‘Ebert’ will rely on guest thumbs

Film critic Richard Roeper, the co-host of the syndicated “Ebert & Roeper,” said that the program will continue using guest critics on an ad hoc basis to fill in for the ailing Roger Ebert. It could be a long series of replacements: In a statement released Thursday, Ebert said that doctors are “enthusiastically optimistic about my recovery” but cautioned that he could not predict when he’ll be released from a Chicago hospital.

Roeper told Channel Island he’d prefer to rely on a series of substitutes rather than naming a single guest critic to serve for the duration of Ebert’s recovery from cancer surgery. So far, Roeper has squared off against “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno, director Kevin Smith and, this week, TV host and screenwriter John Ridley.

The guest selection has been a collaborative process, Roeper said, among himself, Buena Vista Productions executives, Ebert and Ebert’s wife, Chaz. “I want to be clear: They [the studio] haven’t forced us to choose anyone,” Roeper said. “They’ve been great throughout this whole thing.”

Some writers have complained that the show has been relying on celebrities rather than professional film critics to fill the shoes of Ebert, perhaps the most recognized movie reviewer in the world.

“This is an indicator of how Disney perceives the show,” said David Poland, columnist and editor of the Movie City News website. Poland served as a guest critic on the show before Roeper was hired in 2000 to replace Ebert’s original partner, Gene Siskel, who died in 1999. He said: “I think Disney’s just trying to keep ratings up during this period. I do think they’re having a hard time figuring out what to do next.”

Ebert has been a TV fixture for more than 30 years. He and Siskel began a movie-review program on a Chicago PBS station in 1975. Walt Disney Co.-owned Buena Vista Television has syndicated the show under various titles since 1986.

In June, Ebert underwent surgery for a recurrence of salivary cancer, and has been hospitalized ever since.

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Channel Island is a blog about the television industry. For the latest posting, go to latimes.com/channelisland. Contact reporter Scott Collins at channelisland@latimes.com