A copy of the hit movie "Something's Gotta Give" that was sent to an Oscar voter has turned up on the Internet, prompting an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences investigation and signaling a fresh setback in Hollywood's battle against movie piracy.
The academy said Monday that it learned last week about the unauthorized online appearance of the Diane Keaton-Jack Nicholson romantic comedy.
A person familiar with the academy's probe said the offending videocassette had been sent to Carmine Caridi, a veteran film and television actor who appeared in "The Godfather: Part II" and played Det. Vince Gotelli on the television series "NYPD Blue."
The copy available on the Internet carried markings -- some clearly visible, others hidden -- that identified it as having been from the videocassette sent to Caridi, the person said.
Any number of movies eligible for Oscar nominations can be found on Internet downloading sites. But the academy said "Something's Gotta Give" marked the first time a so-called screener sent to an Oscar voter had been made available for illegal copying.
The academy's inquiry -- part of a newly instituted get-tough policy -- could end with the expulsion of any member found to be involved.
Caridi, 69, couldn't be reached for comment.
There has been an industrywide attempt to stop the spread of awards-season videocassettes and DVDs to movie pirates. A recent campaign to limit awards-season screeners was sparked by concerns that piracy was costing the film business more than $3 billion annually. The seven major studios agreed Sept. 30 to ban sending out such free movie copies to all awards voters.
However, under harsh criticism from filmmakers, producers and studio-owned specialty film divisions, the studios amended their plan Oct. 23 and permitted the shipment of encoded videocassettes to Academy Award voters only. Oscar voters were obligated to promise in writing that they would safeguard the tapes.
On Dec. 5, a federal judge overturned the ban, and the studios and their specialized film units immediately started manufacturing and shipping a variety of screeners to thousands of other awards voters.
The academy said Monday that it was alerted to the "Something's Gotta Give" problem early last week by Sony Pictures Entertainment, whose Columbia Pictures produced and distributed the movie.
Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis declined to say which Oscar voter was being investigated.
