The Frame

John Gerrard’s installation at LACMA is a digital simulation that recreates a Nevada solar thermal power plant and the surrounding desert landscape; how the gender imbalance among film critics can affect female-led movies; the Dodgers organist does more than just play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

The two longtime friends use their boyhood home of Oakland as the setting for their tough-minded film about friendship in a changing city; "Skyscraper" writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber on his summer blockbuster; "Black Panther" costumer Ruth Carter has tips for Comic-Con cos-players.

The chef and restaurant owner uses his experience as an immigrant to inform his PBS series, "No Passport Required"; former Obama speechwriter and current "Funny or Die" writer/producer David Litt weighs in on Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?"; the South L.A. band Inner Wave has been together for 10 years, and the members are still in their early 20s.

Gus Van Sant makes a movie about the quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan's life in AA. And could Sacha Baron Cohen's new TV show land him in legal jeopardy? And the LA Phil brings kids to California for the 2nd annual Take A Stand Festival.

Musicians Bhi Bhiman, Gaby Moreno and Radney Foster – each in their own way – sing about the rights and suffering of immigrants. Also, we unpack the 2018 Emmy noms.

"Won't You Be My Neighbor" filmmaker Morgan Neville reveals why his documentary about Fred Rogers has become a hit movie this summer. And singer-songwriter Mary Gautier partners with veterans to make music and mend wounds.

At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is re-imagined with same-sex lead couples; Warner Bros. wants to build a gondola from its lot to the Hollywood sign; this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured Armenian-American musicians who are challenging traditional sounds.

On today's show: Comedian Bo Burnham has conflicted feelings about the Internet, so he addresses that angst through a young teen in his feature directing debut, "Eighth Grade"; Congress could soon pass long-overdue updates to music copyright laws that will benefit songwriters; the Filipino-American drama "Bitter Melon" screens at Outfest.

On today's show: Inside the restoration of The Beatles' animated classic from 1968; we revisit a 2013 interview with sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, who died on June 27; an initiative to increase the number of women of color in classical music.

On today's show: director Boots Riley and actress Tessa Thompson talk about one of the buzziest movies of the summer; former soccer player and current stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton talks about bad acting in the World Cup.

Justin Simien reflects on how the 2016 election factored into the TV version of "Dear White People"; a tentative deal has been reached between the Writers Guild of America and TV/film producers, averting a strike; bass saxophonist Colin Stetson on the intricate method for recording his latest album and the physical demands of his sound.

In the new documentary "Risk," Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras grapples with unexpected contradictions about Julian Assange and Wikileaks. And as talks between the WGA and AMPTP come close to an end, the creators of two new TV shows, "Dear White People" and "Downward Dog," weigh in on what a strike could mean.

To mark the 25th anniversary of the LA Riots, actor-writer Roger Guenveur Smith's fiery solo show “Rodney King” has been turned into a Spike Lee film in which Smith places the beating of King in a broader social context. How did the 2007 writers strike affect the wider economy of LA and California and who would be affected if they strike again? The Fyre Festival is a fiasco.

Filmmaker (and self-professed troublemaker) John Waters spits some wisdom about living life by your terms and offers his advice for young people in his new book, "Make Trouble"; A look at the women of the real and the fictional 'Silicon Valley'; Summer blockbusters hitting theaters sooner and sooner and what actually defines a summer movie is rapidly changing.

Jodie Foster and Tom Hanks share memories of filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who died at the age of 73; executive producer/director Reed Morano talks about adapting Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" for television.

The unsolved JonBenet Ramsey murder became the focal point of a documentary that looks at the making of a film about the case; 50 years ago, the Sunset Strip became an outdoor gallery of billboards that promoted new albums; The Writers Guild was formed in 1921 as a social group.

How filmmaker J.D. Dillard went from receptionist to directing and co-writing the Sundance feature "Sleight." Why disputes over the Armenian genocide have plagued two recently released films including "The Promise." And Actress Vera Farmiga and Kerry Ehrin, co-creator of "Bates Motel," say goodbye to their beloved character, Norma Bates.

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" gets a reboot with comedian Jonah Ray taking over as host. Ray tells The Frame that to make fun of bad movies they actually have to be kind of good; We unpack the religious themes in Kendrick Lamar's new album "Damn"; Art studios and CalArts students pitch their creative ideas "Shark Tank" style.

The Oscar-winning screenwriter makes a documentary about the L.A. riots, 25 years after they happened; two powerhouse theater companies – one in L.A. and one in N.Y. – join forces to take new plays to Broadway; and a Mexican movie theater chain beckons families with an in-theater playground.

As Aloy in "Horizon Zero Dawn," actress Ashly Burch gets to be more than "just a gun with legs"; members of the Writers Guild of America are in the process of taking a strike authorization vote.

When the film's original director dropped out, longtime producer Denise Di Novi decided to take a turn in the director's chair; non-commercial stations that sold some of their broadcast bandwidth are cashing in with tens of millions of dollars.

'Veep' has returned for a new season and Matt Walsh, who plays Mike McClintock, tells The Frame how the show dovetails and collides with reality. On a Song Exploder segment Damon Albarn break down a tune from a new Gorillaz album. In a Coachella recap we hear what happened with Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Radiohead.