26 LESLIE MOONVES
President, Lorimar Television
Rank last year: 43 Age: 43 Why he's up: With more than 20 series
airing in prime time or ready for midseason, Lorimar constitutes a
virtual fifth network; its hits include Full House, Family Matters,
and Step by Step. High point: The studio's stable of year-old dramas
(Homefront, I'll Fly Away, Reasonable Doubts) returned despite shaky
ratings. Low point: All three shows are getting killed in the
Nielsens. New deal: Moonves signed writers-producers Joshua Brand and
John Falsey to an exclusive contract.
27 MO OSTIN/LENNY WARONKER
Chairman/President, Warner Records
Rank last year: 27 Ages: 65 (Ostin); 51 (Waronker) High
points: In two headline deals, Time Warner wooed Prince and Madonna
to long-term contracts. But they didn't come cheap ($60 million for
her, $30 million to $100 million for him). Next big moves: After a
year in which Warner was less than dominant on Billboard's charts,
Ostin and Waronker have three potential sizzlers for fall: Madonna's
Erotica, Prince's latest, and Automatic for the People from R.E.M.,
whose previous album, Out of Time, sold 4 million copies.
28 JEFFREY KATZENBERG
Chairman, Walt Disney Studios
Rank last year: 32 Age: 41 High points: His '91 memo attacking
Hollywood excess won vindication as other studios began to preach the
same gospel. Buoyed by cut-rate blockbusters (The Hand That Rocks the
Cradle, Sister Act), Disney has claimed a larger '92 box office share
than any other studio. And 1992 gave the company its first animated
Best Picture nominee — Beauty and the Beast. Last big move: Trawling
for class, Katzenberg signed Howards End filmmakers James Ivory and
Ismail Merchant to a production deal.
29 THOMAS D. MOTTOLA
President, Sony Music
Rank last year: 5 Age: 43
High points: Michael Bolton looks to have a huge hit with Timeless
(The Classics); Mottola's girlfriend, Mariah Carey, had a hit with
her MTV Unplugged EP; and Sony's Epic division scored with Pearl
Jam and an offering from its new Soundtrax division, the songs from
Singles. Low points: Though Michael Jackson's Dangerous has sold 4
million copies, it's no Thriller. And Bruce Springsteen's Human Touch and Lucky Town, selling barely a million copies each, were big
disappointments.
30 WARREN LITTLEFIELD
President, NBC Entertainment
Rank last year: 13 Age: 40 Why he's down: Littlefield might like
to erase 1992 from the history books — NBC has lost Cosby, Carson, and
the Golden Girls; fallen from second to third in the ratings; endured
a publicity nightmare at Tonight; and seen its daytime schedule erode
badly. High point: Cheers, beginning its second decade, remains a top
10 hit. Low point: Littlefield's old boss Brandon Tartikoff publicly
second-guessed him on replacing Carson with Leno. Next big move: Some
programming miracles — or else.
31 MICHAEL FUCHS
Chairman, CEO, HBO
Rank last year: 33 Age: 46
High points: The pay-cable channel is still growing, especially
overseas, and an old friend has moved to a high place — former HBO man
Gerald Levin became co-CEO of parent company Time Warner in
February. Low point: HBO paid an estimated $20 million to broadcast
one concert by fading pop star Michael Jackson. New deal: In a move
that reportedly angered sister company Warner Bros., Fuchs' HBO
agreed to supply $500 million in production money to the fledgling
studio Savoy Pictures.
