EBERT GIVES DISNEY NEGOTIATORS THUMBS DOWN

From The Wall Street Journal's The Evening Wrap:

Film critic Roger Ebert may ban the use of thumbs on his show ""At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper." Mr. Ebert holds a copyright on the "thumbs-up" or "thumbs-down" gesture with which reviewers on the show judge each film. Thumb positioning has become a staple of movie marketing and, in turn, a big part of the show's influence. In his frustration over contract negotiations with Disney-ABC Domestic Television, his show's distributor, the critic allegedly exercised his right to block thumb-based film assessment until he receives a better offer. Mr. Ebert hasn't appeared on the show in over a year after struggling with health problems, but guest critics had kept the thumb tradition alive. The two sides disagree on who actually enacted the thumb ban -- with Mr. Ebert blaming Disney, and Disney pointing the finger at Mr. Ebert -- but two episodes have already been filmed without opposable digits.