>> reporter: gene siskel died in 1999 of a brain tumor. and years later, roger ebert would face his greatest challenge too. losing portions of his jaw and his ability to speak, eat and drink after cancer surgeries. turning to a computer generated voice to do the speaking for him. >> these are my words but this is not my voice. this is alex, the best computer voice i've been able to find. >> reporter: he would use that computer to speak about the gift of talking, a gift he says he took for granted. >> for most of my life i never gave a second thought to my ability to speak. it was like breathing. in those days, i was living in a fool's paradise. after surgeries for cancer took away my ability to speak, eat or drink, i was forced to enter this virtual world in which a computer does some of my living for me. >> reporter: on oprah ebert would describe that in his dreams, he could still speak. >> that's just like i was in life, you could never shut me up. >> reporter: just two days ago, his final tweet, a link to his blog titled "my live of pre

siskel and ebert or ebert and rope certificate no more. and in the print media reviews, criticism or discourse about cinema is dwindling away. and has been replaced by celebrity news. so in a way there is something much, much bigger about roger evert not being with us any more. it's a whole epoch that has-- this is disappearing, not completely yet but there was something big and it was a wonderful man. always someone who was after illumination. something about truth in cinema. and that's how i connected with him. we always had the feeling there was something much deeper than just movies that we should talk about. >> which brings me to one of his appearances on this program. 1996, talking about the power of movies as an art form. >> for me, talking about you, a direct quote. no other art form touches life the way the movies do. because it takes-- it takes us inside the ;icyñlives of othr people. avant-garde tendencies in cinema. which he was open to. he was not matic am but for him it's just what he said there it's about watching people. an

the 70-year-old is known for co-hosting siskel and ebert until siskel died. he continued to write while battling cancer. he posted his last words saying thank you for going on this journey with me, i'll see you at the movies. a cartoonist bid farewell of this picture of siskel saving ebert a seat. this morning's dish of scrambled politics. president obama is catching heat for a comment directed attica ma la harris. the president called harris quote, the best looking attorney general. some commentators called those comments sexist and unsettling. >>> a majority of americans support legalizing marijuana. 52% want pot approved for recreational use. this is the first time the majority favor it since the 1970s. alabama is going to grant pardon for the scottsboro boys. they were known for raining two white women. >>> three of president obama's force are foregoing 5% of their salary. janet napolitano -- >> mark zuckerberg is off to a bad start. it was supposed to launch next week. it's run into trouble with planning ideas. >>> actor ryan gosling is teaming up with a

of course not. >> in 1999, gene siskel died at age 53. the duo had been on screen together for 24 years. >> we had been through so many movies together and so many experiences together, that we could read each other's minds sometimes. >> ebert continued on with his television show, pairing up with richard roper in 2000. but soon, ebert's health began to decline. he battled cancer in his thyroid and salivary gland. still, he was a workhorse, reviewing at many as 285 movies a year, scheduling operations around important movie openings. in 2006 he lost part of his lower jaw to cancer and with it, the ability to speak or eat. although ebert was no longer on television, he continued his career with a wildly popular blog. in 2010, he appeared on the oprah winfrey show with his wife to show the world his new computerized voice. >> this is the first version of my computer voice, what they call the beta. it still needs improvement but at least it sounds like me when i type anything. >> just this past tuesday on his last blog, ebert wrote, i must s

siskel for "the chicago tribune" and ebert for "the chicago sun times." their on-air sparks came naturally. >> do you believe that a movie needs to be fair in order to be good or does it need to be accurate in order to be good? >> reporter: their relationship was the source of endless fascination. >> the question was do you like or hate each other and i said, both. roger said -- >> neither. >> reporter: when siskel died of a brain tumor in 1999, ebert called him the brother he never had. >> for 24 years we were on television together. for more than 40 years we fought it out on our newspaper jobs. there was a lot of competition, a lot of rivalry but also respect and friendship. >> reporter: for ebert, movies weren't just his career. they were his passion. >> an asian-american character has the right to be whoever the hell they want to be. >> reporter: in 1985 he told jane pauley on "today" his tastes were not highbrow. >> i like a western if it's bad enough. i like it if it's good enough. i don't like the in-between movies. >> reporter: he wrote the screen

he also became well known for co-hosting a weekly show with fellow critic gene siskel. in 2005, he received a star on the hollywood walk of fame and spoke about his love for the movies. >> movies are the most powerful interesting machine of all the arts. when i got to a great movie i can live someone else life a little bit for a while. i can walk in someone else shoes. i can be a member of a different gender, a different race, a different economic class, live in a different time, have different belief. >> sreenivasan: ebert began a long battle with cancer in 2002. by 2006, he lost the ability to eat, speak and drink after surgeries for thyroid and salivary gland cancer. he continued to review and write about the movies and his own illness on his blog and on social media where he reached a robust new audience. on tuesday, he announced on his blog that his cancer had returned. for more we're joined by david edelstein, a colleague and friend. he's the film critic for "new york magazine" and for npr's "fresh air." thanks for being with us. >> my pleasure. on this sad occasi

it was when gene siskel was still alive. one thing i appreciated about those guys, they never took it to the level. we discussed it in the green room ourselves. they never took it to the level of john simon and frank rich and really, if they didn't like a film, they told you why. if they liked a film, they told you why. there was never personal attacks about someone's career, the successes, the failures. they were overweight, the woman was unattractive. i always loved the fact that they stayed out of that. >> it was honorable critiquing. >> definitely. >> he will be very sorely missed. let's turn to the republican party. i'll start with you, kelly ann. a strange thing going on in america, where you see now a poll come out today saying the majority of americans are now in favor of legalizing marijuana, for example. a majority are in favor of same sex marriage. these are things that would have been pretty unthinkable even ten years ago. many in the republican party are trying to embrace this. many feel threatened by it. i inte

>> roger is honest. >> gene siskel died in 1999 of a brain tumor.portions of his jaw and ability to speak, eat and drink after cancer surgeries turning to a computer generated voice to do the speaking for him. >> these are my word. this is not my voice. this is alex the best computer voice i have been able to find. >> reporter: he would use the computer to speak about the gift of talking, a gift he says he took for granted. >> for most of my life i never gave a second thought to my ability to speak. it was like breathing. in those days, i was living in a fool's paradise. after surgeries for cancer took away my ability to speak, eat or drink, i was forced to enter this virtual world in which a computer does some of my living for me. >> on oprah, ebert would describe in his dreams he could still speak. >> that's just like i was in life. you could never shut me up. >> reporter: just two days ago, roger ebert's final tweet. a link to his blog, my leave of presence. ebert taking note, 46 years ago, april 1967 he became a film critic. telling followers i

when he was at his peak with ebert and siskel and the movies, there was a show sneak preview that hed at the movies with rex reed and bill harris. today there is nothing like. that the experts don't have gene shallot at nbc, the big-time movie critic is a thing of the past. the reason is because you don't have to wait until 3:00 in the morning to wait for ebert and siskel. you are on the internet and have tons of opinion and observation and movie clips, which used to be what we would deliver that was a very precious and rare commodity. >> has something been lost, not just of course with the passing of roger ebert but the time when newspaper film critics were important and would be going on television was something that would make you well known to millions of people and now people go to rotten tomatoes and see how many tomatoes a film or movie got. >> yes, i do. i think what is lost is personality. if you take a look at the people that i mentioned, rex reed "at the movies." rex is still there but not a major figure in the way he used to be. the fact is people it has been democrat kra

passionately arguing about them on tv with gene siskel and their iconic show "at the movies." >> what movie? what about the dialogue? the characters? >> ebert, the spectacled and besweatered became a towering presence from the 1970s on. the first movie critic to win a pulitzer prize. and two thumbs up from him and siskel could mean millions in ticket sales. >> roger ebert, that's where i go to tell me who's a good movie. >> he loved movies like we do, but as a smart and engaging man who just loved going into the dark and dreaming the dream along with the rest of us. take "star wars." >> go home! >> reporter: when it came out in 1977, some bashed it as empty, juvenile escapism. ebert went on "nightline" and told ted koppel why they were wrong. >> i had a great time and was stimulated and had my imagination stimulated and all sorts of visions take place in my mind that helped me to become an adult and to still stay young at heart. >> reporter: he loved mu v ed md he loved life, too. in 2006, cancer robbed him of his voice, his ability to eat. but with the help of technology, he used a c

with his first partner, gene siskel, he helped guide movie audiences.bert and siskel, known for their thumbs up and thumbs down reviews were often at odds in their critique and that's what made them so popular. >> i think that gene was the closest i'll ever have to having a brother. he came back with richard roeper. their show, ebert and roeper recomplained the most recognized movie program. >> chicago is the most beautiful large city in america. >> a chicago institution with a national following, he ebert worked with the chicago sun time since 1967. in 1975, he became the first film critic to win a pulitzer prize for criticism. in 2005 he received a star in the hollywood walk of fame and a bronze medallion beneath the marquis of the landmark chicago theater. a year later, cancer robbed him of portions of his jaw as well as his ability to speak. he eventually returned to writing and his reviews, and became a mainstay on social media. >> i was always astro verted. now, i am forced to live more within my mind. >> roger ebert spread his passion for movies

in 1976, he teamed up with a competitor, chicago tribune film critic siskel. within a few years, it was put into syndication. the show soon became their trademark. the show's title was changed to roger ebert and the movies after siskel died. and then roger ebert embraced social media, actively tweeting, never losing his voice despite battling salivary gland cancer. >> my legacy, if there is one, will have to do with supporting films that people might not have seen and supporting directors that deserve support. >>> let's take a look. this bay area cop may have been off duty but he felt it was his duty to take action and take down an angry air passenger in hawaii. >>> and is it a game changer? the big announcement today from facebook that could change your smartphone. >>> okay. check out this video. an east bay police officer was heading home from a hawaiian vacation when he found himself right in the middle of an airport security breach. watch the left side of your screen. a tsa official was chatting with passengers when suddenly a woman just barged right into

siskel for the chicago tribune, ebert for "the chicago-sun times." their on air remarks. >> they need to be accurate to be good. >> their relationship was the source of endless fascination. >> the question was, do you like or hate each other. i said both. roger said, neither. >>> he called him the brother he never had. >> for 24 years we were on television together. for po years we fought it out on newspaper jobs. there was a lot of competition and rivalry, but also respect and friendship. >> reporter: for ebert, movies weren't just his career, they were his passion. >> american characters have the right to be whoever the hell they want to be. >> reporter: in 1985, he said his tastes were not highbrow. >> i like it if it's bad enough or good enough. i don't like the in between movies. >> he wrote "beyond the valley of the dolls." it's since gained cult status. >> h is my happening and it freaks me out. >> prolonged battle with cancer changed his appearance and robbed his ability to talk. he relied on a computer for his voice. >> i was always extrover

the 70-year-old is best known for cohosting "siskel & ebert at the movies" until siskel died in 1999. ebert continued writing reviews while battling cancer. > in memory of ebert, a cartoonist bid farewell with this bid to system, "saved you a seat at the movies." >>> dylan dreyer talks about this now. winter won't let go, evidently. this is what it looked like in virginia in the val where a surprise storm dropped up to seven inches of snow in that area. dylan, as we were talking about earlier, we're not used to this late winter this year at least compared to last. >> i was so excited to move to new york city from boston. spring starts a little bit earlier here. >> yeah. >> no. >> theoretically. >> it's not happening. we are going to finally see a warm-up this weekend especially on sunday in the northeast. but in the northwest we do have a lot of rain. the rain is coming down in seattle, and it will continue to do so for quite some time. closer look, though, shows you that we are certainly seeing some of the heavier pockets of rain right along the coast. and we are going to have to dea

in 1976.he teamed with a competitor - gene siskel from the chicago tribune.umbs up - thumbs down' rating system becoming their trademark. when first told siskel would be his co-host - he says "the answer was at the tip of my tongue -- no." but the pairing worked. later - after losing his voice and the ability to eat after thyroid and salivary gland cancers. ebert was writing.reviewing.tweeting. some say.working harder than ever. ebert married his wife chaz - who survives him. she became his 'voice' at public events when he couldn't speak. ebert was writing up until hours before his death. (male announcer): here's stanley roberts who found some people behaving badly. (male announcer): here's stanley roberts who found some people behaving badly. this is a lady who appears to still be in her pjs with two dogs on a leash smoking a cigarette and here is yet another man dog on leash smoking a i'm at the broadway tunnel west mini park in the russian hill section of san francisco it actually sits directly over the broadway tunnel now before you think this is just a s

he was, of course, best known as part of a team, siskel and ebert.s part of their review of 1976's epic takedown of broadcast journalism network. >> don't get the idea that this picture is good simply because it puts tv down, it's the way it puts it down with fine performances and some very funny and foulmouthed writing. >> gene, i agree and disagree. i agree in the first place it's my favorite christmas movie. i also think rocky comes in very close second. i disagree it's overwritten. one of the nice things about the movies that it's written. >> amazing. for more than two decades first locally and then syndicated. they offered their thumbs up and thumbs down and always intelligent camera reviews and stand your ground sparring and passion and deep appreciation for the art. the extravagance of movie making along with a respect for each other akin to that of long lost brothers. gene died in 1999 and later after losing his ability to speak, roger's voice resonated more than ever as he trudged on his longer term profession that predated and gracefully pr

in 1976, he teamed up with a competitor, chicago tribune film critic siskel. within a few years, it was put into syndication. the show soon became their trademark. the show's title was changed to roger ebert and the movies after siskel died. and then roger ebert embraced social media, actively tweeting, never losing his voice despite battling salivary gland cancer. >> my legacy, if there is one, will have to do with supporting films that people might not have seen and supporting directors that deserve support. >>> let's take a look. this bay area cop may have been off duty but he felt it was his duty to take action and take down an angry air passenger in hawaii. >>> and is it a game changer? the big announcement today from facebook that could change your smartphone. >>> okay. check out this video. an east bay police officer was heading home from a hawaiian vacation when he found himself right in the middle of an airport security breach. watch the left side of your screen. a tsa official was chatting with passengers when suddenly a woman just barged right into

. >> the things i learned from siskel and ebert, passive-aggressiveness makes for amazing television. we want to welcome the actor on "bravo." nice to have you here. i believe you were corresponding with roger the end of his life and have a letter you wanted to share. >> i wrote this letter to him and he had written to me. if you had occasion to see any episodes of my series in the past few years, you may be aware how often and how gratefully you're quoted. i am not regretfully a film scholar and turn to you, roger. i remember your calm clear stance on movies and the world around us and the political implications of work you're asked to explore. you might or might not be surprised how often i read you and exclaim yes, especially at times like this in my view, the barbarians are at the gates and nice to know something who stands steadfastly a political rectitude. maybe i'm only reading my views into yours, but i like what i read. >> had an amazing social conscience. you were with him on the show at one point. how does that show work? why does it work? i remember one time watching the s

in 1976, he teamed up with gene siskel to host a weekly review program on tv.s it was put into syndication, and siskel and ebert's thumbs up, items down system became their trademark. >> two thumbs up had never applied to anything in history before. the phrase two thumbs up was not in use. people said "thumbs up." so when people say we're giving a two thumbs up, they're quoting us. >> in 1999 siskel died from complications stemming from a brain complication. the show's title was changed to "roger ebert and the movies." >> and then you have all of these great actors, roger. >> roger ebert also published annual collections of his film reviews. not one to be left behind, ebert embraced social media, they're losing his voice despite throat and gland cancer. >> my legacy, if there is one, will have to do with supporting films that people might not have seen and supporting directors that deserve support. of course i review the big block busters and the commercial films, but from the very beginning it's been very important to me to go out and look for independent film

the two of them siskel and ebert.ple he was talking about "saving private ryan". >> to me it reveals what war is really all about, and it is brutal. this is not a movie for younger children for sure. war is about thinking about something that is as important enough to kill for. something that doesn't come easy to the people in this film or for most of us i'm sure. >> it's exactly what you said. smart guy, knew what he was talking about, and at the end of the day he boils it down to one thing, good or bad. thumbs up or thumbs down. >> bill: absolutely. and what is incredible is how he carried on despite the cancer despite the operations. i mean he was kept alive with a feeding tube for years and was still writing and doing columns. >> he couldn't eat for several years. >> bill: yeah, and just kept going. and he was also -- i didn't realize -- but i saw yesterday, he was a flaming lefty. >> oh, yeah. oh, yeah. >> bill: "think progress" put out yesterday a list of his liberal pronouncements. >> oh, yeah. he put out a sta

with his first partner, gene siskel, they were often at odds at each other in their voices, that is what made them so popular. >> gene is the closest i will ever come to having a brother. >> reporter: after the passing of siskel, he came back. >> chicago is the most beautiful large city in america. >> reporter: a chicago institution with a national following, ebert worked as a film critic for "the chicago sun times" since 1967, and became the first critic to win a pulitzer prize for criticism. he received a bronze medallion, but a year later, he lost portions of his jaw, due to cancer, he became a main stay on social media. >> i am always extroverted. >> reporter: he spread his passion, and brought wisdom to the film culture. >>> some international news now, north korea taking another provocative step towards attacking. kim jong-un announced he is moving his military, moving missiles into firing position on the east coast. u.s. intelligence says they believe that north korea may have an atomic war head. officials warn south korea, japan, and even the u.s. territory of guam could be in ra

his old partner gene siskel saying, "saved you the aisle seat, roger."we have something special for you tonight on our broadcast of "rock center" this evening. it's been a mystery for 44 years. back in 1969 it was called the record of the year. it was right there in "rolling stone." a secret bootleg album recorded by a super group. jagger, dylan and most of the beatles. they called the record the masked marauders. >> people began calling the rolling stone office, record stores. when is this record coming out? how do we get in touch with the distributor? we haven't heard anything about this. >> it's a great yarn and attention all music fans, we will unmask the mystery of the masked marauders on the new "rock center" tonight at 10:00, 9:00 central. >>> when we come back on a friday night, it must be getting better. we must be recovering from hurricane sandy because some of our friends are returning to their homes. >>> finally tonight, as we mentioned earlier, those up and down the still crippled parts of the east coast five months after hurricane sandy are

a lot of rivalry, but also respect and friendship. >> the siskel and ebert jingle playing in a lot ofs minds this morning, coming up, andrea speaks to ambassador susan rice, live if the women in the world summit. for his small business. take these bags to room 12 please. [ garth ] bjorn's small business earns double miles on every purchase every day. produce delivery. [ bjorn ] just put it on my spark card. [ garth ] why settle for less? ahh, oh! [ garth ] great businesses deserve unlimited rewards. here's your wake up call. [ male announcer ] get the spark business card from capital one and earn unlimited rewards. choose double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? [ crows ] now where's the snooze button? ♪ [ indistinct shouting ] [ male announcer ] time and sales data. split-second stats. [ indistinct shouting ] ♪ it's so close to the options floor... [ indistinct shouting, bell dinging ] ...you'll bust your brain box. ♪ all on thinkorswim from td ameritrade. ♪ from td ameritrade. for over 75 years people ...with geico... ohhh...sorry!. director's

he became a household name reviewing films on television, first with long time colleague jim siskel. rope err. >> with roger what you saw or read in his blog, what you saw is what you got. that was roger. he was a larger than life guy. he had a great passion for the movies. you mention how long he's been doing this. when i joined the show he had already been a film critic for 30 years. he had already reviewed literally 10,000 movies, and he would still get excited every time the lights went down and the curtains parted in the screening room. he was always rooting for a movie to be good. but if it wasn't good, you'd know about it. >> he says working with roger ebert was like winning the lottery every day. >> surveillance video you just have to see from the airport in honolulu, hawaii. a woman barging into the security checkpoint area, and she was attacking a female tsa agent. then out of nowhere. >> boom. >> california police officer jumps a barrier to rescue the agent, and body slam the suspect. the hero cop, justin rogers, says hey, he was waiting to go through the body scanner on h

it shows his long-time partner gene siskel in an aisle seat and says saved you the aisle seat, roger. >> he loved twitter in his later years. >> perfect medium him. >> our condolences to chaz and his family. we're back in a moment. >>> more breaking news this morning. just getting word from the associated press quoting a source that tim pernetti the athletic director at rutgers university is now out. >> this is something that nbc news has not confirmed yet. this is arising from the coaching scandal. they don't specify whether he resigned or was fired. >> we know that he knew of the abuses five months ago, saw the videotapes, suspended an fined the coach but did not find him and now the athletic director is out. >> faculty members have been outraged in calling for his resignation as well as the university's president. a lot to catch up on this. >>> coming up, we will take a turn, magic johnson opens up for the first time about his son who's gay. so let's break down this play. charles? uh, charles couldn't make it. his single miles card blacked him out here and here. he should have used

. >> in 1976.he teamed with a competitor - gene siskel from the chicago tribune. their "thumbs up - thumbs down' rating system becoming their trademark. when first told siskel would be his co-host - he says "the answer was at the tip of my tongue -- no." but the pairing worked. later - after losing his voice and the ability to eat after thyroid and salivary gland cancers. ebert was writing.reviewing.tweeting. some say.working harder than ever. >> "my legacy, if there is one, will have to do with supporting films people might not have seen and supporting directors that deserve support. .looking for independent films, documentaries.those are the ones people need to hear about." >> catherine: ebert married his wife chaz - who survives him. she became his 'voice' at public events when he couldn't speak. ebert was writing up until hours before his death. in a magazine interview he said "when i am writing, problems become invisible.and i am the same person i always was." >> pam: president barack obama has now wrapped up his bay area visit. air force one leaving just hou

he wrote a syndicated column, and starred in the television show siskel and ebert, at the movies. roger roger ebert was 70 years old. >>> the latest airline rankings are out. a san francisco airport are represented heavily by the best and the worst. >> bill martin is updating his forecast. >> up fission, the makers of baby food on trial. why they're being asked to put warning labels on many popular products. >>> the bodies of two children. a 6-year-old girl, and 7-year- old boy have been pulled from a construction site in north carolina where they were buried alive. investigators say the cousins went to retrieve a tool from a construction site when the dirt collapsed on them. rescuers worked for more than 12 hours trying to save them, but were unsuccessful. the bodies were recovered this morning. >>> a 9-year-old girl is remembered today in concord, one year after she and her father were killed by an suv that jumped a curb. ♪ [ music ] >> the school held a tearful tribute and dedicated a new bench and garden to her memory. police say a speeding teenage driver struck her and her fa

he wrote a syndicated column, and starred in the television show siskel and ebert, at the movies. roger roger ebert was 70 years old. >>> the latest airline rankings are out. a san francisco airport are represented heavily by the best and the worst. >> bill martin is >>> the bodies of two children. a 6-year-old girl, and 7-year- old boy have been pulled from a construction site in north carolina where they were buried alive. investigators say the cousins went to retrieve a tool from a construction site when the dirt collapsed on them. rescuers worked for more than 12 hours trying to save them, but were unsuccessful. the bodies were recovered this morning. >>> a 9-year-old girl is remembered today in concord, one year after she and her father were killed by an suv that jumped a curb. ♪ [ music ] >> the school held a tearful tribute and dedicated a new bench and garden to her memory. police say a speeding teenage driver struck her and her father as the two rode bikes on a sidewalk alongside tree boulevard on a saturday morning last april. more than 100 people turned out for a vigil

>> reporter: after siskel's death with richard roeper. >> felt like you were beginning a conversation with him about the movies. he knew film inside out but never condescended to the audience. >> reporter: ebert deepened viewers' appreciation of the movies and telling them having an opinion was okay. >> i would have loved to be present at the story where they convinced themselves getting away with murders was a filmable concept. how did anyone decide this movie should be made? >> reporter: in 1975 ebert became the first film critic to win the pulitzer prize. he even wrote the screenplay to the 1970 movie "beyond the valley of the dolls." >> this is my happening and it freaks me out. >> reporter: a battle with cancer that began in 2002 would transform his appearance. it took away his voice. >> that's just like i was in life, you could never shut me up. >> reporter: which was replaced by a computerized one. >> but at least it sounds like me when i type in anything, it will read in my voice. >> it's incredible. >> reporter: his life's influential work made the movies and the audience bet

i can tell you it's one of my greatest memories of my father and i watching "siskel and ebert at theor the first time. >> we'll see you at the movies. >> we will. >>> we'll have much more on roger ebert ahead.

when he and gene siskel began hosting at the movies, they brought educated film analysis to the broadest audience ever. they did it by being entertaining. it is impossible to measure the impact this tv program had on movies, especially independent cinema. untold thousands of films that would have never been seen were able to find audiences because of roger's writing and broadcasting. he tried his hand at screen writing. and to this day beyond the valley of the dolls stands as a landmark piece of us are meyer '60s exploitation cinema. i'll never forget the shock of my classmates that something that outrageous and politically incorrect got released in this country. though roger was a here -- hero on o three other fronts. first off, he was a profoundly political writer. and he used his celebrity to bring his readers his take on many of the issues that divided us. even if it made him unpopular. he championed many progressive causes and wrote pointedly and with intelligence and passion on issues of social justice the poor and very stupid politicians. this guy was a champion of african-america

. >> before ebert & siskel, movies viewing was an art form. it was for cinematiste.d by french critics and americans dominating french critics. these guys engaged you. they gave you the information so you could make your own choice about the film and people reacted to it in such a way that within a few years they were no longer the barbarians at the gates. they had overtaken movie writing in america. >> ann, i love your reviews and your writing and i do love your elegance and eloquence. two guys sitting in a room, could be two women, one guy says greatest movie ever and another says clunker. i love that because it admits to the simple fact of taste. and individual reaction. your thoughts? >> exactly. and that's -- they were almost channelling -- i think they kind of -- as you said, they brought out of the closet what we were all doing anyway and i think they gave people a sense that they could be critics, too, which became true in a few decades when technology made it possible for people to be critics on their own blogs and on facebook and twitter. they completely an

hosting the very popular television program at the movies for more than two decades first with gene siskel thn roger roper. he is survived by his wife more than 20 years. we wish her our condolences. >>> as world powers prep for a meeting on iran, they suggest the obama administration take a series of steps to deal with the threat. the atlanta council suggests that united states enter bilateral talks with iran and loosen sanctions to strengthen ties with the people of iran. but kenneth catsman of the congressional research service tells "outfront" the report places fault on the obama administration instead of where he said it properly belongs. in the personality, paranoia and suspicions of iran's supreme court leader. a new witness tonight in the michael jackson wrongful death lawsuit. tv star sharon odd born. she landed on the witness list after revealing her show on her show the talk that there were people at aeg live who knew jackson was not well and didn't care because it was business. a u.s. law professor says osborne's testimony will bolster the family's claim that aeg is liable for

he's best known for his work with partner gene siskel on television. two thumbs up for roger ebert. very sad when i heard that. >> he justified movies as a high brow kind of thing. >> de. the other thing he had this horrible battle with cancer, thyroid and throat cancer. he found his voice on twitter. i followed him. somebody today on facebook wrote on his page, i didn't agree with you with any of the movies. but i never missed your column because i loved the way you wrote. >> and he was brand. movie reviews there's him and everybody else. >> right. he stood out. nobody else has that impact. >> nobody else has that footprint. >> his brand will continue. 15th year of his movie festival coming up in a couple of weeks. >> thank you. now, what do you call it when some investors get early notification of a major policy shift from washington that would be profitable and everybody else is left out in the cold. is an unusual case of crony capitalism or the reality of an unfair system. our quest for more open and fair markets continues when we take a close look at a fishy deal involving a ke

he and his partner gene siskel own battle of cancer. during the peek he hundreds of movies he was forced to slow down in 2006 he came down with cancer of call. he couldn't couldn't eat or drink. reviewing movies. he cancer treatments around film screenings, he kept writing up to the very end. he closed final post with this line thank you for going on this journey with me. i will see you at the movies. mike tobin with the news live in ebert's hometown of chicago. mike, folks in chicago must feel a very special connection to ebert. >> well, you know, jon, for starters is he a chicago film critic who got a star on hollywood's walk of fame. right now that is becoming a makeshift memorial. we can tell you he once took a young host of am chicago out to dinner at hamburger hamlet near rush street. he told that young television host she should syndicate her show. enfrom a winfrey took his ad vice. he used to drink with studs turkel at the billy goat tavern under michigan avenue. that's back when he used to drink. he was very tech savvy and aggr

he of course became famous on television with siskel, roper and so many others, and most of us watched that program with a lot of joy as the two of them would squabble from time to time over whether a movie was worth seeing. but there was much more to roger than that. we came to know today in tributes that were paid to him his deep sense of social justice, not just in the way he analyzed things but in his life itself. he really was committed to fairness and to helping the little guy, and it showed in the way he lived his life, in the way he set a standard as a journalist. chaz, his wife, came along late in life for him but became a true partner. the two of them were inseparable and they were a dynamic team together in so many ways, but the thing about roger's life that impressed me the most, the most, was after he was stricken with cancer. it was a devastating cancer. he went through a series of operations. he eventually had his face literally deformed by the surgeries as he lost his jawbone. then he lost his ability to speak. then he lost his ability to eat. to eat. and yet, he soldie

going to see that week or coming up and movies because we trusted roger ebert and we trusted gene siskelasn't really been those movie critics that we took to like them since then. they kind of paved the way and they broke the mold. >> also a very honest guy almost crumudgeonly. any moment you remember or like? >> the moments for me are just these recent years where we just saw this courageous man who some people on the outside would say is a shelf himself but we saw the soul come out in him and his words about fighting cancer and still reviewing movies, and i just think that that's just the measure of a man and that's who we saw and we also saw the relationship with him and his wife and how she fought to keep him here and fight this battle for so long and that's what sticks with me. he has done so much in his career but just seeing this battle in the last few years that's what sticks with me. >> maybe some of his best writing, actually. >> the last blog he did, where he said you know, he thanked everyone for going on the journey with him and talked about that he was still going to fight

sun-times newspaper for more than 40 years before he partnered with chicago tribune partner gene siskeley had a popular tv show that many of us remember for the thumb up/thumbs down way they reviewed films. ebert's favorite was vertigo, he told that to "the wall street journal." well, a lot of fans are remembering him today as a man who would always take time to sit down and talk with them despite the fact that he was so famous. ebert died last thursday in chicago after a long battle with cancer. he was 70 years old. jon? jon: heather in our newsroom, he will be missed. thanks. ♪ ♪ >> we can't keep going through this endless cycle of rewarding their misbehavior, so we need to make a comprehensive agreement here, and i think we should do that sooner rather than later because they can make big bombs and do it well. >> the importance of this meeting today, i should say to the world, that japan and the united states stand shoulder to shoulder on the issue of north korea's nuclear weaponry. >> north korea also has a track record of proliferation that makes it unacceptable for them to be acce

ebert was best known for his tv film reviews with his partner gene siskel.y trademarked the phrase two thumbs up. ebert was diagnosed with oral cancer and lost his jaw and voice to the disease. he did not let that stop him from expressing his views. film student says he made film criticism popular with the public. >> and we'd talk about it as a family, and if he didn't like something we'd be skeptical but might go see it ourselves. >> i think he stayed accessible to a variety of people, and i think fluctuated with the times. >> ebert was the first film critic to have a star on the hollywood walk of fame. a wreath has been placed next to his star. no funeral arrangements have been announced. he was 70 years old. we've posted a slide show of photos honoring roger ebert on our web site. >>> the walt disney company plans to start laying off workers in its studio and consumer product divisions before the end of the month according to people inside the company. disney is not saying how many jobs will be lost in the cost cutting move, but the job cuts will center o