The Frame

Writer/director John Ridley (far right, with actor Timothy Hutton) talks about his edgy new TV series, “American Crime"; We crash a viewing party for the breakout TV hit, “Empire"; Musician and attorney Joe Escalante on the fallout from the “Blurred Lines” verdict.

A jury ruled that Robin Thicke (pictured) and Pharrell Williams violated the copyright to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up"; an assistant director on the film "Midnight Rider" was found guilty of charges relating to the death of a camera assistant; producer David Shore revived a TV project created a dozen years ago by Vince Gilligan, before his "Breaking Bad" success.

"Midnight Rider" director Randall Miller was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to charges resulting from the death of a crew member on the set; Clint Eastwood talks about "American Sniper" (pictured) becoming the biggest-grossing film released in 2014; actress Gillian Jacobs has added director to her resumé with a documentary about computer pioneer Grace Hopper.

A fan laments that legendary radio DJ Art Laboe (pictured) can't be heard in L.A., at least for now; Robert Christgau, the Dean of American Rock Critics, has a memoir covering his 40-plus years on the music beat; Claire Keane is a third-generation artist who left a cushy job to write and illustrate children's books.

The trial for the lawsuit brought by Marvin Gaye's children against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams is nearing an end; how "Dead Man Walking" was transformed from a movie to an opera (pictured); comedian Wayne Federman rounds up his hilarious friends to host a film festival where they chose the lineup; comic book writer Scott Snyder put his anxieties into his version of "Batman."

Ed Piskor’s "Hip Hop Family Tree” (pictured) takes a look at the music's history in a comic book series; young comedians test their chops in roast battles; the Writer's Guild examines the lack of racial and gender diversity among TV writers.

Late night host Conan O'Brien tells us about his trip to Cuba and his thoughts on the late night TV shuffle; Vulture.com's Margaret Lyons recommends some TV shows that have an air of optimism; comic book writer Ed Brubaker goes from Captain America and Batman to a Hollywood noir graphic novel.

Will Smith's "Focus" (pictured) did middling business in its opening weekend, so where does this leave his career?; filmmaker Ed Burns on the highs and lows of his career since bursting on the scene with "The Brothers McMullen" in 1995; Valiant Entertainment has a simple goal: make comic books like they used to be made.

Leonard Nimoy (pictured) died today. We discuss his artistic journey as an actor, writer and photographer; the copyright trial pitting Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. against Marvin Gaye's children is underway; Will Forte is "The Last Man on Earth," a new Fox comedy.

Singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane (pictured) wrote "The Ambassador," a song cycle inspired by architectural landmarks around L.A.; Yann Demange's new film is set amidst the violent Northern Ireland conflict known as The Troubles; a new study concludes that watching even just one film can change minds about a topic as charged as politics.

Considering the success of TV shows such as "Fresh Off the Boat" (pictured), two casting directors discuss whether the demand for diversity has turned into a new form of affirmative action; filmmaker Noah Baumbach joins us for a discussion about his new film, "While We're Young."

Last year, for the first time, the record industry made more money from streaming services than from the sale of CDs; British singer/songwriter Laura Marling (pictured) talks about her love-hate relationship with L.A.; “Justified” creator Graham Yost on how the show maintained its spirit after the death of co-creator, Elmore Leonard.

NPR music critic Ann Powers provides a rundown of standout acts, including Leon Bridges (pictured), at SxSW; Twin Shadow goes from indie rock to pop music on his latest album, “Eclipse"; Lacey Schwartz talks about uncovering her secret racial identity in her documentary, "Little White Lie."

This weekend GLAAD honors entertainment and media that best represent LGBT characters. But handing out awards isn’t the group's only job in Hollywood; Why the Iranian band Kiosk had to flee their country to fully realize their art; Suge Knight's bail is set to $25 million, and his lawyers accuse the prosecution of equating Knight with "Empire."

James Corden reveals his hopes and fears as host of the revamped "Late Late Show." Actor Ethan Hawke and pianist Seymour Bernstein talk stage fright and their new documentary. Mr. T gets a reality show gig.

ASCAP president and board chairman Paul Williams (pictured) advocates better pay for songwriters; The Emmys define TV comedies by length; Hammer Museum celebrates the work of artist Charles Atlas.

Apple plans to offer an online package of 25 TV channels including ABC, CBS and FOX, perhaps as soon as this fall; singer/songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. turned his misfortune into a music career that's blowing up.

Violinist Bing Wang (pictured) is one of the 120-plus L.A. Philharmonic musicians on a two-week tour of Asia; HBO's "The Jinx" is just the latest documentary to play a key role in a criminal case; hanging out with the dudes at the 14th annual celebration of "The Big Lebowski."

How is SxSW in Austin different from all other film festivals?; artist Charles Gaines (pictured) reflects on being black in the art world and gets a retrospective of his very own at the Hammer Museum.

The L.A. Philharmonic is set to leave on a tour of Asia, where it will make its first visit to mainland China and conductor Gustavo Dudamel will work with a youth orchestra born out of the Fukushima disaster in Japan; We take an audio tour of the Bjork exhibit at MOMA that's generating so much snark

A new report by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA says movies and TV shows with diverse casts (such as "Empire," pictured) make good financial sense; Song Exploder breaks down the theme song for "House of Cards"; a new stage production at CalTech takes "Alice Through the Wormhole."

How did Amy Poehler's sitcom (pictured) survive seven seasons of average ratings?; Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, returns to his musical roots with "Archive Series Volume Number One"; Wes Anderson's Oscar-winning film is the subject of a new book; the L.A. Philharmonic stages a multimedia production of "Alice in Wonderland."