The Frame

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.

"Small Mouth Sounds" was inspired by the playwright's experience at a three-day silent retreat; the bro-centric Spike TV channel is re-branded as The Paramount Network; composer Gabriel Kahane took a cross-country train trip and the result was a song cycle about Trump-era America.

Matt Ingebretson and Jake Weisman's "Corporate" is a workplace comedy that heads into some very bleak territory; Rachel Morrison was behind the camera for "Mudbound" and "Black Panther"; Harvey and Bob Weinstein are reportedly pushing for their former studio, Miramax, to buy The Weinstein Co.

Taking the train to Comic-Con (pictured) means avoiding traffic and mingling with fans, comic book artists and even studio execs; The Hero Initiative is a charity that helps pioneer comic book artists who didn't have salaries or benefits; “10,000 Km," a film by Carlos Marques-Marcet, is about negotiating a long-distance relationship.

Alison Faulk worked with Channing Tatum to design the sexy dance moves in “Magic Mike XXL” (pictured); Nerdstrong Gym is where pop culture geeks are changing the image of flabby, couch-bound obsessives; Paramount Pictures and Hulu make the latest moves in the streaming world.

Comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick previews Comic-Con; "Cartel Land" director Matthew Heineman embedded himself with vigilante groups to document their fight against drug cartels in Mexico and Arizona (pictured); composer J. Ralph on writing music for "Shark Week"

Leon Russell (pictured) was unhappy with a documentary he financed in the early '70s. The film by Les Blank is finally getting released; the Getty Conservation Institute is preserving original animation cels from classic Disney movies; the music industry has agreed to move the release day for new music from Tuesdays to Fridays.

“Orange is the New Black” actress Lea DeLaria (pictured) has a jazzy side career; The Grateful Dead play three final shows in Chicago this weekend to overwhelming demand; a classical music composer takes inspiration from California’s drought; Amy Winehouse’s record producer on the new documentary about the late singer.

Fox's big bet on the women's World Cup is paying off with record-setting ratings; when a new dinosaur was created for "Jurassic World" (pictured), the film's sound designers had to come up with new terrifying sounds; on "Song Exploder," Bono dissects U2's "Cedarwood Road"

The international terminal at the L.A. airport has debuted three permanent art installations, including one by Mark Bradford (pictured); Apple Music's streaming service debuted today without the Beatles, but with Taylor Swift.

After Donald Trump's controversial comments about Mexicans, NBC is dumping the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants (pictured); the 30th anniversary of "Back to the Future" is being marked with a screening and live orchestral performance; comedian and actress Julie Brister says she's tired of being seen as fat first and as a performer second.

The brilliant but troubled singer and pianist Nina Simone (pictured) is the subject of a new documentary, "What Happened, Miss Simone?"; after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage, we examine whether TV has swayed American attitudes on the matter.

Jazz saxophonist and composer Kamasi Washington (pictured) is adding a new chapter to L.A.'s storied jazz history with his 3-disc album, "The Epic"; veteran TV director Lesli Linka Glatter's career has ranged from "Twin Peaks" to her current show, "Homeland."

Writer and performer Tim Minchin talks about creating songs for the stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Matilda" (pictured); director Patricia Riggen recalls working with composer James Horner on one of his last films, "The 33"; songs by the '70s gay, glam rock act, Smokey, have been re-issued.

The stage musical "Recorded in Hollywood" (pictured) tells the story of John Dolphin and his landmark record stores in Los Angeles; a song from the solo album by Will Butler (Arcade Fire) is taken apart in a new installment of Song Exploder.