From KCRW in Santa Monica and KCRW.com, I'm Kim Masters, and this is The Business.

Coming up live in five, four, three, two, one.

This week on the business, we get a rare look behind the scenes and go into the control room of American Idol.

But first, it's the Hollywood News banter.

Stay close. It's the business from KCRW.

I'm joined in the studio by John Horn of the Los Angeles Times. Back from Sundance, John?

Just back, Kim. And give us your report. Not a lot of business. Through the first six days of the festival, there were only two significant multi-million dollar deals for the thriller buried and the family comedy. The kids are

all right. One for 3.2 million, one for about 5 million. Those are the kinds of deals you might see in

two days, maybe three days, but for almost the first full week to see that kind of business.

I think what I've seen is people coming out of movies talking about not, you know, they like

the movies,

but they're trying to find reasons why they shouldn't buy them. What is the worst case scenario for this

film rather than I love this movie, let's figure out a way to purchase it. Is this partly because,

as we know, John Cooper has taken over and is trying to return Sundance to the indie roots? So you

think he's chosen material that's simply not as commercial,

or there's just too much caution or both? I think it's both. I mean, the opening night film was James Franco and Howl. And if a opening night, even though it wasn't technically the opening

night film, it was the first film shown. If any film can kind of set the mood for a festival,

this did. Very arty, not terribly accessible. I think some people were howling as

they left the theater, right? Those that were still awake. It's the kind of movie that maybe five,

ten years ago, somebody would have bought and it did not sell through the first week of the festival.

And I think, yes, Cooper's programming was a little artier, less commercial. But I also think there're fewer buyers. I mean, remember, Miramax is gone, Warner Independence's gone,

Paramount Advantage is gone. Paramount Advantage is gone. And the companies that are looking at movies, because I have these conversations with them, they're like, maybe this could only do this much business. Maybe it's really not going to break out. Maybe the sex is going to scare

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