buena Vista Productions and Disney-ABC Television Distribution. : The movie-review program is adding a new set, new music, new graphics and new segments, including discussions with other critics around the country via satellite, according to Disney. The program will continue to be taped at ABC-owned WLS-Ch. 7 in Chicago, where the production enjoys a tax credit from the state of Illinois. : Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert and columnist Richard Roeper, both of the Chicago Sun-Times, each announced yesterday they were disassociating themselves from the movie-review program citing changes Disney planned to make to the long-running series. : The TV show has been syndicated and produced by Disney since 1986 and traces its roots to public station WTTW-Ch. 11's pairing of Ebert and the late Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel in 1975. Siskel died in 1999, and Roeper was named his permanent successor the next year. Ebert has been off the air since health issues stole his voice two years ago. The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips has been most recent regular fill-in. : "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," said Brian Frons, who oversees Buena Vista Productions as president of Disney-ABC Television Group's daytime division. : Lyons, E!'s resident film expert, is the son of longtime movie reviewer Jeffrey Lyons, who was one of the successors to Ebert and Siskel when they left public TV's "Sneak Previews" for commercial syndication with Chicago Tribune parent Tribune Co. in 1982. The elder Lyons, son of New York Post columnist Leonard Lyons, now co-hosts the syndicated "Reel Talk" for NBC Universal. : "I am incredibly excited to be involved with such a prestigious show," Ben Lyons said in a statement. "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." : Mankiewicz, who hosts films for Turner Classic Movies, is the son of Frank Mankiewicz, who was the late Robert Kennedy's press secretary. He also is the cousin of screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, grandson of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz and great-nephew of director Joseph L. Mankiewicz. : "I am thrilled and honored beyond words to be joining the series," Ben Mankiewicz said in a statement. "As a movie fanatic, this is my dream job. Without question, I certainly have very big shoes to fill." : Roeper has indicated he intends to do a movie-review program for someone else. His last program with Phillips is set to air the weekend of Aug. 16. : Janice Marinelli, president of Disney-ABC Domestic Television, called Ebert "an exceedingly gifted critic and journalist who has made an indelible mark on the film industry" and said Roeper's "talent, enthusiasm and insights have been an integral part of the show for the past eight seasons." : : (Rosenthal)

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