LYONS & BAILES REEL TALK is the movie show built for today’s hectic lifestyles – quick, informative reviews of the week’s new movies to help you decide which film is worth spending your money on that weekend. Whether it’s a special effects extravaganza, the latest teen comedy or an offbeat indie film, our critics, Jeffrey Lyons and Alison Bailes have you covered.

Each week we also have interviews with the biggest and most intriguing talents in the industry on Top Billing , we give you the heads up on new dvds in our DVD Roundup, and we examine Hollywood trends and and emerging talents in our Spotlight On segment. Jeffrey and Alison also get to share their unique points of view during our Final Takes commentaries.

We know life can get a little complicated. Who has time to sit through five-minute movie reviews? LYONS & BAILES REEL TALK helps you make the most of your two-hour visit to the multiplex. See you at the movies!

JEFFREY LYONS, HOST

Jeffrey Lyons joined WNBC in October 1996 as the station's film and theater critic. His reviews and interviews can be seen on "Live at Five" and NewsChannel 4's various weekend newscasts. His reviews are seen on NBC stations nationwide.

Lyons, the well-known co-host of the PBS series Sneak Previews, 1982-96, has interviewed nearly every major movie and Broadway star over the past four decades. Born and raised in New York, he is the son of Leonard Lyons, whose Broadway column, "The Lyons Den" was a New York tradition for forty years. His son, Ben Lyons, is a former contributer to 'REEL TALK' and is the Film Critic and Entertainment reporter for the E! Network.

Lyons contributed film reviews to NBC4, 1992-93, on Today in New York and was the film and theater critic for ABC World News Now 1994-96. From 1989-1994, Lyons was entertainment editor for CNBC. He also has been the film critic for WPIX TV/New York, 1970-91, WFSB-TV/Hartford, WMAR-TV/Baltimore; CBS Radio, 1975-93, and a contributing editor for Inside Edition and A&E Review. Lyons’ radio report, The Lyons Den, aired on CBS, Mutual Radio, and CBC Radio Canada and is currently syndicated on more than 100 stations.

His books to date are: Jeffrey Lyons' 101 Great Movies for Kids, published by Simon and Schuster, and with his brother, Out of Leftfield: Over 1,134 Newly Discovered Amazing Baseball Records, Connections, Coincidences and More, a second baseball trivia book, Curveballs and Screwballs, both published by Times Books/Random House and Short Hops and Foul Tips, published in 2005. He and his brother have lectured on baseball at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. and at Fenway Park in Boston. He has been the film critic for Video Review and Rock magazines, and served on the Metropolitan Desk of The New York Times. Lyons has acted in The French Connection and portrayed himself in Death Trap and the TV series Wise Guy and Arli$$.

Among his varied interests, Lyons studied acting with Lee Strasberg, attended the Julliard School of Music, trained with the New York Giants, studied bullfighting in Spain, and has been a guest play-by-play announcer for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network, both in English and Spanish. In May 2000, he received an honorary degree from Hofstra University and another from St. Mary’s college in 2002.

Lyons is married and resides with his wife and children in New York.


ALISON BAILES, HOST

Alison Bailes was born in the United Kingdom and grew up in Ascot, Berkshire. She attended Oxford University where she got a BA degree in French and German Literature. At Oxford, she also received a half-blue in rowing.

Since moving to the United States in 1989, Alison has worked at a number of TV stations, always focusing on the film world.

She started out at CNN working for their daily entertainment news show "Showbiz Today." Then she worked for "Ha!" -- one of the original comedy channels -- for a brief period as a fact-checker on a game show.

In 1990 she moved to VH1, where she went from associate producer to senior producer of the weekly film magazine show "Flix."

In 1996 Alison started "At The Angelika" for IFC. Besides writing and producing this program, she also served as host. This became the current "At The IFC Center" this summer, when IFC took over the former Waverly Cinema in the West Village. "At The IFC Center" is a monthly look at the independent film scene with interviews with actors and directors.

Alison also attends and reports from the major film festivals around the world. She does live hosting of the Cannes Film Festival in France as well as reporting from the Sundance, South By Southwest, LA and NY film festivals.

When she is not watching films, Alison enjoys pushing her athletic limits. She runs in local races and competes in triathlons. And as of last spring, she enjoys spending time with her beautiful daughter, Agatha Violet.


MICHAEL AVILA, PRODUCER

Michael Avila is the producer for LYONS & BAILES REEL TALK. He’s been overseeing the show since its debut in April 2005.

Before he became attached at the hip to Jeffrey and Alison, Avila produced WNBC – Ch. 4’s “Weekend Today in New York.” Until Summer 2007, he split his time between REEL TALK & co-producing LIVE AT FIVE.

Except for a two-year break from 1999-2001 where he unsuccessfully tried to strike it rich on the Internet (working for companies like Sportsline.com, MyCity.com & Barpoint.com), Avila has been in TV news since 1995. His career began at WSVN-Ch. 7 (FOX) in Miami, where he worked his way up from sports intern to news producer. He was also a reporter for WGBC/WMDN (NBC/CBS) in Meridian, Miss., and a sports reporter/anchor for 24-hour cable station GNET in Atlanta, GA.

Born & raised in Miami and a graduate of Florida State University (Go ‘Noles!), He lives in Manhattan with his wife Cindi & their two dogs, Bernice & Serena. When not screening movies or answering emails on his Blackberry, Avila runs marathons, watches way too much TV, fights off evildoers and believes with great power, comes great responsibility (uh, also reads comic books).