I've always thought that the $64,000 question in the movie business is who's to blame when you make a flop? Ropes of Silicon reported that the author of the best-selling Dirk Pitt adventure novel Sahara, Clive Cussler, has decided to place the blame squarely on the producers.

Sahara starred the permanently mellow Matthew McConaughey as Pitt and Penélope Cruz as possibly the most glamorous UN investigator in history. Budgeted at $145 million, the film failed to ignite the franchise that everyone was hoping for. Cussler is suing the producer Philip Anschutz (and his company Crusader Entertainment) for violating his rights of approval over the script and other elements of the film. Anschutz is counter-suing, claiming that Cussler bad-mouthed the film in the press and made racial slurs during production (Cussler denied these allegations).

Jury selection is already underway and the trial is expected to begin later this week. An article in the LA Times back in December quoted Cussler as saying "They deceived me right from the beginning. They kept lying to me ... and I just got fed up with it." Between the thousands of pages of emails, memos, and affidavits that allegedly show the production spiraling out of control and a witness list that includes McConaughey and the film's director Breck Eisner; it looks like there's going to be plenty of blame to go around.

I think we are all used to a little scandal with our celebrities; a couch jump here, a nip-slip there and even the odd racist tirade. But a trial in India surrounding Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has them all beat.

Just days after having one his films chosen as an eligible Foreign Selection for the Oscars (Lage raho Munnabhai), Sanjay Dutt has been convicted for his role in a wave of bombings that swept the city of Mumbai, India in 1993. Over 250 people were killed during the blasts, and families have waited over 13 years to see the accused brought to trial. Dutt was a one of Bollywood's most respected stars and this story has gripped India for weeks now. Dutt was accused of criminal conspiracy under the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, and possession of illegal arms under the Arms Act. Dutt was found guilty of the firearm possession, but acquitted of all other charges.

The bombings had been linked to Indian organized crime, which has long been rumored to be connected to the entertainment business. The Indian film industry is the biggest in the world in terms of the number of films produced and tickets sold. So if you are unfamiliar with the Bollywood phenomenon, this is the equivalent of Jack Nicholson going on a bombing rampage in downtown LA -- it's that big. It's not over yet though, as Dutt is still out on bail and is awaiting sentencing on December 19.