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.

Kamau Bell's new CNN docu-series gets off to a wild start when he spends time with some Ku Klux Klan members on their turf; on a new episode of Song Exploder, punk legend Iggy Pop and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age dissect their collaboration.

Rachel Bloom, star and co-creator of the CW show, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” reveals how she took her love of musical theater and made it into a modern day commentary on sex and the single woman; Plus, electronic music rules at Coachella this year. We'll hear a wrap-up of the first weekend and a review of some wearable tech aimed at audiophiles.

Former "Daily Show" correspondent puts a twisted spin on the family sitcom with "The Detour"; at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, vendors tease movie theater ideas, including a robotic bar; L.A. theater veteran Diane Rodriguez takes her expertise to a national stage.

Eric Spitznagel's new book chronicles his quest for prized albums he disposed of over the years; Pacific Symphony tries to find new audiences in bars and restaurants; Amazon lays out its plans in the original feature film arena.

Screenwriter Susannah Grant revisits the 1991 hearings that pitted Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas against law professor Anita Hill; the spokesman for movie theater owners says theaters should remain the first venue for film releases; Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner teams up with Miles Kane on a side project.

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, the stars and creators of the Amazon series "Catastrophe" explain why they may push the boundaries of language but not of nudity. Musician Mayer Hawthorne muses on his upbringing and his Detroit roots. Host John Horn reports from CinemaCon in Las Vegas-- where theater owners and movie studio execs strategize ways to generate box office boffo.

Ben Falcone opens up about directing his wife, Melissa McCarthy, in "The Boss"; Karyn Kusama made her new movie with support from a group of investors who fund movies made by women; N.W.A. injects some West Coast rap style into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright once again ties history to the present day in "Father Comes Home From The Wars."

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals have reunited for their first album in nine years. The singer talks about taking on police brutality in the title track, and he reveals how his family’s music shop in Claremont shaped his life, his passion for social justice and his music career.

Country music icon Merle Haggard died today on his 79th birthday. Filmmaker Gandulf Hennig talks about the Haggard documentary he made for PBS' “American Masters"; Jesse Eisenberg is a true multi-tasker. The actor plays Lex Luthor in “Batman v. Superman” and he’s also a playwright whose “The Revisionist” is currently at The Wallis in Beverly Hills.

Kulap Vilaysack is the creator of the Seeso original show "Bajillion Dollar Propertie$." Her husband, Scott Aukerman (host of IFC's "Comedy Bang! Bang!"), serves as executive producer on the series. The pair talk about collaborating on the show and their other projects.

The singer and guitarist's latest album, "Dig In Deep," is a collection of original songs plus covers of tunes by INXS and Los Lobos; Jessie Kahnweiler wasn’t sure anyone would want to watch “The Skinny” — her web series about her eating disorder. But then the Sundance Film Festival came calling.