Roger Ebert, one of America's best known film critics, has not been able to speak since he had emergency cancer surgery on July 1 to repair a burst blood vessel near the site of his June 16 surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. But he can still give a thumbs up or thumbs down as he reviews movies on his Web site.

Starting today, clips from Ebert & Roeper and Ebert's prior episodes of his movie review TV show will be posted here. It just may be the largest collection ever of video-based online movie reviews -- 5,000 movie reviews spanning the past 20 years will be featured.

Ebert is not quite sure when he might return to television as he awaits another surgery to restore his voice. In the meantime, he screens as many as three films a day. He watches DVDs at night to catch up on those he missed, and he's writing more than ever, he says.

Movie critic Roger Ebert expects to be back to work at his annual festival for overlooked movies this week. It will be his first public appearance since having cancer surgery last summer -- and while some say his appearance may attract the gossip papers, Ebert says, "So what?"

Ebert, 64, will be seen at the ninth annual Overlooked Film Festival, beginning today at the University of Urbana-Champaign, wearing a gauze bandage around his neck. And his mouth will be seen to droop, he says.

This is all because of Ebert's tracheostomy -- it opens an airway through an incision in his windpipe, rendering him speechless -- that resulted from his June 16 surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland and a subsequent July 1 surgery to repair a burst blood vessel close to the same site.

On Tuesday, Ebert shared that his cancer began in his salivary gland but then spread to his lower right jaw. As a result, part of his mandible was removed and two surgeries were necessary to reconstruct the area. Both surgeries were unsuccessful, however, and led to unanticipated bleeding.

"The doctors now plan an approach that does not involve the risk of unplanned bleeding," Ebert, a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, says. "If all goes well, my speech will be restored."

This cancer survivor, who says we spend too much time hiding illness and is proud to be back in the spotlight, has also co-hosted the Ebert & Roeper television show with fellow Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper since 2000. Film critics and filmmakers have been filling in for Ebert during his recovery.

Hank Bauer, wounded World War II Marine and New York Yankees legacy, died on February 9 at the age of 84. The cause of death -- cancer.

Bauer, who managed the 1966 Baltimore Orioles to their first World Series title, was a three-time All-Star Yankees outfielder during his time with the team that won nine American League pennants and seven World Series titles in just 10 years. Bauer, a Yankees fixture from 1948-59, set the Series record with a 17-game hitting streak. His record still stands.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner says, "Hank Bauer is an emblem of a generation that helped shape the landscape of our country. He was a natural leader and a teammate in every sense of the word, and his contributions went well beyond the baseball field. His service to the Yankees, his country, and his family shows why I have been so privileged to call him a friend."

Bauer's baseball accomplishments, which also include playing two seasons with and later managing the Kansas City Athletics and scouting for the Yankees and Royals, are not his only claims to fame. He also earned two Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts for his courageous dedication to the United States.

Enlisting in the Marines shortly after Pearl Harbor, Bauer was wounded in Okinawa when he was hit in the leg by shrapnel just 53 days after he arrived on the island with 64 other men. "Only six of us came out," said Bauer who signed with the Yankees minor league after his discharge and sported his Marine Corps crewcut throughout the baseball career that landed him with the likes of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and a young Roger Maris.

During the same week Bauer lost his life, two other players of his time also passed away -- Steve Barber, who pitched for Bauer in Baltimore and Lew Burdette, who played against the Yankees in the 1957 and 1958 World Series.

Bauer is remembered by many.

"I am truly heartbroken," says Berra. "Hank was a wonderful teammate and friend for so long. Nobody was more dedicated and proud to be a Yankee, he gave you everything he had."

Back in June, Roger Ebert, a three-time thyroid cancer survivor, underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. In July, due to complications from the surgery, he was admitted again into the hospital when a blood vessel burst. Surgeons performed a life-saving emergency procedure to correct the complication. Reports at that time indicated Ebert was in serious but stable condition.

Ebert continues to recover in the hospital. Recently, he explained that the blood vessel rupture was due to breakdown of tissue near the artery as a result of aggressive and intense radiation treatments, called neutron beam radiation, three years ago. He is working to strengthen his vocal cords.

In June, when Ebert, who is 63, first went in for surgery, he said, "This is not considered to be a life-threatening form of cancer, and I expect to make a full recovery. I'll continue to function as a film critic during this time." With this recent explanation on how his recovery is progressing, he said, "I don't have a crystal ball, so I can't tell you when, but I sure look forward to being back on the movie beat,'' and he wanted all his fans to know that he is grateful for the good wishes and support.

For more information and related posts:
Roger Ebert: movie critic cancer survivor battling cancer again
Roger Ebert: suffers serious cancer surgery setback
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At the beginning of June we posted that Roger Ebert, Pulitzer prize-winning movie critic for the nationally syndicated movie review show Ebert & Roeper, was scheduled to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. At that time, Ebert, who is 63, and a three-time thyroid cancer survivor, was quoted as saying, "This is not considered to be a life-threatening form of cancer, and I expect to make a full recovery. I'll continue to function as a film critic during this time."

On June 16, Ebert had a tumor from his salivary gland removed. Recently, he was hospitalized due to complications from the initial surgery when a blood vessel burst. Surgeons performed a life-saving emergency procedure to correct the complication. Reports at this time indicate Ebert is in serious but stable condition.

Ebert began his career in journalism when, in 1966, the Chicago Sun-Times offered him a features writer position. His unique journalistic style in reviewing movies earned him the first Pulitzer Prize awarded to a film critic. To learn more about the no-holds-barred critic of film, visit the Oral Cancer Foundation famous people profile of Roger Ebert -- cancer survivor.

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Roger Ebert, movie critic for the nationally syndicated movie review show Ebert & Roeper, will be having surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. Ebert, who is 63, and a three-time thyroid cancer survivor, is quoted as saying, "This is not considered to be a life-threatening form of cancer, and I expect to make a full recovery. I'll continue to function as a film critic during this time." He doesn't plan on missing any work and will tape shows in advance of his surgery. In the last four years, Ebert has gone through surgery and radiation treatments for thyroid cancer.

Ebert began his career in journalism when, in 1966, the Chicago Sun-Times offered him a features writer position. His unique journalistic style in reviewing movies earned him the first Pulitzer Prize awarded to a film critic. To learn more about the no-holds-barred critic of film, visit the Oral Cancer Foundation famous people profile of Roger Ebert -- cancer survivor.