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The drop in demand for high end wines has been an opportunity for James Stewart of Stewart Cellars to sell a lot more of their affordable wines under the Slingshot label. Better wines are more available on the market due to the drop in price of grapes. The rising fortunes of Stewart Cellars' Slingshot label amidst this market are discussed.

As the entertainment industry explodes, a new generation takes on old Hollywood. By VERONICA CHAMBERS AND CORIE BROWN IN THE SPACE OF JUST A FEW hours, there were 40 messages [...]

It's January. Have you written your acceptance speech yet? NEWSWEEK'S David Ansen and Corie Brown ask some of Hollywood's hottest directors to vent about studios, statuettes and 'Titanic.' IT IS [...]

The article reports on several breweries in the U.S. including Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., New Glarus Brewing Co., and Avery Brewing Co. Topics discussed include advent of craft beer, Anchor Brewing Co., and Russian River Brewing Co. The article describes how all these above mentioned firms grew to become big beer giants.

'Titanic'--an epic romance--is the most costly movie of all time. The shoot was torture. Is director James Cameron a megalomaniac, a genius or both? IT'S UNFORTUNATE, BUT IT CAN'T BE [...]

A neurotic director. A grouchy star. A writer fired five times. How did 'Men in Black' become the summer's coolest breeze? A THOUSAND YEARS AGO EVERYBODY KNEW AS a fact [...]

Actor Michael Keaton was personally chosen by director Harold Ramis to star in the four-character comedy 'Multiplicity'. In the film, a mad scientist creates three clones for an overworked and overstressed individual.

Newly-appointed MCA President Ron Meyers was known for his public relations and organizational skills at CAA. Meyers aims to hire key people who have the ability to attract more creative and executive talents to his new company.

Bob Daly and Terry Semel transformed Warner Bros. from a studio that made only a few movies each year under Steve Ross in the 1970s into a $5-billion enterprise by 1995. Under Daly and Semel, the studio turned out blockbuster films such as 'Batman' and the 'Lethal Weapon' series.

'To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar,' is comedy about three female impersonators who want to outdo each other in fashion. The movie stars Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo.

The $170 million film 'Waterworld' is the costliest movie ever made in Hollywood. However, nobody expects Universal Studios to make a profit out of it. The motion picture debacle reportedly stemmed from actor Kevin Costner's insistence that his friend Kevin Reynolds direct the movie. The two had many disagreements and Reynolds later quit the project.

Producer Mario Kassar's excessive spending has caused financial troubles for his company Carolco Pictures Inc. Kassar, who has ventured into music, TV and video businesses with the earnings of hit movies such as 'Rambo' and 'Basic Instinct,' has mortgaged the company to produce the film 'Cutthroat Island.'

Jeffrey Katzenberg was relieved as chief of Walt Disney Studios following the untimely death of former Walt Disney Co. president and COO Frank Wells. While industry observers view Katzenberg's departure as a result of personal rivalry between him and Disney CEO Michael Eisner, Eisner claims that he simply believed Katzenberg could not succeed at the job of being Frank Wells.

Lawyer Howard L. Weitzman enjoyed a friendship with football player O.J. Simpson that dates back to 1968, when both were starting in their respective fields. Yet Weitzman resigned from Simpson's defense team when the athlete was accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend. Many suspect that he did so to avoid damaging his reputation.

The Cannes Film Festival is an event where actors, filmmakers and celebrities present their movies and enter into agreements. The 1994 festival featured the films 'Pulp Fiction' and 'Death and the Maiden' among others.

Walt Disney Studios employs more female top executives than any other movie studio. This may be attributed to the present management of Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures. Although women manage several departments, however, they still don't have the power to green-light a film.

The Hollywood, CA, firm of Rogers and Cowan, has represented such actors as Gene Kelly and Kirk Douglas and it continues to list a prime public relations clientele. Although internal problems beset the company, executives are trying to restore its former glory.

The article presents a profile of philanthropist Lauren Bush Lauren, the founder of consumer goods company FEED Projects and nonprofit FEED Foundation. Topics discussed include Bush Lauren's and FEED's work in fighting world hunger, company partnerships including those with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) humanitarian aid group and Whole Foods Market supermarket chain, and the company's marketing and strategic focus on Millennial customers.

This article presents information on Viacom's $37 billion acquisition of CBS. Relevant points include CBS chief Mel Karmazin's resulting move to the No. 2 position at Viacom, under Sumner Redstone.

Universal Studios will open its $2.7 bil Islands of Adventure park in May, 1999 in Orlando, FL, in an attempt to attract older kids and to compete with the nearby Disney World. The new park is made up of 5 themed areas, including Jurassic Park, and has a 22,000-space parking lot.

As DreamWorks finally releases its first movie, the partners are still learning to work together ON FRIDAY, THE MOVING-PICTURE version of the DreamWorks logo will flicker in theaters for the [...]

This summer, studios bring out their blockbusters and engage in the most macho round of one-upmanship ever. With $1.5 billion in budgets at stake, everybody's asking ... IT CAME TO [...]

Michael Ovitz was Hollywood's most high-voltage dealmaker. Then he went to Disney ... and short-circuited. Here's the inside story. LAST THURSDAY DOZENS OF MOVIE and TV agents mingled for an [...]

UTA has had internal problems since its inception in 1991. Born of a merger between two talent agencies, UTA has successfully operated as a small Hollywood, CA, talent management firm. However, internal power struggles have prompted it to retain the services of corporate consultant Doug Kruschke.

The Dallas Motion Picture Classification Board, despite its strict standards, was abolished in Aug 1993 primarily because of continuing controversy over its source of funding. The board was a government entity financed by taxes.

Kansas billionaire Bill Koch won the 1992 America's Cup with his high-tech, $69-million yacht America. Koch also became interested in acquiring MGM but poor and inadequate advice from International Creative Management Jeff Berg and publicist Michael Sitrick caused the rejection of Koch's bid.

Focuses on the motion picture `The Blair Witch Project.' Premise of the horror film; Creation details, including the use of handheld cameras and a small budget; Dislike of the motion picture at the Sundance Film Festival; Popularity and success of the film in theaters; Reasons, including Internet promotion; Comments from creators Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez and others. INSET: In Search of the Blair Witch.

Profiles actress Nicole Kidman. Her role in David Hare's erotic play, `The Blue Room'; Her life with husband and actor Tom Cruise; Biographical information; Career highlights. INSETS: Self-Portrait of a Lady;The Roles of Nicole.

Speculates on how Americans will be entertained in the 21st century. The transition from Hollywood to Las Vegas as far as the embodiment of entertainment; The interpretation of fun with the rest of life; The need to estheticize the pain of middle-class life. INSETS: Log me on to the ball game.;After the millennium...

Looks at the generational power shift in Hollywood, as of spring 1998. The young people who are in executive positions in the United States film and entertainment industries; Impact of Sony Pictures' president Chris Lee's demographic report; Identification of important young people in show business, including Juliette Hohnen of TNT's `Rough Cut,' director Richard Sears, MTV Films story editor Tajamika Paxton, and Mike Horowitz of the Sundance Channel. INSET: To live and dine in L.A..

Looks at the popularity of the motion picture, `Titanic,' directed by James Cameron. The universal identification with love and tragedy; The film breaking all the rules in the Hollywood film industry, including getting Oscar nominations; The projected profits and repeat audience percentage; Why it appeals to modern audiences; Cameron's sacrifice. INSETS: Can't keep a good ship down;A woman's liberation, by Karen Schoemer.

The article reports that computer makers have added the image processing capability to computer models. Image processing is a method that allows pictures, graphs, illustrations and other images to be captured, stored, changed, merged, sent, received and displayed. According to computer developers, this capability will cut the time used in perusing paper documents and will lower industrial costs.

The article presents a discussion about dynasties and nepotism in American business. The new nepotism is considered to be flowing from Americans' exhaustion with the code of greed that has undermined the bonds of corporate loyalty. Some of the dynasties in the American business include chief executive Curtis L. Carlson of Carlson Cos. transferring his post to his son-in-law. INSET: WHERE BUSINESS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR.

You get home at 7, eager to slouch on your couch and watch the latest episode of 'ER.' Then you scroll through 1,000 movie titles to find the one you [...]

Every Saturday afternoon, the fledgling contemporary-art dealers at 6150 Wilshire Boulevard--just west of the L.A. County Museum of Art on the old 'Miracle Mile'--gather in the courtyard outside their cluster [...]

Looking back, Jay Moloney's meteoric track through Hollywood can be described as a shining arc that began in June 1983, when he got a summer job at Creative Artists Agency, [...]

Some people like to tan by the pool. In March of last year, Michael De Luca showed up at the William Morris Agency's Oscar party at a home in Pacific [...]

The minute you meet Tyler Durden, you know he's trouble. Early in David Fincher's upcoming film 'Fight Club,' Jack (Edward Norton) sits next to Tyler (Brad Pitt) on a plane. [...]

For three months it was the best show in town. Who could resist the spectacle of Jeffrey Katzenberg mud-wrestling in court with his former boss, Michael Eisner? Last week Katzenberg [...]

Barry Sonnenfeld and Will Smith are huddled watching the final 15 minutes of 'Wild Wild West.' Unnerved by early test screenings, Warner Brothers had turned skittish about its $100 million-plus [...]

Among the first people to read the top-secret manuscript of Thomas Harris's new novel, 'Hannibal,' were four of the 1992 Oscar winners for 'The Silence of the Lambs': director Jonathan [...]