The Frame

At the age of 23, Saoirse Ronan already has two Academy Award nominations as a lead actress, including for "Lady Bird"; Barack and Michelle Obama's official portraits have people talking; inside an audition for "America's Got Talent."

Actress Allison Janney has an Oscar nomination for playing Tonya Harding's mother in "I, Tonya"; several Olympic ice skaters are using songs from Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge"; the N.Y. attorney general filed a civil rights lawsuit that could halt sale of The Weinstein Co.

Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, the Oscar-nominated co-writers of "The Big Sick," talk about the eventful year since their semi-autobiographical film debuted; Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe explains why the first-time actors in "The Florida Project" had a leg up on him.

How much does The Peacock Network have riding on the Winter Games? A lot.; "The Trade" is Showtime's bracing documentary series about the opiod epidemic; James Ivory's screenplay for "Call Me By Your Name" could finally give him his first Oscar.

Dee Rees on her film "Mudbound," about the harsh reality of life in the Jim Crow South, and its new resonance today; morality clauses meant to curb workplace harassment enter Hollywood contracts; after years of estrangement, photographers (and brothers) Andrew and Stuart Douglas reunite with an LA photo exhibition.

The rapper and veteran songwriter collaborated on the Oscar-nominated "Stand Up for Something"; playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes trilogy of plays get a concurrent staging in L.A.; this year's Havana Jazz Fest featured first-time performances by a few expats.

Salim Akil, creator of the CW series, "Black Lightning," says black superheroes are needed more than ever; after Uma Thurman accused Tarantino of abusing her and putting her at risk on a movie set, will his next film proceed as planned?; hardcore movie fans now have a fantasy league of their own.

Justin Timberlake is back at the Super Bowl, but why isn't Janet Jackson?; Jennifer Fox's "The Tale" is the true story of the sexual abuse inflicted by her riding coach when she was a teen; women in the music industry are calling for Grammy president Neil Portnow to resign.

2017 was a breakout year for writer/actress Lena Waithe and she's already off to bigger things in the new year; the Producers Guild of America has developed a code of conduct for its members, who wield a lot of power in the industry.

The latest show from Cirque looks to Mexican history and culture for inspiration; the L.A. Phil marks Leonard Bernstein's centennial with his sprawling 'Mass'; the National Gallery of Art indefinitely postponed a show by Chuck Close because of allegations of inappropriate behavior against the artist.

Costume designer Ruth Carter and production designer Hannah Beachler played key roles in creating the look of "Black Panther"; singer/songwriter Moses Sumney breaks down his song, "Quarrel."

Filmmaker Agnes Varda and the street artist JR joined forces to capture faces from the French countryside; "Aleppo" director Feras Fayyad hopes his partners can attend the Oscars; the musical "Allegiance," starring George Takei, is finally coming to Los Angeles.

Gary Oldman convinced Kazuhiro Tsuji to transform the actor into Winston Churchill for "Darkest Hour"; "Black Panther" is a phenomenon before it even opens; “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna” (To Cross the Face of the Moon) is believed to be the first mariachi opera.

Mary J. Blige is the first person to get an Academy Award acting nomination and a best song nod for the same film ("Mudbound”); married songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez have an Oscar nomination for “Remember Me” from “Coco”; Ryan Murphy, the producer behind the “American Horror Story” and “American Crime Story” franchises, is leaving Fox for Netflix.

With the State of the Union upon us, Bill Pullman recalls his roles as Commander-in-Chief; trans actress Daniela Vega plays a groundbreaking trans role; Rachel Morrison is the first woman nominated for an Academy Award in cinematography.

The Grammys are slammed for under-representing women; a New York Times essay argues that the Time's Up movement is subverted by award shows; Aimee Mann won the Best Folk Album Grammy — one of the few women to take home a trophy.

How did Pati Jinich, the granddaughter of Eastern European immigrants, end up hosting a popular Mexican food show?; the NAMM show is a dizzying array of instruments and gadgets; The Secret Sisters are nominated for best folk album at the Grammys.

The Irish actor traverses big budget movies like "Star Wars" and indie films like “A Futile and Stupid Gesture”; a new USC study shows how women are underrepresented in pop music; Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are nominated for the Broadway musical, “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Best jazz album nominee Billy Childs talks about how L.A. inspired his hybrid style; as the music industry gathers for the Grammys, what are its challenges?; two filmmakers step out from the shadow of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki.

Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com and film critic Amy Nicholson maintain that younger and more diverse nominees are a result of the academy broadening its membership; "Baby Driver" director is a Grammy nominee for the film's pop-heavy soundtrack.

John Horn chats with Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal about their ode to Oakland; the SAG Awards put the spotlight on women and the road ahead to gender equality on Hollywood; PJ Morton is nominated for best R&B album (“Gumbo”) and best R&B song (“First Began”).

A report from John Horn at Sundance, where the festival offerings include a film about a certain Supreme Court justice; Pacific Standard Time LA/LA includes a performance festival with Latino/a artists from the U.S., Mexico and South America.