Now that Dominique Strauss-Kahn is back in France and safe from criminal prosecution for rape, his Sofitel maid encounter has entered its "Grassy Knoll" phase in the public imagination: Complicated conspiracy theories abound, even as most accept a much simpler explanation of events. (DSK either forced himself on Nafissatou Diallo or willfully misunderstood a frozen stare of horror as an "unabashed" come-on, is the general consensus, right?)

Two weeks ago, author Edward Jay Epstein explained how the $5 billion deal in 2004 had cleaned out Wall St. hedge funds. Now he has obtained the dealbook that spells out exactly what went wrong.

For now, sure you might be thinking of canceling your cable service for a steady diet of Netflix. But Edward Jay Epstein explains why movie studio economics are crumpling the red envelope's dreams of being the next HBO.

Indie films have become the lost children of Hollywood in recent years. Author Edward Jay Epstein explains why Hollywood is abandoning the indie movie business in favor of merchandisable CGI spectacles like Avatar.

MGM, once known for its roaring lion, Gone with the Wind and James Bond, is teetering on bankruptcy. Author Edward Jay Epstein explains how the studio's latest misadventure resulted from Hollywood's plan to separate Wall Street fools from their wallets.