It's the end of an era, for as CNN so succinctly puts it, Ebert and Roeper are leaving 'Ebert & Roeper':

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert says he's cutting ties with the television show that he and the late Gene Siskel made famous.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press on Monday, Ebert said Disney-ABC Domestic Television had decided to take "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper" "in a new direction" and he won't be associated with it.

In a statement, Ebert said, "The show was a wonderful experience," and added that he and Siskel's widow, Marlene Iglitzen, retain the trademark to the phrase, "Two thumbs up."

"The thumbs will return," Ebert's statement continued. "We are discussing possibilities, and plan to continue the show's tradition."

Ebert's announcement came a day after Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper said he was leaving the nationally syndicated show.

Roeper said in a statement Sunday that he had failed to agree on a contract extension with Disney-ABC Domestic Television so his last appearance on the show will air the weekend of August 16-17.

This show has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and was hugely influential in forming the way I think about movies. I loved watching Siskel and Ebert go at it over everything from a stupid blockbuster to a tiny art film, enjoyed the way Ebert ribbed Roeper, and, though I've missed the heck out of Roger these last couple of years, I've even come to appreciate Richard himself, especially as he'd finally settled in pretty nicely with Michael Phillips. I'm interested in seeing what's going to come next for Disney's show and for Ebert and Roeper individually, but the anchor of my lazy Saturday afternoons in front of the TV won't be easily replaced.