Hot Wires

FANFAIR

UNDERGROUND IN CYBERSPACE

hree industries need not fear the coming evaporation of Internet venture capital: stock trading, sex, and gossip. While stocks prosper from the Web’s efficiency, and sex from its anonymity, gossip—particularly movie gossip—thrives on both. On the heels of Harry Knowles, the obscure Austin-based Web master turned Hollywood phenomenon (fresh from negotiations for his /• own TV show), whose aintitcoolnews.com changed the way the entertainment industry does business, comes a new generation of sites fed by tips from production assistants, extras, and office snoops. Darkhorizons.com, an edgy Australian site, remains relatively obscure (no TV deals yet), but founder Garth Franklin is fast becoming an Internet darling. Popcorn.co.uk, a British site heavy on schedules and studio publicity (more like the standards imdb.com or upcomingmovies.com), offers several juicy morsels in its “Grapevine” section. The Holy Grail for Star Wars fans, called— surprise theforce.net, specializes in all things intergalactic, including prequel production gossip. And the veterans at corona.be.ca/films/ have just put up interactive message boards, hosting heated debates on the ■ casting of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone and the costume choices for Spider-Man. Which brings us to the other enterprise that will live forever on the Internet: geekdom.

ANNE FULENWIDER