The Business

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has inducted 134 new members. We talk to one of funniest, actress Jane Lynch. 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?

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?

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 Sid Ganis 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 Marshall Herskovitz.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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 Jerry Bruckheimer about his new video game company. 

NBC rolls out its new season with the help of a new programming consultant -- the advertisers. We talk to network co-chair Marc Graboff. 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.