The Frame

A powerful documentary about the aftermath of the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; Rihanna's new album had a surprise (or maybe not?) release this week; the L.A. Art Fair aims to be the nexus for art from the Pacific Rim.

Nate Parker spent seven years making "The Birth of a Nation," and his efforts paid off as the breakout hit at the Sundance Film Festival; prominent comedians take to the stage to benefit Bernie Sanders' campaign; Larry Klein's work with Joni Mitchell made him a go-to producer for a wide variety of singers.

The legendary R&B singer has a new album and an HBO documentary coming up, but don't expect this to be her swan song; a film about Nat Turner's slave rebellion has set a sales record at the Sundance Film Festival; actresses Alysia Reiner and Sarah Megan Thomas launched Broad Street to counter gender inequity in Hollywood.

With the top award from the Producers Guild, "The Big Short" is now frontrunner for the best picture Oscar. We chat with producers Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner; a Motion Picture Academy officer admits that the organization has been too slow to change; the band Foals has gone from playing house parties to arenas.

Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale has re-imagined an album from his long solo career, "Music For a New Society"; as the "X-Files" returns, we get the story behind its iconic theme music; even at the Sundance Film Festival, the talk of the town is #OscarsSoWhite.

Actor Matthew Spencer, who plays the lead in a new adaptation of George Orwell's dystopian novel, says the story has new resonance today; TV networks are casting doubt about the popularity of original programming on streaming services; Andrew Ahn passed up med school for a film career, and now his directing debut is at Sundance.

Carrie Brownstein, "Portlandia" co-creator and Sleater-Kinney co-founder, pulls back the curtain on her creative process; members of the U.K. punk band Savages reveal how they remain unpredictable on stage and in the recording studio; what's in store at this year's Sundance Film Festival?

In the two years since Lupita Nyong'o won an Oscar for "12 Years a Slave," no actor of color has been nominated for an Academy Award. Academy member Stephanie Allain says the Oscars reflect bigger problems in the industry; James Lecesne continues his advocacy for LGBTQ youth with "The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey."

Alicia Vikander's breakout year now includes an Oscar nomination for "The Danish Girl"; singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett deconstructs her song, "Depreston"; and we find out which new TV shows are on the must-watch list for the new year.

John Horn and Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com dig into the snubs and surprises in the Oscar nominations, and the return of #OscarsSoWhite. And we hear from the directors nominated for "Room" and "The Revenant."

The writer-director's latest is the Netflix film, "The Land of Steady Habits"; actors and characters from Middle Eastern and North African countries continue to fight stereotypes; the experimental R&B musician Tirzah stirs up a quiet storm.

Michel Gondry directed Carrey in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and now they reunite for an offbeat Showtime series; Ethan Hawke dons his directing hat for "Blaze," a biopic about C&W singer Blaze Foley; in the wake of the CBS/Les Moonves mess.

The actress was honored at the Telluride Film Festival where her new film, "The Favourite," had its North American debut; speaking of film festivals: it's that time of the year for Hollywood; among the Emmy nominees for best original song is a Queen parody from the Netflix series, "Big Mouth."

Orson Welles didn't finish "The Other Side of the Wind" before he died and Neville chronicles that saga in "They'll Love Me When I'm Dead"; there won't be a Most Popular Movie award at the 2019 Oscars; the U.S. Justice Dept. charges a North Korean spy in the hack of Sony Pictures.

The Emmy-nominated actress is looking forward to season five of the series, despite the departure of creator Kenya Barris; climate change and how Californians are responding is at the core of the play, "Hole in the Sky."

The Oscar-winning actor stars in the true story of teenaged drug dealer (and FBI informant) sentenced to life in prison; the history of the abortion debate is chronicled in the documentary, "Reversing Roe."

The entire show is dedicated to coverage of Aretha Franklin’s memorial service, which was held today in Detroit. Dignitaries and prominent artists included Smokey Robinson and gospel legend Shirley Caeser.

The small festival in the Colorado resort town has a reputation for launching best picture hopefuls and winners; veteran British singer, songwriter and guitarist Richard Thompson is back with a new album; in this era of "peak TV," what's it like to watch television the old-fashioned way?

After the 2016 Presidential election, the singer/songwriter took a cross-country train trip and then wrote a song cycle of character sketches and personal reflections; Taylor Swift's recording contract is about to expire, giving her a world of options; Boots Riley's "Sorry to Bother You" is one of the year's biggest critical hits.

Director Chris Weitz's film 'Operation Finale' tells the amazing story of the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann; fans begin to pay their respects to the Aretha Franklin at the Museum of African American History in Detroit; and Cuban jazz pianist Dayramir Gonzalez is a rising star.

Breaking down the scene between Michelle Yeoh and her would be daughter-in-law, Constance Wu; documentary filmmaker Steve James spent a year inside a Chicago high school for the series, “America to Me”; remembering playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, who died at the age of 91.

The former "Gilmore Girls" co-star has an Emmy nomination for her role in the dystopian world of "The Handmaid's Tale"; Harvey Weinstein's legal woes seem to be mounting; Aneesh Chaganty, director and co-writer of the film, "Searching," has created a hyper-modern day thriller.