The Business

Joan Rivers may be best known for her off-color humor, working the red carpet, and her love of plastic surgery.  But in the new documentary, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, filmmakers Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern reveal a woman who is an amazingly resilient industry pro, so committed to work that she won't let up even at the age of 77.

If a TV show isn't getting good ratings it goes "on the bubble."  So how do the writers cope with the threat of cancellation hanging over their heads, and what happens when the bubble pops? We talk with two TV producers Liz Heldens and Scott Rosenbaum, who know life on the bubble all too well. 

A movie financier on the hunt for money finds an unlikely backer in Saadi Qaddafi, son of notorious Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. Plus, we sit down with actor Michael Sheen. 

The Cannes Film Festival is full of big stars, yachts and artsy movies. But behind the scenes, at the Cannes film market, hundreds of independent producers look for money from foreign buyers to make their next movies. Jonathan Wolf, managing director of the American Film Market (AFM) gives us a report on what’s for sale and who’s buying at Cannes. Plus, the broadcast TV networks had their high stakes sales event last week--unveiling their fall shows for advertisers at the upfronts. Kim Masters was there. She and James Hibberd of The Hollywood Reporter talk about the presentations and what we’ll all be watching in the fall.

“Troll 2” Was An Infamous Turkey Of A Film That Haunted It's Child star Until It Became A Cult Phenomenon. Now He's Made A Documentary About The Weird Demise And Rise Of A Really Bad Movie It's Called "best Worst Movie." Plus George Romero -The Grandaddy Of The Zombie Film, Talks About His New Movie,"survival Of The Dead" And His Life In Development Hell.

Comedy Central Recently Censored An Episode Of "South Park" Over Threats Aimed At The Show's Creators On A Radical Muslim Website. We Ask The Questions: Was Comedy Central Right? How Should Hollywood Studios Weigh Creative Freedom Against Potential Security Risks? Plus One Hollywood Writer Stands Up To The Note "it's Not Edgy Enough!"

Hollywood’s hostile work environment goes under the microscope. When a former Desperate Housewives actress filed a lawsuit against the creator of the show for abuse, gender discrimination and wrongful termination, we began to wonder what you have to put up with if you want to work in Hollywood.

Fox TV chief Kevin Reilly tells it like it is about the high-stakes game that is pilot season: the chemistry of casting, going with your gut and the sweaty palms you get when trying to sell new shows to advertisers.

Battlefield Earth recently won the Razzie for being the "worst picture of the decade."  The two credited screenwriters on that film -- J.D. Shapiro and Corey Mandell — say, "Don't blame us!"  We find out how their careers survived writing one of the most notorious movies ever. 

Three-D movies are all the craze, but is all 3-D movie-making created equal? Do movie-goers care? We talk to the producer of two of the biggest 3-D movies this year and a man who's training cameramen on the latest technology.

Producer David Bergstein seems to have pulled the financial wool over Hollywood's eyes. We get answers to the question "how does this keep happening?" with prolific producer Art Linson. He worked with the last David Bergstein, bigger-than-life financier Elie Samaha.

Netflix, Redbox, Hulu, iTunes…they're all competing to win the digital horse race.  And, we go on a tour of the video store, that old gray mare they're helping to put out to pasture. Plus, producer John Wells goes to Washington to protest the NBC-Comcast merger. Matt Holzman guest hosts.

It's a gamble every time you buy a movie ticket. But a new financial market will make it possible to actually bet on the box office. Plus, making movie music with Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino.

This week, the Academy Awards…and the thankless job of producing the Oscar telecast. We talk to the co-producer of this year's show, film producer and former Fox Chairman Bill Mechanic.

It's tough to get distribution for indie movies these days. But just what is distribution, and what can you do if you have a great little movie without it?

It's a big awards weekend in Hollywood. We hear what it's like for a movie executive whose company has three of the five films in Oscar’s Foreign Language category and he still doesn't feel like a front-runner. But before the Academy Awards on Sunday, folks in the indie world are heading to their annual awards bash on Friday.  We hear from indie film panelist John Waters and others about how they're going to roll at the Spirit Awards.

Peter Pan's not just a fairy tale character. He could be the mascot of an industry obsessed by youth. This week, we talk to two TV writers involved in an age discrimination suit against the studios.

A hefty new book conceived by director George Lucas examines the DNA of 300 American blockbusters. We examine how the book was made and what we can learn from it. Plus, how far will you go to become a successful screenwriter? The Hurt Locker's Mark Boal went to Iraq.

New music from pop star Ben Folds, popular novelist Nick Hornby and William Shatner.  Plus, we check out those star maps that point out houses of the rich and famous. And what can we learn about today's shrinking A-list from a book about one of yesterday's biggest stars?

We go behind the scenes and into the control room of American Idol.