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In today's NY Times story on the ongoing war between the fiscally virtuous, bottom-line-minding studios and the avaricious talent hellbent on destroying their profitability by demanding extravagant handouts for their negligible contributions to their cinematic product (see: Tom Cruise vs. Paramount, everyone vs. Jim Carrey), Brett Ratner, the auteur who's looking for new challenges after having beaten every box office record of his moviemaking idols, shares his chilling vision of where the film business is headed if it doesn't heed the warnings of other industries at a similar crossroads:

Recently Mr. Ratner, the director, was driving down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood when he noticed a going-out-of-business sign at Tower Records, the music retailer that once thrived on selling the music of superstars like Prince, Elton John and Madonna. Many here, like him, fear that the problems that plagued the music business are heading their way.

"What happens if the film business is not ahead of the curve?" he asked. "What is going to happen to me? To all of us?"

It's not surprising that the demise of the Tower franchise evoked such a bout of melancholy introspection from the director, as the retailer holds a very special place in his heart; upon seeing the going-out-of-business sign, Ratner immediately double-parked his Bentley in front of the store, spent several minutes openly weeping and pounding its steering wheel in despair, overcome by the feeling that if the studios don't hear his impassioned cries for reform, he might never get another opportunity to share his hacky gifts with the world.