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Los Angeles Times
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Can PBS' fight against Donald Trump help its Emmy hopeful ‘Wolf Hall'?
You probably wouldn't be reading this newsletter if not for PBS. I'm Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Hope you're making a snappy new day while we consider the value of public broadcasting. I was a weird kid. I'm sure this doesn't come as a surprise to you. We all have quirks, 'little weirdsies' to use the expressive term that writer and NPR host Linda Holmes coined years ago on John Hodgman's podcast. Back in the day, one of mine was watching a couple of film critics argue about movies on a TV series called 'Sneak Previews,' a show created by WTTW, a PBS member station in Chicago. Those critics, of course, were Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel. I'd fire up their show on the tiny Sony black-and-white portable television that sat on my bedroom dresser, settle in and thrill to their passionate debates about film. And, of course, I took careful notes about the movies they told me I needed to see. I'm pretty sure I was the only kid on my block who asked for a ride to the multiplex to watch 'My Dinner With Andre.' I loved it! Maybe I just had a thing for listening to two guys talk about stuff. (Also: Watch this scene and note how completely on target André Gregory is about where the world is heading. 'Escape before it's too late,' indeed.) You see where I'm going with this. Without PBS, without 'At the Movies,' without Fred Rogers telling a lonely only child that 'I'll be back when the day is new, and I'll have more ideas for you,' I'm not sure that I'd be writing this newsletter today. I'm not the only one with a PBS story. Which makes me wonder if President Trump's recent request to Congress that it rescind the $1.1 billion it has set aside for all public broadcasters for the next two years might have some Emmy voters thinking about one small way it can signal support. Namely: Vote for 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light,' the spectacular adaptation of the last volume of Hilary Mantel's book series that aired on PBS' 'Masterpiece' earlier this year. It's not a reach to consider it. 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light' takes up where the 2015 series left off, covering the final years of the life of Thomas Cromwell, advisor to Henry VIII. The six hourlong episodes are the definition of event television, full of intrigue and tension and excellent acting from a cast of legends — Mark Rylance, Jonathan Pryce, Damien Lewis. The 2015 'Wolf Hall' earned eight Emmy nominations, including nods for limited series, actors Lewis and Rylance and for direction and writing. (It won zero, as 'Olive Kitteridge' dominated the categories.) Because it's a returning show, 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light' is submitted in the drama categories, where it faces more ample competition, just in sheer volume alone. But it's easily one of the best eight dramas of the past television year, and both Rylance and Lewis again merit nominations for their work. House Republicans on Thursday voted to cancel $1.1 billion in funding for public broadcasting previously appropriated by Congress, as part of a package of $9.4 billion in spending cuts. The measure now goes to the Senate, where advocates for PBS, National Public Radio and other affected outlets will have one more chance to defeat the bill. And while $1.1 billion sounds like a lot of money, consider it a drop in the bucket when compared with Trump's plan for a $175-billion space-based 'Golden Dome' missile defense system. And when you're willing to spend around $45 million for a military (birthday) parade or at least $134 million to deploy National Guard troops and Marines that nobody asked for, the cost of the funding is put into perspective. We vote for things for many reasons, some rational, some emotional. Voting for 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light' checks both boxes. I'm eager to see how many Television Academy members join me in that thinking. As Big Bird says, asking questions is a good way to find things out. Reporting from England, Times contributor Emily Zemler wrote a terrific piece on 'Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light,' explaining why it took a decade for the show's creators to complete the adaptation of Hilary Mantel's trilogy of books. 'I always knew that we would come back to it at some point,' producer Colin Callender told Emily. 'Although I never imagined it was going to take 10 years.' 'Part of it was that [author] Hilary [Mantel] took a long time to write it,' adds director and producer Peter Kosminsky. 'The first two novels were phenomenal successes. She became a celebrity almost overnight. But it was also a difficult book to write.' Have you caught up with the series yet? It's a quick watch — just six hours. The books have been on my reading list for years. But at nearly 2,000 pages, I'm going to need more than six hours. I'm going to need to retire.
Axios
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Film critic Richard Roeper finds new role after Sun-Times exit
It didn't take long for renowned film critic Richard Roeper to find a new job. The latest: Roeper announced this morning he's joining as a regular contributor. The site is one of the leading spots for film criticism in the country, named after one of the leading film critics of our generation. Catch up quick: Roeper took the voluntary buyout at the Sun-Times in March, leaving the paper after 37 years. What they're saying: " Writing for is particularly meaningful for me because I owe so much of my career to him," Roeper tells Axios. "Going all the way back to the late 1980s, when Roger couldn't review a film or do an interview because of scheduling conflicts, I became the go-to guy off the bench, with Roger's blessing." Zoom out: Roeper replaced the late Gene Siskel as Ebert's co-host on the television show "At the Movies," which was later renamed "Ebert & Roeper." They spent eight years (2000-2008) working together while also writing together at the Sun-Times before Ebert passed away after a long battle with thyroid cancer in 2013. is run by Ebert's wife, Chaz Ebert. "I am thrilled to have Richard join us, and I know that Roger would have been overjoyed," Chaz Ebert said in a statement. The intrigue: Roeper says he's looking forward to writing without a daily deadline. "Since leaving the Sun-Times, I've discovered that I don't really want to return to the grind of cranking out a half-dozen or more reviews every week, but I really miss writing about movies and TV," Roeper says. "I'll be doing reviews for the site, but I'm equally excited about doing the kinds of columns that I really didn't have time for in the past."
Axios
19-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Richard Roeper leaving Chicago Sun-Times
Longtime Chicago film critic Richard Roeper is leaving the Sun-Times after almost 40 years at the paper. The big picture: Roeper, one of the biggest names in Chicago journalism, took a voluntary buyout offered by the paper's parent company, Chicago Public Media. Why it matters: CPM, which owns the Sun-Times and WBEZ-FM, announced they accepted 35 buyouts and hit their goal to save $3-5 million in an effort to stave off expected budget trouble. Zoom in: In an email to members, CPM CEO Melissa Bell said she is "grateful to share with you now that we reached our cost reduction targets through voluntary departures." The latest: The Sun-Times guild confirmed that 15 of its members took the buyout. Yes, but: Other editorial staff outside the guild have departed, including editorial page editor Lorraine Forte. What they're saying:"This is the biggest hit our newsroom has taken in 12 years," a guild spokesperson tells Axios. "We are losing mentors, we're losing friends, and we have serious questions about what the future might hold." Context: Roeper joined forces with Roger Ebert as the co-host of the syndicated television show "At the Movies" from 2000-2008 and later took over for Ebert as the premiere film critic at the Sun-Times. Roeper also hosted radio shows at WLUP-FM and WLS-AM, the latter of which saw him and co-host Roe Conn snag huge ratings. "I have had more than 16,000 bylines in the Sun-Times," Roeper said on X. "Proud of what I accomplished there." Zoom out: Other prominent names leaving the paper include sports columnist Rick Morrissey, advice columnist Ismael Pérez, entertainment editor and writer Darel Jevens and White Sox beat writer Daryl Van Schouwen.
