CAB hosts an evening with Richard Roeper

Movie critic Richard Roeper came to UCF's Pegasus Ballroom on Wednesday to speak to students about film and pop culture. The UCF Campus Activities Board hosted the event.

Roeper is best known for being Roger Ebert's co-host and Gene Siskel's replacement on the television show "At the Movies" from 2000-2008.  Roeper is also involved in other mediums including his television show, blog, books, award-winning journalism and radio shows. 

Roeper now hosts the monthly cable show "Starz Inside," co-hosts The Roe Conn Show on Chicago's WLS-AM 890, and he continues to write.

After graduating from Illinois State University in 1982 with a Journalism B.A., Roeper started at the Chicago Sun-Times as an editorial assistant, answering phones and assisting journalists.  The next move up was reporting on any breaking news, feature or celebrity interview assigned to him.  In 1987, Roeper landed his dream job as a columnist. 

"I'm proof you don't have to have a million connections to get places…through opportunities, good fortune and a lot of hard work, I was able to find all the jobs I've had," he said.

During the Q&A, a broadcast-journalism student expressed disdain for beginning in hard news or any other topic he didn't care to report.  He asked if Roeper had any advice on how to adapt.

"It wasn't what I really wanted to do, but it's the best training I could've possibly had.  It gets you geared up to handle anything…it gives you a great sense of perspective when you move on to different things," Roeper said.

Roeper also compared the arduous newsroom libraries to modern resources. 

"I'm amazed that newspapers ever got put out.  The process of research and writing was so laborious.  It's so much easier now with all the tools at your disposal," he said.

Becoming more involved with various social medias streamlined Roeper's productions, including an in-home studio for reviews that take less than a day to make and are instantly uploaded to his site and other social media networks.

"Everybody's a writer," Roeper said. "In this day and age, if you're not writer you're screwed."

He denounced creating public personas to set one's self apart. 

"I'm always going to give my thoughts on whatever I'm writing about.  I read some reviewers and think, ‘They are just trying to get a reaction with what they're saying.'  I just don't think that's the way to do the job," he said.

Performing arts major Giulio Depierro initially questioned Roeper's genuineness, but following the event he changed his mind.

"He tells it how it is.  It may be harsh, but it's an honest opinion.  Those that get offended should take the criticism and try harder.  It builds character," Depierro said.

Roeper also shared with students the stories of his awkward public encounters with famous actors such as Ashton Kutcher and Adrien Brody shortly after slamming their films. 

"I'll say what I feel and I have no problem with that, but it's about the work," he said.  "People say to me, ‘You're a movie critic. How would you feel if someone criticized you?'  People do it all the time.  I've written books and gotten bad reviews.  I've learned you can't take it personally."

At the end of the event, Roeper agreed to a special raffle dinner with students.

"He said, ‘You paid for me, you have me for the whole night,' which is great," said Steven Natale, the student speakers director of CAB.