The Frame

After the 2016 Presidential election, the singer/songwriter took a cross-country train trip and then wrote a song cycle of character sketches and personal reflections; Taylor Swift's recording contract is about to expire, giving her a world of options; Boots Riley's "Sorry to Bother You" is one of the year's biggest critical hits.

Director Chris Weitz's film 'Operation Finale' tells the amazing story of the capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann; fans begin to pay their respects to the Aretha Franklin at the Museum of African American History in Detroit; and Cuban jazz pianist Dayramir Gonzalez is a rising star.

Breaking down the scene between Michelle Yeoh and her would be daughter-in-law, Constance Wu; documentary filmmaker Steve James spent a year inside a Chicago high school for the series, “America to Me”; remembering playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, who died at the age of 91.

The former "Gilmore Girls" co-star has an Emmy nomination for her role in the dystopian world of "The Handmaid's Tale"; Harvey Weinstein's legal woes seem to be mounting; Aneesh Chaganty, director and co-writer of the film, "Searching," has created a hyper-modern day thriller.

On Today's Show:

The co-star and Emmy nominee says she isn't daunted by challenges being faced by the cast; ever seen James Corden and friends performing a musical on the streets outside CBS on Fairfax? That's the work of Emmy-nominated choreographer Chloe Arnold.

The Emmy-nominated director of "Atlanta" talks about his collaborations with Donald Glover, his love of the Coen brothers and how the show set out to accurately portray life in urban Georgia; in the documentary, "What Haunts Us," Paige Goldberg Tolmach examines multiple suicides at her prep school alma mater; director Jesse Peretz and actor Chris O'Dowd talk about their movie, "Juliet, Naked."

Sarah Paulson has a lead actress Emmy nomination for "American Horror Story: Cult" — the seventh season of the anthology series; Bing Liu's videos of his skateboarding pals turned into the intimate documentary, "Minding the Gap."

Wayne Kramer, guitarist and leader of the Detroit rock band MC5, discusses his new memoir, "The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities"; Amazon is in the running to buy Landmark Theatres.

The iconic singer has died at the age of 76. We hear from her longtime bass player, Chuck Rainey; why has a documentary about her landmark 1972 performance at a Baptist church in Los Angeles never been released?; Daphne Brooks, a professor of African American Studies and Theater Studies at Yale University on the transcendent power of Aretha's voice.

Actor Sam Rockwell discusses his new movie "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and his approach to playing George W. Bush in Adam McKay's forthcoming Dick Cheney biopic; Jon Robin Baitz's play "Vicuña,"about a Trumpian presidential candidate, premiered in L.A. before the 2016 election. Now it's on stage in Washington, DC.

The new movie from the director of "Boyhood" is about three Vietnam vets who reunite when one of their sons is killed in the Iraq War; talent agent Tyler Grasham has been accused by eight young male actors and industry workers of sexual misconduct while Grasham worked for the APA agency, which specializes in representing young actors.

The producer/director says Hollywood must eradicate the culture of enabling that keeps sexual predators in power; The Joshua Light Show was a staple of '60s concert lighting and its creator is reviving the magic.

Actress and screenwriter Greta Gerwig goes behind the camera for "Lady Bug"; producer/director Brett Ratner is the latest Hollywood figure to be accused of sexual harassment and misconduct; young L.A. dancers audition for Miami City Ballet's "The Nutcracker."

The singer Lizzo performs a brand of rap and pop with a strong empowerment vibe that’s taken on new resonance in the Trump era; SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris says calls to the union’s hotline to report harassment have increased since the Harvey Weinstein story broke.

After allegations that he made sexual overtures to a 14-year-old actor 30 years ago, there are questions about Spacey's current TV and film roles; the Molyneux sisters are the queens of punnery; Alynda Segarra examines her Puerto Rican roots in Hurray for the Riff Raff's latest album.

Well, not completely solo. Auerbach hooked up with a number of ace musicians in Nashville for an album that leaves the Keys' garage blues behind.

The actor is the author's nephew and that family connection helped get her cooperation for the Netflix film, "Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold."

The young Irish actor Barry Keoghan stumbled into the business, and now he's in a film with Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman; film and TV director Rachel Feldman says Hollywood's sexism problem is rooted in a lack of inclusion for women; New Orleans musical icon Fats Domino died at the age of 89.

At the age of 32, actor Jonathan Groff has already had quite the career. He was in the Broadway casts of “Spring Awakening” and “Hamilton." He had a recurring role in the TV series “Glee,” and he was one of the voices in Disney’s animated “Frozen.” Now, he’s back on TV in the Netflix series, “Mindhunter.”

"The Florida Project" follows a six-year-old girl, her mother, and the other families who live in a budget motel not far from Disney World. Sean Baker talks about his movie, which highlights the lives of the "hidden homeless" in America; filmmaker Todd Haynes and cinematographer Ed Lachman on their ambitious film, "Wonderstruck."

Dissident artist Ai Wei Wei made "Human Flow," a documentary about refugees around the world; Philip K. Dick wrote the story that inspired the original “Blade Runner,” but he didn't think the movie would amount to much; folk singer Barbara Dane has a lifetime of memories.