Jack Valenti, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, and Richard Roeper, syndicated columnist and Co-Host of “Ebert & Roeper and the Movies,” will discuss media violence and its effects on today‘s society during, “Fatal Attractions: Media Violence and American Culture.”
The program is presented as The John Marshall Law School‘s 12th Annual Belle R. and Joseph H. Braun Memorial Distinguished Lecture, and will be held from 2-4 p.m., Friday, April 27, 2001, at the law school, 315 South Plymouth Ct., Chicago. Guests will hear Valenti and Roeper discuss the presentation of violence in movies, the assessments of violence for motion picture ratings, and the real or perceived effects of violence on society. A question and answer period will follow.
Valenti has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) since 1966. MPAA represents not only the world of theatrical film, but also serves as leader and advocate for major producers and distributors of entertainment programming. Valenti‘s projects for MPAA included designing the movie rating system in 1969. His work on behalf of the industry has earned him a star on Hollywoods renowned “Walk of Fame” and the French Legion of Honor. Valenti‘s essays have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post and Atlantic Monthly. He has written four books, including “Speak Up With Confidence.”
Roeper has been Co-Host of “Ebert & Roeper and the Movies” since July 2000, after a national search to find a replacement for Roger Eberts‘s partner, the late Gene Siskel. The weekly discussion program on current movies airs on PBS stations across the country. Roeper has been watching movies for years, and is the co—author of “He Rents, She Rents: the Ultimate Film Guide to the Best Women‘s Films and Guy Movies.” His weekly column in the Chicago Sun-Times is distributed nationally by The New York Times syndicate. His writings have earned him the National Headliner Award as top columnist in the country.
