The Business

As the HBO series Entourage begins its seventh season, we find out what goes on inside a real-life entourage with Jerry Schilling, a member of Elvis Presley's famed "Memphis Mafia." Like the fictional entourage, Elvis' inner circle of homeboys lived with "The King" and accompanied him everywhere as he negotiated life in the entertainment business.

What happens when indie filmmakers accustomed to shooting on a micro-budget with unknown actors and DV cameras get to work with stars and millions of studio dollars to spend?  Brothers Jay and Mark Duplass talk about hiding from their own crew, negotiating with Fox Searchlight execs and staying true to their Mumblecore ethos while making Cyrus.

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.