The Frame

The writer and stand-up comedian has a new book and a newfound passion for performing; TV networks preview their coming shows, including the next season of "Fargo," starring Chris Rock and Jason Schwartzman; the exhibit "Natural History of Horror" looks at how real events inspired some favorite scary movies.

There aren't many women working as second unit directors on movies, much less African-Americans, but Victoria Mahoney has broken through; Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman make their sales pitch for Quibi.

Zahra Noorbakhsh, an Iranian-American comedian who regularly incorporates her identity into her act, now has some new material; actor Yahya Abdul-Mateen II played Doctor Manhattan on "Watchmen" and this year, he’ll star in two high profile movies; the man behind The Daptone Sound.

The pianist has taken full advantage of his role as bandleader for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert"; breaking down the Directors Guild Award nominations.

Stars and executive producers Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey talk about the reboot of the Showtime series; Harvey Weinstein's trial gets underway in New York City; the influential L.A.-based artist John Baldessari has died.

"Watchmen" star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is in high profile movies this year from Jordan Peele and Aaron Sorkin; John Horn reviews the evolution in film, television, pop music and theater over the last decade; we meet the band Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles.

The highlights and lowlights from the 2010s in movies with Manohla Dargis (New York Times) and culture critic Tre'vell Anderson, and pop music with Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding of the podcast, “Switched on Pop.”

The highlights and lowlights from the 2010s in TV with Lorraine Ali (Los Angeles Times) and Daniel Fienberg (The Hollywood Reporter), and theater with Jesse Green (New York Times).

In his memoir, "Acid For The Children," the bass player from the Red Hot Chili Peppers (born Michael Peter Balzary) details his wild days as a child and teen before forming the band in Los Angeles.

The singer/songwriter's memoir reflects on death, sex, motherhood and misogyny.

Breaking down the scene between Michelle Yeoh and her would be daughter-in-law, Constance Wu; documentary filmmaker Steve James spent a year inside a Chicago high school for the series, “America to Me”; remembering playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon, who died at the age of 91.

The former "Gilmore Girls" co-star has an Emmy nomination for her role in the dystopian world of "The Handmaid's Tale"; Harvey Weinstein's legal woes seem to be mounting; Aneesh Chaganty, director and co-writer of the film, "Searching," has created a hyper-modern day thriller.

On Today's Show:

The co-star and Emmy nominee says she isn't daunted by challenges being faced by the cast; ever seen James Corden and friends performing a musical on the streets outside CBS on Fairfax? That's the work of Emmy-nominated choreographer Chloe Arnold.

The Emmy-nominated director of "Atlanta" talks about his collaborations with Donald Glover, his love of the Coen brothers and how the show set out to accurately portray life in urban Georgia; in the documentary, "What Haunts Us," Paige Goldberg Tolmach examines multiple suicides at her prep school alma mater; director Jesse Peretz and actor Chris O'Dowd talk about their movie, "Juliet, Naked."

Sarah Paulson has a lead actress Emmy nomination for "American Horror Story: Cult" — the seventh season of the anthology series; Bing Liu's videos of his skateboarding pals turned into the intimate documentary, "Minding the Gap."

Wayne Kramer, guitarist and leader of the Detroit rock band MC5, discusses his new memoir, "The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities"; Amazon is in the running to buy Landmark Theatres.

The iconic singer has died at the age of 76. We hear from her longtime bass player, Chuck Rainey; why has a documentary about her landmark 1972 performance at a Baptist church in Los Angeles never been released?; Daphne Brooks, a professor of African American Studies and Theater Studies at Yale University on the transcendent power of Aretha's voice.

The new Hulu series unites themes and worlds that will be familiar to King's loyal fans; in a new episode of Song Exploder, singer-songwriter Neko Case dissects her song, "Last Lion of Albion"; why is TV's new "Batwoman" raising such a ruckus?

The Emmy-nominated actor talks about his role as the rapper Paper Boi on Donald Glover's offbeat series; film critic Justin Chang on the "flawed but vital milestone" that is "Crazy Rich Asians"; a look back at a landmark movie with an all-Asian cast: "The Joy Luck Club."

The actress, writer and musician has an Emmy nomination for directing an episode of "Portlandia"; John David Washington and the man he portrays, Ron Stallworth, in "BlacKkKlansman"; singer-songwriter Sam Buck contrasts '90s pop country with personal anecdotes of queer identity.

Desiree Akhavan talks about directing and co-writing the teen coming-of-age film, "The Miseducation of Cameron Post"; Spotify cuts a deal with Samsung, the biggest smartphone maker in the world; a new wave of protest songs by Radney Foster and Gaby Moreno.