The Frame

Musicians Inara George and Eleni Mandell host an occasional performance and conversation series with songwriters of all genres composing music around a common theme; is R. Kelly still getting paid?; TV composer Kurt Farquhar was once homeless.

The veteran R&B singer finds the soul in classics such as "It AIn't Me Babe" and "Mama, You Been On My Mind" on her latest album, "Things Have Changed"; Emma Thompson went public with her decision to pull out of a movie produced by the company that recently hired a disgraced former Pixar executive.

There were surprises ("Green Book"! Olivia Colman!) and some history was made (Hannah Beachler, Ruth Carter). John Horn recaps the show with film critic Claudia Puig and L.A. Times film reporter Jen Yamato.

John Horn and Rebecca Keegan of The Hollywood Reporter co-host the hour-long special, which features interviews with many nominees, including Glenn Close, Rami Malek, Spike Lee and Rachel Weisz.

Bo Burnham's script won a top award from the Writers Guild, but it wasn't nominated for an Oscar; there's now an algorithm that writes movie scripts; Anthony Wilson's album of songs and photographs.

Twenty years after its premiere, the musical based on E.L. Doctorow's novel gets an elaborate revival at the Pasadena Playhouse; unpacking the Jussie Smollett story; what to expect (and not to expect) at the Academy Awards this weekend.

The prolific photographer talks about the survey that chronicles 50 years of documenting pop culture and politics; Hollywood Reporter TV critic Daniel Fienberg on the state of television.

In 1993, Lorena Bobbitt became famous for cutting off her husband's penis, but a new Amazon docu-series reveals the more complicated story; how the Oscar-nominated sound editors of "First Man" conveyed the anxiety of space flight; the Hollywood guilds spread awards love.

Barry Jenkins talks about his adaptation of James Baldwin's novel, and composer Nicholas Britell explains and demonstrates how he created the film's score.

The singer/songwriter is part of country music royalty, but her politics are out of the Nashville mainstream; the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, "RBG," is up for an Academy Award.

Actress Isabelle Huppert and writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve talk about their film, "Things To Come," about a middle-aged philosophy teacher who's forced to reconsider her life; we talk with filmmakers Jeff Orlowski ("Chasing Coral") and Marina Zenovich ("Water & Power") about their climate change docs screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

Alena Smith’s new play, “Icebergs,” tackles climate change, infertility, hate crimes, sexism and divorce — and it’s a comedy; actress Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter M. Ward, aka She & Him, have a new Christmas album; with critically-acclaimed films such as "Moonlight" and "Loving," the next Oscar nominations should be more diverse than in recent years.

Natalie Portman talks about playing Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie," which follows her in the days and weeks following the assassination of JFK; now that Fidel Castro is dead, how might things change for Cuba's artists?; Leo Matsuda's "Inner Workings" is a short animated Disney film that is screening with "Moana."

Actress Jenny Slate and her father talk about their book of stories inspired by their family life in Massachusetts; we break down the nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards; in the 1940s, a Silicon Valley start-up came up with an invention that revolutionized pop music.

Brian K. Vaughan, author of the popular sci-fi comics "Saga" and "Y: The Last Man," uses the medium to talk about issues such as immigration, the Cold War, and being a father; The Gilmore Guys talk about the return of "The Gilmore Girls;" Amazon wants to replace your cable with its own bundle.

Erin McKeown had never written a musical, but she couldn’t turn down the offer to work on "Miss You Like Hell"; N.Y. Times theater critic Ben Brantley on the impact of the incident between the cast of "Hamilton" and VP-elect Mike Pence; composer Jóhann Jóhannsson talks about his score for the movie, “Arrival."

Ford's 2009 directing debut, "A Single Man," was no lark. He's back with "Nocturnal Animals," a moody drama that stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams.

Kelly Craig's directing debut on “The Edge of Seventeen" was made with the help of her mentor, James L. Brooks; now that Donald Trump is headed to the White House, is it possible the presidential election could also change the fortunes of movies that are competing for the Academy Awards?

Actress Ruth Negga may be Irish, but she says she related to Ruth Loving, the American woman she plays in “Loving.” Both women are of mixed race, a fact that got Ruth and her husband, Richard, into legal trouble when interracial marriage was illegal in some states.

Eric Heisserer, screenwriter for the new film "Arrival" (starring Amy Adams), reflects on why it was so important to him that the scientists in the movie speak the way real scientists do. He talks about working with director Denis Villeneuve and how the themes tribalism and fear of the "other" resonate with issues in the real world today.

The eight-part PBS documentary series presents "Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music," from the 1950s to present day. Featured artists include Sly Stone, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Beck, Bon Iver, and Public Enemy.

Fifty years ago, Judy Collins recorded Leonard Cohen's “Suzanne” and introduced him to the wider world; music producer Hal Willner talks about the project that pulled Cohen out of semi-retirement; Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokno discusses artists' activism in the U.S. and Russia in the wake of Trump’s election; a visit to an open mic night where veterans jam and bond.