5. Stacey Snider

Having chaired Universal Pictures for a decade, then spent two years as chair and CEO of DreamWorks, Snider made headlines again this year. In October she and DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg announced the end of their fractious relationship with Paramount -- and the formation of a new company, which will be backed by India's Reliance Big Entertainment. Distribution is coming from her former Universal stomping grounds.

Big moves make headlines, but Snider says that fundamentals make for good boxoffice. "I would have thought I would have burned out, but I still love finding great ideas and writers, as well as the process of postproduction," she says. Between her new, yet-to-be-named company -- which launches in 2009 and will release approximately six films per year -- and being a weekend soccer mom, Snider reads history tomes for relaxation. "It may be a testament to the times," she says, "but fiction seems like a luxury right now."