Let it never be said that Austin film maven Harry Knowles, creator of the wildly popular Internet film site Ain’t It Cool News (http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com), leads a dull life. Apart from his recent cruise into international waters with a group of like-minded film fans and critics (including pal Roger Ebert, with whom Knowles has shared several guest-host spots on that critic’s Roger Ebert & the Movies syndicated television program), Knowles found himself in much hotter water when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences took umbrage at what appeared to be a purloined list of potential Oscar nominees that appeared on the Ain’t It Cool News site. The list, containing eight nominees from each category, appeared Monday, February 14, scant hours before the real nominees were to be announced by the Academy. After much confusion, it was revealed that Knowles’ source had cribbed the offending list from the personal computer of a researcher who was preparing a probable candidates’ list for the ABC.com Web site. The list was apparently speculative in nature. Knowles had checked with one of his Internet techies in advance of posting the information on his site and was told that the Internet provider address was indeed that of the Academy, an error which later resulted in a storm of negative publicity when the story was picked up by Reuters, UPI, and other wire services. Knowles has since offered a public apology for the error, and while there was talk of possible legal action from the Academy (spokesman John Pavlik was quoted in wire stories as saying that “if, in fact … laws were broken, we will take action”), it appears that ruffled feathers and a renewed sense of vigilance on the Academy’s part are the only fallout from the incident. “I”ve spoken with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,” says Knowles, “and the only thing that they were worried about was any damage to their credibility that may have happened. As for illegalities, I’ve explained to them that I never even went to their site so there’s no one in any real trouble here.” Knowles notes that the real weirdness began when the press jumped on the story and began slinging unsubstantiated rumors, such as the one accusing him of covertly “hacking” into the Academy site. At one point even Ebert got into the act, chastising Knowles for usurping the Academy’s moment of glory, though that, too, appears to have been resolved. All this just goes to show the fragile nature of immediate online reportage and, perversely, just how powerful Knowles has become in an industry in which the importance of behind-the-scenes information often eclipses the films themselves… The Austin Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival has issued a call for volunteers for aGLIFF 2000. They need everyone from programmers and writers to projectionists and data-entry drones. If you’ve got the time, they’ve got the beer, or at the very least some work you can do. Give ’em a call at 302-9889 or check their Web site at http://www.agliff.org/volu000.htm… SXSW 2000 is looking for volunteers to house visiting filmmakers and out-of-town volunteers during the festival. If you have a place in your heart, hearth, or toolshed for an aspiring filmmaker, e-mail Cathy Ross at sonic5@well.com… Finally, SXSW 2000 Film Festival passes are now on sale at the ridiculously reasonable price of $55 a pop and are available only at Waterloo Records (Sixth St. and Lamar). The price includes tax and charge; there’s a $2 fee for check or charge. Tickets are sold on a walk-up basis and there’s a maximum of four per person.
Send film and multimedia news to: shortcuts@auschron.com or “Short Cuts,” PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in February 25 • 2000.