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."

Writer Lena Waithe and director Melina Matsoukas talk about their provocative film about a tragic incident involving a black couple and a white policeman; five years later, what has Hollywood learned from the Sony hack?

L.A.'s Marachi Arcoiris bills itself as the first LGBTQ group that plays traditional Mexican music; what should we make of the Golden Globes?; the Huntington Museum turns 100 with a centennial exhibition.

After her longtime stint in Sonic Youth, followed by a two-person band called Body/Head, the singer and bassist has her first solo album, "No Home Record"; writer Nell Scovell mends fences (sort of) with David Letterman; Mati Diop's Senegalese film, "Atlantics," is on the shortlist for best international feature film at the Academy Awards.

Greta Gerwig shares her passion for "Little Women"; one TV journalist surveys how Jewish women are portrayed on TV; Jonathan Pryce dons the robes of Pope Francis for "The Two Popes"; a photographer turns objects confiscated from detainees at the border into art; The Black List turns 15; the ambitious filming of "1917".

The actress not only stars in the movie about the downfall of Roger Ailes at Fox News, she is also credited as a producer; assistants in Hollywood want better pay and treatment; "Not at the Dinner Table" is a release valve for uncomfortable holiday gatherings.

Director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins collaborated to film the movie in a single, continuous shot; will "Cats" snuggle up to moviegoers?; songwriter Kathryn Bostic is on the shortlist of nominees for the Academy Awards best original song.

Jonathan Pryce talks about playing the reluctant Pope Francis and screenwriter Anthony McCarten talks about mixing fact and fiction; top screenplays in The Black List.

The director willed her way onto the project to tell the 1868 Louisa May Alcott story in a new way; a photographer turns items confiscated at the U.S.-Mexico border into subjects for an exhibition.

Abby McEnany stars in and co-created the series, which tells the tragi-comic story of a gender non-conforming woman struggling with her lot in life. She and executive producer Lilly Wachowski talk about the series; Kyle Buchanan, who writes The Carpetbagger blog for The New York Times, on awards season in Hollywood.

Charlize Theron produces and stars in "Bombshell"; Lilly Wachowski and Abby McEnany find comedy and connection on their series "Work In Progress"; Matthew Bourne brings "Swan Lake" back to LA; Jad Abumrad argues that Dolly Parton is the great unifier in our fractured country with his new podcast.

The podcast from Radiolab host Jad Abumrad explores the amazing career of "The Backwoods Barbie"; Netflix is accused of breaching awards etiquette and journalism ethics in its courting of Critics Choice Association members; the Australian band Good Morning has a surprising following in the U.S.

Choreographer Matthew Bourne, who shocked the dance world with his staging of the classic ballet, brings the production back to L.A.; why are insurance companies willing to offer policies that protect behavior of figures like Harvey Weinstein?; the podcast, “Prince the Story of 1999,” takes us inside the making of the landmark album.