Ain't It Cool News

Infobox Website
name = Ain't It Cool News
logo =


caption = Ain't It Cool News Home Page
alexa = #4966
url = http://www.aintitcool.com
type = Film review
language = English
owner = Harry Knowles
author = Harry Knowles
launch date = 1996
current status = Active
revenue = unknown

Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is a website founded and run by Harry Knowles dedicated to rumors and reviews of upcoming and currently playing films and television projects, with an emphasis on science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic-book and action genres. It combines gossip from anonymous and unverified sources as well as news and reviews.

History

Aint It Cool News was launched in 1996, and its name is attributed to a quote from John Travolta's character in the film "Broken Arrow". Knowles began surfing the Internet while recovering from a debilitating accident in 1994. He spent a lot of time in newsgroups exchanging gossip and rumors about upcoming films, eventually creating his own Web site as part of his Internet hobby. A principal offering was Knowles's colorful movie reviews, but the primary distinction from other sites was the (ostensible) insider news articles. Production Assistants, people in the industry, secretaries and other behind-the-scenes folk would submit news such as casting decisions, scripts and release dates, though Knowles himself has admitted that in the beginning, some of the articles from these alleged "spies" were his own work generated from scouring the newsgroups. Over the next few years the site expanded by adding associate contributors, most of whom would go by pseudonyms. A television section (dubbed 'coaxial') was added. Practically from the start, it was supported by banner advertising. In 1998 the site was updated from the home-made style that Knowles had initially envisioned to an organized professional look.

The website garnered national attention in 1997 with the release of "Batman and Robin". Knowles posted several negative reviews from preview screenings. When the film performed poorly at the box office, studio executives complained that it had been sabotaged by the leaks to the Internet. However, negative reviews from other, more traditional media confirmed what Knowles had posted. From there, the site's popularity rapidly expanded. National magazines such as "People" and "Newsweek" called for interviews with Knowles.

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 as part of the film's publicity, and existed as a similar site for some time. However, after the release of nowrap|"Clerks II", the site was been shut down. A site has since been put back up at that same URL, now run by QuickStop Entertainment, a company probably best known for running the semi-official site for the TV series "Scrubs".

Occasionally, filmmakers such as Matthew Vaughn, Michael J Bassett, Patrick Read Johnson or Anghus Houvouras stop in to chat with the geeks in the site's chat room. Andy Milonakis also popped in regularly for a while, prior to the debut of his MTV show. Bruce Willis also posted on the website briefly to promote his film "Live Free or Die Hard".

Further reading

*cite news | first=David | last=Futrelle | title=Web of gossip: The Internet is creating its own stars in the realm of dishing dirt | work=Chicago Tribune | publisher=Tribune Company | date=1998-04-15
*cite news | first=Allan | last=Hoffman | title=Sites turn you into a Hollywood insider | work=The Star-Ledger | publisher=Advance Publications | date=1999-06-14
*cite news | first=Peter | last=Howell | title=Ain't it crass news | work=Toronto Star | publisher=Torstar | date=2003-10-19

External links

* [http://www.aintitcool.com/ Official Homepage]
* [http://www.aintitcool.com/press/html/volkskrant.html An early review of the site]