At Sundance 2013 I learned that the independent movie business is alive and well and evolving rapidly before our eyes.

Among other signals -- including a dozen-plus acquisitions of movies at the festival -- a panel convened by TheWrap of three veteran indie directors and producers debating with digital-era leaders suggested that the current and future business looks exciting.

But don’t blink too often. It’s all happening with dizzying speed.  In the past year, two of the companies on the panel -- Slated, which offers equity financing to film projects, and Indieflix, which offers digital distribution -- pivoted to offer entirely new business models.  

Also see: Sundance 2013: TheWrap Industry Panel on How to Make and Sell Your...

Was "Zero Dark Thirty" hurt in the Oscar nominations process by criticism of the film from Washington? WaxWord went on Erin Burnett's "Outfront" show on CNN to discuss the issue.

Here's the video. (Quick for-the-record: I've never been a movie critic, despite Burnett's mention. I was the New York Times' Hollywood correspondent.)

Also read: Oscar Nominations: 'Lincoln' Leads Pack With 12 Nods

We took off under a pristine blue sky from a small airstrip outside of Las Vegas, miles away from the chaos of the Consumer Electronics Show. The Albatross, built in 1951, is a test plane for the latest in wi-fi technology on airplanes, courtesy of Row 44, a company acquired by Hollywood investors Harry Sloan and Jeff Sagansky in November.

The sturdy, amphibious biplane was built to rescue pilots downed in the ocean. It has recently been re-outfitted with an extensive set of routers as well as equipment that points up at a satellite to allow airline passengers to stream live entertainment without jiggles, wiggles or other pesky interruptions.

It felt like an adventure.

We flew past...

What's new at the Consumer Electronics Show this year?

Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, which puts on CES, gave me the rundown on the changes at the Las Vegas event.

"International CES has become the center for innovation in the world in terms of one event," he said, noting that 3,000 international companies will be introducing some 20,000 new products at the show. This year, there's an increase in car companies, health care, environmental and wireless exhibitors.

And Hollywood? "Hollywood is here in huge force," Shapiro said. "This is Hollywood's most important mega-event."

Listen to what else is happening at CES: