Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

He wakes up lying, and he lies all day.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

Maybe you would prefer that we take Joelle’s side in ALL CAPS?

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Let’s show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

Cole is on a roll !

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” is supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

When the time comes to make an endorsement, the pain of NYT editors will be palpable as they reluctantly whisper “Biden.”

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

You are here: Home / TV & Movies / Movies / Roger Ebert’s New Voice

Reader Interactions

93Comments

  2. 2.

    demkat620

    Wow, that is unbelievably close. He is a really good guy and an amazing writer.

    I grew up on Siskel and Ebert and really miss their movie reviews.

  7. 7.

    BerkeleyMom

    Ebert’s wife is amazing too. Their story made me tear up when I watched Oprah today. My son made fun of me when I said I wanted to watch Oprah today–then he ended up watching it with me, really riveted. Congratulations Roger! I hope we get to read (and hear) him for many more years.

  8. 8.

    trollhattan

    Wow. Gut-wrenching and at the same time I’m really happy for Roger (and for us because we still have him around).

  9. 9.

    Kennedy

    I heard an interview on NPR with one of the founder’s of the company behind this technology. Really great story.

  10. 10.

    TR

    That Esquire piece on him was amazing, and his blog is just phenomenal. Thanks for posting this.

  11. 11.

    Desert Rat

    Always liked Roger Ebert, and I’m glad to see his challenges are bringing out the best in him. He’s a class act, all the way.

  13. 13.

    Mnemosyne

    Okay, that made me a little weepy.

    As G just said, “Isn’t it cool to be living in the future?”

  16. 16.

    Mike Kay

    @cleek:

    It’s about time. He’s 80 years old. At some point ya gotta let the youngsters in their 50s get a shot.

  17. 17.

    d. b. cooper

    I love Roger Ebert. He really is an American institution and a gift. I used to think he liked too many movies and was too forgiving of their shortcomings, but I came to realize that he’s just so smart and loves the cinema so much that he can see the good in movies that I sometimes can’t. I cherish his perspective and he’s always been a dynamite writer and a warm, comforting personality. I miss Siskel and Ebert At the Movies, great memories of watching that show with my father on Saturdays as a child. There was an intensity to their chemistry that actually created tension in a movie review show.

  18. 18.

    hamletta

    @Just Some Fuckhead: Wow. You are some fuckhead indeed.

    Or maybe you need to clean out your ears. While it doesn’t exactly sound like Roger Ebert talking normally, it’s light years ahead of those computer-generated voices like the one Stephen Hawking uses.

  20. 20.

    Comrade Mary

    Oprah often makes me nuts, but I’m going to get a Tivoed copy of the show from my sister this week.

    Gawker has several more excerpts from the show here. Roger’s part of the conversation is in his usual computer voice, not the new one that they’re still developing and tweaking.

  22. 22.

    mai naem

    If Rangel is stepping down, good. One less distraction.
    Digby has a piece up on an Obama treasury top official going off to make money lobbying congress. Apparently under Obama’s strict new ethics rules, he can’t lobby the WH for 2 yrs but he can go ahead and lobby congress right away. Why did Obama even bother? Seriously, these pricks think we are all stupid.

    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/owing-their-souls.html

  29. 29.

    ajr22

    I just joined twitter, and I got to agree Eberts twitter has been the best part. Worst part is Chuck Todd no doubt.

  30. 30.

    GambitRF

    His twitter is awesome, except that sometimes there’s too damn much of it and he like takes over my feed. I’m not sure he sleeps.

  31. 31.

    parksideq

    @matt: That Onion piece was so on point; it would have been hilarious if it didn’t highlight how much turmoil Boehner and Co.’s rhetoric is causing.

    Back on topic, Ebert’s feed is an imperative for anyone on Twitter to follow. Such a brilliant, yet humble man.

  32. 32.

    Yutsano

    @ajr22: You’re blocking out Breitbart? Then again that’s comedic gold so I think I get why that’s not the worst.

    Boo for getting stuck at work, can’t see vid.

  37. 37.

    Sasha

    Roger Ebert is America’s greatest living author. It’s just that his chosen medium is reviews rather than novels.

  38. 38.

    Yutsano

    @Sasha: I admit that even back in the Siskel days I took Ebert’s reviews more under advisement. Plus an unconventional medium doesn’t say anything about the talent of the writer. I predict they will be saying just as many wonderful things about his Twitter feed.

    @ajr22: You raise a good point there, especially about the wingers. My personal opinion is to keep a close an eye on them as possible, but I’m also down with keeping as much crazy out of your life as possible.

  39. 39.

    No Joy in Mudville

    The kind of surgery Ebert has had is absolutely devastating. While he is certainly unfortunate to have had the cancer that required such surgery, he’s very fortunate (and he’s acknowledged as much) that he has been able to continue to do what he loves most. Had he gone blind it might have been much worse for him — he makes no secret that movies are his life.

    The “Ebert” voice sounded like a good start. It did sound like him; maybe the way to describe it would be Ebert with a computer accent.

    And it obviously was an emotional moment for his wife. It’s hard enough seeing people you don’t know personally have to go through such a horrifying ordeal, but to have it happen to one’s spouse…the pain would be unimaginable.

    I hope we get many more years of film commentary from Ebert, who is a high quality person. Thumb On, Roger!

  41. 41.

    Nellcote

    @mai naem:

    Apparently under Obama’s strict new ethics rules, he can’t lobby the WH for 2 yrs but he can go ahead and lobby congress right away. Why did Obama even bother?

    Is it legal for him to restrict future employment in an area (congress) that he doesn’t control? Just curious how that works.

  42. 42.

    asiangrrlMN

    I saw a snippet of this before, but not the part with his wife’s reaction. I have tears in my eyes. This man is just amazing. I’ve read some of his essays on subjects like healthcare, and he is real treat to read.

    @Comrade Luke: Oh no, it’s not just you and Comrade Mary. I cannot stand Oprah, but I will watch this whole ep on Hulu if they ever air it.

    I watched the excerpts at Gawker. More tears for me.

  43. 43.

    JGabriel

    @CalD: Thank you. Advice for ages:

    I’m just gonna be me and they can go fuck themselves…Don’t care, that’s the only attitude you can have when you go to the DMV.

    .

  44. 44.

    asiangrrlMN

    Now, I’m going to watch the Jezebel clips. His wife, Chaz, is amazing, too. I am touched by their love.

    I also likes how he has made peace with not having more surgery.

  46. 46.

    Jibeaux

    His line about “this movie should be cut up into ukulele picks for the poor” — well, it doesn’t get any better than that. And his starting diagnosis–thyroid cancer– was the same as mine, so we’ve got that kinship too. All around stand up guy.

  47. 47.

    Martin

    So, my city has banners up celebrating Norooz. Will Liz Cheney call for our destruction?

  49. 49.

    Martin

    @Nellcote:

    Is it legal for him to restrict future employment in an area (congress) that he doesn’t control?

    No. Separation of powers applies.

    So, apparently, yet again, Obama would be awesome if only he would do more things that he cannot do.

  50. 50.

    Ed in NJ

    OT, but how ridiculous that RedState and the rightwing blogs are going crazy over the misuse of the term filibuster vs. unaminous consent in regards to Bunning’s actions. Do these fuckwits even realize that we’ve put up with weeks of Republicans and the MSM conflating reconciliation with the nuclear option, with nary a correction?

  51. 51.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Ed in NJ: No. SATSQ. If you ever find yourself thinking, “Are they too stupid to realize”, stop and remember that there is no floor on stupidity. Or ceiling, depending on how you view it.

  52. 52.

    CaseyL

    Not all of the vocalizations were in Ebert’s voice; some sounded like the standard computer voice. I’m not sure if he needs to hit a specific toggle every time he types – that seems like bad design – but the stuff that is in his voice pretty much nails it.

    Amazing.

    And what an amazing man. What grit, and grace, and courage.

    His wife has some amazing grace as well. What’s beautiful is not only how much they love each other, but how much they still like each other and enjoy each other’s company. That affection and comeraderie is just as important as love, I think.

  55. 55.

    No Joy in Mudville

    @CaseyL:

    Not all of the vocalizations were in Ebert’s voice; some sounded like the standard computer voice.

    Right you are.

    My impression was that we were seeing a first time demonstration. At first the voice was a standard computer-generated voice. Then, Ebert set it up so his wife (and we) could hear “his” voice. After that, it was back to the computer.

    He said it was a “beta,” so of course there is work to be done.

    If anyone stopped listening after the initial vocalizations, then it isn’t surprising if they thought they were hearing a standard computer voice (Stephen Hawking) — that’s all it was initially.

  56. 56.

    Ailuridae

    @Nick:

    Not to dish shit on Roger Ebert but there aren’t a whole lot of attractive African-American women of any prominence in Chicago over a certain age he hasn’t dated. He’s like Chicago’s version of De Niro.

  59. 59.

    Ailuridae

    @Yutsano:

    Not at all. But there are two responses to “did you know Roger Ebert dated Oprah once?” (before she was famous even) depending on whether you know much about Ebert. One is

    “That’s a totally weird coincidence. And look, also, his wife is a strikingly beautiful African American women”

    and the other is

    “Of course Roger Ebert dated Oprah. He’s Roger Fucking Ebert!”

    Ailuridae +2

  60. 60.

    Yutsano

    @Ailuridae: You, sir, have just made me laugh my tuchas off. You should get drunk more often, I think it suits you.

    @asiangrrlMN: Lemon gelato is one of the arguments I make for there being a God. Or, well, just about any gelato honestly.

    PS: FH # 1 and I are smacking around a clown two threads down.

  61. 61.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yutsano:

    Ah, mclaren. You almost have to admire how hard he plays that leftier-than-thou note over and over and over again.

    Almost.

  62. 62.

    Yutsano

    @Mnemosyne: The cop hatred is almost pathological it’s scary. Plus it’s clear that his interactions with the cops are based either only on police reports or through defense attorneys. I’m glad he decided not to pursue the military angle with me, that will REALLY set me off. And I’m a Scorpio, setting me off ain’t smart.

    BTW did the chili turn out okay?

  63. 63.

    Mnemosyne

    @Yutsano:

    Hotter than expected, but still okay, especially once I mixed in some cheese to cut the heat. G liked it, so it ended up working out.

    There’s nothing quite like that sinking feeling you get when all of a sudden the powder releases from the bottle in one big chunk and you wonder if what you just made is even going to be edible.

  64. 64.

    Yutsano

    @Mnemosyne: Been there done that many a time. Any dairy will cut capsaicin levels, though usually you’re not supposed to eat the said dairy. It’s also why crema and sour cream are usually served with the spicier Mexican foods, it not only tastes good it cuts the heat levels. Glad all turned out well.

    I’m gonna hand mclaren a towel and try to get some sleep since I’m getting up before my rooster in the morning.

  65. 65.

    Ailuridae

    @Mnemosyne:

    Thats a strong argument for making your own chili powder and storing it in a shake cheese container like the ones Pizza Hut uses. Or you can buy from Penzeys and do the same (I probably cook 30 of 42 weekly meals at home so I go through enough that its worth it)

  66. 66.

    asiangrrlMN

    @Yutsano: Yes. I see. The crazy. It hurts mah brain! And, I might be wrong, but isn’t Ailuridae female?

    Night, hon. Watch out for the bile as you wade back into the other thread.

    @Ailuridae: Sorry to you if I messed up your gender!

  67. 67.

    Mnemosyne

    @Ailuridae:

    We mostly live on frozen dinners (yes, I know — bad wife!) but I take it into my head to cook occasionally, especially in the winter. I’m getting ready to haul the slow cooker out again because I got the new Weight Watchers slow cooker cookbook and there’s a whole lot of yummy in there.

    (Full disclosure: I work for them a couple hours a week so I can get my 50% discount on products.)

  70. 70.

    Ailuridae

    @Mnemosyne:

    Slow cookers solve so many problems for busy people. Its a really great way to cook healthy (healthily?) and in a simple way. No risk of burning, negligible risk or over cooking and all the nutrition (or nearly all is in the pot)

  71. 71.

    Ailuridae

    Does Jay Ackroyd really pop into random B-J threads about cooking chili in a slow cooker now? Awesome! Weird! Awesome and Weird!

  74. 74.

    arguingwithsignposts

    F**k Sen. Bunning, and DeMint and all the other GOP obstructionists, and the Democrats for giving in to their sorry asses. Totally O/T but I’m just catching up on Countdown.

  75. 75.

    debbie

    @BerkeleyMom

    That was definitely one of the better Oprahs in quite some time. Ebert has an amazing wife, and it was an added pleasure to see those old Siskel and Ebert clips.

  76. 76.

    Xenos

    @ajr22: Breitbart is acting like he finally consulted with a lawyer and realizes that he could be in deep, deep trouble. That is not crazy, that is panic. Helped along by some blow, no doubt.

  78. 78.

    WereBear

    This is wonderful for him and those around him. I would imagine he’s “in luck” since his voice has been recorded so many times.

    It’s wonderful that he’s going on, and that he can.

    And if Ebert had dated a succession of tall, buxom, blondes, we’d shrug and say he likes showgirl types. Most people have those tendencies. Funny thing is how it often works both ways.

  79. 79.

    harlana peppper

    Sorry to go OT, but thanks for the suggestions re: cat collar last nite. I took her (extremely pissed self) to vet this morning, tears streaming down face “I’m sorry, for everything! I’m sorry! I love you!” This cat brings out stuff I did not know was there.

  80. 80.

    Nick

    @Ailuridae:

    Not to dish shit on Roger Ebert but there aren’t a whole lot of attractive African-American women of any prominence in Chicago over a certain age he hasn’t dated.

    Ebert likes black women, there’s nothing wrong with that…looking and listening to his wife, he’s good at picking them.

  81. 81.

    Skepticat

    A cultural philistine (no television, seldom see movies), I was only slightly familiar with Mr. Ebert. I did read the Esquire article, though, and was incredibly impressed. This clip only adds to my admiration. Love the twinkle in his eyes.

  84. 84.

    slag

    I doubt I’ll be going back to Twitter anytime soon, but this twit from Ebert gives me pause:

    Stanley Fish’s facile meanderings on secularism/religion are skewered by the second comment, from Jeff.

    Ha! Go Jeff go!

  85. 85.

    jayackroyd

    @freelancer (itouch) @Ailuridae:

    Not to sound like a “not with it” douche, but who is Jay Ackroyd?

    I have been living in the comment streams since they came into existence, preblog.

    The Swampland reference to William Kristol is incorrect. Joe Klein got some stuff wrong, which I pointed out in comments. That is what I think freelancer is referring to, if only because other people have mentioned it in the past.

    Virtually Speaking, a weekly webcast based in Second Life, was something I started in the run-up to YearlyKos in Chicago, which we streamed into Second Life. Tomorrow night, 9pm eastern, features Jay Rosen. Max Blumenthal next week.Karl Frisch of MMA the following week, and then we cap off March with James Fallows and Bruce Schneier on security issues.

    http://virtuallyspeaking.ning.com/ has current information.

  86. 86.

    Violet

    That is such cool technology. Very impressed with the Scots for making this possible for him and for others down the road.

  87. 87.

    MysticalChick

    Love him on Twitter – one of the best out there – sometimes snarky, sometimes funny, great links and really cool info. Seems like it was a medium made for him.

    And yeah, this made me teary too. Thanks for posting it.

  88. 88.

    Bubblegum Tate

    Amazing video. It really does make me wonder what the fuck is wrong with Breitbart’s Merry Band of Idiots that makes them spend so much time and energy hating this man.

  89. 89.

    jayackroyd

    Correcting my correction. Yes there was a William Kristol thing. He made a typically stupid mistake in his ill fated NYT column, which I noted to the ombud. A correction was made, and I got an email from an ombud staffer telling me about it. I mentioned this in Swampland comments, and Ana Marie Cox front paged it. I had forgotten…. Wayback machine helped me out here.

  91. 91.

    Darkrose

    About 20 years ago now, I spent two summers working as an editorial assistant at the Chicago Sun-Times. There were two reporters there who were unfailingly polite to me; one of them was Roger Ebert. He always looked at my face when he talked to me–which was unusual, because back then I was a lot skinnier, but still had the huge tracts of land, and I got very used to people thinking my eyes were a lot lower down.

    The Esquire article made me cry.

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