Is there anyone out there whose heart doesn’t leap upon hearing the following news? In an unusual triumph for journalistic ability over boneheaded determination, “At the Movies” is getting a fresh pair of hosts, less than a year after its disastrous makeover. Taking over from the dread Bens, Lyons and Mankiewicz, are the New York Times’ A.O. Scott and The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Phillips. Via Variety:
“We are thrilled that A.O. Scott and Michael Phillips will be lending their well-respected and influential voices to At the Movies,” said Brian Frons, president, Daytime, Disney-ABC Television Group, who oversees ABC Media Productions, which produces the show. “They are regarded by millions of people as authorities in film criticism and will take the series back to its roots of one-on-one film debate that was established when the show first began with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.”