Monday, August 25, 2008

We love you too, Mr. Ebert

From Roger Ebert's blog, a lovely and full-throated appreciation of the positive side of blogging. As you may well expect, it involves commenters. Aww. Let's all be sure not to tell him about the color-coded burnout level alerts.
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3 comments:

MC said...

Roger Ebert is a longtime marathon runner when it comes to writing... I think Blogger Burnout isn't really going to be a problem for him.

August 26, 2008 at 8:48 AM
AG said...

Yeah, I know. Iron Horse of writing and whatnot.

Got a story about that, in fact. Back in the Yahoo Internet Life era, when Ebert was writing a column for us, his work partner Gene Siskel died (as I'm sure you remember, very sad). Roger's column came in on time and in its usual perfect condition, and the editor-in-chief took the opportunity to round up the staff and give a finger-shaking lecture on Responsibility and Professionalism, going on at some length re how all hands should learn from this saintlike, noble example Ebert was setting.

At which one of the more exhausted staffers apparently piped up and said, "Jesus, Barry, you *do* realize Roger didn't have to dig the hole himself?!"

I respect Ebert immensely; he's got a work ethic like no one else in that line, and I personally think he's wiser and more interesting than most film critics out there. (I read Ebert, Anthony Lane, and MaryAnn Johanson on a regular basis, and that's about it.) I suspect burnout's not going to bother him, but more importantly, it's great to see someone finding the process energizing for all the right reasons.

August 26, 2008 at 2:08 PM
MC said...

Amazing how today everything comes down to the shovel metaphor, doesn't it? ;)

I've been sitting on a response to his disparagement of video games for quite a while now... maybe some day I'll let it free.

August 26, 2008 at 2:28 PM

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