Yeah, It's Cool

Good piece in The Hollywood Reporter on Harry Knowles.  There have always been fanboys around, but he revolutionized the concept with Ain't It Cool News.  But lately, in addition to health problems that have plagued him for years, he's having financial worries.  Some of it is due to simple mismanagement, but some of it is due to the internet industry he helped spawn--his website isn't the only game in town any more.

The funny thing is though Harry's the Matt Drudge of the film world, he's actually pretty awful at everything.  He can't write worth a damn.  His taste is poor.  His "analysis" of almost anything is so solipsistic that it's rarely worth reading.  And when he ventures beyond the movies he loves, he evinces a huge ignorance of the world in general.  But I still admire him for creating and consolidating something that ran for years on his shear enthusiasm.

Of course, it helped that his website was soon peopled by friends and others who could write circles around him.  And it became the place to talk about one's favorite fanboy movies and TV shows, and, even with lower traffic, still is.  So here's to you Harry.  I hope you get past your current problems and keep Ain't It Cool alive.