“Unless we find an angel,” Roger Ebert wrote in his blog last night, the latest iteration of his iconic show At The Movies will disappear again by the end of the year. The syndicated Ebert Presents At The Movies relaunched in early 2011 with co-hosts Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, finding distribution via public television in more than 90 percent of the U.S. and a loyal fanbase. Unfortunately, what it hasn’t found is one of those all-important underwriters: Since its return, Ebert and his wife and executive producer Chaz have been paying for the show themselves, and can no longer afford to do so. In the comments section of his post, many fans have already suggested setting up a Kickstarter campaign to collect donations, though that seems like a short-term solution. (A more practical suggestion: Moving it totally online, though even then they would need funding.) But if any benevolent millionaire heads of trusts and/or foundations who appreciate intelligent film criticism happen to be reading, maybe press pause on the armoire collecting and consider becoming Roger Ebert’s savior. You’ll get to hear your name prefaced with the word “generous”! [via NYT]
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