Entertainment

An Academy Award nomination is as much of a boost to the bottom line as it is the ego — maybe more. Daily Variety managing editor Michael Speier tells us how.

Citigroup has ousted exec Todd Thomson over his relationship with CNBC's Maria Bartiromo, but yesterday the network stood behind its star anchor, saying the assignment in question was legitimate.

Illinois is trying to sell its lottery to private investors. Critics say the state is gambling with its future. Amy Scott reports.

An incident on Britain's Celebrity Big Brother reality show has caused a wave of political and economic repercussions stretching all the way to India. Stephen Beard has details.

A new cooking trend called "molecular gastronomy" may sound unappetizing, but it's given rise to some of the world's top restaurants. Jerome Socolovsky gives us a taste from the Madrid Fusion Food Summit.

Electronic games have gotten so serious that the best players are actually getting paid to compete. Business-of-sports analyst Ed Derse talks with Kai Ryssdal about the new professionals.

Actors, directors, marketers and sales people are converging on the Sundance Film Festival — along with thousands of others. Film festival consultant Mitch Levine talks about the event with Kai Ryssdal.

No need to wait for the mail to get the next DVD on your queue. Netflix will soon begin offering film downloads online — but there are limits to the new service. Nancy Marshall Genzer has details.

The nation's cable-TV operators are scrambling to meet new rules aimed at creating competition in the market for set-top decoder boxes. Sarah Gardner reports.

The Golden Globe Awards show will put the winning films back in the spotlight tonight, but will more movie ticket sales come with those shiny statuettes? Lisa Napoli reports.