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."

Former "Daily Show" correspondent puts a twisted spin on the family sitcom with "The Detour"; at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, vendors tease movie theater ideas, including a robotic bar; L.A. theater veteran Diane Rodriguez takes her expertise to a national stage.

Eric Spitznagel's new book chronicles his quest for prized albums he disposed of over the years; Pacific Symphony tries to find new audiences in bars and restaurants; Amazon lays out its plans in the original feature film arena.

Screenwriter Susannah Grant revisits the 1991 hearings that pitted Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas against law professor Anita Hill; the spokesman for movie theater owners says theaters should remain the first venue for film releases; Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner teams up with Miles Kane on a side project.

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, the stars and creators of the Amazon series "Catastrophe" explain why they may push the boundaries of language but not of nudity. Musician Mayer Hawthorne muses on his upbringing and his Detroit roots. Host John Horn reports from CinemaCon in Las Vegas-- where theater owners and movie studio execs strategize ways to generate box office boffo.

Ben Falcone opens up about directing his wife, Melissa McCarthy, in "The Boss"; Karyn Kusama made her new movie with support from a group of investors who fund movies made by women; N.W.A. injects some West Coast rap style into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright once again ties history to the present day in "Father Comes Home From The Wars."

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals have reunited for their first album in nine years. The singer talks about taking on police brutality in the title track, and he reveals how his family’s music shop in Claremont shaped his life, his passion for social justice and his music career.

Country music icon Merle Haggard died today on his 79th birthday. Filmmaker Gandulf Hennig talks about the Haggard documentary he made for PBS' “American Masters"; Jesse Eisenberg is a true multi-tasker. The actor plays Lex Luthor in “Batman v. Superman” and he’s also a playwright whose “The Revisionist” is currently at The Wallis in Beverly Hills.

Kulap Vilaysack is the creator of the Seeso original show "Bajillion Dollar Propertie$." Her husband, Scott Aukerman (host of IFC's "Comedy Bang! Bang!"), serves as executive producer on the series. The pair talk about collaborating on the show and their other projects.

The singer and guitarist's latest album, "Dig In Deep," is a collection of original songs plus covers of tunes by INXS and Los Lobos; Jessie Kahnweiler wasn’t sure anyone would want to watch “The Skinny” — her web series about her eating disorder. But then the Sundance Film Festival came calling.

The filmmaker describes his new movie as a “spiritual sequel” to “Dazed and Confused," this time with college baseball players sowing their wild oats.

The young actress got a huge break when she was cast on the HBO series, but fans often give her grief about her unlikeable character.