The Frame

Author, religion scholar and TV consultant Reza Aslan adds talk show host to his credits with "Rough Draft"; Oscar nominee Lon Burden breaks down the sound design for a crucial scene in "The Revenant"; the toughest Oscars trivia contest happens at a pub in Santa Monica.

The Black Version is a group of improv performers who put an Afro-centric spin on mainstream movies; Leonardo DiCaprio sees environmental parallels between the 1820s when "The Revenant" is set and modern-day America; eligibility rules for the Oscars raise questions for the original score nominees.

Will this year’s Academy Awards be the tipping point for racial representation in Hollywood? Marc Bernardin of The Hollywood Reporter weighs in; The Song Exploder podcast takes apart a song with the band Clipping; "Inside Out" writer Meg LeFauve gets a Pixar education and now takes on Ms. Marvel.

USC's Institute for Diversity and Empowerment at Annenberg tracked the representation of women, people of color, and the LGBT community in film and television and found Hollywood is still "a straight, white boys club." Then co-star and co-creator of the HBO show 'Togetherness', Steve Zissis, mines his life-- failures and all-- for the show. And comedian Kamau Bell is excited to see Chris Rock turn #OscarsSoWhite into comic gold at the Academy Awards.

Comedian Paul Rust went from Iowa to working with his childhood heroes Judd Apatow and Paul Rubens, and now he's landed the Netflix series "Love," which comes out today. The Coen Brothers bring water ballet back to the big screen in "Hail, Caesar!" with the L.A. aquatic dance troupe Aqualillies. Also, we deconstruct the Oscar race for Best Picture with John Horn and Kyle Buchanan from The Awards Show Show.

Writer-director Robert Eggers' impressive feature debut is about witches in colonial New England; after camera assistant Sarah Jones was killed on a film set, her parents became advocates for production safety; the play 'Placas' tells the story of a man who escapes one of the world's most brutal gangs.

David Javerbaum created @TheTweetOfGod, which led to the hit Broadway play, "An Act of God," currently starring Sean Hayes; faced with low ratings, ABC fires network chief Paul Lee; singer-songwriter M. Ward revisits his early years in the Conejo Valley on his new album.

The producer of the Record of the Year Grammy talks about what went into making the dance hit, "Uptown Funk"; France's Academy Awards entry for Foreign Language Film was actually shot in Turkey by a Turkish-born filmmaker; Edward Gero played Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in a show at Arena Stage.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Alejandro G. Iñárritu of "The Revenant" are among the filmmakers and actors on The Frame's annual Academy Awards preview. You'll also hear from Sylvester Stallone, Brie Larson, Bryan Cranston and many others.

Sylvester Stallone turned down the part of an ailing Rocky Balboa in "Creed" twice before agreeing to do it-- with the help of an acting coach. Now he's nominated for an Oscar. Grammy nominated musician Lianne La Havas finds inspiration in Jamaica. How only Kanye West could pack Madison Square Garden while playing an album off his laptop.

As the actress wraps up the final season of "Veep," she looks back and ahead; why are so many theater productions based on old movies and TV shows?

The music producer has worked with Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and Los Lobos, and occasionally releases his own music; highlights and lowlights from week one of Coachella; the Write Girl program provides mentoring for teens by actors and writers.

Emma Thompson dropped out of a Skydance movie after the studio hired disgraced former Pixar CEO, John Lasseter. The she wrote a public letter about it. She tells us why. We discuss what's next in the on-going fight between the WGA and talent agencies. And we sample new features coming to a movie theater near you.

The comedian's new Hulu series is a fictionalized version of his life growing up in New Jersey as the son of Egyptian immigrant parents; inside the memorial service for Nipsey Hussle; the all-girl Japanese band, Chai.

Re-animated artists have become a big part of the concert business, now including Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison and opera star Maria Callas; why is Netflix buying the Egyptian Theatre?; an experimental production of "King Lear" leaves the king offstage.

The Tony Award-winning actor takes on the role of newsman Howard Beale in a stage adaptation of the 1976 movie; with 'Game of Thrones' about to resume, we visit with the show's weapons master.

Since going viral after the 2017 Women's March, the song by MILCK has taken on a life of its own; what's in store for fans at Coachella this weekend?; the indie hip-hop duo Closegood blends experimental hip-hop with poetry and emo music.

The company specializes in abridged versions of The Bard's works that are played strictly for yuks; what are the challenges facing movie theater owners?; Yo-Yo Ma is embarked on a wildly ambitious Bach Project.

Emilio Estevez writes, directs and stars in the movie, about a library that's a refuge for homeless patrons; "Fresh Off The Boat" hits 100 episodes – what is its lasting impact on the TV landscape?; at CinemaCon, AMC announced theaters in Saudi Arabia, and Helen Mirren yells "F--- Netflix."

The singer's 1972 gospel concert film finally arrives in theaters after decades of technical and legal challenges; the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles is trying to move on from leadership controversies; the Los Angeles Poverty Department has been making theater with the residents of Skid Row for nearly 35 years.

The annual exhibit of site-specific public art has visitors flocking to the Palm Springs area for more than the usual fun-in-the-sun; rapper Nipsey Hussle left behind a legacy of music and community activism.