If Twitter existed when Ferris Bueller took his legendary day off, chances are he wouldn’t have gotten away with it. Yet almost 25 years later, TechCrunch said an anonymous Tweeter adopted his name (@Ferris_Bueller_) to re-enact the entirety of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” as if he did, and over 4,000 followed.

“Ugh… school’s really getting me down. less than an hour to go,” Bueller Tweeted Thursday afternoon. His Twitter account was quiet until the next morning, when he Tweeted, “Really don’t feel like going to school today… Think I have a plan.”

From then on, Bueller continued to Tweet his day off, and according to TechCrunch, whoever was behind it also set up accounts for other key cast members as well, like Sloane Peterson (Bueller’s girlfriend @sloanepeterson_), Jeanie Bueller (Bueller’s sister @JeanieBueller_), and even Mr. Rooney (Bueller’s principal @Prin_Rooney).

Bueller also played his entire day out on Foursquare, checking in at various places throughout Chicago, such as Wrigley Field and Douglas Park. He Tweeted, “taking a breather. I think Cameron might have blown a microchip of two. (@ Douglas park) http://4sq.com/cinJMN.”

When his day was finally over, Bueller Tweeted, “Sprinted like crazy. Rooney and parents almost got me @jeaniebueller_ actually covered for me. Parents are oblivious!”

These Tweets really prove how far technology has come in the last 25 years. If Bueller were to skip school today and Tweet, text, email or even AIM, he would have been caught immediately. With how addicted people are to technology today, a day off like Bueller’s would be nearly impossible to recreate.

Check out some of the reactions Bueller sparked on Twitter:

1. 
   anneegibson Everyone is watching & tweeting about Ferris Bueller being played out in “social media”. Great way to introduce Millennials to the movie. 08 May 2010 from web
2. 
   JMendenhall I believe if Ferris Bueller was rebooted, he would totally be on twitter. 08 May 2010 from web
3. 
   bdhstl This ferris bueller thing took some real planning #ferris 08 May 2010 from Touiteur
4. 
   RabbitHillInn Can you believe that Ferris Bueller took his Day Off 24 years ago? Such a great movie! Can you hear it now…… http://bit.ly/9bUnK4 08 May 2010 from Facebook

As the remake of the 26-year-old horror series, “Nightmare on Elm Street,” was set to premiere Friday at midnight, anxious viewers had their phones handy, ready to share their opinions with the world via Twitter.

1. 
   burrchristopher Going out tonight to see the new “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie. Gonna have an awesome night! 30 Apr 2010 from Ping.fm
2. 
   retoddl8r What a cool and spooky full moon out tonight. Perfect for the remake release of “Nightmare on Elm Street!” 30 Apr 2010 from txt
3. 
   hcapurro i am sooooooo tired but can’t sleep cause i’m going to see nightmare on elm street tonight!! 30 Apr 2010 from web
4. 
   Theicool Going to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street at midnight!!! Supper stoked!! 30 Apr 2010 from Echofon

One “Nightmare on Elm Street” viewer took it to the next level, live-Tweeting nearly every gory detail. “I hope nobody planned to c nightmare on elm street cuz I’m bout to tweet this whole movie starting now,” Ivory (@ivorynoel) warned her Twitter followers.

Intrigued, I interviewed Ivory via Twitter to find out more about her decision to live-Tweet through the flick:

1. 
   RKFiorentino @ivorynoel Hi I’m a journalist 4 TwitterJournalism.com & was wondering if I could ask u a few questions on live-tweeting through the movie? 30 Apr 2010 from web in reply to ivorynoel
2. 
   ivorynoel @RKFiorentino ok 30 Apr 2010 from Echofon in reply to RKFiorentino
3. 
   RKFiorentino @ivorynoel Thanks! Where did you get the idea to Tweet through Nightmare on Elm? Did friends suggest it, or was it your own idea? 30 Apr 2010 from web in reply to ivorynoel
4. 
   ivorynoel @RKFiorentino own idea 30 Apr 2010 from Echofon in reply to RKFiorentino
5. 
   RKFiorentino @ivorynoel Good idea! Did you receive feedback from your followers? If so, positive or negative? 01 May 2010 from web in reply to ivorynoel
6. 
   ivorynoel @RKFiorentino i don’t think they saw it but they didn’t want me to tweet the movie 01 May 2010 from Echofon in reply to RKFiorentino
7. 
   RKFiorentino @ivorynoel Haha! Last one… would you Tweet through another movie in the future? Why or why not? 01 May 2010 from web in reply to ivorynoel
8. 
   ivorynoel @RKFiorentino yea I like to let ppl kno wats goin on n ruin the movie for them lol 01 May 2010 from Echofon in reply to RKFiorentino

Since Twitter has made it possible to share immediate movie reactions with millions, it seems as though more and more people are bypassing the newspaper critics altogether, and trusting the investigative work to their followers.

Thanks to Twitter, instead of reading a lengthy movie review on “Nightmare on Elm Street,” the Twitter community can now read short, precise opinions to ultimately decide whether this is a movie they are interested in seeing.

Here are some reviews I personally found helpful:

1. 
   romancewriter24 Just got home from the Nightmare on Elm Street premiere. It was Alright. I prefer the original. ♥ Ask me–> http://lnk.ms/600rS 30 Apr 2010 from MySpace
2. 
   CameronRicheson just finished seeing Nightmare on Elm Street. over all I thought it was good but I have not seen the first few so I have nothing to compare 30 Apr 2010 from web
3. 
   PeaPodKid A Nightmare on Elm Street = Meh… 30 Apr 2010 from txt
4. 
   ChrissyNBells For a remake, A Nightmare On Elm Street was pretty damn good. 30 Apr 2010 from web

Lindsay Lohan (@LindsayLohan) has been named a suspect in the theft of a $35,000 Rolex watch after one of her friends accidentally left it at her apartment earlier this year, according to TMZ (@TMZonline).

Law enforcement stopped by Lindsay’s place Wednesday to question her about the missing watch, but according to TMZ, the actress denied having any involvement in its disappearance.

But this was not the first time police made an appearance at Lindsay’s Los Angeles pad this week. According to Fox News (@FoxNews), the LAPD was brought to the actress’ apartment by her estranged father, Michael Lohan, on Thursday in order to “check on” Lindsay’s 16-year-old sister’s welfare.

According to Fox News, the LAPD took a look around Lindsay’s place, but left after finding no evidence of abuse or wrongdoing.

Lindsay used Twitter to vent her frustrations throughout the entire process:

“I have no choice but to make this public, due to my sister’s safety, as well as my own, ‘my ex-dad’ just WALKED INTO MY APT like the devil’s advocate with officers,” Lindsay Tweeted.

“Let’s not forget, that my father KIDNAPPED me from a COURT ROOM when I was 4 years old and is CRAZY,” Lindsay continued. “He has NEVER paid child support, and is marrying a tabloid writer and can barely spell his own name due to his ‘brain’ that has been ruined due to HIS drug use.”

“When will it ever end… it’s been going on my whole life with him—hasn’t he caused enough pain?” she asked. “Thank g-d for my mommy… w/out her, I wouldn’t even know myself.”

“The police had NO probable cause breaking and entering into my home which is the only place I find privacy.. this is MY personal space,” Lindsay continued. “Pathological liar- a person who lies to the point of it being considered a disease or condition, an abnormally habitual liar = MY FATHER.”

Since Lindsay was able to live-Tweet her experience, she left little room for tabloid speculation. Instead of consulting with her lawyers or PR practitioners before giving a statement to the press, Lindsay immediately turned to Twitter to share her real emotions with the world. This proves that even the most ridiculed tabloid celebrities have feelings too.

Here’s what the Twitter community had to say about Lindsay’s troubled week:

1. 
   maryellen10tv If you are ever thinking you have it rough, just think..you could be lindsay lohan! her dirty laundry is on twitter, bcs she put it there. 23 Apr 2010 from web
2. 
   monica84 Greatness!! Just found Lindsay Lohan on Twitter!! This bitch is losing it and posting it on here. Twitter I love you. 24 Apr 2010 from Echofon
3. 
   julie_slp dlisted: Lindsay Lohan’s Twitter page is like an empty subway car on Saturday pm,always an incoherent crackie stumbling in to ramble away 24 Apr 2010 from web
4. 
   jameejamee lindsay lohan says too much in twitter. that’s just my opinion though. 24 Apr 2010 from web

The other day, I took a look at how the Associated Press used Twitter to cover the Sonia Sotomayor hearings.

It was a landmark experiment for that organization, and it seems the most extensive such project, fueled by a team of eight. But live tweets during the hearings weren’t limited to the AP.

Michael Muskal of the Los Angeles Times, Maria Newman and Kate Phillips of the New York Times, and Peter Hamby of CNN all fired away tweets of their own, each with their own style.

Muskal tweeted from his @latimesmuskal account and he wrote me via e-mail about the experience.

“We are trying to explore a way to do what journalism has always done best — explanation, context, voice and personality — in a new forum, Twitter,” he wrote. ”The idea is bring those building blocks of good journalism over to an interactive platform and see if we can tell the Sotomayor story in a different and interesting way while maintaining the usual standards of truth and quality.”

Asked how his style of tweeting differed from the AP’s, he responded, “We too are giving the news, but I think we are trying to be more analytical as well.”

For example, he noted he flagged issues that didn’t come up, pointed out the politics, and showed the irony in Leahy making jokes while Franken had to stick to serious “to establish senator-type creds.”

A glance at the New York Times @thecaucus feed, updated by Newman and Phillips according to a tweet from the Times’ Social Media Editor Jennifer Preston, showed another style of tweeting.

It was almost entirely composed of quotes or paraphrases of what people were saying inside the courtroom. In a sense it told a story and allowed the reader to follow along as if they were there. It also directed people back to The Caucus blog and New York Times Web site to read more and continue the conversation.

Finally, CNN’s Twitter feed @hambypCNN was a hybrid of live tweets, analysis, and interaction with users. Hamby also posted TwitPics and shared commentary throughout the hearings.

So who was the most successful? All of the feeds were valuable in their own way. But as one way to measure (though far from perfect), here’s how many followers each account gained over the span of the coverage (July 13-17), per TwitterCounter:

@AP_Courtside +1,865
@thecaucus +375
@hambypCNN +228
@latimesmuskal +111

The account that showed the most growth was in fact the AP — the one that relied on the audience to predominantly direct coverage and interacted the most. It’s difficult to put a value on tweets, but that in itself is telling of this new age.

The Associated Press is trying something it’s never tried before with its coverage of the Sonia Sotomayor hearings.

It’s providing round-the-clock tweets at @AP_Courtside, documenting every move of the hearings, allowing the general public easy access to some of AP’s best talent, and using feedback to direct the coverage itself. And that’s not all.

The Twitter coverage is supplemented by a partnership with Yahoo News, where an extensive blog and collection of related articles is prominently featured on that Web site.

While the AP has embraced Twitter before, never before has it conducted anything of this magnitude in terms of crowdsourcing on a major story, says Gida Hammami of Editors Weblog.

I spoke with Ted Anthony, a national writer/editor for the AP and former foreign correspondent, who is supervising the ongoing Sotomayor Project.

What was the main idea behind it?

“We wanted to conduct an experiment and look at whether we could build community around news content,” he said. “It’s a short-term experiment, not a prototype or anything, but we also wanted to bring in our newspapers and increase discussion.”

Anthony said of Twitter, “It’s becoming a major force in the way people are communicating with each other.” He added that AP wanted to use it “not just because of its increasing relevance to the journalism world, but also the immediate flavor of it.”

A team of eight people is working together on the Sotomayor experiment, including seasoned political reporters, a social media expert, regional news director, and the Washington Bureau Chief himself.

“It’s true that the mainstream media and particularly AP don’t have a lot of experience dipping into the toes of readers, but we’re finding a pool of people who very much want to interact,” Anthony said.

He said not only are they collecting opinions about the story and the coverage itself, but the AP is interested in creating lively conversations between the public and journalists. It’s asked readers for the parts of the story they’re most interested in and tries at every opportunity to send reporters out to dig in.

Anthony said the group has already learned some interesting things.

“I am very delighted with the level of discourse,” he said. “Certainly, there’s skeptics and any experiment should have that, but people for the most part have been very engaging.”

“What’s becoming obvious is people very much want to have a stake in the news and how it’s covered,” he said.

For those critical of Twitter and its limitations, Anthony welcomed the criticism, but he also said he feels the negatives can be overcome:

“People may complain about these new technologies, and say it goes against depth, but we’ve proven with this experiment that if we have good reliable info, even in fragments, we assemble a picture at the end of the day that has relevance and context.”