Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 2h

Just saw the trailer for the miniseries adaptation of Amadeus, and the idea that Peter Shaffer's text needs expanding feels like a literary and theatrical warcrime.

a man in a black suit and white lace scarf

ALT: a man in a black suit and white lace scarf

media.tenor.com

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 4h

So "there's a volcano in Austin" is now the second dumbest idea to come out of the 9-1-1 offices.

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Reposted by Richard Whittaker

Ted Geoghegan @tedgeoghegan.bsky.social · 6h

I can say, as a publicist, that basically every one of my clients doesn't consider a review to exist unless it counts toward their Rotten Tomatoes score. I need them to hire me so that I can feed my family, and that's all they care about - so I have to ask. It comes from the top down.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 6h

Try contacting the filmmakers directly. There can be some weird exemptions for special screenings, but otherwise it's extremely difficult, especially with Netflix (I have heard some unreal horror stories from producers).

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 6h

Ron Howard still owes us an apology. Clueless gonk.

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 9h

Fascinating. Politico notes that when notified of the texts, many state-level Republicans fired or condemned these cretins. Now Vance emerges to excuse the racism, and calls the reaction to it "pearl clutching."

He seems determined to purge the party of its last enclaves of decency.

‘College Group Chat’: JD Vance Dismisses ‘Pearl Clutching’ Over Young Republicans Leak to Attack Jay Jones

Liberals hit back at Vance's blunt dismissal of racist, antisemitic and misogynistic messages leaked from a Young Republicans group chat.

www.mediaite.com

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 7h

Honestly, I prefer that they are blunt about the situation their filmmaker is in. And compared to the endless crap of non-film press releases I get (or releases from MAGA studios and godbotherer Angel Studios wannabes) they're doing yoeman's work.

Reposted by Richard Whittaker

Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 2d

The Donn of Tiki is the brilliant and innovative documentary that Tiki godfather and cocktail revolutionary Don the Beachcomber deserves - don't miss this great film in Austin this week. www.austinchronicle.com/screens/the-...

The Donn of Tiki Goes in Search of Don the Beachcomber • The Austin Chronicle

If you’re ever in a Tiki bar with Alex Lamb, just get him a Missionary’s Downfall. “Not every bar makes it,” he said, “but if you find a bar that makes it well it’s a really refreshing take on a Rum R...

www.austinchronicle.com

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 9h

It's not slutshaming to say that a journalist profiting off her wildly unethical affair with a married source shouldn't be getting book deals.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 11h

I go up to the press office receptionist, who hurriedly hides the book she is reading - a volume on Nazi propaganda techniques. Now, you could say "well, it's of interest in the history of blah blah blah" but no one in that office says, "Hey, maybe don't read a Nazi how-to guide at work."? (2/2)

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 11h

OK, time for this story again. 2011, I'm writing a story on Alex Jones' listeners convincing the Texas Film Commission to withhold incentives for Robert Rodriguez's Machete. I go to then-Gov. Rick Perry's office to pick up documents from an open records request ... (1/2)

Sherrilyn Ifill @sifill.bsky.social · 21h

Here are the little darlings they’ve created. Horrifying.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Reposted by Richard Whittaker

NurseGOMER, Drink Perambulator 🍸🍹🥂🍾 @nursegomer.bsky.social · 1d

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Drew McWeeny @drewmcweeny.com · 1d

Hey, if you're thinking about subscribing to my new efforts at Ghost, this is the week I need you to do it.

The doors are open and the Ghost era is beginning. If you were reluctant because of Substack, please show me I made the right choice by moving.

drewmcweeny.com

The front page of drewmcweeny.com, with a banner image showing Peter O'Toole as Lawrence of Arabia, and my current top story, a column called "Try, Try Again."

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

a cartoon character says i 'm shocked in front of a fence

ALT: a cartoon character says i 'm shocked in front of a fence

media.tenor.com

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Reposted by Richard Whittaker

britt hayes @britthates.bsky.social · 1d

studio execs & major outlets claim AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over Hollywood. the reality is much different. i spoke with filmmakers, producers, and editors about how AI is actually showing up in productions – and what it still can't do:

Hollywood Has a Major AI Hype Problem

Studio execs and major media outlets claim that AI is "inevitable" and poised to take over film and TV. The reality is much different.

movieweb.com

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

Which will only further hasten the closure of print works, which means print-first publications are fighting for printer space.

Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

But neither the Star Trib nor the Seattle Times, or the DMN or the Post-Dispatch is a de facto national paper. Trust me, as a print journalist, I'm not celebrating, just stating facts. These are dreadful numbers.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

Who will not be paying the kind of money that a paper the size of WaPo costs to run.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

Quick reminder that the closest we've come to a screen-accurate Gomez is Luis Guzmán.

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Reposted by Richard Whittaker

NPR @npr.org · 1d

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scenes and not accepting wholesale what any government or administration says. n.pr/4q87Jwb

Opinion: Why I'm handing in my Pentagon press pass

Tom Bowman has held his Pentagon press pass for 28 years. He says the Pentagon's new media policy makes it impossible to be a journalist, which means finding out what's really going on behind the scenes and not accepting wholesale what any government or administration says.

n.pr

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

Viewers listened, but the "two thumbs up" was what ended up on the poster, just like the "certified fresh" logo.

Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 1d

100% is a red flag, because it means it's such a middling thing that the regular contrarians don't bother with it.

Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 2d

Honestly, it just took something that was a lauded part of American criticism - the Siskel/Ebert "thumbs up/thumbs down" reductionism - and dressed it in a new metaphor.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 2d

You don't get to decide to associate: RT makes that decision, and a lot of critics don't seem to understand that we became peons to the RT machine years ago.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 2d

That's often because filmmakers hire their pr firm last minute - don't blame the reps.

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Richard Whittaker @rmwhittaker.bsky.social · 2d

It's their job to go to bat for their films. Most of the small film pr firms I know work their asses off for projects they truly believe in, and they know that films live or die by their RT score.

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