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.

"Saturday Church" is a coming-of-age film inspired by LGBTQ teens who Cardasis met at his mother's church; Sundance organizers are taking steps to protect festival attendees from inappropriate behavior; Ruby Ibarra draws from her Filipino-American roots.

When Laurie Metcalf agreed to “Lady Bird,” she had no idea the film would become so popular; James Franco is the latest Hollywood figure to face accusations of improper behavior; Johnny Cash's landmark show at Folsom Prison included a fateful meeting with an inmate.

Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, Guillermo del Toro and Christopher Nolan are among the nominees for the Directors Guild Awards, which often predict the Oscars; then Mark Mangini and Theo Green created the soundscape for the "Blade Runner" sequel.

Writer/producer Kenya Barris just launched “grown-ish,” a spinoff of “black-ish” that centers around that show’s oldest child; Linda Perhacs left her music career behind when her 1970 debut album failed to catch on with audiences. Now her career is revived, with two new albums in the past few years.

"Foxtrot" director Samuel Maoz's film is about the cycle of trauma that he says permeates Israeli society; does awards campaigning seem a little trivial in the age of “Time’s Up”?; beat maker Tokimonsta talks about incorporating traditional sounds from her Korean heritage into her decidedly hip music.

Nicole Kidman ("Big Little Lies") was one of the Golden Globe winners who thanked dialect coach Liz Himelstein from the stage; men's voices were noticeably silent from the #MeToo chorus at the Globes; John Horn reports from the Palm Springs fest where foreign films rule.

Musician and composer Jon Brion's latest challenge was writing the score to Greta Gerwig's "Lady Bird"; TV producers and network chiefs are touting their shows for the new year; artists respond to the first year of the Trump presidency in a show at Glendale's Brand Library.

The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena reopens with a show that examines how Mexican artists influenced their Chinese counterparts; researchers from FiveThirtyEight have new ways to examine the representation of women in movies; Alex Heffes scored a day in the life of the planet for a BBC documentary.

Mark Bridges created the gorgeous '50s-era dresses in Paul Thomas Anderson's film about an exacting fashion designer; Ava DuVernay is one of the prominent filmmakers involved with the "Time's Up" initiative; artist Zachary Aronson uses fire to create his work.

Barbara Broccoli has worked for 22 years to make "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool"; prominent women in Hollywood launch an anti-harassment initiative; a big music publishing company sued Spotify for $1.6 billion.

Errol Morris' documentary miniseries examines the mysterious death of a government biochemist who was given LSD by the CIA; Kira Kelly is a Hollywood rarity: an African-American female cinematographer. She got an Emmy nomination for shooting Ava DuVernay's documentary, "13th," which led to her working on the filmmaker's drama series, "Queen Sugar."

The filmmaker says the roots of his latest movie, "The Shape of Water," go back to his childhood when he saw "Creature from the Black Lagoon."