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.

Bill Maher’s use of a racial epithet on his HBO show has led to calls for Maher's firing and ignited debate over who can say the N-word. We get reaction from NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates and "Dear White People" filmmaker Justin Simien; Brett Haley's new movie, “The Hero," looks at our admiration of cinematic heroes through the life of an aging actor whose public persona is defined by a role he played on screen.

Artist Jeff Koons has his detractors, but he is an undeniable force in contemporary art; blues veterans Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' have finally made an album together; George Pérez is the DC Comics writer and artist who revived "Wonder Woman" in the 1980s.

Between the White House Correspondents Dinner, his "Daily Show" gig and Netflix special, comedian Hasan Minjaj is having a good year; a playwriting workshop tries to help veterans re-connect with civilian life; Spotify settles a class action lawsuit that was filed by songwriters claiming they weren’t being properly compensated.

Sheila Nevins talks about how she navigated the workforce early in her career as assumptions about women were changing in America; Now that the DGA and WGA contracts are signed, it’s time for SAG-AFTRA to step to the negotiating table; Mexican-American singer Lila Downs has a new album that takes the romantic ballad genre known as bolero and pairs it with topical lyrics.

After a performance in blackface at an inaugural gala for President Ronald Reagan in 1981, Ben Vereen's career suffered. Artist Edgar Arceneaux has written an experimental play that explores the Broadway legend's intent; Vulture.com's Kyle Buchanan gives a recap on the most striking moments of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Reed Morano talks about being executive producer and director for the first three episodes of "The Handmaid's Tale"; Zoe Lister-Jones' directed "Band Aid" with marriage and music in mind.

Yuja Wang is an internationally recognized piano genius who is in L.A. for the next two weeks to perform Bartók's piano concertos with the L.A. Phil; David Michod talks about how he’d been looking to make a film about America’s wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for about a decade before he came across Michael Hastings’ book.

Luhrmann's love of hip-hop history brought him on to the series 'The Get Down' which Netflix has just decided not to renew for a second season. He discusses his first foray into television– an ambitious project that Luhrmann says was like producing a Broadway show in every episode. And The Frame visits writer-director Robin Swicord on the set of her Bryan Cranston-Jennifer Garner movie 'Wakefield.'

"Long Strange Trip" documents how The Grateful Dead found its sound and made Jerry Garcia a reluctant leader. "Wait Wait Don't Kill Me" is a podcast musical that satirizes the podcast "Serial," but it's also about our fascination with true crime and murder. Can Snapchat build an audience for short form shows by well-known TV celebs like Conan O'Brien?

Documentary filmmaker Ryan White's investigation of a nun's murder led to uncovering a sex abuse scandal in Baltimore; music critic Ann Powers on the connection between young girls and live music.

"Black Mirror" creator Charlie Brooker and co-executive producer Annabel Jones on their sci-fi show that has become a touchstone for certain moments in real life; promoters of the ill-fated Fyre Festival are reportedly facing a federal fraud investigation.

'Guardians of the Galaxy' director James Gunn opens up about how Marvel Comics and Alice Cooper made him realize he wasn't alone in the world. He explains the importance of score and music to the success of the 'Guardians' franchise; Daniel Fienberg, TV critic for The Hollywood Reporter, and Jeanine Poggi, media reporter at AdAge, recap Upfronts 2017.