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.

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" went off the air 17 years ago, but the cult TV show is having a reunion; Gary Ross has never been happier as a filmmaker than when doing research for the Civil War drama, “Free State of Jones.”; a federal judge dismissed another lawsuit filed against the Cinemark theater chain in relation to the 2012 mass shooting in Colorado.

Jennifer Lopez joins us from the set of her NBC show "Shades of Blue." She reflects on her life as an actress, singer, producer and mother and how she refuses to be "put in one box;" What does Brexit mean for the film, TV and music industries? We check in to see how the UK's exit from the European Union could impact the creative world.

New Zealand filmmaker Taiki Waititi went from HBO's "Flight of the Concords" to the next "Thor" but along the way he made the sweet indie comedy "Hunt for The Wilderpeople;" Musician Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius opens up about being bullied and embracing his queer identity; Big name musicians take on Youtube and the DMCA

A.D. Miles says "The Tonight Show" will take its audience wherever — on the air or online; the copyright infringement suit against Robert Plant and Jimmy Page over "Stairway to Heaven" goes to the jury; Stephen Lieberman is one of the leading production designers on the electronic music circuit.

Ayad Akhtar discusses his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Disgraced," and how he explores issues of Muslim identity in post-9/11 America; Reggae icon Burning Spear and his wife and manager Sonia Rodney prepare for his final appearance in California.

Chilean musician Alex Anwandter has branched out to filmmaking to extend his message of tolerance for the LGBT community; Long Beach Opera makes another foray into experimentation with a work stripped from the headlines; Ticketmaster customers who were part of a class action suit are learning how they will benefit.

As CEO of The Jim Henson Company, she's focused on new technologies and improving the gender, racial and ethnic diversity of the people behind the characters.

Comedian, podcaster and actor Chris Gethard has a talk show on the Fusion cable network after years on public access TV. He also hosts the podcast, "Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People." He sits down with The Frame for an in-depth conversation about failure, success, depression and comedy.

Shanghai Disney is the company's $5.5 billion entrance into mainland China with a resort that includes hotels and shopping areas in addition to the 123-acre park; "Tickled" is a documentary about the odd world of competitive endurance tickling.

Derek DelGaudio uses "magic, moments of wonder and mystery" in his hit stage show, “In & Of Itself"; the opera “Anatomy Theater" explores the nature of evil on a visceral level; a new initiative from the Berklee College of Music seeks to resolve compensation issues between musicians, streaming services and record labels.

Director Thomas Kail and production designer David Korins helped bring the Broadway hit “Hamilton” to life, but in 2016 they also collaborated on the production of “Grease: Live!” — the TV event for Fox; New York Magazine theater critic Jesse Green says diversity was the big winner at this year's Tony awards.

Musician Joe Henry produced what turned out to be the final album by the New Orleans legend, who died last Fall; will a crackdown by New York's attorney general help rein in the re-sale market for concert and stage tickets?; Muhammad Ali even sang about being "The Greatest."