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10/30/98 David Poland writes: "And in serious trouble of being mistaken for a hack, we have Kevin Thomas of the L.A. Times, who is quoted this week as calling Orgazmo "Outrageous" and Solider, "Spectacular. A potent action-adventure fantasy."" 8/23/99 David Poland writes: "[Teaching] Mrs. Tingle was a film I expected to be able to skip out on. That is, until I read Kevin Thomas' open-mouth, tongue wriggling wet kiss of a review in Friday's L.A. Times. I mean, hey, I'm glad you liked the movie. But, Williamson's "knockout directorial debut?" A "shrewd and energetic dark comedy?" And "Teaching Mrs. Tingle reveals Williamson not only to be as accomplished a director as he is a writer but also his willingness to move beyond horror to psychological suspense?" Is that a publicist in your pants or are you just happy to see the movie? Good God! I thought I would force this movie on myself, but after the box office returns and the ongoing flood of negative comments about the film, I'm probably going to side step Kevin's kiss." 1/2/01 David Poland writes: "How did Miramax get the L.A. Times to send second-stringer and well-known softballer Kevin Thomas to both Chocolat and Malèna? I understand Malèna, which is kind of a throw-away movie. But Miramax is hard-core serious about an Oscar run for Chocolat, and Kevin Thomas’s imprimatur is not going to cut it around here." 5/20/01 David Poland found it curious that one of the two positive reviews for Pearl Harbor comes from Kevin Thomas. "Why was it scary? Because Kevin, nice guy that he is, is the second string reviewer at the Times and generally is put onto small movies or big movies that the paper wants a positive review for." Was the Times compensating for Kenneth Turan's personal attack on director James Cameron in Turan's Titanic review? 6/11/01 David Poland writes: "...Kevin Thomas, who is not a quote whore, but who is very, very friendly." 11/22/02 LAT's Kevin Thomas Loses It At A Screening This story is a typical example of the smug arrogance of many members of the Los Angeles Times. David Poland writes a great column today at Hot Button. He describes attending a screening Thursday for the movie To End All Wars: [Los Angeles Times' second-string reviewer behind Kenneth Turan] Kevin [Thomas]... had a fit. The producer was there and was gently trying to intro the movie. But Kevin wasn’t listening. “Where’s the publicist?!?!” The producer meekly explained that the publicist was supposed to be there, but maybe she was stuck in traffic and… “I’m Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times and I was promised that there would be notes here when I arrived!!! I want you to call that publicist before you start the screening!” Ron Brewington turns around and tells Kevin to, “Shut up!” And then they got into it. I thought for a second there that Ron was going to get up and beat Kevin. But the exchange just got a little more heated. “I’m not going to shut up!” “Who cares… ‘I am from the L.A. Times’" After the film ended and I sat through most of the credits, I left. Kevin sat with his feet up in the upholstered seats on Jimmy Stewart 24 and looked old and cranky and smug. ................................................ Coworkers at the LA Times say Kevin Thomas is loud and obnoxious, prone to throwing temper tantrums, and they can't stand him. .................................................. LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Tomorrow evening, Friday, September 12, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) will honor veteran Los Angeles Times film critic Kevin Thomas with its Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding work over the past four decades and his long commitment to NLGJA. "NLGJA chose to give this lifetime honor to express our admiration for a man who has been an unsung champion of gay-related cinema," said NLGJA President Steven Petrow. "Kevin Thomas also has been a member of NLGJA since the organization's beginning. He has honored us by accepting this award." Petrow noted that the award has only been given once before, to the late Randy Shilts -- the pioneering gay columnist at the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of "And the Band Played On."
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