The Frame

Actress Judith Light has been passionate about LGBT issues for decades, which makes her a natural fit for Amazon's "Transparent"; Spotify has partnered with Genius to augment music with a feature called "Fact Track"; Contra-Tiempo is a dance company with a social conscience.

"Making a Murderer" continues to spark debate about the intersection between art, journalism, public reaction and the law; the Directors Guild Award nominees are announced; "Star Wars" opens in China, but the world's second largest movie market is a challenge for the franchise.

We pay tribute to David Bowie's life and career with Los Angeles Times critic-at-large Sasha Frere-Jones, Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh, poet Tracy K. Smith, singer/actress Lea DeLaria, and New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley.

In our continuing series of conversations with TV network chiefs, ABC's Paul Lee talks about how diversity has become a cornerstone for the company; the Palm Springs Film Festival is a showcase for foreign films from around the world.

Writer/director David O. Russell has completed a trifecta with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in his latest film, "Joy"; the Producers Guild and the Writers Guild have announced their award nominees, one week before the Motion Picture Academy does the same; there really is a company called Central Casting that's been casting extras for 90 years.

Sarah Silverman's career took a serious turn when she took on the lead role in "I Smile Back," and now she's getting award buzz; Phyllis Nagy worked for 18 years to adapt a Patricia Highsmith novel for the movie, "Carol"; composer and conductor Pierre Boulez had a long connection to the Ojai Music Festival.

Diane Warren's latest success is “Til It Happens to You,” which Lady Gaga performed for the documentary, “The Hunting Ground”; Coachella's headliners include Guns N' Roses and LCD Soundsystem; The Discovery Channel is scaling back on reality shows to get back to its original mission.

HBO chief Michael Lombardo joins us for an intimate chat about what he learned from "True Detective" and more; Then, 2015 was a record year at the box office, but most of the ticket sales came from just a handful of movies. Ben Fritz of the Wall Street Journal helps shed light on this trend.

We put together a special episode of The Frame, featuring interviews with George Clooney, "Empire" creator Lee Daniels, musician Jenny Lewis, actress Julianne Moore, "Transparent" creator Jill Soloway and the R&B singer Miguel.

Don Randi's memoir, "You've Heard These Hands," details his years with the L.A. studio band that played on hundreds of hits in the 1960s and '70s; Kelly Sue DeConnick revamped the "Captain Marvel" series, but her "Bitch Planet" titles are with a smaller publisher that allows her to control her work.

The issue of representation for women in film has come up at the Cannes Film Festival, where the festival’s leaders have pledged to reach 50/50 parity for women filmmakers by 2020. We get a report from Rico Gagliano; In "I'm Sorry," actress Andrea Savage plays a "heightened" version of herself: a comedian with wildly inappropriate jokes who's also the mother of a young girl; We meet the Iranian singer Googoosh, who performed Saturday night at a packed Hollywood Bowl.

Director Jason Reitman has collaborated with screenwriter Diablo Cody on three films — "Juno," "Young Adult," and now, "Tully," which stars Charlize Theron; why Spotify's decision to take R. Kelly’s music off its curated playlists is so controversial; the documentary "Unrest" raises awareness about chronic fatigue syndrome, a common but poorly understood disease;

The second season of Justin Simien's "Dear White People" has a lot to say about race, truth and what it means to be an American; YouTube's foray into the original content game includes "Cobra Kai," a sequel to "Karate Kid" with original star Ralph Macchio.

Arranged marriage in modern day India is explored in "A Suitable Girl," which tries to dispel Western misconceptions about the tradition; it's that time of the year when TV networks must decide which shows are renewed and which ones are toast; Ellen Reid's new work hopes to capture the nation’s sense of urgency.

With rock 'n' roll bands no longer headlining top music festivals, is the genre finally dead?; what to expect from this year's Cannes festival; comedic actor Drew Droege came to L.A. with glamorous dreams of making it in Hollywood, only to find success with a viral video.

Writer Tanya Saracho talks about her arc in the TV business — from being a "diversity hire" on "Devious Maids" to creating her own show "Vida" about two Latinx sisters who move back home after their mother's death; and Goldenvoice, the concert promoter of FYF Fest has canceled this year's festival because of low ticket sales. Is it a case of festival fatigue or something else?

Jim DeRogatis has been reporting on allegations of sexual abuse against R. Kelly for nearly two decades including a new report in Buzzfeed today – why this singer may be finally facing his #metoo moment; and as costume designer for "The Crown," Jane Petrie discusses the pressure to get the look of the royal family just right.

A new exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Arts Center celebrates the life and work of composer Leonard Bernstein; the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences votes to expel Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski; and Memphis-based author and filmmaker Robert Gordon captures the grit of his hometown's music in his new book “Memphis Rent Party.”

Actor Martin Freeman goes from 'The Office,' to 'Black Panther,' into two small-scale horror films; Billionaire businessman Wang Jailin of the Dalian Wanda Group hoped that Hollywood studios would see China as a location for making movies, but the Wall Street Journal reveals that’s not happening; We go inside the new production called, “theater is a blank space,” which takes you from Powell Library to the rafters of UCLA’s Royce Hall, literally.

"Mean Girls” and “SpongeBob” led this year’s Tony nominations with 12 picks each. New York Times theater reporter Michael Paulson helped break down the nominations for us; We talk with 'RBG' co-director Betsy West about convincing Justice Ginsburg to give them access to her life; “Spongebob Squarepants the Musical” snagged 12 Tony nominations today, including the top prize, best musical. We talk with playwright Kyle Jarrow.

The screenwriters of "Avengers: Infinity War" explain how the sitcom "Frasier" influenced the film; the Hulu documentary “Tiny Shoulders: Rethinking Barbie” shows how executives at Mattel went about changing the body shape of their iconic and controversial doll.

Alia Shawkat co-wrote and stars in “Duck Butter," a movie about two women who spend 24 hours doing nothing but being with each other and having sex; San Francisco's Grace Cathedral holds a Beyoncé-themed service; YouTube struggles to clean up its act.