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 annual pop culture extravaganza in San Diego is nirvana for movie, TV and comic book fans; the documentary "Game Girls" follow a lesbian couple trying to escape life on L.A.'s Skid Row; what have been the best depictions of Russian spies in movies and TV shows?

The British musician and composer Anna Meredith dips into movies with her score for "Eighth Grade"; voiceover actors are threatening a strike against streaming services that would affect all TV animation production; Liz Phair marks the 25th anniversary of "Exit to Guyville."

John Gerrard’s installation at LACMA is a digital simulation that recreates a Nevada solar thermal power plant and the surrounding desert landscape; how the gender imbalance among film critics can affect female-led movies; the Dodgers organist does more than just play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

The two longtime friends use their boyhood home of Oakland as the setting for their tough-minded film about friendship in a changing city; "Skyscraper" writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber on his summer blockbuster; "Black Panther" costumer Ruth Carter has tips for Comic-Con cos-players.

The chef and restaurant owner uses his experience as an immigrant to inform his PBS series, "No Passport Required"; former Obama speechwriter and current "Funny or Die" writer/producer David Litt weighs in on Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?"; the South L.A. band Inner Wave has been together for 10 years, and the members are still in their early 20s.

Gus Van Sant makes a movie about the quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan's life in AA. And could Sacha Baron Cohen's new TV show land him in legal jeopardy? And the LA Phil brings kids to California for the 2nd annual Take A Stand Festival.

Musicians Bhi Bhiman, Gaby Moreno and Radney Foster – each in their own way – sing about the rights and suffering of immigrants. Also, we unpack the 2018 Emmy noms.

"Won't You Be My Neighbor" filmmaker Morgan Neville reveals why his documentary about Fred Rogers has become a hit movie this summer. And singer-songwriter Mary Gautier partners with veterans to make music and mend wounds.

At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is re-imagined with same-sex lead couples; Warner Bros. wants to build a gondola from its lot to the Hollywood sign; this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured Armenian-American musicians who are challenging traditional sounds.

On today's show: Comedian Bo Burnham has conflicted feelings about the Internet, so he addresses that angst through a young teen in his feature directing debut, "Eighth Grade"; Congress could soon pass long-overdue updates to music copyright laws that will benefit songwriters; the Filipino-American drama "Bitter Melon" screens at Outfest.

On today's show: Inside the restoration of The Beatles' animated classic from 1968; we revisit a 2013 interview with sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, who died on June 27; an initiative to increase the number of women of color in classical music.

On today's show: director Boots Riley and actress Tessa Thompson talk about one of the buzziest movies of the summer; former soccer player and current stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton talks about bad acting in the World Cup.