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.

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.