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.

Producer David Klawans and writer Jeff Maysh find unusual real-life stories, turn them into long-form articles and pitch them to Hollywood; the Netflix docuseries "Wild Wild Country" tells the remarkable true story of the friction and violence that ensued when an Indian guru tried to create a massive utopia in Oregon in the 1980s.

The new Spike Lee film 'BlacKkKlansman' tells the amazing true story of Ron Stallworth, the black police detective who fooled the KKK into letting him join their ranks; Rosie & the Riveters play folk music with a feminist bent.

Nico sang with the influential Velvet Underground, but this film chronicles the latter part of her career and life; the U.S. Justice Dept. is reviewing a longtime prohibition on movie studios owning their own theaters; mariachi students from around the country are in SoCal for a workshop and competition

The song list is part of Turning the Tables, an ongoing project from NPR Music dedicated to recasting the popular music canon in more inclusive – and accurate – ways; With the sale of 20th Century Fox's studio to the Walt Disney Co., film historian and author Leonard Maltin looks at Fox's movie legacy.

The actress makes her directing debut with a film about two young girls on a journey to avenge their mother's death; the National Hispanic Media Coalition is targeting movie studios over lack of Latino representation; teenaged jazz bassist Anna Abondolo is going places.

The company that revolutionized moviegoing is floundering as movie theater chains launch similar pass programs; first-time novelist Elizabeth Klehfoth sold her book to Hollywood before she even had a publisher; Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' bring their blues collaboration to the Hollywood Bowl.

The director and co-writer of "The Spy Who Dumped Me" turns the action-comedy genre on its head; what's the fate of CBS chief Les Moonves?; Netflix and Amazon preview their coming attractions at the TV Critics Assn. press tour.

The Texas native shot her indie feature in her home state, with a script based on her own teenage years there; the Idyllwild Arts Academy appears to have escaped the fire that's ravaging the area; the use of "white voice" by black characters in current films is a comment on white privilege.

On her latest album, the French singer and actress pays tribute to her family legacy and also mourns her sister's death; Spotify is paying advances to some artists, but says it's not actually signing artists the way record labels do. But if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck ...

The photographer has shot virtually every famous face for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and other magazines; the Venice and Toronto film festivals have released their schedules — let the award campaigning begin!; streaming services aren't as encyclopedic as you might think.

The veteran singer/guitarist's lifelong passion for the genre is evident on his new album, "Out of the Blues"; playwright Young Jean Lee's provocative "Straight White Men" opens on Broadway; composer Max Richter plans to put Grand Park campers to "Sleep."

"Guardians of the Galaxy" director James Gunn is the latest figure to come under fire in an industry that no longer tolerates an "anything goes" culture; the documentary, "Far From the Tree," examines what happens to a family when one child has a difference that sets them apart; Naia Izumi, winner of NPR's Tiny Desk Concert competition.