In this unprecedented, all-encompassing, and thoroughly entertaining account of the movie business, acclaimed writer Edward Jay Epstein reveals the real magic behind moviemaking: how the studios make their money. Epstein shows that in Hollywood, the only art that matters is the art of the deal: Major films turn huge profits not from the movies themselves but through myriad other enterprises, from video-game spin-offs and soundtracks to fast-food tie-ins, and even theme-park rides. The studios may compete for stars and Oscars, but their corporate parents view wth one another in less glamorous markets such as cable, home video, and pay-TV. Money, though, is only a small part of the Hollywood story; the social and political milieus–power, prestige, and status–tell the rest. Alongside its remarkable financial revelations and incisive profiles of the pioneers who helped build Hollywood, The Big Picture is filled with eye-opening insider stories. If you are interested in Hollywood today and the complex and fascinating way it has evolved in order to survive, you haven’ t seen the big picture until you’ve read The Big Picture .

Explores the growing demand for school choice among poor families in the inner city. Stern describes the dramatic successes and occasional failures of this 'new civil rights movement' in three key cities: Milwaukee, Cleveland, and New York. Filled with timely insights and human drama, Breaking Free vividly describes how cash-starved Catholic schools in the South Bronx are performing small educational miracles every day with children the public schools have given up on. large numbers of poor minority children from violent, chaotic and failing public schools and allowed them to attend parochial and private schools where high expectations often result in high achievement. Drawing on personal observation and intimate conversations with parents, students and educators, Breaking Free is the first book to transform school choice from an abstract policy issue into a question of basic personal freedom, and indeed, for minority children at the bottom of the social ladder, into a question of survival. Equal access to the American dream through quality education is, Sol Stern convinces us, the unfinished business before us.

A shocking appraisal that shows how Wall Street is intrinsically corrupt—and what individual investors can do to protect themselves For several years high-profile corporate wrongdoers have been vilified by the media. Yet the problem, according to Gary Weiss, is not just a few isolated instances of malfeasance. The problem is in the very fabric of Wall Street and its practices that enable and even encourage corruption—practices that are so pervasive and so difficult to combat that they are in effect perfect crimes, with the small investor left holding the bag. In this blistering report from the front, Weiss describes how the ethos of Mafia chophouses, boiler rooms, and penny stock peddlers now permeates all of Wall Street. Protected from investor lawsuits by laughably corrupt arbitration systems, Wall Street firms are free to fleece unsuspecting clients with little or no risk. But as this empowering book shows, ordinary investors can fight back and come out on top—if they learn to recognize warning signs, filter media chatter, and spot looming corporate meltdowns in advance. Prepare to be surprised, get angry, and then get even. Wall Street Versus America is a wild ride you can’t afford to miss.

If you're ready for some fresh, new, money-saving ideas for your small business, and hard-hitting financial advice that actually works, then this book might be for you.It's called 'Business Economizer: How To Generate Big Money-Saving Ideas For Your Small Business', and it's all about how to knuckle down, economize, and save more money in your business without making sacrifices or the typical boneheaded mistakes (i.e. cheapskate errors) that would otherwise ruin your long-term financial security and independence. It includes more than 101 fresh and practical ways to save money in your business right now. But instead of just telling you specific strategies and tactics that you mindlessly follow and implement, this book also teaches you how to generate your own money-saving strategies and integrate them into your own business and life-something money gurus hope you'll never learn.Business Economizer will teach you:? How to have "creativity on demand", and invent your own money-saving ideas, by hacking your brain and boosting your creative intelligence;? How to make good financial decisions every single time with a simple, clear, 5-step process - get good at this, and you might not ever need a financial advisor ever again;? How to get like-new equipment and goods for your business on the cheap (and sometimes, for free);And so much more...