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Ticket scalping: markets vs. mark-ups

Jun 1, 2007
In New York, the shady practice of scalping tickets may get a little sunshine. The governor is poised to make the practice legal, after a fashion. But is it fair to let the market decide a price?

Endless summer spinoffs

Jun 1, 2007
Ready for Shrek 4? This year's crop of sequels are money-making machines, and that's got the attention of studio bosses eager to make shareholders happy. But the Daily Variety's Mike Speier says that's not always a bad thing.

NBC tries to catch up to new media realities

May 30, 2007
A 36-year-old wunderkind is being elevated to co-chair at NBC, charged with figuring out how to lift the Peacock Channel out of fourth place. The internet and "long tail" marketing may be key. Alisa Roth reports.

Some media just sing louder

May 28, 2007
CD sales are at another record low, but Aaron Pressman of BusinessWeek magazine says it may just be because our attention is elsewhere. He discusses the music industry with Bob Moon.

Star Wars sequel: The 30th anniversary

May 25, 2007
Thirty years after a galaxy far, far away transformed the summer blockbuster and prompted sales of $14 billion in merchandise, its fans are celebrating at a convention in L.A. Jeff Tyler checked it out.

Mash on over to StarWars.com

May 25, 2007
Lucas Films couldn't help but notice that people are creating all sorts of unauthorized Star Wars mash-ups on YouTube. So they're releasing hundreds of video clips on their own site, hoping to draw all those eyes over to their advertisers. Jeremy Hobson reports.

Declare war on TV

May 18, 2007
Former M_A_S*H star Mike Farrell says it's time for television to end its barrage of unreal "reality" shows and provide programming with some very real material.

For public good, not for profit.

Digital age puts the numbers upfront

May 18, 2007
We're still watching plenty of TV, but one of the big stories coming out of this year's upfronts is how to count all those Internet downloads when it comes to ratings and ad dollars says Variety's Mike Speier.

'Upfronts' showcase TV's changes, dilemmas

May 17, 2007
The upfronts, where TV execs go before advertisers to pitch their new line-ups, keep getting bigger and more important. TV critic Aaron Barnhart talks with Kai Ryssdal about the changes he's seeing.

Harrah's considers Biloxi a good gamble

May 15, 2007
Casino giant Harrah's announced it will team up with Jimmy Buffett on a $700 million casino and resort in Biloxi, Miss. It'll be the biggest investment in the state's Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina. Steve Tripoli reports.