
The freight entrance was notified. The service elevator was on call, waiting for us. The travel time between floors, from the studio, to the boardroom, to the Paramount screening room was all tightly scheduled. When the interview subject is Sumner Redstone, even the building staff pays attention. Sumner Redstone is the boss of everyone's boss. The view from his sky-high office is spectacular. But he's more likely to be watching the stock prices on the screen by his desk. During our interview, he went from guardedly skeptical, to tough, to completely charming all in the space of twenty minutes. Sumner Redstone bought Viacom at the age of 63, when most people are thinking about retirement. Now, more than 20 years later, he still rules the company with an extraordinary strength of will.