Richard Roeper Stops by the Studio

Film critic and radio host is promoting his new book "Bet the House"

April 6, 2010
Richard Roeper Richard Roeper Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Richard Roeper Is a Radio Host?

Richard Roeper stopped by to promote his new book, ‘Bet the House,’ and said he was a busy guy. Not only is he still writing reviews for both the Chicago Sun-Times and his own Website, but he’s now got a new gig on Chicago’s WLS radio as the co-host of Roe Conn’s afternoon drive show: “There was a bidding war! I sat down with these guys and was like, ‘Have you ever heard me on the radio?’ They were like, ‘Nah, that’s not importnant.'”

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Howard asked if Richard still spoke with Roger Ebert, and Richard nodded, referencing Roger’s new computer-assisted ‘speaking’ voice: “I’ve not spoken to him since he’s gotten the computer voice in his voice.”

Richard said he felt bad, as he actually impeded the effort to compile an accurate voice for Roger: “It’s funny because they said a lot of the stuff from [‘At the Movies’] they couldn’t use because Gene and I were always interrupting Roger.”

Richard hoped Roger kept going though: “His writing’s better than ever.”

On Gabby’s Hollywood Handicap

Richard told Howard that he agreed with him that ‘Precious’ star Gabourey Sidibe’s weight will end up handicapping her Hollywood career: “How could you dispute that?”

Richard continued: “I thought it got really condescending at the Academy Awards and other things where all these people kept saying, ‘Isn’t she beautiful?'”

Richard added that her weight can’t be ignored–even in a fictional world: “If Gabourey Sidibe’s in a film, how are the characters not going to comment on the fact that she’s 320 pounds?”

The Conan O’Brien-Jay Leno Debacle

Howard asked what Richard thought of the Conan/Leno debacle, so Richard shrugged: “If all the people who were upset about Conan [getting fired] actually watched Conan, he’d still be on the air.”

He Doesn’t Have a Gambling Problem, Right?

Photo: The Howard Stern Show

Howard speculated that Richard’s new book–in which he made a different bet every day for a month–betrayed a latent gambling problem, but Richard claimed his bets were all made on a small scale: “I’m not sitting there going to Gambler’s Anonymous and betting the house and all that stuff.”

Richard hoped the project would mirror our society: “We’re a gambling-obsessed culture. It’s been that way since the beginning of time.”

Richard said he’d really had to search for new things to bet on every day: “Everything from the dog track in Kenosha, WI. Talk about a depressing place.”

Howard remembered that Richard had actually called into the show as part of the project and bet Artie $1000 on a college basketball game.

Richard laughed that he’d won the bet–and Artie had paid up: “He did. He sent me a check. He said, ‘Dear Fruity, Here’s your money.'”

Richard Talks Oscars

Howard asked what Richard had thought of this years Oscars, so Richard said he wished ‘Brothers’ had done better, as he liked it more than than ‘The Hurt Locker’: “I thought it was better. It was more intense.”

Richard also said Meryl Streep should have won the Best Actress award over Sandra Bullock–but balked at Howard’s suggestion that she tattoo her forehead to keep Jesse James faithful: “That’s like saying Elin should get breast implants and a porn career.”