Betsy Walters
@betsywal.bsky.social
VAP of Film and Media at Emory, PhD in American Studies from BU. Researching the film/TV industry in/re awards & film fests. Board @hamlischawards.bsky.social. She/her.
Pinned
Betsy Walters
@betsywal.bsky.social
· Feb 28
The Academy Awards Are Sunday: Will It Be a Wicked Night?
The show goes on after devastating Los Angeles fires, and BU film experts say Emilia Pérez, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, and Anora will likely win Oscars
www.bu.edu
Always fun to talk Oscars (and doubly fun to hang out with a bunch of them)! www.bu.edu/articles/202...
Reposted by Betsy Walters
wrote on charlie kirk for the newsletter this weekend
Opinion | Charlie Kirk Didn’t Shy Away From Who He Was. We Shouldn’t Either.
www.nytimes.com
September 13, 2025 at 3:35 PM
wrote on charlie kirk for the newsletter this weekend
Reposted by Betsy Walters
The Hollywood Conference was great! Congratulations to @lucimarz.bsky.social and all the organizers. #HWC2025
The Hollywood Conference affirmed my love of small, thematic conferences. I saw so many inspiring talks, and there was enough downtime to have actual conversations with people I have known for a long time and with people I just met here. I hope there will be a second iteration. #HWC2025
July 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
The Hollywood Conference was great! Congratulations to @lucimarz.bsky.social and all the organizers. #HWC2025
Reposted by Betsy Walters
"It just really comes as a shock that such accomplished intellectuals, who’ve spent their entire careers pushing the upper bounds of human achievement, could be judgy about a machine that runs the entirety of human imagination through a shredder and glues together what comes out."
A Company Reminder for Everyone to Talk Nicely About the Giant Plagiarism Machine
Hey team. It’s your CEO. I know your time is valuable, so I’ll cut right to the chase: It’s come to my attention that some of you have been bad-mou...
buff.ly
May 21, 2025 at 1:40 AM
"It just really comes as a shock that such accomplished intellectuals, who’ve spent their entire careers pushing the upper bounds of human achievement, could be judgy about a machine that runs the entirety of human imagination through a shredder and glues together what comes out."
Reposted by Betsy Walters
Got to see how the other half lives. The ceremony was in the new data sciences building, designed to look like an uneven stack of books. @betsywal.bsky.social observes that, fittingly, it looks like it’s going to topple over onto the humanities buildings.
A beautiful day and a gorgeous view—perfect for the @bucas.bsky.social American Studies convocation. #BU @bostonu.bsky.social
May 17, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Got to see how the other half lives. The ceremony was in the new data sciences building, designed to look like an uneven stack of books. @betsywal.bsky.social observes that, fittingly, it looks like it’s going to topple over onto the humanities buildings.
Reposted by Betsy Walters
The administration is attacking American history by trying to erase it. They are dismantling the Woolworth's lunch counter exhibit at the NMAAHC, among other significant artifacts of the Civil Rights Movement. blackpressusa.com/the-smithson...
The Smithsonian PURGE: Trump Team Removes Artifacts of Black Resistance
Critics warn: it’s not just history being erased—it’s identity.
blackpressusa.com
April 25, 2025 at 2:02 PM
The administration is attacking American history by trying to erase it. They are dismantling the Woolworth's lunch counter exhibit at the NMAAHC, among other significant artifacts of the Civil Rights Movement. blackpressusa.com/the-smithson...
Reposted by Betsy Walters
i often see things that make me say "this is the most Boston thing I have ever seen in my life" but i think this one might have swept them all
April 20, 2025 at 4:37 PM
i often see things that make me say "this is the most Boston thing I have ever seen in my life" but i think this one might have swept them all
Reposted by Betsy Walters
Yay Reut (who isn’t on Bluesky, but I’m thrilled anyway)!!
April 18, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Yay Reut (who isn’t on Bluesky, but I’m thrilled anyway)!!
Reposted by Betsy Walters
This was a blast thanks to @betsywal.bsky.social’s insights and Charlotte Howell’s hard work putting it together.
🎬 New COMversation episode! Dr. Deborah Jaramillo & Prof. Walters dive into the Oscars’ cultural impact, show evolution & In Memoriam moments.
Listen now🎧https://open.spotify.com/episode/6L4q5dqNk2BgjkO89RezNX
Listen now🎧https://open.spotify.com/episode/6L4q5dqNk2BgjkO89RezNX
The 2025 Oscars
The COMversation · Episode
open.spotify.com
April 17, 2025 at 8:28 PM
This was a blast thanks to @betsywal.bsky.social’s insights and Charlotte Howell’s hard work putting it together.
Reposted by Betsy Walters
Uhhhh...we are. Aren't we? Studying all of it? [checks bookcase] Yes, we are. And have been. Sigh.
"The behavioral data tells us that most American life is not political — so why don’t we study what people are actually consuming every day, however lowbrow it may seem?" - @eunjikim.bsky.social buff.ly/fdAqtMr
The unreality of reality TV: How competition shows influence U.S. politics and shape views about economic inequality
Columbia University's Eunji Kim: "The behavioral data tells us that most American life is not political — so why don't we study what people are actually consuming every day, however lowbrow it may…
www.niemanlab.org
April 14, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Uhhhh...we are. Aren't we? Studying all of it? [checks bookcase] Yes, we are. And have been. Sigh.
Some news! Thanks to @tvbookstvbooks.bsky.social for guiding me through this project/process with endless patience and humor.
Congratulations, @betsywal.bsky.social!
April 12, 2025 at 8:32 PM
Some news! Thanks to @tvbookstvbooks.bsky.social for guiding me through this project/process with endless patience and humor.
Reposted by Betsy Walters
Reposted by Betsy Walters
Best AI hype allegory to date via @tressiemcphd.bsky.social
“every time someone asks me, “What about A.I.?” with the breathless anticipation of a boy who thinks this is the summer he finally gets to touch a boob”
“every time someone asks me, “What about A.I.?” with the breathless anticipation of a boy who thinks this is the summer he finally gets to touch a boob”
Opinion | Actually, A.I. Is Pretty Mid
A.I. is just what we need in the post-fact era: less research and more predicting what we want to hear.
www.nytimes.com
March 29, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Best AI hype allegory to date via @tressiemcphd.bsky.social
“every time someone asks me, “What about A.I.?” with the breathless anticipation of a boy who thinks this is the summer he finally gets to touch a boob”
“every time someone asks me, “What about A.I.?” with the breathless anticipation of a boy who thinks this is the summer he finally gets to touch a boob”
Reposted by Betsy Walters
Update: A letter repudiating the weakness and equivocation of the Academy's letter and expressing support for Hamdan Ballal started circulating today and has now been signed by more than 300 Academy members. Will share more if/when it becomes public.
Any one of the "11,000 global members with diverse viewpoints" who cannot condemn the physical assault of a filmmaker does not belong in the Academy. This is a woefully insufficient response, literally worse than silence.
AMPAS has issued a new statement that basically says: “we will continue to say nothing.” they don’t even bother mentioning Hamdan Ballal — an Oscar winner!!! — by name.
March 28, 2025 at 4:04 AM
Update: A letter repudiating the weakness and equivocation of the Academy's letter and expressing support for Hamdan Ballal started circulating today and has now been signed by more than 300 Academy members. Will share more if/when it becomes public.
Reposted by Betsy Walters
AMPAS has issued a new statement that basically says: “we will continue to say nothing.” they don’t even bother mentioning Hamdan Ballal — an Oscar winner!!! — by name.
March 27, 2025 at 12:18 AM
AMPAS has issued a new statement that basically says: “we will continue to say nothing.” they don’t even bother mentioning Hamdan Ballal — an Oscar winner!!! — by name.
Being the Film & Media Festivals SIG grad rep has been such a lovely gig! It's a terrific opportunity to connect with other scholars. Please consider nominating yourself for SIG co-chair or grad rep, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about either role.
Nominate yourself to be the SIG co-chair or grad representative! Nominations will be accepted until March 31st at this link: forms.gle/PA5FPZkswqs5.... A virtual election will be held in April. You can find more information about SIG leadership responsibilities here: cdn.ymaws.com/.../docs/SIG....
Film and Media Festivals SIG Leadership Nominations 2025
The SCMS Film and Media Festivals SIG is electing a new co-chair and graduate student representative, and we are accepting nominations until March 31. We will then hold a virtual election. You can fin...
forms.gle
March 26, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Being the Film & Media Festivals SIG grad rep has been such a lovely gig! It's a terrific opportunity to connect with other scholars. Please consider nominating yourself for SIG co-chair or grad rep, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about either role.
Reposted by Betsy Walters
8 US presidents died in office b/t 1841 & 1963. Whose funeral was recreated for radio? Check out my article, "Bury Him By Radio: Early Funeral Broadcasts & the Mourning of Pres. Harding," in the "Sound History is Cultural History" issue of Resonance! #Radio #Death online.ucpress.edu/res/article/...
March 25, 2025 at 12:10 AM
8 US presidents died in office b/t 1841 & 1963. Whose funeral was recreated for radio? Check out my article, "Bury Him By Radio: Early Funeral Broadcasts & the Mourning of Pres. Harding," in the "Sound History is Cultural History" issue of Resonance! #Radio #Death online.ucpress.edu/res/article/...
Reposted by Betsy Walters
23andMe declared bankruptcy and the company is gonna be sold off for parts. That includes your DNA information and the only amount of control you have is to delete your info immediately. It’s very simple to do.
Gift link: wapo.st/4kUsBEF
Gift link: wapo.st/4kUsBEF
March 24, 2025 at 9:06 PM
23andMe declared bankruptcy and the company is gonna be sold off for parts. That includes your DNA information and the only amount of control you have is to delete your info immediately. It’s very simple to do.
Gift link: wapo.st/4kUsBEF
Gift link: wapo.st/4kUsBEF
You just know he'll claim he made the whole menu by himself.
If there’s one thing America wants, it’s restaurants by television showrunners.
March 19, 2025 at 12:05 AM
You just know he'll claim he made the whole menu by himself.
I hope my senators are trying to free and get justice for this man (@hassan.senate.gov and @shaheen.senate.gov). This is horrific. And by the way, your shameful votes yesterday only enable this administration’s overreach and abuse.
ICE agents are torturing a green card holder from New Hampshire, his mother says
www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025...
www.nhpr.org/nh-news/2025...
March 15, 2025 at 2:46 PM
I hope my senators are trying to free and get justice for this man (@hassan.senate.gov and @shaheen.senate.gov). This is horrific. And by the way, your shameful votes yesterday only enable this administration’s overreach and abuse.
Reposted by Betsy Walters
The absolute devastation that @chuckschumer.com is about to inflict on D.C. by supporting the GOP’s continuing resolution is hard to overstate. Massive cuts to schools and law enforcement. Teachers laid off en masse. Basic city services may grind to a halt because we *cannot spend our own money.*
March 14, 2025 at 12:32 AM
The absolute devastation that @chuckschumer.com is about to inflict on D.C. by supporting the GOP’s continuing resolution is hard to overstate. Massive cuts to schools and law enforcement. Teachers laid off en masse. Basic city services may grind to a halt because we *cannot spend our own money.*
Reposted by Betsy Walters
AI chatbots are wrong 60% of the time www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
AI Search Has A Citation Problem
We Compared Eight AI Search Engines. They’re All Bad at Citing News.
www.cjr.org
March 13, 2025 at 4:23 PM
AI chatbots are wrong 60% of the time www.cjr.org/tow_center/w...
Reposted by Betsy Walters
For our next issue, Ampersand solicits papers on rupturing, deconstructing, and recreating boundaries of assumed forms within American Studies. We encourage a variety of topics and formats and prioritize the work of emerging scholars. Find out more and submit by 4/1 at sites.bu.edu/ampersandjou...
March 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
For our next issue, Ampersand solicits papers on rupturing, deconstructing, and recreating boundaries of assumed forms within American Studies. We encourage a variety of topics and formats and prioritize the work of emerging scholars. Find out more and submit by 4/1 at sites.bu.edu/ampersandjou...
Reposted by Betsy Walters
sometimes the angel of death comes as a stupid blowhard
In an interview, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, outlined a strategy for containing the measles outbreak in West Texas that strayed far from mainstream science, relying heavily on fringe theories about prevention and treatments.
Without Offering Proof, Kennedy Links Measles Outbreak to Poor Diet and Health
In a recent interview, the health secretary also suggested that the measles vaccine had harmed children in West Texas, center of an outbreak.
www.nytimes.com
March 10, 2025 at 10:20 PM
sometimes the angel of death comes as a stupid blowhard