The Frame

To mark the 25th anniversary of the LA Riots, actor-writer Roger Guenveur Smith's fiery solo show “Rodney King” has been turned into a Spike Lee film in which Smith places the beating of King in a broader social context. How did the 2007 writers strike affect the wider economy of LA and California and who would be affected if they strike again? The Fyre Festival is a fiasco.

Filmmaker (and self-professed troublemaker) John Waters spits some wisdom about living life by your terms and offers his advice for young people in his new book, "Make Trouble"; A look at the women of the real and the fictional 'Silicon Valley'; Summer blockbusters hitting theaters sooner and sooner and what actually defines a summer movie is rapidly changing.

Jodie Foster and Tom Hanks share memories of filmmaker Jonathan Demme, who died at the age of 73; executive producer/director Reed Morano talks about adapting Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" for television.

The unsolved JonBenet Ramsey murder became the focal point of a documentary that looks at the making of a film about the case; 50 years ago, the Sunset Strip became an outdoor gallery of billboards that promoted new albums; The Writers Guild was formed in 1921 as a social group.

How filmmaker J.D. Dillard went from receptionist to directing and co-writing the Sundance feature "Sleight." Why disputes over the Armenian genocide have plagued two recently released films including "The Promise." And Actress Vera Farmiga and Kerry Ehrin, co-creator of "Bates Motel," say goodbye to their beloved character, Norma Bates.

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" gets a reboot with comedian Jonah Ray taking over as host. Ray tells The Frame that to make fun of bad movies they actually have to be kind of good; We unpack the religious themes in Kendrick Lamar's new album "Damn"; Art studios and CalArts students pitch their creative ideas "Shark Tank" style.

The Oscar-winning screenwriter makes a documentary about the L.A. riots, 25 years after they happened; two powerhouse theater companies – one in L.A. and one in N.Y. – join forces to take new plays to Broadway; and a Mexican movie theater chain beckons families with an in-theater playground.

As Aloy in "Horizon Zero Dawn," actress Ashly Burch gets to be more than "just a gun with legs"; members of the Writers Guild of America are in the process of taking a strike authorization vote.

When the film's original director dropped out, longtime producer Denise Di Novi decided to take a turn in the director's chair; non-commercial stations that sold some of their broadcast bandwidth are cashing in with tens of millions of dollars.

'Veep' has returned for a new season and Matt Walsh, who plays Mike McClintock, tells The Frame how the show dovetails and collides with reality. On a Song Exploder segment Damon Albarn break down a tune from a new Gorillaz album. In a Coachella recap we hear what happened with Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Radiohead.

Lauren Morelli created the Netflix reboot of a 1994 PBS series that was ahead of its time; screenwriter Max Landis faces multiple allegations of sexual abuse and harassment; the band Big Thief.

The prolific artist wrote many songs that were recorded by other artists. Susannah Melvoin talks about "Nothing Compares 2 You"; Hollywood gets caught up in China trade war; film composer Bear McCreary ("Child's Play").

The Irish actress plays a Scottish singer trying to make it big in Nashville in what she hopes is her breakout movie role; is "Men in Black: International" the latest proof that audiences are suffering from sequel fatigue?; the Cuban singer known as Cimafunk draws comparisons to James Brown.

Bryan Cranston wins a Tony; Eleni Mandell makes music with prisoners; playwright Lucas Hnath tells brings the true story of his mother's kidnapping to stage. Also, a top film critic wants Hollywood to bring back sex scenes of yore and best friends made a love letter to their city with the film "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."

The legendary singer-songwriter's 1975 tour is revisited in a new documentary by Martin Scorsese; the cultural week-in-review with L.A. Times TV critic Lorraine Ali; the new surf film, "Self-Discovery for Social Survival.”

After a Broadway run, her play about a 1920s obscenity trial comes to Los Angeles; the annual E3 convention draws to a close with plenty of news from the gaming world; the band Making Movies got a boost on its latest album from Ruben Blades.

The singer-songwriter's latest album, "Wake Up Again," was inspired by teaching songwriting at a women’s prison in Southern California; Washington Post movie critic Ann Hornaday wonders why American movies shy away from sex scenes; media critic and feminist Anita Sarkeesian on sexist and misogynist depictions in video games.

A new docu-drama by Don Argott and Sheena M. Joyce explores the car designer's turbulent career and flamboyant life; YouTube’s struggle to dealing with hateful and harmful content; 'Baskets' returns for its fourth season.

The film is loosely based on the story of actor Jimmie Fails. He once lived with his friend Joe Talbot, who would eventually direct and co-write the film; re-capping the Tony Awards, and revisiting our interview with Bryan Cranston, who won Best Leading Actor in a Play.

Emma Thompson talks about her new movie "Late Night." Neil Gaiman adapts his novel "Good Omens" into an Amazon series. Plus, we meet up with Mexico guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela in a Los Angeles guitar shop. All that, and more, on this debut episode of The Frame Weekend.

Barak Goodman's new documentary looks at the many challenges the festival's promoters encountered as they planned and produced the event that helped define a generation.

The acclaimed playwright fashioned a show from interviews his mother conducted that recount her five-month abduction in 1997.