Sleepless in Hollywood : tales from the new abnormal in the movie business / Lynda Obst

A veteran producer takes a witty look at the new Hollywood. Lynda Obst returns to dish on the experts, tastemakers, and moguls of today's Hollywood and the movies they make. She describes how the movie business has lost its MO -- and is now losing its talent to network and especially cable TV. With the collapse of the DVD market, the movie industry was crippled. The business reacted by producing tentpoles (mega-hits) or tadpoles (which nobody gets a chance to see). Why? Since the majority of their revenue comes from the foreign market, especially China and Russia, studios are no longer dependent on expensive stars or dialogue (i.e. writers). Special effects and 3D replace people. Obst speaks from the front lines. Her subjects are friends, moguls, former employers, mentors, and even relatives, who express their opinions with disarming bluntness and hilarity. Obst combines her experiences with insights from the smartest people in the business. In what Obst calls the New Abnormal (because Hollywood wasn't normal to begin with), studios are paralyzed. Can the movie business be resurrected? Can it once again make the movies that make us laugh, cry, and wish we could own the DVD? Obst is ready.