The Frame

Taylor Mac is the theater artist, drag performer, MacArthur fellow and creative mind behind a 24-hour-long retelling of American history through popular songs; was James Levine allowed to remain in power at the Metropolitan Opera because of "maestro worship"?

Boots Riley of the hip-hop group The Coup talks about his directing debut, "Sorry To Bother You" – a satire about race in America; “High Maintenance” co-creator Katja Blichfeld says she and fellow co-creator Ben Sinclair kept the show intact despite their breakup; the massive SxSW tech, film and music fest is underway in Austin.

"A Wrinkle In Time" author Madeleine L'Engle mixed spirituality and science in her controversial book, now it's a big Disney movie; filmmaker Alma Har'el challenges the advertising business to hire more women to direct commercials; Spotify promises to expand your musical choices, but does it?

Hiro Murai had only directed music videos when Donald Glover tapped him to direct "Atlanta"; Amy Adrion's documentary, "Half the Picture," takes an empowering view of women in filmmaking; Tom Brosseau's latest album is titled "Treasures Untold."

The company that produced "The Wolf of Wall Street" is fined $60 million in embezzlement case; Shawn Colvin's new album is made for kids and their parents; Quiara Alegría Hudes' trilogy of plays gets a first-ever simultaneous staging.

Aparna Nancherla manages to find comic relief in her own depression and anxiety; how to fix an Academy Awards broadcast that hit an all-time ratings low; Tamar-kali's score for "Mudbound" is "the blood beneath the mud."

From the diversity seen on the red carpet and onstage, to the pointed messages delivered during the ceremony, the movie industry is at a tipping point.

We take one last look at the nominees and the larger cultural and political issues surrounding the ceremony; talent agencies have been in the middle of Hollywood's abuse scandals. Maha Dakhil talks about what role the agencies should play to protect their clients.

Wall Street Journal reporter Ben Fritz's book, “The Big Picture: The Fight for the Future of Movies,” examines the fallout from Sony's computers being hacked; Spotify seeks cash infusion as it prepares to sell stocks in the company; the Independent Spirit Awards take place on the eve of the Oscars.

John Horn & Rebecca Keegan of Vanity Fair look at key Academy Award nominees in a year that saw significant contributions by women. And, at least this year, it's not #OscarsSoWhite.

Joel Edgerton talks about directing his adaptation of a memoir about a boy (played by Lucas Hedges) whose parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) won't accept his homosexuality; can politicians play any music they want at rallies?; Jadis is prop store in Santa Monica like no other,

Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg created "Homecoming" as a scripted, fictional podcast, and now they're overseeing the Amazon TV version; the movie ratings system has existed for 50 years, but it has occasionally been plagued by inconsistencies.

The new documentary examines the relationship between art, money, success and notoriety; “Delusion: The Blue Blade" is an immersive theater production described by its creator as "Indiana Jones"-meets-"Blade Runner."

Game designer Ben Esposito takes a user-friendly approach to examine L.A.'s changing neighborhoods; does NBC's Megyn Kelly have a future in TV?; the past, present and future of the L.A. Philharmonic (part 2).

Two prominent music critics look at where the orchestra has been and where it's heading; filmmaker Sandi Tan looks for a lost film of hers in "Shirkers."

Aoife O'Donovan, Sarah Jarosz and Sara Watkins all have successful individual careers, but decided to combine forces for their folk-Americana trio; how is "House of Cards" concluding without Kevin Spacey?; MOCA puts the spotlight on influential painter and film critic Manny Farber.

"The Good Place" creator Michael Schur and writer Jen Statsky talk about making a sitcom that takes on ethics and philosophy; as the Trump Administration reportedly considers rolling back civil rights protections for trans people, we revisit The Frame's 2017 roundtable discussion on transgender representation on television.

The award-winning Broadway smash with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul finally arrives in Los Angeles; how deep are Saudi Arabia's tentacles in American museums?; the Berlin-based performance group, Gob Squad, examines how we cope with aging.

The mezzo-soprano had a promising hoops career, but then she discovered singing; Netflix buys a huge production studio in Albuquerque; Janelle Monáe breaks down her song, "So Afraid."

She's a rare female minority show-runner, but her main goal is to let the mom character have some fun; how are immigrants depicted on TV?; the L.A. Master Chorale takes its show on the road.

Actor Peter Dinklage and filmmaker Sacha Gervasi on making "My Dinner With Hervé," about the French actor Hervé Villechaize; how do "The Conners" fare without Roseanne? L.A. Times TV critic Lorraine Ali shares her thoughts.

Muslim comedian Mo Amer once sat next to Eric Trump on an international flight. That's just one of many stories in his Netflix special "Vagabond." In the wake of Jamal Khashoggi's disapperance, Hollywood rethinks its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Plus, how Dieter Ruehle came to be the Dodgers' organist.