It was a celebration to be remembered in Beverly Hills , as The Hollywood Reporter gathered some of the industry’s most elite players to recognize the names on one of its most important lists: the Annual Women In Entertainment “Power 100” list.
Just a glance at this collection gives you an idea of how far women have progressed in this industry: from the days when estrogen generally gave you the right to fetch coffee or be in a role written for you by a man, to this testament of women who make million-dollar decisions on a daily basis—and have the successes to prove it.
As a matter of fact, only six spots on the list belong to performers at all: and only because each one of them has an active hand in controlling her product/image: Bethenny Frankel (#100; produces her own show); Chelsea Handler (#97; produces her own show); Tina Fey (#89; writes/produces/runs two shows); Nancy Grace (#86; often writes her own material); and Lady Gaga, the highest of the performers at #30, whose voice in her image needs no elaboration. The sixth “person” on this list is the overall entity of the “Bridesmaids” cast: an animal big as a bridal bustle that birthed the film career of Kristen Wiig, who also wrote the entire screenplay, and made Melissa McCarthy a household name.
Topping the list for the third year in a row is Anne Sweeney, the Co-Chair of Disney Media Networks and President of Disney-ABC TV. (A-ha! So here’s the person we have to thank for “Once Upon a Time”!) Industry insiders already peg Sweeney on a shortlist for replacing Disney CEO Robert Iger when he steps down in 2015, but in the meantime, she’s credited as the miracle-worker who pulled off ABC’s spectacular turn-around.
Sweeney is followed, in the Top 10 alone, by 5 more chairmen and 2 network presidents (Abbe Raven of A+E, and Nina Tassler of CBS). The list includes other interesting “non-boardroom” notables, such as Shonda Rhimes, at #34, the heir-apparent to Agnes Nixon in the can’t-miss-an-episode drama creation department, as well as Dawn Hudson, #70, who heads the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 
Other highlights to the HR’s event were a post-mortem tribute to Laura Ziskin, who produced “Spiderman” and was instrumental in raising $180 million for cancer research before the disease took her life. An additional honor, the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, was given to trailblazer Jane Fonda, who looked stunning and gave a humorous, humble acceptance speech.
The Reporter’s Editorial Director, Janice Min, summed up the publication of this year’s list with graceful aplomb: “…every single person on the list reflects extraordinary drive, intelligence and ability to weather whatever is around the bend in the industry. I dare anyone to not be inspired by every person in this issue. Congratulations to all.”