Lots of movie critics are whining about the lack of advance screenings that the studios are holding for them of late. Some claim that it's because the studios are afraid of bad buzz for their increasingly crappy movies. Maybe, maybe. But how about this, from Forbes.com:

The tactic of skipping advance screenings is taking hold now because the dynamics of movie marketing and pre-release publicity have changed. Like other professional arbiters of taste, movie reviewers just don’t matter quite as much as they used to. Once upon a time, they were the point of origin for popular opinion. In an age of ratings Web sites and consumer-generated content, they are just one voice of many.

Jeff Jarvis, the blogger who actually created the magazine Entertainment Weekly back in the day, writes:

If I launched Entertainment Weekly today, I hope I’d have the sense not to propose starting a magazine by hiring a bunch of critics. Oh, I might have a few of them, if they’re really worth reading. But I’d turn Entertainment Weekly into Entertainment Whenever, an online event that brings together opinions on entertainment, big and small, from anywhere, and I’d use technology to help you find the critics you trust.

The truth is that criticism isn’t dying. It’s opening up now that everyone is a critic.

Jarvis's post is entitled Who killed the critics? Answer: We did. Good job, guys!