The Frame

George C. Wolfe, an accomplished writer and theater director, talks about his Broadway musical, inspired by the 1921 show, “Shuffle Along"; The Broadway hit "Hamilton" won't be on the West Coast until 2017, but devoted fans here have figured out a way to bring it to life now.

Oscar-winning documentarian Charles Ferguson turns his camera to the climate crisis with "Time To Choose"; Stephanie Allain, Director of the L.A. Film Festival is on a mission to showcase filmmakers who Hollywood typically ignores; The rock duo The Kills are back with a new album, and they reveal why they don't have a drummer.

Comedian Quincy Jones was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but that didn't stop him from achieving his goal of filming a stand-up special. This week it airs on HBO; Fandango Fronterizo is an annual event that brings together musicians across the U.S.-Mexico border in celebration and in protest; L.A. theater company Chalk Rep mounts a play in a cluttered garage to bring an immersive experience to their audience.

Bryan Cranston is busier than ever with a number of films in various stages of production and distribution. He reflects on his life in acting — lessons learned and given; Slate culture writer Aisha Harris discusses the piece she co-wrote with Dan Kois, "The Black Film Canon: The 50 Greatest Movies by Black Directors."

"Honky" is a play by Greg Kallares that takes a humorous and provocative look at race, racism and marketing; Starting in September, Netflix will have exclusive rights to valuable Disney titles; South Africa is an increasingly popular locale for American films and TV shows.

Aziz Ansari wasn't happy with the parts he was being offered, so the comic actor created “Master of None” for Netflix; Ellis Ludwig-Leone of the band San Fermin brings together classical music and pop for his own brand of indie rock; Slate culture writer Aisha Harris previews this year's highly-anticipated slate of summer movies.

Kate Beckinsale opens up about Lady Susan, her role in "Love & Friendship," an 18th Century character who behaves very much like a 21st Century woman; DC Comics reboots its universe of familiar characters with "Rebirth"; the González siblings prepare to perform together for the first time in 20 years.

Director Susanne Bier on adapting John Le Carré's novel 'The Night Manager' for TV and lifting women filmmakers by example; meet musician Will Toledo, aka Car Seat Headrest, whose latest album is getting good reviews; Spotify is the leading streaming service with close to 100 million users, but the Swedish company isn't yet making a profit.

Nick Stoller's huge success directing the first "Neighbors" movie led to the inevitable sequel, which centers around a sorority; Asian-American men have a particularly difficult time landing lead roles in films and TV shows; HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo steps down and leaves challenges for his successor.

We visit the set of Maria Bamford's Netflix show “Lady Dynamite” to see how she blends the absurd with autobiography. The filmmakers of the documentary "Song of Lahore" track how musicians revived their art form and found an international audience with their cover of the Dave Brubeck song, "Take Five." What's hot and not at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

In our fourth and final dispatch from Telluride, The Frame host John Horn interviews Ethan Hawke and musician Seymour Bernstein. Hawke directed the documentary, "Seymour: The Introduction," chronicling Bernstein's devotion to teaching students to love music and overcome creative pitfalls. Telluride also saw the premiere of "The Imitation Game," a film about the WWII British code breaker Alan Turing (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), which already has Oscar buzz. We spoke with the film's writer, Graham Moore, both before and after the first public screening of his first produced screenplay. And we also chatted with the film's Norwegian director, Morton Tyldum, debuting his first English-language feature.

In our latest podcast from the Telluride Film Festival, The Frame host John Horn talks with the acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who, with "Birdman," takes a somewhat lighter approach from his previous films such as "Biutiful" and "Amores Perros." In the dark comedy, Michael Keaton plays a film action hero who's trying to establish his artistic credibility on Broadway.

In our second dispatch from the Telluride Film Festival, "The Frame" host John Horn interviews Jon Stewart. The "Daily Show" host makes his feature directing debut with "Rosewater," the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari (played by Gael Garcia Bernal), who was arrested and tortured while covering Iran's 2009 presidential election.

"The Frame" crew is in Colorado covering the 2014 Telluride Film Festival. In this first festival dispatch, "The Frame" host John Horn moderates a Q&A with the cast and filmmaker behind "Wild." Hear Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, director Jean-Marc Vallée ("Dallas Buyers Club") and author Cheryl Strayed talk about bringing her book to the big screen. "Wild" Q&A photos by Merrick Chase

Today on The Frame, we hear from 'Training Day' director Antoine Fuqua about his unfinished Showtime documentary on Suge Knight and how he got the news the rap mogul had recently been shot six times. Then, we talk to director Xavier Dolan at the Telluride Film Festival where his feature, "Mommy," is screening after winning the Jury Prize at Cannes. We also hear from 27-year-old Brad Colburn on how he amassed a following of people who watch him play video games online, (Yes, that's a thing.) Plus, why the Converse shoe brand is paying for up-and-coming musicians' studio time.

In our second podcast, we discuss TV's biggest night, the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Then we meet "Mad Men" writer/producer Tom Smuts, who is organizing a bike ride to the Emmys with a group of fellow nominees. Singer/Songwriter Dan Bern performs two songs riffing on the nominees for the Best Comedy Series and Best Drama Series Emmys. We take a listen to Lauryn Hill's song "Black Rage," which she released in response to the turmoil in Ferguson, Missouri. Finally, La Santa Cecilia and the Yuval Ron Ensemble mash-up their influences.

Our inaugural podcast looks at how artists respond to social and racial strife; the odd couple of Zach Galifianakis and President Obama wins a Creative Arts Emmys; and the roots of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phenomenon.