Barry Levinson, 2/8/12

Academy Award-winning Director, Screenwriter and Producer

Nothing fluctuates daily in price like oil. All other businesses have some kind of sale celebrations going on periodically. Not when it comes to oil. And for whatever reason, we have accepted it.

Robert Redford, 2/8/12

Actor, director, and environmental activist

The Keystone XL pipeline doesn't deliver on jobs or national security, it jeopardizes public health and safety and the president was right to reject it.

Kristen Houghton, 2/8/12

Author of 'And Then I'll Be Happy! Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness'

The respect and love they have in their marriage defies Hollywood stereotypes and makes it a success in every way.

Laura Giangiulio, 2/8/12

Principal, Metro Public Relations

Hollywood stars have a unique gift. It's not the ability to make audiences laugh (or cry), or the free swag constantly bestowed upon them. Their gift comes from the power to promote whatever they support to millions of people.

Mike Kaplan, 2/8/12

Producer; Documentary director; Actor; Award-winning poster designer

"This is unheard of. We take our own cover photographs. If he won't be photographed by Newsweek, he won't be on the cover." Was this actually happening? Losing our major break over the cover shot?

Anthony Gregory, 2/8/12

Research Editor, The Independent Institute

Stephen Colbert's presidential run was meant to be a joke, but his Super PAC has brought in some serious dough. Along with fellow Comedy Central star Jon Stewart, he has successfully made a mockery of presidential campaign laws.

Natalie Pace, 2/8/12

Author, 'You vs. Wall Street'; CEO and Founder, Women's Investment Network, LLC

Some people gave up and left before the superstars took the stage, but those of us who braved the marathon are now meditation masters -- or at least intermediaries. OK, some of us are just zoned out.

Megan Smolenyak, 2/8/12

Genealogy Expert, Author of "Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing" & "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Of Michelle's grandparents, LaVaughn Johnson was the most like her. A native Chicagoan, she was an early product of the mixing effect of the Great Migration with parents of radically different histories.

Juliet Jeske, 2/8/12

New York-based comedian

Love her or hate her stagecraft or music, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But calling Madonna "too old" doesn't make a ton of sense, especially since she is a decade younger than most of the men who have gone before her.

Regina King, 2/7/12

Actress

In this week's episode ("Identity"), my character Lydia joins the fray with a surprising storyline of her own. Early in the hour, we learn a shocking secret that she's kept from her colleagues for some time.

Peter Mehlman, 2/7/12

Television writer; Producer, Seinfeld; Host, Narrow World of Sports

Blank is the story of Eugene Brusca, a man who had absolutely no opinions on anything, yet became an overnight sensation as a columnist for the Los Angeles Times.

Steve Lake, 2/7/12

Attorney, divorce and family law

I've developed a more realistic perspective on what happens when folks get caught up in the trappings of manufactured romance that are hallmarks of Cupid's holiday. Take the 72-day marriage of Kim Kardashian and Whatshisname.

Evan Shapiro, 2/7/12

President, IFC

Not only are smart, complex series like Homeland, Louie, Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey getting on TV, they're finding sizable audiences. Why, then, does the industry feel compelled to play it safe -- dusting off old titles and recycling old ideas?

Catherine McKenzie, 2/7/12

Author, 'Spin' and 'Arranged'

I admit I watched - a phalanx of paparazzi standing outside of yet another rehab facility waiting to take a shot of some young woman in trouble, I said to myself, sarcastically: why don't they just follow her in there? And then I said to myself: what a great idea for a book!

Marshall Fine, 2/7/12

Author and film critic, hollywoodandfine.com

Talk about mysterious islands -- the one in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island features an ensemble that includes Michael Caine, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- and Luis Guzman. That's some bizarre casting.

Michele Willens, 2/6/12

Journalist, playwright and editor, 'Face It: What Women Really Feel as Their Looks Change'

At the Sundance Film Festival this month, the most anticipated documentary was Ethel, about the matriarch of the Robert Kennedy clan, directed by her daughter Rory. It joins a growing list of personal passion projects made by filmmakers.

Ann Brenoff, 2/6/12

Senior Writer, The Huffington Post

Is tossing out a cuss word just an easy way to show the world you really aren't a baby anymore? Or is it an insidious slippery slope on which a child will fall head first into a life of drugs and crime unless you nip the first F-word in the butt?