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."

If you think musicians are getting shorted by streaming services, songwriters fare even worse; Google introduces Daydream, its virtual reality headset that works with Android phones; the new light rail stop at Santa Monica's Bergamot Station has some worried about the art center's future.

"Outlander" creator Ronald D. Moore and costume designer Terry Dresbach share secrets from their married life and work collaboration; an inside look at creating the music for the ABC comedy, "The Middle"; how diverse are the broadcast networks' new shows?

Filmmaker Lee Daniels and actors Geena Davis and Peter Jacobson tell The Frame's John Horn what it's like to be part of the dog-and-pony show that are the broadcast TV Upfronts. Director Jay Roach makes political theater into an HBO movie with LBJ's story in "All the Way." Songwriter Guy Clark remembered.

Paul Buckmaster's long music career began with David Bowie in the 1960s and includes arranging for Elton John, Miles Davis, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood; The Mexican female punk band 'Las Hijas de Violencia' combats street harassment with performance art; NBC and Fox kick of day one of the TV Upfronts.

'The Lobster' filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos reveals what lies behind his dark satire about love, society and relationships; The SFMOMA reopens with a new wing and new art but something is still missing; Broadcast TV networks cancel shows and rearrange line-ups ahead of next week's Upfront presentations to ad buyers.

The "Downton Abbey" creator has moved on to write the book for the Broadway musical, "School of Rock," and an interactive online novel, "Belgravia" but there may be a 'Downton' movie in the works; Donald Drumpf will begin fundraising in L.A, but does he have any Hollywood support?; singer-songwriter Andy Shauf makes a concept album, "The Party."

Comedian Ali Wong tackles everything from bodily functions, to specific sex acts, to the woes of feminism all while nearly 8 months pregnant in her Netflix special, 'Baby Cobra'; There’s a new music scene taking over south Los Angeles and it’s not hip-hop; Amazon mounts a challenge to YouTube.

Filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia and actor Ewan McGregor team up for a fresh take on a centuries-old story from the Bible; Chadwick Boseman follows roles as Jackie Robinson and James Brown with a new hero — Black Panther; Ticketmaster class action lawsuit plaintiffs won't get rich; YACHT's sex tape prank ends in a backlash.

Actors Alan Mandell and Barry McGovern continue their deep connection to Samuel Beckett at the Kirk Douglas Theatre; Paula Fairfield uses unusual sources (animal sex!) for the dragon sounds in the fantasy series; the Cannes Film Festival kicks off this week with the usual glitz and glamour.

Louie Anderson drew on his own mom for his role as Zach Galifianakis' mother, Christine Baskets, and John Roberts did the same to voice Linda Belcher; a report from the NewFronts: YouTube wants to replace your TV.

"Captain America: Civil War" directors Joe and Anthony Russo went from directing TV sitcoms to the massive Marvel movie machine; how Beyoncé and Radiohead are changing the music marketing game; Millennials are forcing film schools to make MFA programs more responsive to their needs.

Tyler is a comedian, actress, talk show and podcast host, a voice on the animated series “Archer,” and she's about to direct her first film; David O. Russell and other prominent directors talk about the important job of script supervisor.