Sunday's media madness...

Growing up and still today I love movies, almost any genera with the exception of gory horror.  Just give me a bowl of popcorn, a large soda (and a box of tissues if its a tear jerker) and I am set.  Growing up I watched Siskel and Ebert and loved their takes on the movies, not that I always agreed, but I loved hearing what they had to say.   I was saddened in 1999 when Gene Siskel passed away, and in 2002 when Roger Ebert found out he had thyrod cancer I was hoping he would get better and return to At The Movies with his new on air partner Richard Roeper, but he was not so lucky and as time went on he was not able to return and in 2008 Richard Roeper did not renew his contract because his friend and co-host was unable to return.  Roger Ebert has now lost his ability to speak due to the cancer, but that has not kept him silent.  He has written his Memoirs titled approperatly Life Itself: A Memoir.  I have purchased the Kindle version at Amazon for $14.99, if you want it in hard cover I was able to find it at Walmart for $17.10 plus tax with free shipping (Amazon was a close second at $17.90), if you would like the audio version of the book you can find it for $23.09 at Amazon.

From Amazon's Product Description:

Roger Ebert's journalism carried him on a path far from his nearly idyllic childhood in Urbana, Illinois. It is a journey that began as a reporter for his local daily, and took him to Chicago, where he was unexpectedly given the job of film critic for the Sun-Times, launching a lifetime's adventures.

In this candid, personal history, Ebert chronicles it all: his loves, losses, and obsessions; his struggle and recovery from alcoholism; his marriage; his politics; and his spiritual beliefs. He writes about his years at the Sun-Times, his colorful newspaper friends, and his life-changing collaboration with Gene Siskel. He remembers his friendships with Studs Terkel, Mike Royko, Oprah Winfrey, and Russ Meyer (for whom he wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and an ill-fated Sex Pistols movie). He shares his insights into movie stars and directors like John Wayne, Werner Herzog, and Martin Scorsese.

This is a story that only Roger Ebert could tell. Filled with the same deep insight, dry wit, and sharp observations that his readers have long cherished, this is more than a memoir-it is a singular, warm-hearted, inspiring look at life itself.

"I believe that if, at the end, according to our abilities, we have done something to make others a little happier, and something to make ourselves a little happier, that is about the best we can do. To make others less happy is a crime. To make ourselves unhappy is where all crime starts. We must try to contribute joy to the world. That is true no matter what our problems, our health, our circumstances. We must try. I didn't always know this, and am happy I lived long enough to find it out."

Have a beautiful Sunday!

C.Q.