29. Emma Watts

Watts learned from director Oliver Stone how to develop midrange movies like 1997's "U-Turn" and 1999's "Any Given Sunday," then graduated to blockbusters with her job at Fox. This year saw "What Happens in Vegas" gross $219 million worldwide, and the remake of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," with Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly, is expected to do holiday gangbusters. Her experience with Stone also taught her to keep cool when projects "implode before your eyes," but to fight for quality in the face of deadlines. "I want to deliver a project when it's ready, not necessarily when it's needed," she says. On deck for 2009 are James Cameron's 3-D adventure "Avatar," the "Night at the Museum" sequel and "Date Night," with Tina Fey and Steve Carell. Watts owes something else to Stone: "He taught me so much," she says, "and he introduced me to my husband."