Mandate Pictures

Hollywood is littered with failed entertainment companies started by starry-eyed moguls with dreams of taking on the big studios and competing alongside them. In the case of one, success brought with it something of a nightmare. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.

Tinseltown is adorned with many a unique and sparkly success story. But how Minneapolis stripper Brook Busey became Oscar-winning Hollywood screenwriter Diablo Cody has to be this year's shiniest. The following is a recap of how one sassy lady with a marquee-ready pen name, a raunchy back story, an original creative voice and a funny, moving screenplay called "Juno" made her way from the Skyway Lounge to the Kodak Theatre. (Some quotes are from September 2006.) -- Jay A.

In "The Hunger Games," 24 teenagers fight to the death in a tournament whose slogan is "May the odds be ever in your favor. " Executives at Lions Gate Entertainment are hoping those words will ring true for them as they gamble on the most anticipated literary adaptation to hit Hollywood since "Twilight" and "Harry Potter. " The first of four planned "Hunger Games" films, based on Suzanne Collins' bestselling trilogy, wrapped production in North Carolina on Saturday and will hit theaters March 23. A successful "Hunger Games" franchise could transform the studio, much as "Twilight" did rival Summit Entertainment, by providing reliable income for years from box-office, DVD and digital sales as well as television licensing and merchandise.

Activist shareholder Carl Icahn, tightening his grip on the independent movie and TV studio Lions Gate Entertainment Corp., is making veiled threats of waging a proxy war for the company if it doesn't consent to add his nominees for the board. Icahn has not yet nominated candidates. But in a regulatory filing he said he "may seek to add nominees" and may call a "special meeting" of shareholders, a signal that he is willing to take a hostile action if Lions Gate doesn't comply.

The odds are slim that "50/50" — or any of the other three movies debuting this weekend — will take in more money than a few popular films already in theaters. Holdovers including the well-reviewed baseball drama "Moneyball," the family film "Dolphin Tale" and the 3-D version of "The Lion King" are each expected to bring in $13 million to $15 million this weekend, according to those who have seen pre-release audience surveys. That should be well ahead of the quartet of new pictures, which also includes the costly thriller "Dream House" starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz, the Christian drama "Courageous" and the romantic comedy "What's Your Number?"

Four films debuted at the box office this weekend, but a trifecta of pictures already in theaters proved more alluring to moviegoers than any of the new offerings. The 3-D family film "Dolphin Tale," which came in third upon its opening last weekend, rose to No. 1 with $14.2 million and brought its domestic total to $37.5 million, according to an estimate from distributor Warner Bros. It was followed by the baseball drama "Moneyball," also in its second week. The well-reviewed Brad Pitt film scored $12.5 million and has so far grossed $38.5 million.

Hollywood didn't so much celebrate this weekend as breathe a sigh of relief. Three new movies - "The Bourne Legacy,""The Campaign"and"Hope Springs" - opened right around where their studio backers had hoped. All fell well short of out-of-the-gate hit status but none flopped, leaving plenty of hope that they could turn into financial successes. "Bourne" opened to a studio-estimated $40.3 million in the United States and Canada, while "The Campaign" took in $27.4 million and "Hope Springs," which opened Wednesday, grossed $20.1 million over five days.

Will an Oscar run end the long artistic alliance between Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and his countryman, screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga? Their brilliant collaborations have thus far given us the intricate and intense dramas "Amores Perros," "21 Grams" and "Babel," which hits theaters Oct. 27. Along the way, they have become one of the most distinctive creative partnerships in dramatic filmmaking.

WHEN I took a bleary-eyed glance at the nomination results early Tuesday morning, I have to admit that my first reaction was -- is this the Oscars or the Independent Spirit Awards? Four of the five nominees for best picture are films released by studio specialty divisions, which largely focus on movies with a limited commercial reach. The fifth film, "Michael Clayton," was released by Warner Bros.

Hollywood is a town awash in hyphenates. TV is loaded with writer-producers. The movie biz is full of writer-directors. There's even a legion of actor-filmmakers like Clint Eastwood and George Clooney. But as the writers strike enters its third week, I think the future belongs to a tantalizing new hyphenate: the writer-entrepreneur. Visiting a UCLA film class the other night, I was asked to name the most influential filmmakers of our era.