The Frame

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."

Sam Beam -- better known by his stage name Iron and Wine -- started writing stripped down folk songs more than a decade ago in his bedroom in Miami, Florida. After experimenting with Jazz, R&B and Pop, he returns to his quiet folk music roots with “Archive Series Volume No. 1.” Iron and Wine performs a live-set of songs new and old for The Frame. Set List: "Everyone’s Summer of ’95” “Two Hungry Blackbirds” “Low Light Buddy of Mine” Our interview with Beam and more here: http://www.scpr.org/programs/the-frame/2015/02/20/41644/iron-wine-performs-songs-from-archive-series-volum/ Video produced by Zach Stamey, James Kim and Maya Sugarman.

A special edition of The Frame examines Hollywood's diversity challenge with screenwriter José Rivera, producer Effie Brown and Frank Leonard, CEO of the The Black List screenplay project.

Many of the winners of the 87th Academy Awards joined us on The Frame to talk about their work. Hear from Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, Best Adapted Screenplay winner Graham Moore (pictured), Best Actress Julianne Moore and ... more!

“Comedy Bang Bang” host Scott Aukerman (far right, with sidekick Reggie Watts) loves and laughs at late-night talk shows; How the "Interstellar" sound editor created the sound of gravity; The indie film crowd gets raucous at the Independent Spirit Awards; How "Hero" by Family of the Year became the unofficial theme song of “Boyhood."

Photographer Sandro Miller talks about how he recreated some of the world’s most famous portraits with actor John Malkovich (pictured) as his muse; Kate Burton and Jason Robards talk about being second-generation actors; The sound designer from "Birdman" breaks down a scene from the film.

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail have another stage hit with their hip-hop musical, "Hamilton" (pictured); How the sound editors for "Unbroken" created a pivotal scene for the movie; Thomas Lennon plays Felix Unger in CBS' remake of "The Odd Couple."

Jason Blum made his name producing successful, low-budget horror films, but he could get an Oscar as part of the producing team for "Boyhood" (pictured); the Sundance Institute pairs composers and filmmakers at Skywalker Ranch; Simon Rich's "Man Seeking Woman" is one of the most bizarre sitcoms on TV.

Our interviews with the best actors, best directors and more ahead of the Academy Awards. Hear from Wes Anderson, Alejandro Iñárritu (far right, with Michael Keaton), Richard Linklater, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julianne Moore, Eddie Redmayne, Reese Witherspoon and more.

The writer's iconic essay about the tumultuous 1960s is interpreted by director Lars Jan and actress Mia Barron; remembering French filmmaker Agnes Varda, who died at the age of 90; Resonance Records is unearthing never-released jazz classics.

Jordan Peele's "Get Out" and "Us" were scored by Michael Abels who, prior to those films, was teaching music in LA; Jazz album made by Dreamers wins Grammys; Employment conditions for janitorial staff at big movie theater chains may surprise you.

The singer and bassist experiments with a variety of styles on her latest album, with each song corresponding to different body parts; the Fox Network has some decisions to make about the future of "Empire" and its co-star, Jussie Smollett.

Alison Klayman's documentary follows the former White House strategist since his departure from the Trump Administration; the Autry Museum is seeking to sell the historic Southwest Museum property in Highland Park; the Open Fist Theatre Company examines the political landscape in "What Matters Now?"

The musician plays cello, guitar and banjo, and displays those talents on her album, “The Capitalist Blues”; Apple unveils its plans for streaming movies and TV content; playwright Sarah DeLappe's "The Wolves" has its L.A. premiere

The actor hosts the latest from Adam McKay, who's known for taking on serious subects, but adding a major dose of humor.

The actor's one-man show, "Lackawanna Blues," captures the colorful world of the 1950s boardinghouse in upstate New York that was his childhood home.

The David Hare play at Boston Court is set in 1895 — the best and the worst of times for the playwright; Disney's purchase of the Fox studios is final. Now what?; singer Emily King opts for a change of 'Scenery'

In the new Hulu series, the actress plays a teenage girl whose mother raised her to believe she was plagued by a range of physical and cognitive ailments.

In "The Inventor" Alex Gibney turns his camera on one of the biggest scammers in modern history– Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. Then, the surfer guitarist Dick Dale has died leaving behind a raucous musical legacy.

“The Highwaymen” tells the true story of the Frank Hamer and Maney Gault who finally took down the 1930’s outlaws Bonnie and Clyde after the FBI were unable to do it.

If you've ever been confused about bitcoin, wondered if counterfeiting is really that big of a deal, or been curious about how exactly money laundering works, Kal Penn will help you figure it out in the Amazon series "This Giant Beast That is the Global Economy."