Suddenly, Hollywood Seems a Conservative Investment, writes Brooks Barnes in The New York Times. His thesis? “Wall Street, real estate, the art market – all of those other supposedly stable investment areas – are now such a mess that Hollywood is one of the safer places you can park money.” But, he goes on to say, it’s not the established players as much as indies who can exploit these shifts in economic fortunes. “The big studios probably won’t be able to rely much on this pitch. Their upfront needs are too big … and Wall Street and the real estate market may sort themselves out before their current slate deals expire. … But for independent producers – especially ones that operate in a transparent manner – the strategy could offer a lifeline.” He does warn that it’s not the art-house pics that will get this funding; you still need to have a commercially viable pitch. Remember, there’s a reason it’s called “show business”, not “show art”.