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.

The director presents a gritty version of the city in the movie about a former undercover cop confronted with her past; Producers Guild of America co-president Lucy Fisher on how the organization is operating in the #MeToo era.

The future Supreme Court Justice endured a lot of sexism in her career, and so has the director of the biopic, "On the Basis of Sex"; writer/director Adam McKay takes on Dick Cheney in the darkly comedic "Vice."

The actor has two movies debuting in the coming days, and another that opened earlier this fall, "Beautiful Boy," is still in theaters; the annual so-called "Black List" of exceptional un-produced scripts has been released.

The "Big Bang Theory" actor stars in a radio play production of "It's a Wonderful Life" at the Pasadena Playhouse.

The late night host takes aim at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in her version of a holiday special; the top five Latin albums you may have missed in 2018.

New York Times theater critic Jesse Green reviews the year on the major stages; "Caparnaum" is a heart-breaking film from Lebanon about a neglected street urchin; Lindsay Buckingham dissects Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" for Song Exploder.

The prolific producer has created shows for Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network and, now, PBS Kids; a media expert on the problem with Kidz Bop.

The director follows up the Academy Award Best Picture-winning "Moonlight" with "If Beale Street Could Talk," an adaptation of the Baldwin novel that plays like a tone poem; composer Nicholas Britell collaborates with Jenkins once again.

The virtuoso specializes in Bartók and her recording of his Piano Concerto No. 2 is nominated in the Classical Instrumental Solo category; Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez won an Academy Award for their song from "Coco," "Remember Me," and now it's up for a Grammy; “La Bohème” gets a hipster twist in L.A.

The musical revisits the story of the passengers from 38 airplanes who were stranded in Canada on that fateful day; Taylor Mac turns the Christmas pageant on its head with "Holiday Sauce."

Lady Gaga’s song “Shallow,” from the movie “A Star is Born,” earned four Grammy nominations today and it's an Oscar favorite too. Meet Mark Ronson, the man who co-wrote and produced it; Shirley Halperin, executive editor for music at Variety, talks about the other 2019 Grammy nominees; who should host the Oscars?

Alexis Bloom's documentary examines the life and career of the late political operative and TV news executive; how casting agents get pulled into sexual harassment incidents; an ex-pat Iranian composer maintains his musical ties.