A.O. Scott Ousts Ben Lyons At the Movies

Can anyone really fill the seats of Roger Ebert and the late Gene Siskel? At the Movies has tried time and again, and their latest effort ousts both Ben Lyons (son of movie critic Jeffrey Lyons) and Ben Mankiewicz as hosts. And look who's finally getting their close-ups: co-chief film critic of The New York Times, A.O. Scott, alongside the Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips. Scott previously wrote about Ebert in the Times, saying, “Though they may not have intended as much, they turned what had been lonely, literary pursuit into a collaborative, antagonistic venture and a spectator sport.” The duo will make their debut on September 7th, and the show's producers believes the move "will take the series back to its roots of one-on-one film debate that was established when the show first began" in 1986. We give this move two thumbs up. And don't feel bad for Lyons, in spite of being part of what EW's Popwatch calls the "Ben-and-Ben fiasco": Back in 2004, he told us, besides sharing stories about Ivanka Trump calling him collect and Angelina Jolie flirting with him, "In five years I see myself living in Bondi Beach, Australia."