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.

With her new film, "Disobedience," Rachel Weisz found something she had been seeking but couldn't find: a story with two female leads; former comedian and TV host Byron Allen has quietly built a company with interests in both film and television.

Movie theater owners look beyond popcorn to find new concessions at CinemaCon; Chicano photographer George Rodriguez captures two very different L.A.'s over a 50-year period; CalArts celebrates world music with its own salsa band.

Andrew Form and Bradley Fuller, producers of the hit horror movie, "A Quiet Place," talk about the film's surprising box office success; movie studios at CinemaCon tout sequels, more sequels, and a Tarantino movie; meet poet and singer-songwriter Jamila Woods.

Married comedians Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher turned their honeymoon into a comedy tour a three-part series for Netflix; Harry Potter mania arrives on Broadway with the opening of the two-part play, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Former "Daily Show" correspondent Wyatt Cenac has a new, weekly HBO show that examines pressing social issues; movie theater owners are trying to fight the popularity of streaming services; Hasan Minhaj's "Homecoming King" wins a Peabody Award.

Prince died two years ago without leaving behind a will and now his estate is in disarray. Washington Post reporter Karen Heller fills us in on where things stand with Prince’s estate; In the podcast “Dear Franklin Jones,” producer Jonathan Hirsch revisits his childhood and how it was dominated by his parents’ guru; A play by Tim Robbins' Actors’ Gang forces audience members to ask themselves if America is still a welcome place for immigrants.

With Earth Day approaching, "FernGully" director Bill Kroyer and KPCC environment reporter Emily Guerin talk about the 1992 film's impact; Barry Avrich made a second documentary about Harvey Weinstein after a struggle with the mogul thwarted his first.

How director Joshua Marston and screenwriter Marcus Hinchey made "Come Sunday"– a movie about a Pentecostal bishop's spiritual epiphany first documented by This American Life; could MoviePass be the next film industry disruptor?; Moses Sumney dissects his song, "Quarrel."

Queen Bey's performance at Coachella set a new standard; The HBO documentary "I Am Evidence" examines the backlog of untested rape kits around the country; Kendrick Lamar is the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music who is not a classical or jazz artist.

Zhao takes stories and events from her untrained actors’ real lives and writes them into a fictionalized script; Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, “The Problem with Apu,” gets a response from "The Simpsons"; “Will & Grace” and “Roseanne” are hits again, but how strong is the appetite for reunion shows?

"Still Dreaming" follows a group of retired actors who mount a Shakespeare play; Netflix pulls its movies from the Cannes Film Festival in a disagreement over screening policy; composer and producer Gustavo Santaolalla returns to the concert stage.

Al Madrigal, who got his break from Mitzi Shore at The Comedy Store, pays tribute to the late patron; actor Michael K. Williams digs into the juvenile justice system; Canadian singer & songwriter Lindi Ortega on her new album, "Liberty."