I am uncertain if this is the correct place for this, so if it isn't could a mod please adjust where needed.
I just read that legendary film critic Roger Ebert has passed away. My condolences to his family and friends.
Here is a link to a story on it: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/04/showbiz/roger-ebert-obituary/index.html (http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/04/showbiz/roger-ebert-obituary/index.html)
I am still getting to grips with what can cannot be posted so if the link is inappropriate aswell please feel free to adjust the topic also mods.
Wow, well the last of the 2 thumbs up guys, I will miss him. He seemed like a good man.
Film critic Roger Ebert has died today from a reoccurance of thryroid and salavary gland cancer at age 70. He was a critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and won the Pulitzer prize in 1975 for his movie reviews. Shortly after the prize was awarded, he was paired up with Gene Siskel of the rival Chicago Tribune to host a movie review show on their local PBS station. This show became more popular with time and became national. Often the disagreements on this show was more interesting than the agreed ratings due to their counter-comments of the other's rating. This show was a good watch.
Their use of pollice verso, the hand and thumb gesture possibly used in Roman arenas for judgement concerning the victim and the gladiator for the ratings of the movies reviewed. A movie with the two thumbs up rating usually meant a must see. This popularized these gestures as a rating tool as well as a positive/negative gesture.
There is still controversy of the correct gestures the Roman arena crowd used and to whom the gesture was aimed at. Either the victim or the person, usually a politician or one running for office, who sponsored that particular game. All we got is the Latin phrase, where it was used, and not the story behind it. The thumb signal has evolved from the gestures from the Dark Ages where no real documentation of how that came about. This thumbs up or the thumbs down is used everywhere these days including all of the forum groups I belong to. Thanks to Mr. Ebert.
(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi106.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fm242%2Faxiemeluv%2FSmiley%2Fbigtup.gif&hash=e54b81866815b389fff39bd28f57c267b3d30ab6)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/movies/roger-ebert-film-critic-dies.html?_r=0 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/05/movies/roger-ebert-film-critic-dies.html?_r=0)
Joelene
Weird I only just now got notice you had replied to this Joelene.
I just feel bad that his last review was the host...