Kevin Smith to follow as guest critic while Ebert recovers

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) — Jay Leno will step into the critic’s chair next week as he takes on guest co-hosting duties for “Ebert & Roeper.”

The host of NBC’s “Tonight Show” will be the first guest co-host for the syndicated movie review show while regular co-host Roger Ebert recuperates at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after cancer surgery last month.

Leno will join Richard Roeper for the August 5-6 episode of the show, which will review the films “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,” “Miami Vice,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Night Listener” and “Shadowboxer.”

“America knows Jay as the country’s most popular late-night talk show host, but I know him as a guy who loves movies and loves to debate movies with Roger and me — both on camera and backstage at ‘The Tonight Show,’ ” Roeper said.

Because of Leno’s involvement, the Chicago-based show will briefly relocate to Los Angeles to tape the episode.

After Leno’s stint on the show, film director Kevin Smith will take over guest co-hosting duties for the August 12-13 episode. Smith — whose latest film, “Clerks II,” opened last weekend — announced the news Tuesday on his Web site.

Ebert, film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and a 30-year veteran of the show, was admitted to the hospital for salivary cancer surgery last month. The show’s distrbutor, Buena Vista Television, said he is in good condition and continues to show signs of improvement.