The Frame

The film is an attempt to understand the motives behind the horrific 2011 attack at a teen camp in Norway; Taylor Swift showed her political leanings this week, but can she make a difference?

The Academy Award-winning director takes on a biopic of astronaut Neil Armstrong; "American Saga: Gunshot Medley: Part 1" is a new play about the struggle against systemic racism.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique talks about shooting the film's live concert scenes at Coachella and other venues; New York Times culture critic Amanda Hess on how the new TV season is addressing the #MeToo movement; Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, breaks down her song, "Woman."

It's been 11 years since the writer/director's last film, and she returns with a personal movie about infertility; singer Luciana Souza has a new album based on Leonard Cohen's poetry.

The man who made crucial contributions to the music of Duke Ellington gets a tribute in David Rousséve's "Halfway to Dawn"; a dozen years after his death, James Brown's estate remains a muddled mess; Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson has a riveting video installation at The Broad.

The dissident Chinese artist has three current exhibitions in Los Angeles; the Kavanaugh-Ford hearing gets a theatrical treatment with the gender roles reversed; Manhattan's High Line is the setting for "The Mile Long Opera."

He's currently in the films "The Sisters Brothers" and "Venom," he's about to perform in the title role of "Hamlet" for Netflix, while also furthering his career as a rapper; Donald Trump's presidency is the ultimate reality show, but will it get renewed in 2020?

Robert Redford, Sissy Spacek and the film's writer/director talk about what may or may not be the actor's final role; actress Chantal Cousineau on California's new sexual harassment laws; New Yorker magazine cartoonist Liana Finck.

The primary lyricist for Los Lobos is also a visual artist and he has paired his lyrics and drawings and paintings in a new book, "Good Morning Aztlán"; Sarah Jones' "Sell/Buy/Date" is a one-woman play with many views of the sex industry.

The iconic L.A. artist leads John Horn on a tour of his vast workspace and talks about his past and current work; media scholar Robert Thompson talks about the historic nature of Judge Brett Kavanaugh's televised confirmation hearings; Cuban pianist Dayramir Gonzalez is a rising star in jazz.

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.

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."