"Epstein believes that conspiracies are more common than most journalists credit; for much of his career, he has reveled in the kind of tantalizing clues that could lead somewhere, or nowhere." -Joe Nocera, The New York Times "Epstein is a bulldog researcher." -Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post "A brilliant investigator." - Lou Dobbs PRAISE FOR THE HOLLYWOOD ECONOMIST "[A] terrific job. There's fun to be had in knowing specifics, and Epstein offers plenty." - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "The mysteries of modern-day film financing … the seamy underbelly of Hollywood spreadsheets." -THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PRAISE FOR EDWARD JAY EPSTEIN'S THE BIG PICTURE "A rich adventure that will change the way you look at movies." -BUSINESSWEEK "Edward Jay Epstein is here to tell us that when it comes to Hollywood these days, we've got it all wrong.

" -THE WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD "One of the virtues of The Big Picture is Mr. Epstein's astonishing access to numbers that movie studios go to great lengths to keep secret . A groundbreaking work that explains the inner workings of the game." -THE WALL STREET JOURNAL "Hollywood has needed one of these for a long time-a user's manual. This one could not be more complete.[Grade] A." -ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY "In his adroit charting of the confidence flow between the various entities and eras Mr. Epstein kicks up a lot of little surprises.

Edward Jay Epstein is quite good." -LARRY McMURTRY, THE NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS ". [A] valuable education for those seeking to enter and under- stand the entertainment industry. Factually impressive." -JOEL HIRSCHHORN, VARIETY "Epstein peels away the Hollywood facade and gives a nuts-and- bolts view of how the six entertainment empires-Viacom, Fox, NBC/Universal, Time Warner, Sony, and Disney-create and distribute intellectual property today. [He] presents a fascinating look at the unbelievable efforts that must be coordinated to produce a film." -BOOKLIST "In vivid detail, he describes the current process of how a film is made, from the initial pitch to last-minute digital editing. There's a refreshing absence of moral grandstanding in Epstein's work.

With no apparent ax to grind, he simply and comprehensively presents the industry as it is: the nuts and bolts, the perks and pitfalls and the staggering fortunes that some in the business walk away with. This is the new indispensable text for anyone interested in how Hollywood works." -PUBLISHERS WEEKLY "[A] meticulously reported new book." -THE BALTIMORE SUN "What one learns from these investigations is that the deepest, darkest secrets in Tinseltown have nothing to do with sex, drugs, blasphemy, or politics, and everything to do with money." -THE WEEKLY STANDARD "Edward Jay Epstein blew the lid off Hollywood's dirty little open secret." -THE WASHINGTON TIMES "Compelling. [Epstein] demystifies the contemporary process of film-making in the digital age." -THE PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE From the Hardcover edition.