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."

Playwright Stephen Karam tells the story of making "The Humans" a Broadway hit; "Hamilton" broke a Tony nomination record and Broadway proves more diverse than Hollywood; Anybody who's anyone in the digital media world is making online videos, so what's hot at the Newfronts?

The Broadway musical "School of Rock" stars Alex Brightman in the role originated by Jack Black in the 2003 movie of the same name; the married musical duo Marty and Elayne celebrate 35 years of their lounge act at The Dresden Room; a massive festival planned by the promoters of Coachella is stacked with some of the biggest — and oldest — names in classic rock.

Susan Sarandon and Rose Byrne star in Lorene Scafaria's film that was inspired by her own meddlesome mother; North Carolina’s so-called “bathroom law" has some film/TV studios threatening to move out of state. Three below-the-line workers tells us how their lives and careers could be upended; Pace Gallery opens its first West Coast venue in Palo Alto.

Tracy Oliver co-wrote "Barbershop: The Next Cut," her biggest credit in a career that's only getting bigger; What does Comcast's $3.8 billion deal to buy DreamWorks Animation say about the state of Hollywood?; musician and composer Adam Young is writing scores for movies that haven't been made.

Raymond Lee channels the mindset of a school shooter, and the legacy of Korean rage, in the new play "Office Hour"; Vulture's Kyle Buchanan on the trend of casting actors such as Idris Elba and Lupita Nyong'o in roles where you don't see their faces; Kevin Morby finds musical inspiration in his L.A. neighborhood.

Eddie Huang criticized ABC's adaptation of his memoir, "Fresh Off The Boat." He's turned to reality TV for the Viceland food-travel series "Huang's World"; Turner Classic Movies and Criterion Collection are creating a streaming service for film fanatics; painter Lily Simonson's new exhibit depicts the world she found while on a research expedition to Antarctica.

The official weapons master for "Game of Thrones," Tommy Dunne, shares secrets from the show's war chest; "After The Thrones" is the official GoT after-show, hosted by Andy Greenwald; Beyoncé takes a bold artistic and personal leap forward with her new album and short film.

John Carney ("Once") makes a love letter to '80s rock with his new movie, "Sing Street"; playwright, choreographer and theatrical activist Larissa FastHorse chronicles what it means to be a Native American in Los Angeles through her play, "Urban Rez."

The Frame pays tribute to Prince: music critic Melissa Ruggieri reports on Prince's final concerts; singer Judith Hill had her debut album produced by Prince; Alex Pappademas of MTV News on Prince's legacy in music and film; and Scott Goodman got a personal request from Prince to have his music removed from Goodman's file sharing website.

Kathryn Bostic has a varied music career as a composer for film, stage and the concert hall, and a singer/songwriter; the Ford Amphitheatre in the Hollywood Hills is nearing the end of an extensive renovation; an unprecedented number of women comic book writers and artists are up for Eisner Awards.

Kamau Bell's new CNN docu-series gets off to a wild start when he spends time with some Ku Klux Klan members on their turf; on a new episode of Song Exploder, punk legend Iggy Pop and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age dissect their collaboration.

Rachel Bloom, star and co-creator of the CW show, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” reveals how she took her love of musical theater and made it into a modern day commentary on sex and the single woman; Plus, electronic music rules at Coachella this year. We'll hear a wrap-up of the first weekend and a review of some wearable tech aimed at audiophiles.