Renowned Film Critic Roger Ebert to Be Honored for Career Achievements This Summer in Hollywood and Chicago

Renowned Film Critic Roger Ebert to Be Honored for Career Achievements This Summer in Hollywood and Chicago

Ebert to Receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk-of-Fame on June 23 & Chicago Proclaims July 12, 2005 'Roger Ebert Day' With Tribute Dedication at Historic Landmark

LOS ANGELES and CHICAGO, April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will dedicate a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to film critic Roger Ebert of "Ebert & Roeper" on Thursday, June 23rd to honor his lasting contributions to television as an on-air film critic. The City of Chicago also plans to pay tribute to the veteran Sun-Times film critic by declaring July 12, 2005 'Roger Ebert Day in Chicago' and dedicating a plaque in his honor at the historic Chicago Theater.

Ebert's star will be located in front of the famous El Capitan Theater on Hollywood Blvd. When asked about receiving the Star, Ebert remarked, "I just read that when Saul Bellow won the Nobel Prize, he said, 'The child in me is delighted. The adult in me is skeptical.' I feel the same way, except that the adult in me is delighted, too."

In announcing 'Roger Ebert Day in Chicago' Mayor Richard M. Daley declared, "On behalf of the City of Chicago, I salute Roger Ebert. Ebert is a Pulitzer Prize winner who keeps giving back to his community through his academic endeavors as well as through his journalism. He has raised the bar for film critics everywhere through his in-depth analysis of the movies."

On 'Roger Ebert Day,' the City of Chicago will pay tribute to Ebert with the dedication of a sidewalk plaque under the Marquee at the historic Chicago Theater on State Street on July 12 at 11:00 am. Celebrities are expected to join friends/family and officials from the City of Chicago at the dedication. The evening of July 12th will also mark the start of Chicago's Sixth Annual Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park, hosted this year by "Ebert & Roeper" co-host and fellow Sun-Times columnist, Richard Roeper. Ebert was asked to select each of the films playing every Tuesday evening during the seven-week Outdoor Film Festival.

Roger Ebert was the first movie critic to receive the Pulitzer Prize for arts criticism in 1975. Ebert is currently celebrating his 30th anniversary as a television film critic in 2005, having hosted "Siskel & Ebert" with the late Gene Siskel for 23 years before co-hosting "Ebert & Roeper" with fellow Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper. "Ebert & Roeper" airs weekends on more than 200 stations across the U.S. Ebert's film reviews for the Chicago Sun Times are syndicated in more than 200 papers in the U.S. and around the world. Ebert is also the author of 17 books including recently released The Great Movies II and Movie Yearbook 2005. His best-selling works include "The Great Movies," "I Hated, Hated, HATED This Movie," "Roger Ebert's Book of Film" and "Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary."

Ebert has been a lecturer on film since 1970 at the University of Chicago Fine Arts program, and is an adjunct professor of cinema and media studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ebert is a jury member of the Sundance, Montreal, Chicago, Hawaii, Karlovy Vary and Venice Film Festivals. In 1999, Ebert launched his annual "Overlooked Film Festival" showcasing forgotten or ignored movies and genres, which is being held in Urbana-Champaign from April 20-24, 2005.

Source: Buena Vista Television; City of Chicago

CONTACT: John Kiehle of Buena Vista Television, +1-818-460-5683; or Veronica Resa of City of Chicago, +1-312-744-5648

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