23. Shari Redstone

Redstone is a demanding boss who knows how to ply with pastries: "If I'm going to give someone a challenging day, I soften the blow with cookies," she says. But the former criminal defense lawyer knows you need more than sugar in today's exhibition business. The credit crisis has taken a tough toll on the Redstone family's companies, forcing Shari to step down from the chairmanship of struggling Midway Games to focus on refinancing National Amusements. "Anybody who is successful in this business has to wake up every day and say, 'How do we remain relevant?'" she says. To that end, she's been opening high-end theaters like Cinema De Lux that feature dinner, drinks, reserved seats and lobby piano players. She'll continue with the grand entertainment center openings in 2009, with the unveiling of Legacy Place in Dedham, Mass. But she points to the opening of Showcase Live at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Mass. (NA's first live-music venue) as this year's crowning achievement because she's working with her son Brandon -- the fourth generation of Redstone to get into the business. "It has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life, watching my son come into this company and find his own place," she says. "I am such a mom."