The Business

The documentary The Tillman Story was given a controversial R rating for language by the Motion Picture Association of America. We talk with filmmaker Amir Bar Lev about his failed effort to challenge that rating in an appeal. Then we hear from Joan Graves , head of the MPAA's rating's board, about their reasoning on this and other questionable ratings.

Veteran television producer Winnie Holzman and Savannah Dooley go from being mother and daughter to writing partners. They run the ABC Family dramedy Huge , which is set in a weight-loss camp for teens.  While Holzman is an old hand at TV this is the first project by 25-year-old Dooley. Because of her inexperience the network paired her with her mom. Matt Holzman, Executive Producer of The Bu...

Behind every filmmaker stands an assistant. The former assistant to Phillip Noyce, director of Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger , read scripts for four years until finally finding his latest project, Salt .  Bea Sequeira talks about being a script reader and working in the shadows as an assistant.  Then Warner Bros' Michael Tritter gives us the back story on the stealth marketi...

In 1976 Star Wars was the first movie presented at Comic-Con. Now the four-day event, with about 125,000 attendees, is a huge marketing bonanza -- not just for comic-book movies, sci-fi, fantasy, horror and animation but practically any movie or TV show loosely connected to this fan base. We hear what the people at this year's Comic-Con think about Hollywood and speak with long-time studio "genre...

Producer Dean Zanuck , goes out on his own, independent of his Oscar-winning producer father and of studio financing to make his new indie movie, Get Low .  He talks about being the third-generation in the family business of show business and of living up to his grandfather and father's legacy. Then filmmaker Robert Bella 's efforts to bring his movie , Colin Fitz Lives , back from oblivion.....

This week on The Business , it's Reality-palooza! Three producers of big unscripted hits -- Intervention , Top Chef and The Hills -- talk about the reality of reality television. They reveal the keys to casting, the dilemma of who really "writes" these shows, what soft-scripted mean and how important authenticity really is in reality TV.

Rona Barrett , who brought Hollywood gossip and entertainment industry news to TV, discusses show business -- then and now.  Then, with all this bad star behavior out there -- from Mel Gibson to Roman Polanski to Charlie Sheen -- we ask Dean Valentine , former head of UPN and Walt Disney Television, where Hollywood draws the line in a business that's all about the bottom line.

We look at the decision in the Celador versus Disney case. What was at issue? How will the decision awarding Celador a $270 million payout affect business in Hollywood? Then, Lance Daly directed a couple of 11-year-olds with no acting experience in his new movie Kisses . The Irish filmmaker wanted kids who were gritty and tough, but the very reason they're so affecting in the film made them a chal...

Twilight screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg talks about being a brand in Hollywood, and we look at how those with even tenuous links to the series earn fame and fortune. Also, Australian Mark Lewis , known for his humorous indie films on going 3-D with Cane Toads: The Conquest otherwise known as Ava-Toad .  

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 sta...

“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.