THE WARRIOR-POET OF FILM

in today's NYTimes, there was a comprehensive update on the health and activities of film critic legend roger ebert http://www.nytimes.com:80/2008/04/13/movies/13scot.html?th&emc=th . nearly two years ago, cancer of the salivary gland left roger unable to speak, and now, 41 years after the birth of "sneak previews" on PBS with his co-critic gene siskel (who died in 1999), a show which later metamorphosed into "at the movies" on ABC, roger has announced that he is leaving his broadcast critic's seat, and will devote his considerable intellect, wit and monumental knowledge of film history to the print media, the chicago sun-times http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/ , leaving the television critic balcony chairs to be filled by richard roeper and michael phillips (a more amiable team, but i'll miss the fireworks that gene and roger so often set off when debating the merits of a movie, even when they agreed whether it was worth seeing.) it is the passing of an era, but thankfully not the passing of roger ebert from the world of cinema. i for one will continue to seek out his thoughts, opinions and ideas online. they matter. ebert is an artistic original.