The Business - podcast cover

The Business

Lively banter about entertainment industry news and in-depth interviews with directors, producers, writers and actors, hosted by award-winning journalist Kim Masters of The Hollywood Reporter.

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Episodes

Life Imitates Art; Residual Residuals?

It's a case of life imitating art imitating life! We talk with a filmmaker who had to convince U2 to OK his movie about a man trying to convince U2 to play a concert. Plus, are we seeing the last residuals of residuals?"

Aug 13, 200730 min

Fundraising in Hollywood; (Re)Visiting the Spin Doctor

We talk to former studio chief and super fundraiser Tom Sherak about getting the big shots to share their kibble in a dog-eat-dog industry. Plus, on the occasion of Lindsay Lohan's re-arrest, we re-visit celebrity spin-doctor Mike Sitrick .

Aug 06, 200730 min

Livin' on the Bubble

What does it mean for your TV show to be on the bubble? We speak with the producers of Scrubs and Jericho about coming back from the brink of extinction.

Jul 09, 200730 min

The Almost Guy

He wrote, directed, produced and starred in the 2004 indie comedy The Almost Guys , but given the rest of his experience in Hollywood, "the almost guy" is a label he's fighting to avoid.

Jul 02, 200730 min

Making the Great White Way Pay

We look at the wonderful world of the great white way through the lens of a new documentary called Show Business: The Road to Broadway .

Jun 11, 200730 min

You're Fired!; Show Biz Picks a President

After NBC fired its president, we ask another former programming chief about the upside of getting canned. Plus, would-be presidents come to Hollywood in search of dead presidents.

Jun 04, 200730 min

Rating the Changes at the MPAA

This week on The Business, will changes to the way movies are rated change what you see on the big screen? We'll talk to the head of the MPAA's rating board about what's new and why. And, what can different ratings mean for a movie's box office potential? Plus, a report from the Cannes Film Festival.

May 28, 200730 min

Scaring Audiences-All the Way to the Bank

Horror films are once again scaring up terrifying box office numbers! We check in with the director of the wildly successful Hostel movies, then cut to the producer of the Saw movies.

May 21, 200730 min

Canned Laughs, Fresh Ideas

Is that laughter coming from your television fresh or canned? We talk to Chuck Lorre , creator of some of the most popular sitcoms in TV history. Plus, USC students practice the art of the pitch--and we ain't talking about baseball.

Apr 23, 200730 min

The TV Set; Hollywood Girls Club

We use the funny new feature film, The TV Set , to show how real television pilots fight their way to the little screen. Plus, a conversation with the agent-turned-author of Hollywood Girls Club , the deliciously salacious and sometimes true novel about women and power in Hollywood.

Apr 16, 200730 min

The Winston Effect; Special Effects Legend Stan Winston

For the past 30 years, Stan Winston 's Studio has built some of the scariest and most memorable film effects by hand. But are digital effects rendering Winston's old-fashioned movie magic obsolete--or indispensable?

Apr 09, 200730 min

We Give Voiceover the Once-Over; Emmy's New 'Burstyn' Rule

The Television Academy changes its Emmy rules to make them more fair--and less embarrassing. Also, so you think you've got the pipes to make a bundle voicing TV commercials? You'll know for sure as we give voiceover the once-over.

Mar 26, 200730 min

Kid Actors and the Moms That Love Them

The Swifty Lazar of kid's agents shares horror stories of Mafia moms, Clearasil emergencies and casting for the role of the 'chubby kid.' Then, what it means when your kid wants to be a star. Finally, all scripts are not created equal, so why do they all look like?

Mar 19, 200730 min

Hedge Funds Come to Hollywood

A wave of Wall Street money washes into Hollywood, but will the investors be taken to the cleaners? Then, one man from the street puts up his personal money for a slice of an indie film. And, the writer speaks again!

Mar 12, 200730 min

On Location and At Risk

We go to Threat Level Red as we look at filming abroad in a time of terrorism and political unrest.

Mar 05, 200730 min

Ozzfest Becomes Freefest

What do you do when your venerable music festival is in trouble? You turn Ozzfest into Freefest!

Feb 19, 200730 min

Chris Moore Gets Optioned

How does Hollywood rank on the global trust barometer? Also, everyone -- in Hollywood -- hates novelist Chris Moore, and the seventh conversation in our series on the business of writing.

Feb 12, 200730 min
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