The Frame

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.

Director Josie Rourke talks about her mission to reconsider history through a modern perspective on gender, power and sexuality; former L.A. Philharmonic music director Esa-Pekka Salonen will succeed Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony; two generations of African-American harpists talk about their musical tradition.

The pianist and composer talks about and performs music from the movie about Don Shirley; what were the most streamed songs and albums of 2018?

Gabriel Cordell's attempt to roll across the country in a manual wheelchair is the subject of Lisa France's documentary; the endless options for TV cord-cutters

Executive producer Eric Newman talks about pivoting the focus of the Netflix series from Colombia to Mexico; YouTube is scaling back the scripted output for its streaming service; music veterans Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore collaborate on an album, "Downey to Lubbock."

Yalitza Aparicio went from being a fledgling school teacher to playing a pivotal role in Alfonso Cuarón's "Roma"; the New York Times reports that a faded talent agent and an actress client of his could ruin Les Moonves' chance of receiving any severance from CBS; this season's crop of new Christmas music has a little bit of everything.

The filmmaker has made some downright odd movies (e.g., "The Lobster"), but he takes a more accessible route with his new period drama; Emma Stone talks about her role in "The Favourite"; who's getting into the 2019 Sundance Film Festival?

The playwright and director talks about the real-life events in California's Central Valley that inspired the WWII-era drama, "Valley of the Heart"; Fox Nation launches as a streaming service; the pioneering post-punk band, The Raincoats.

The former Monty Python member revisits his life and career in the memoir, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography"; Luciana Souza puts Leonard Cohen poems to music.

The Marley family has launched a line of marijuana products to be distributed at dispensaries around the country; Catherine Opie shows a wide range of her work in three current L.A. exhibitions; John Horn and Kyle Buchanan assess the Academy Awards campaign season.

"The Hateful Eight" came along at the right time for Jennifer Jason Leigh, and won her an Oscar nomination; the infamous freeway chase was diligently re-created for "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson"; things are getting slightly better for female characters in movies, but only slightly.

“The Big Short” was originally to be released this year, but writer-director Adam McKay pushed it up and the result is five Oscar nominations; "Daily Show" Samantha Bee made a strong debut with her new late night show; with the primaries in full swing, which candidates are getting support from Hollywood?

The McFerrins recently performed their first-ever full concert together, and the father-and-son spoke about it after the show; Beyoncé surprised her fans with a new song and video that quickly dominated the cultural conversation; Big Freedia is the Big Easy's queen of bounce music.

After making three films with Joel and Ethan Coen, Josh Brolin says he still sometimes can't figure out their cryptic directing; the artists who installed a teahouse in Griffith Park last year are now transforming a downtown L.A. alley for one day; the Sundance Film Festival's commitment to inclusion has become a beacon for filmmakers such as Jason Lew.

The latest offbeat comedy from Jonathan Krisel is "Baskets," which stars Zach Galifianakis as a struggling clown; virtual reality projects had a huge presence at this year's Sundance Film Festival; "Kung Fu Panda 3" is the first big studio film to screen in English and a Chinese language in the U.S.

Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander, creators of "The People v. O.J. Simpson," talk about finding new ways to tell the familiar story; Slate TV critic Willa Paskin on why viewers are ignoring Trevor Noah; Drake's use of "Hotline Bling" for a phone ad was inevitable.

Brian Oakes tells the story of his childhood friend who became a conflict journalist in "Jim: The James Foley Story"; Mark Mangini made a battle truck sound like a living beast in "Mad Max: Fury Road"; residents of Leimert Park and Montebello connect in "Through the Looking Glass."

Elba's trophy for best supporting actor in "Beasts of No Nation" rekindles debate over his Academy Award snub; James Schamus used to buy films at Sundance as the head of Focus Features, but this year he was there with his directorial debut.

It's a new chapter in U.S.-Chinese relations — cinematically speaking. “Kung Fu Panda 3” opened simultaneously here and in China, thanks to a partnership between DreamWorks and its partners there; writer-director Sian Heder's feature debut was inspired by her experiences as a nanny.

A powerful documentary about the aftermath of the 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut premiered at the Sundance Film Festival; Rihanna's new album had a surprise (or maybe not?) release this week; the L.A. Art Fair aims to be the nexus for art from the Pacific Rim.

Nate Parker spent seven years making "The Birth of a Nation," and his efforts paid off as the breakout hit at the Sundance Film Festival; prominent comedians take to the stage to benefit Bernie Sanders' campaign; Larry Klein's work with Joni Mitchell made him a go-to producer for a wide variety of singers.