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.

The actress is getting raves for her role in "Room" as a kidnap victim raising a son in captivity; Jeff Russo has gone from rock band guitarist to Emmy-nominated composer; Warner Bros.' big budget "Pan" opened badly, but the company's other divisions are performing well.

The actor/comedian is also a noted art collector and now he's curating a show of work by Canadian painter Lawren Harris; El Teatro Campesino collaborates with Center Theatre Group and Boyle Heights residents for a show at Grand Park; Jafar Panahi is banned from making films in his homeland, but that hasn't stopped him.

Julie Plec has "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals" on The CW Network, and she'll soon add a third show, albeit one that's fang-free; it's been two decades since the Scottish band Garbage and singer Shirley Manson burst on the scene; the EEOC is looking into hiring practices for women filmmakers.

Director Danny Boyle says tech titans like the late Apple founder have to be called into account; stage director Peter Sellars collaborated with novelist Toni Morrison on a re-imagining of "Othello"; the Church of Scientology continues its campaign against Gibney's documentary, "Going Clear."

Photographer Eilon Paz and editor Sheila Burgel collaborated on a book about obsessive vinyl fans; the L.A. Philharmonic and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela team up for a Beethoven marathon; can TiVo's new device make a dent in the market?

Scott directed the science fiction classics "Blade Runner" and "Alien," but he says "The Martian" is science fact; a hilarious encounter with Chinese-to-English translations inspired Hwang's play, "Chinglish"; the Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei Wei discovered listening devices in his Beijing studio.

The actor worked with filmmaker Cary Fukunaga and hundreds of non-professional actors to make "Beasts of No Nation;" Grantland's Andy Greenwald gives a status report on the new TV season; the Isango Ensemble transports Bizet's opera to a South Africa township.

Choreographer Twyla Tharp has kept her company and artistic vision going for 50 years with unflagging determination; after spending time in Ghana, ethnomusicologist Brian Shimkovitz scoured the continent and then launched the label, Awesome Tapes from Africa; author Salman Rushdie considers the literary merits of the rapper, Drake.

The actress' next role as a fighter for women's voting rights is in keeping with her activist profile in Hollywood; Kyle Eastwood has scored films for his dad, Clint, but he's made his own name as a jazz bassist and composer; saxophonist Phil Woods was a jazz great, but became known for his solo on a huge pop hit.

Deaf West Theatre's production of "Spring Awakening" started out in a small theater on L.A.'s Skid Row, and now it's on Broadway; Showtime's David Nevins kicks off our talks about the state of the TV industry; Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields deconstructs a song from the band's new album in a new installment of Song Exploder.

Mark Pellington has applied his distinct style to music videos, feature films and now NBC's "Blindspot," about a woman whose tattooed body holds clues to crimes; Trevor Powers records as Youth Lagoon and his new album chronicles some personal losses; How do TV networks choose among streaming services?

Performer Geoff Sobelle has turned the Kirk Douglas Theatre into a warehouse of boxed-up memories; Carolina Miranda of the L.A. Times on the trend toward mega-galleries in Los Angeles; Charlton Heston's family will auction three works by Andrew Wyeth that the actor collected.