After a week filled with the obligatory wretched news from Hollywood (divorces, restraining orders, accusations of adultery, etc.)—finally, some good news. In a letter published in the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert announced that he is on the mend and hopes to be fully recovered in time for the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival. The Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic and co-host of the “Ebert & Roeper” TV show says he’s looking forward to getting back to work full time early next year.
“One thing I’ve discovered is that I love my job more than I thought I did, and I love my wife even more!” he wrote.
In a previous blog I wrote about Ebert’s health struggles. In June he underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. He also had emergency surgery in July after a blood vessel burst. For a while it seemed like the popular film critic was spending more time in the hospital than at home, considering he had undergone cancer surgery three times prior to his June operation – once in 2002 to remove a malignant tumor on his thyroid gland and twice on his salivary gland the next year.
Yesterday Ebert’s first movie review in months was printed in the newspaper. He reviewed “The Queen” (an “Ebert & Roeper” producer brought him a copy of the movie on DVD). Ebert said he plans to continue doing occasional reviews until he’s fully recovered.
And on another cheery entertainment note, despite the fact that ratings for the “CBS Evening News” has plummeted since her debut in September, Katie Couric is still smiling… and is making others laugh too.
At least she did when I saw her on David Letterman’s show this week. On the show she told Letterman that more than 50,000 people have sent her suggestions on how she should sign off each night’s broadcast on the “CBS Evening News.” (Couric asked viewers for suggestions on her first night of the broadcast last month.)
She told Letterman that her favorite was “Here, kitty kitty kitty.”
Another viewer suggestion that got a good laugh: “Thanks for watching. I’m Katie Couric, and I’m not just for breakfast anymore.”
I laughed.