Ain't It Cool News
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Ain't It Cool News is a website run by Harry Knowles dedicated to rumours and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects. It combines gossip from anonymous, unverified sources, news and reviews from the regular staff, and lively public forums for discussion of news items. It is widely read by powerful Hollywood players as well as the general public.
The site was one of the first of its type, and quickly built a reputation for breaking news first. It attracted a large number of anonymous Hollywood "insiders" who would submit reports on topics the studios tried to keep secret. The success of the site made it powerful enough to begin possibly affecting box office figures, via "net buzz".
In February 2005, a re-designed site was launched, updating the look to a more modern style.
The site was parodied in the film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back when the lead characters look at the "movie poop shoot" site. That site was created at MoviePoopShoot.com (http://www.moviepoopshoot.com) as part of the film's publicity, but has since become somewhat similar to Ain't It Cool News.
Controversy
The site has been criticised for practices some have deemed unethical, such as rewriting quoted material to make it seem as though it was addressed to the site. Rumours have also surfaced that some anonymous submissions were faked by the studios themselves, and that Knowles was writing favorable reviews for his friends in the industry, although this has been denied.
Harry Knowles himself has also been the subject of some controversy.
External links
- http://www.aintitcool.com/
- "A Question of Ethics" (http://www.corona.bc.ca/films/directorscut/000605.html). Editorial from another movie website Coming Attractions critical of Ain't It Cool News' policies.