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.

From The Frame's vaults: actress and writer Zoe Kazan was speaking about rampant sexual harassment in Hollywood months before the Harvey Weinstein floodgates broke; singer and performer Lizzo on her wild year that started with a fateful appearance on Samantha Bee's show.

“The Post" screenwriters Elizabeth Hannah and Josh Singer talk about writing a movie with a woman— Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham — as the hero; Los Angeles Times pop music critic Mikael Wood shares some of his picks for the best music of 2017.

The film “Hostiles,” written and directed by Scott Cooper, both indulges in and overturns some of the familiar tropes of the Western genre; Rotten Tomatoes senior editor Grae Drake looks back on the year in film reviews and addresses some of the controversy surrounding the movie review aggregation site.

Writer/director Dee Rees on her film "Mudbound," about the harsh reality of life in the Jim Crow South, and its new resonance in 2017; Pasadena Playhouse brings the 1947 'Miracle on 34th Street' radio play to the stage; Facebook makes a play for YouTube's hold on music videos.

Questlove, drummer and leader of "The Tonight Show's" house band The Roots, talks about the emotional ballad he wrote for the movie "Detroit"; Actor/tax attorney Sandra Karas explains Actors' Equity Association's opposition to the tax overhaul that Congress passed today.

For his role in "The Florida Project" Willem Dafoe immersed himself into the world of the "hidden homeless;" A new website called Rotten Apples allows users to search TV shows and movies to see if anyone on the projects was accused of sexual misconduct; Italian filmmaker Marta Savina revisits a landmark rape case from 1965 in her short film “Viola, Franca."

Meet Hong Chau, the actress from Alexander Payne's movie "Downsizing," who's grabbing attention even before the film opens; how the radio drama version of "Star Wars" helped put NPR on the map; and three film critics (who happen to be under the age of 10) weigh in on "The Last Jedi."

DeLappe's play about high school girl soccer players was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama; what effect will the Net Neutrality vote have on content creators and distributors?; an old fashioned marquee gives a theater company a new identity.

Director Steven Spielberg, producer Amy Pascal and Tom Hanks discuss the present-day resonance of their new film 'The Post'; with Disney buying much of 21st Century Fox we look at what that means for Hulu; and Canadian singer Elise LeGrow taps Chicago roots in her debut album.

SAG announced its nominees for their awards and that all the presenters plus the host of the telecast will be women. How else will Hollywood awards shows amplify women's voices in this #metoo era?; Trans actress Daniela Vega from the Chilean film "A Fantastic Woman" hopes it teaches audiences empathy; watching Pixar's "Coco" in Mexico is a singular experience.

TV and film writer and producer Judd Apatow returns to his stand-up comedy roots in a special for Netflix; The Black List is an annual compilation of highly regarded, but unproduced scripts that are floating around town.

Actress Margot Robbie says she has empathy for the misunderstood skater Tonya Harding, who suffered from abuse; Disney is reportedly close to a deal to purchase Fox's movie studio and some TV assets; the art world came to Miami for Art Basel and related showcases.