CNBC "CONVERSATIONS WITH MICHAEL EISNER" TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 9 PM & 1 AM ET

INTERVIEW WITH STEVEN BOCHCO

Michael Eisner asks veteran television producer Steven Bochco about his groundbreaking ABC series “NYPD Blue” and the television the reaction it received when it first went on the air in 1993:

MICHAEL EISNER: Do you think you would still get that kind of outrage or?

STEVEN BOCHCO: There-- there's not a broadcast-- network today that would program NYPD Blue.  It wouldn't come out.  You couldn't get it on.

MICHAEL EISNER: Because-- really?

STEVEN BOCHCO: No.  Absolutely not.

MICHAEL EISNER: Because it's too risqué?  It's too?

Bochco: Right.  Too-- too-- you know, too much nudity, too much language.  NYPD Blue—

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Michael Eisner asks Bochco about a failed 1990 series on ABC titled “Cop Rock” that went off the air after 11 episodes:

MICHAEL EISNER: But you took a risk on-- a-- a show called Cop Rock-- which was a musical-- police drama. What-- what drove you there?  And has it followed you around?

STEVEN BOCHCO: Oh yeah.  No, it's followed me around. Which is fine.  It was one of the most enjoyable and complicated experiences I ever had.  I had the idea for it because when-- years ago when we had been doing Hill Street Blues, someone came to me with the idea of taking Hill Street Blues to Broadway as a musical. And-- for all kinds of reasons, that was not possible or practical.  But the idea of-- of cops and music stuck in my brain.  And I thought, well, if I can't take Hill Street to Broadway, maybe I can Broadway to Hill Street in effect.

MICHAEL EISNER: And what was the-- and it failed because it just missed like some things?

STEVEN BOCHCO: I think finally the intimacy of our medium undid the show because I think it embarrassed people.  You know, it's like when-- when you're sitting around your Thanksgiving table and-- and you-- you-- your uncle Bernie gets loaded and-- and stands up and begins to sing old show tunes.  So, it-- it premiered at an extraordinarily low number.  And then just sort of ticked down from there.  I think we were only on for seven or eight episodes.

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CNBC "CONVERSATIONS WITH MICHAEL EISNER” TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 9 PM & 1 AM ET ON CNBC INTERVIEW WITH JON FAVREAU

Michael Eisner asks Jon Favreau about working on Wall Street:

MICHAEL EISNER: I'm going to divert now, because you said "options."  So I knew you worked for a year on Wall Street.  So--

JON FAVREAU:At Bear Stearns.

MICHAEL EISNER: --I haven't talked to anybody in the entertainment business that-- referred to movies on-- on the option market.  So-- and that wasn't a good-- profession?

JON FAVREAU: Wasn't a good fit for me.

MICHAEL EISNER: 'Cause you didn't—

JON FAVREAU: It wasn't. And, let me tell you, if you don't like what you're doin', that-- it feels like a-- it feels like a, you know, a prison sentence.  Because every day, you're there.  And if you don't love it, you-- you can't be good at it.

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Michael Eisner asks Jon Favreau about whether there is an “Iron Man II” in the works:

MICHAEL EISNER: Are you gonna do Iron Man II?

JON FAVREAU: Oh, yeah, yeah.  We're--

MICHAEL EISNER: Oh, great.

JON FAVREAU: --we're workin' on it already-- it hasn't been announced because you-- all the paperwork sort of isn't-- hasn't all been worked through.  But I've been working on it for a while.  And we hired a writer.  And I've been-- I would be there today if I wasn't here.

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Michael Eisner asks Jon Favreau about the differences in making an independent film and making a film for a major studio:

MICHAEL EISNER: Now, how about the difference between making an independent film and making a studio film?  You've done both now.  You've done--

JON FAVREAU: Yeah, I've done both.

MICHAEL EISNER: --independent and you've done those-- biggest studio movies you could do.

JON FAVREAU: Yeah.  There was—

MICHAEL EISNER:Do you have a preference?  Or-- they're each fine on it's own?

JON FAVREAU: I like-- I like-- I like the big ones.  Because there's more freedom.  And that sounds weird.  But—

MICHAEL EISNER: Economic freedom?  Or-- or--

JON FAVREAU: Maybe just-- you know--

MICHAEL EISNER: --creative freedom?

JON FAVREAU: Both.

MICHAEL EISNER: Really?

JON FAVREAU: Yeah.  When you have an independent film, that's not a lot of money, compared to the other movies.  But to the people who are giving you money, it's a lot of money.

MICHAEL EISNER: That's true.

JON FAVREAU: To those dentists, that's their whole life savings.  So you've got a lot of people really lookin' over your shoulder on the little ones.

MICHAEL EISNER:            Right.

Jon FAVREAU:  Now, when you have a movie like Iron Man, they say to themselves, "Even if we screw this thing up completely, we'll make $80 million.  So let's keep the budget at a certain level.  We'll-- we'll open to $40 million if you look at all the comps."  It's like lookin' at sellin' a house.  It's business.  If you live in Santa Monica and you have this size lot and you have this kind of house, you're gonna make this much money.  It's clockwork.  It's amazing to me how looking at tracking and those bean counters you make fun of--

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