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.

Actress Isabelle Huppert and writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve talk about their film, "Things To Come," about a middle-aged philosophy teacher who's forced to reconsider her life; we talk with filmmakers Jeff Orlowski ("Chasing Coral") and Marina Zenovich ("Water & Power") about their climate change docs screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

Alena Smith’s new play, “Icebergs,” tackles climate change, infertility, hate crimes, sexism and divorce — and it’s a comedy; actress Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter M. Ward, aka She & Him, have a new Christmas album; with critically-acclaimed films such as "Moonlight" and "Loving," the next Oscar nominations should be more diverse than in recent years.

Natalie Portman talks about playing Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie," which follows her in the days and weeks following the assassination of JFK; now that Fidel Castro is dead, how might things change for Cuba's artists?; Leo Matsuda's "Inner Workings" is a short animated Disney film that is screening with "Moana."

Actress Jenny Slate and her father talk about their book of stories inspired by their family life in Massachusetts; we break down the nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards; in the 1940s, a Silicon Valley start-up came up with an invention that revolutionized pop music.

Brian K. Vaughan, author of the popular sci-fi comics "Saga" and "Y: The Last Man," uses the medium to talk about issues such as immigration, the Cold War, and being a father; The Gilmore Guys talk about the return of "The Gilmore Girls;" Amazon wants to replace your cable with its own bundle.

Erin McKeown had never written a musical, but she couldn’t turn down the offer to work on "Miss You Like Hell"; N.Y. Times theater critic Ben Brantley on the impact of the incident between the cast of "Hamilton" and VP-elect Mike Pence; composer Jóhann Jóhannsson talks about his score for the movie, “Arrival."

Ford's 2009 directing debut, "A Single Man," was no lark. He's back with "Nocturnal Animals," a moody drama that stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams.

Kelly Craig's directing debut on “The Edge of Seventeen" was made with the help of her mentor, James L. Brooks; now that Donald Trump is headed to the White House, is it possible the presidential election could also change the fortunes of movies that are competing for the Academy Awards?

Actress Ruth Negga may be Irish, but she says she related to Ruth Loving, the American woman she plays in “Loving.” Both women are of mixed race, a fact that got Ruth and her husband, Richard, into legal trouble when interracial marriage was illegal in some states.

Eric Heisserer, screenwriter for the new film "Arrival" (starring Amy Adams), reflects on why it was so important to him that the scientists in the movie speak the way real scientists do. He talks about working with director Denis Villeneuve and how the themes tribalism and fear of the "other" resonate with issues in the real world today.

The eight-part PBS documentary series presents "Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music," from the 1950s to present day. Featured artists include Sly Stone, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Beck, Bon Iver, and Public Enemy.

Fifty years ago, Judy Collins recorded Leonard Cohen's “Suzanne” and introduced him to the wider world; music producer Hal Willner talks about the project that pulled Cohen out of semi-retirement; Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokno discusses artists' activism in the U.S. and Russia in the wake of Trump’s election; a visit to an open mic night where veterans jam and bond.