The Frame

What the early Academy Award predictions are telling us about diversity — or the lack thereof — among this year’s potential nominees; the documentary "This Ain't No Mouse Music," about Bay Area recording legend Chris Strachwitz, gives new insight into what drove his musical journey.

“The Simpsons” launched its 26th season Sunday. Vulture.com editor Jesse David Fox joins us to discuss how they chose the 100 Best Simpsons episodes; “The Equalizer” won the box office this weekend, but we also take a look at how some smaller, independent films are doing.

The FAA just approved use of drones for feature films. We talk with the owner of a company that stands to benefit; an Asian-American theater company explores how cultural bias can warp a family’s ability to discuss mental illness; Antoine Fuqua first directed Denzel Washington in "Training Day." Now they're together again for "The Equalizer."

Soloway talks about how Lena Dunham and Louis CK changed the way she writes; pianist and composer Cathlene Pineda discusses her commission for the Angel City Jazz Festival; and Viola Davis on why her casting for "How To Get Away With Murder" is groundbreaking

Kenya Barris, creator of the new ABC series "black-ish," says they had written an episode about spanking before the Adrian Peterson story broke. His challenge: Getting the network to buy in to the controversial topic; Artist Ai Weiwei debuts a new installation at Alcatraz that touches on themes such as freedom and human rights.

The actress founded an institute on gender in media that reports women don't get enough speaking roles in Hollywood; art and science intersect at the AxS Festival; New York's Metropolitan Opera opens its season amid protests, and more.

Colin Farrell will star in the next season of HBO's "True Detective"; Matt Atchity of Rotten Tomatoes chats about this weekend's box office winners and losers, including "The Maze Runner" (pictured). Plus, Jon Stewart discusses his first time on a comedy stage, Fox debuts “Gotham," and more.

How Scott Frank convinced Liam Neeson to star in yet another hostage movie; “Last Days in Vietnam” portrays the U.S. exit from Saigon; and a look at the legendary jazz musician at the heart of “Keep On Keepin’ On.”

The Toronto International Film Festival has a late-night series that brings out devoted horror fans; a group of artists and activists put a spotlight on LA's waterway; the indie band Allah-Las returns to its roots at Amoeba Records; and film director Ned Benson talks about his accidental trilogy, "The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby."

In our latest episode, we get a preview of one of the largest and most vital film festivals on the circuit; we sit under a 340-ton boulder to interview Doug Pray about the subject of his documentary, "Levitated Mass: The Story of Michael Heizer's Monolithic Sculpture"; and we chat with Teller (yes, of Penn & Teller) and Aaron Posner — co-directors of a novel staging of "The Tempest" at South Coast Repertory.

Former Disney exec-turned-producer Nina Jacobson discusses how an actor’s pay is determined in the industry; composer Hans Zimmer (pictured) discusses the making of his Oscar-nominated score for Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar"; Michael Chabon is the most recent novelist trying his hand at writing pop song lyrics.

Classical music legend Neville Marriner (pictured) is in L.A. to conduct the Colburn School student orchestra; Stephanie Allain, an executive producer of "Dear White People" and director of the L.A. Film Festival, on why Hollywood isn't diverse enough; Doug Lussenhop, aka DJ Douggpound, brings his sound-rich act to Riot LA.

Who got left out of the Academy Award nominations, and why; screenwriter Jason Hall on adapting war hero Chris Kyle's raw memoir for the big screen; and L.A. Opera adapts "The Marriage of Figaro" into a story about illegal immigration.

Neil Young (pictured) wants his hi-res audio player to let fans hear music the way it sounds in the studio; TV producers are previewing new shows for the new year; and an L.A. artist has turned his studio apartment into a museum.

Chris Lemmon's one-man stage revives his dad's stories and spirit (pictured); Film L.A. reports that film production is down, but TV production is way up over the past year; In-Q has carved out a place for himself where spoken word, poetry and music intersect.

The British actor talks about his new movie, "Match" (pictured); author Annabelle Gurwitch on the parallel universes surrounding awards season in Hollywood; the stage actors union is considering changes that could turn the theater scene upside down.

Jenni Konner, executive producer and writer of "Girls" (left, with star Lena Dunham), talks about season four; What do the Golden Globe, Writers Guild and Producers Guild nominations mean for the upcoming Oscars?; Disney's "Fantasia" film transforms into a video game with a modern update.

French artist Pierre Huyghe transforms an exhibition space at the L.A. County Museum of Art (pictured) into a quirky biosphere; the winter TV season has arrived; a new public radio show/podcast is about the invisible forces that control human behavior.

Mark Duplass talks about the new HBO series, "Togetherness" (pictured), he created with his brother, Jay; what's the market for the new high-end audio players from Sony and Neil Young?; a landmark mural of Anthony Quinn is being restored in downtown L.A.

The roster for the Coachella festival (pictured) has Drake, AC/DC and Jack White as headliners; Mica Levi conducts a live performance of her award-winning movie score; a look at the latest gadgets debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show; an effort to expand Wikipedia entries for African-American artists.

Movie ticket sales dropped five percent in 2014, worrying studios and theater owners; filmmaker Lee Daniels talks about his foray into TV production with his new Fox series, "Empire" (pictured); Shamir is one musician to watch in 2015.

Ranking various versions of the New Year's Eve tune, from Rod Stewart to Mariah Carey to ... cats!; Christmas came early for music lovers when an L.A. record store let customers cart off 25 albums for free; the City of L.A.'s former arts czar assesses the city's place in the cultural world.