The Business

<p>This week, how Warner Brothers used interactive tricks to power a surprisingly strong opening weekend for<em> Where the Wild Things Are</em>. Plus television writer/producer <strong>Dan Harmon</strong> toiled in basic cable on Comedy Central and VH1.  Now, as creator of NBC's <em>Community</em> he tells us how the game is different on a big broadcast network. And, as always, the Hollywood news banter.</p>

<p>A new book argues that media moguls act like spoiled brats, squandering the shareholders' money on toys that they don't really need. Plus, how do you create a TV spin-off that's original but not too original? We ask the producer of the CBS shows NCIS and the brand new NCIS: Los Angeles.</p>

<p>This week, how the recession and major changes in the entertainment industry are impacting the lives of film and TV writers. Plus, Disney and Universal are the latest studios to shake up the executives suites and send a tremor through the industry.<br /><br /></p>

<p>A producer who was haunted by passing on the <em>Blair Witch Project</em> produces a low-budget horror film with big hopes of redemption.  Plus Irving Thalberg changed the studio system. Now his life is on display.<br /><br /></p>

<p>This week, fans came out in full force to a recent celebration of all things Disney. But major changes are afoot in the Magic Kingdom. Plus, was the Toronto Film Festival a bloodbath for indie filmmakers or just a shift in the life cycle of independent film?</p>

<p>Does winning an Emmy matter to you, to me, to the business?  And, the Television Academy puts TV legends on-line.  Plus after 72 years, <em>Guiding Light</em> gets snuffed.</p>

<p>The summer box office broke records, but was blockbuster season really all that? Plus, what does the Leno prime-time experiment mean for the TV business?</p>

<p>Disney buys Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion. Is it a super deal or super dud?  Plus, the division and drama continues in Hollywood's labor unions, and two top TV producers and their money-making program they call the "total engagement experience."</p> <p><strong>Programming note</strong>: This program will be not air on KCRW as it will be pre-empted by special Labor Day programming. It will be available as a podcast and on demand, and will be archived online.<br /><br /></p>

<p>The producers of the hit show <em>Ghost Whisperer</em> on making great TV…and a successful marriage.  Plus, we talk to the newly-elected president of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.<br /><br /></p>

<p>India's Reliance Big just made a major investment in Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks. Has another sucker landed on our shores, or has Hollywood finally met its match? And while India is coming to Hollywood, one Hollywood production went to India –  tales from Bombay with the producers of <em>Bollywood Hero</em>.<br /><br /></p>

<p>Documentaries used to be relegated to PBS and college classrooms, but these days, they're just as liable to come to theater near you.  We talk to <strong>Sheila Nevins</strong>, who's had a big part in growing of the nonfiction business as head of HBO Docs for the past three decades. Plus, we revisit our session with Hollywood therapist <strong>Dennis Palumbo</strong>.</p>

<p>This week, we look at the arcane, historical, fantastical and off-color jargon of the movie set.  Plus, when good executives recut bad films...inside the mind of a cinematic <em>scissorhands</em>. </p>

<p>This week, <em>The Business</em> goes to "The Con," the annual nerd-fest know as Comic-Con that’s become a major marketing stop for Hollywood.  Plus, a new documentary looks at Ozploitation...<br /><br /></p>

<p><em>Twilight</em> gave a faltering new movie studio an extreme makeover. We talk with <strong>Rob Friedman</strong>, the chief of Summit Entertainment.</p>

<p>From Michigan to New Mexico, the production tax incentives derby is on in a big, big way.  We talk to one of the producers of Clint Eastwood’s <em>Gran Torino</em>, which moved from Minnesota to Michigan because of incentives, and two state legislators on opposite sides of the incentives debate.<br /><br /></p>

<p>The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has inducted 134 new members. We talk to one of funniest, actress <strong>Jane Lynch</strong>. Plus, the Supreme Court has cleared the way for cable companies to record programs so you don't have to.  What does it all mean for the television business and TV viewers?</p>

<p>Paramount shuffles its top executives and Universal may be next. Sony cancels a high-profile project just before cameras roll and Fox balks at the budget of their new Denzel Washington thriller.  What the hell’s happening to the movie business?</p>

<p>In a surprise move, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that next year there will be ten Best Picture Oscar nominees, instead of five.  AMPAS President <strong>Sid Ganis</strong> explains why.  Kind of.  Plus, producers stand up and say, "I am somebody!" at their guild's new Produced By conference. We speak with motion picture and TV producer and guild president <strong>Marshall Herskovitz</strong>.</p>

<p>Even in the age of Obama, black writers in Hollywood find there's no such as thing as post-racial, and a new Writers' Guild report concurs.</p>

<p>The changing entertainment industry and tanking economy have combined to put people below the line under the gun. We talk about what’s making it so hard and how its affecting the people on the ground with a veteran gaffer, a cameraman and an agent for below-the-line people.<br /><br /></p>

<p>Hollywood's video game nerds come out of the closet with a hip new event for less game savvy show biz types. Plus, executives are often maligned for re-cutting films, but sometimes they save filmmakers from themselves. <br /><br /></p>

<p>Network TV scheduling turns into a brutal game of musical chairs. We talk to the creator of the NBC show <em>Medium</em>, which jumped to CBS at the last minute to grab a seat.</p>

<p>A shaky economy and falling viewership meant nervous networks at the upfronts. Also, many new shows will be in hi-def. That’s great for viewers, but what does it mean for the people who make TV?<br /><br /></p>

<p>Why have the studios decided to get back in the video game business? Plus, even the biggest producer in the business is playing games. A chat with <strong>Jerry Bruckheimer</strong> about his new video game company. </p>

<p>NBC rolls out its new season with the help of a new programming consultant -- the advertisers. We talk to network co-chair <strong>Marc Graboff</strong>. Plus, massive changes in the way the business does business is causing even more stress than usual in a stress-filled town. The therapist who has his finger on the pulse of Hollywood says it's definitely racing.</p>

<p>We look at selling Hollywood on the Hill with MPAA chief <strong>Dan Glickman</strong>. On April 21, the MPAA held its second "Business of Show Business" symposium in Washington, DC.  Plus, could bad news for big-budget studio films for adults be good news for cheaper indie fare?  We talk to <strong>Michael London</strong>, producer of <em>Milk, The Visitor</em> and <em>Sideways</em>.</p>

<p>A recent spate of films have scored underwhelming results at the box office. But is the death of big-budget studio movies for grown-ups greatly exaggerated? Plus, how do you rake in the biggest April opening in box office history?</p>

<p>This week, a new report bodes ill for TV’s 10 o’clock hour.  Plus, the author of a young adult novel is the last know her book is soon to be a major motion picture.</p>

<p>With 3-D movies seemingly raking in the dough, why are theaters so slow to upgrade? Plus, the hair-raising world of Hollywood fundraising and Hollywood power wives.</p>

<p>Does Jay Leno’s move to 10pm mean the death of broadcast television’s hour-long drama?  Plus, walking the red carpet at the Streamy Awards, the Oscars for web TV.</p>

<p>Did you love <em>Juno</em> or <em>Slumdog Millionaire</em>? Then you should be worried about independent film as money dries up and the studios are giving up on art house movies. We talk with a man at the center of it all – <strong>John Cooper</strong>, the newly appointed head of the Sundance Film Festival. Plus, indie film may be facing tough times, but film festivals haven't got the memo.<br /><br /></p>

<p>We talk to Fox reality czar Mike Darnell about changes to that American TV behemoth, <em>American Idol</em>.</p>

<p><strong>Kim Masters</strong> joins the show as host today. A scary question for the Chairman of the Walt Disney Studios: will DVD sales ever bounce back? Plus, the sweeps week dinosaur.  Why do they still exist?</p>

<p>The Los Angeles Times fights to be the newspaper of record in our “company town.” Plus, the epic battle over the <em>Star Wars</em>-fan movie <em>Fanboys</em>.</p>

<p>Assumptions may make an *%$@! out of you and me…but not during the Academy Awards.  We talk about how once again the safe bets paid off on Oscar night.  Plus, the SAG saga, Part Duh…will the actors ever have a contract?</p>

<p>We go inside the secret world of media mogul Rupert Murdoch,  “the man who owns the news”…and a lot of Hollywood.</p>

<p>This week, we talk about the Oscars' sci-tech awards and ask: Why do Hollywood's techo geeks have to sit at the kid's table? Plus, producer <strong>Dean Devlin</strong> uses technology to lead TV into the digital future. His new TNT show, <em>Leverage</em>, is 100% digital, from camera to finished product.</p>

<p>Getting famous isn't all its cracked up to be. Just ask <strong>Peter Jacobson</strong>, aka Dr. Chris Taub on the Fox hit, <em>House</em>. Plus, Sumner's discontent: who is the aging head of Viacom, and what does that mean for the future of his company?</p>

<p>This week, two smart but naive ad guys from Chicago make it in TV, despite themselves. We talk to the creators of the new TNT drama, <em>Trust Me</em>.</p>

<p>The networks have just finished their dog and pony show for the TV critics. We take a peek inside what's known as the TCA's. Plus, celebrity publicist <strong>Howard Bragman</strong> helps you find your 15 minutes.</p>

This week on <i>The Business,</i> a Hollywood lawyer predicts a rough road ahead for what used to be a recession-proof business. Plus, video games…go indie!

<p>The Hollywood Reporter's 17th annual "100 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood" list. What does is say about the progress of women in the business? How do power lists in general reveal Hollywood's insecurities?</p>

<p>2008 was a roller-coaster of a year for show business.  What’s in store for the industry in 2009?  It's the Hollywood year-to-be with <strong>Lauren Schuker</strong> of the Wall Street Journal and <strong>Scott Collins</strong> of the Los Angeles Times.</p>

<p>As Princess Leia, she was saved from the Empire by Luke, Han and Chewy.  As <strong>Carrie Fisher</strong>, she's had to rely on a higher power to save herself from drugs and alcohol. Plus, going to the big show, Showest.</p>

<p>We revisit our favorite feature stories of 2008: the woes of a video-game reviewer, going to the movies with babies, Hollywood's fascination with swag, and what it's like to be a lady in the testosterone fueled world of the paparazzi.</p>

<p>The ups, the downs, the all arounds of the business of show in 2008.  We talk with <strong>Lauren Schuker</strong> of the Wall Street Journal and <strong>Scott Collins</strong> of the Los Angeles Times.</p>

<p><strong>Laura Bickford</strong>, the producer of Steven Soderbergh's new epic <em>Che</em>, on themaking and marketing a four-hour movie in an age of multi-tasking and quick cutting. Plus, a female in the testosterone-fueled world of the Hollywood paparazzi?</p>

<p>You're in a play?  But I thought you said you were in show business?  We look at the weird relationship between Hollywood and LA's legit stage.  Plus, even though they're not actors, directors can get typecast, too.</p>

<p>With a full-fledged production facility, major investments in film, and two world class film festivals, the United Arab Emirates is the next country to role the dice on Hollywood.</p>

<p>We talk to director <strong>Danny Boyle</strong> about making his new film in India, a country that's on the move, but still sometimes on the make.  Plus, the bizarre bazaar that is the American Film Market.</p>