Everett CollectionThe life of America's best-known film critic is proving to be as dramatic as any movie he could write about.
In a post on his blog published Tuesday evening, Roger Ebert revealed that his long battle with cancer has taken a new turn: what was believed to be a "painful fracture" in his leg that prevented him from walking has now been diagnosed as cancer, and Ebert will be reducing his workload as a critic to focus on treatment.
In the blog post, Ebert talked about his new health issues, and described the slowdown in his review schedule as "a leave of presence."
"What in the world is a leave of presence?" Ebert writes. "It means I am not going away. My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers handpicked and greatly admired by me. What's more, I'll be able at last to do what I've always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review."
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