Virtual Entertainment Moguls Can Put Their Mouses Where Their Mouths Are

Maybe you thought “Batman & Robin” was a weak movie for Warner Bros. or you knew that Jamiroquai’s latest album would never crack the Top 10 in Billboard. You’re probably one of those know-it-all Monday morning quarterback types who would be bringing in millions if someone made you the head of an entertainment company, right?

Now you can prove your mettle on the Web, where fantasy movie studios and record companies have sprung up, letting you swap stars and movie properties on faux stock markets.

The most advanced and established game is Hollywood Stock Exchange or HSX (www.hsx.com), which gives players $2 million in phony money to buy “MovieStocks” or “StarBonds.” The system is as complex as the stock market, with initial public offerings, commissions and advice columns from cartoonish characters like Max Broker and Miss Information.

The idea is to buy MovieStocks early, when the price is low, then hope they become box-office smashes. With StarBonds, things are more complicated, with bond ratings and interest yields.

HSX runs monthly, quarterly and annual contests, with a grand prize of a trip for two to Antigua. As on all these sites, you play free because the site is advertiser-supported. Though the complexity can be daunting for those who haven’t traded stocks on Wall Street, the fun of buying into a pre-production Coen Brothers flick (“The Big Lebowski”) or a star like David Duchovny or Debbie Reynolds is worth the effort. One fan even set up bulletin boards for HSX players to trade industry secrets and taunt one another (www.the-money.com).

Making things a bit more simple is E!Online’s Studio Boss 2 game at www.eonline.com/Fun/Games/Studioboss, where you draft movie stars, directors and writers into your studio. The game starts on Nov. 7 and is based on the holiday film season, but you can sign up now by ranking eligible actors. On Nov. 2, a computerized system will place entrants in leagues of 10 each and give each “studio” the exclusive rights to six actors, one director and one writer. You score points on a weekly basis depending on how each related movie does on the real-life box-office charts.

For example, if you own John Travolta, and “Mad City” lands in first place for the week, you get 25 points, second place gets 24 points and so on. The point totals change from week to week, and you can trade players through a chat board or e-mail. You can play with friends by having them mention your user name when they sign up.

The game is a bit flawed because movies that come out earlier in the season will chart for more weeks than those that open on Christmas (the game ends on Jan. 11). Still, the chance for online interaction and a trip for two to a movie premiere make it a movie mogul wannabe’s dream.

For those who crave the music side of entertainment, there’s Fantasy Billboard at www.billboard.com/fantasy/, where you get a stable of 10 recording artists and hope they’ll rise to the top of the pops. Based on Billboard’s Top 200 album chart, you choose a mix of chart-toppers, Heatseekers (primed for chart action) and artists bubbling under. Each game runs four weeks, with a new game opening each Thursday. Though there’s no swapping or chat features, it’s a nice way to see if you can predict the fortunes of established or rising acts.

Mark Glaser is a freelance writer and critic. You can reach him at McGlaze@aol.com.