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)





[05/02/25 - 10:31 AM]
Netflix's "Little House on the Prairie" Rounds Out Ingalls Family Cast
Introducing Crosby Fitzgerald as Caroline, Luke Bracey as Charles, Skywalker Hughes as Mary, and Alice Halsey as Laura.

[05/02/25 - 09:26 AM]
ESPN's WNBA Coverage Returns in Full Force: Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo & Holly Rowe Lead Broadcast Team; Expanded Pregame Shows and Star Talent Highlight 2025 Season
Play-by-play voice Ryan Ruocco and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famers Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe return for their 13th season together as ESPN's lead WNBA broadcast team.

[05/02/25 - 09:11 AM]
Video: Disney Drops Music Video for First Single "The Place to Be," From This Summer's Music-Fueled "Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires"
The latest installment of the music-fueled franchise - premieres Thursday, July 10, at 7 p.m. EDT/PDT on Disney Channel and streams the next day, Friday, July 11, on Disney+.

[05/02/25 - 09:03 AM]
FOX Sports Films Premieres Second Season of Popular Dirt Racing Docuseries "Dirt" May 6 on FS1
FloSports will stream every episode of the second season 24-hours after its debut on FS1 on the FloRacing YouTube channel.

[05/02/25 - 09:01 AM]
Rachael Ray's "Meals in Minutes" and "Global Soul Kitchen" with Deborah VanTrece Return May 26 on FYI Network
Both series are part of A+E Networks' Home.Made.Nation multi-platform lifestyle programming block.

[05/02/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix's "Little House on the Prairie" Found Its Laura Ingalls
Alice Halsey will play Laura Ingalls.

[05/02/25 - 07:00 AM]
Global Hit Series "The Chosen" Season 5 Premieres Exclusively on Prime Video June 15, 2025 in the U.S. and Will Stream Internationally in Select Territories in July
Season 5 will debut in three parts over three weeks, with the first two episodes premiering on June 15, followed by three episodes on June 22 and the last three episodes on June 29.

[05/01/25 - 01:18 PM]
Video: Following a Standout Sundance World Premiere, National Geographic Documentary Films Unveils Trailer for Critically Acclaimed and Award-Winning "Sally," Ahead of National Space Day
The film will premiere on National Geographic on Monday, June 16 at 9:00/8:00c and be available to stream globally the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

[05/01/25 - 12:31 PM]
Video: Official Trailers - Peacock Emerging Artist Series
"Older Hotter Wiser," "The Kouncil," "The Warehouse Phase" and "People Like Me" will all premiere May 19, only on Peacock.

[05/01/25 - 11:46 AM]
Video: MTV's "Jersey Shore Family Vacation" Unveils Explosive Season 8 Trailer
This season marks the 15th anniversary since the crew's first wild summer in Seaside Heights - and includes an epic reunion at the OG shore house!

[05/01/25 - 11:31 AM]
Renowned Bariatric Surgeon Dr. Now Comes to Lifetime for Transformative New Series "The 6000 lb. Diaries with Dr. Now" with New Episodes Beginning May 26
The series follows 10 morbidly obese individuals whose combined weight exceeds 6,000 pounds, each at a critical crossroads in their journey to survival and self-reclamation.

[05/01/25 - 11:01 AM]
"Human Footprint" Season 2 Premieres June 25, 2025 on PBS
Hosted by biologist and Princeton University professor Shane Campbell-Staton, Ph.D., the series' six new episodes explore the global impact of Earth's most ingenious, destructive, and adaptive species... humans.

[05/01/25 - 11:01 AM]
Shudder Checks Into "Hell Motel," An All-New Limited Series from "Slasher" Creators Aaron Martin and Ian Carpenter Premiering Tuesday, June 17
The eight-episode limited series starring Emmy Award-winner Eric McCormack debuts with a two-episode premiere on Tuesday, June 17 on Shudder and AMC+, with new episodes releasing weekly on Tuesdays.

[05/01/25 - 11:00 AM]
Season Three of the HBO Original Drama Series "The Gilded Age" Debuts June 22
The American Gilded Age was a period of immense economic and social change, when empires were built, but no victory came without sacrifice.

[05/01/25 - 10:20 AM]
Video: Official Trailers - "Revival" Season 1 & "Resident Alien" Season 4 - Syfy
"Revival" premieres Thursday, June 12 at 10:00/9:00c; while "Resident Alien" returns Friday, June 6 at 11:00/10:00c.