18. Kathleen Kennedy

Losing Bravo jewel "Project Runway" to Lifetime would have put other women in hot water, but Zalaznick does well under pressure. Over the years she's learned how by producing indie features like 1995's "Kids" and "Safe" and even briefly made the little-seen Trio network an edgy entertainment destination. She's in her element today, bringing Oxygen its highest ratings and earning top-shelf Emmy honors for Bravo. This year her slate grew to include iVillage and Universal's Green initiative. "My modus operandi is very high hopes with very low expectations," says the mother and passionate chef, who can make a four-minute pesto and a three-minute pie. "You learn the most from the toughest of times." That means 2009 should be a real test of her mettle; she'll be striving to develop all of her assets while keeping an eye on the "Runway" stewpot, which at press time remains in legal limbo.