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 Jeffrey Tambor bowing out of the Amazon series, what does that mean for the show's future?; Zoe Kazan, who comes from a show biz family, says she's been dealing with harassment since her teen years.

Fifty years after his L.A. debut, Plácido Domingo is still an operatic force; Jason Bateman and Laura Linney are a married couple who get caught up with the wrong crowd in the Netflix series, “Ozark”; transgender singer Our Lady J left a music career to join the writing staff on "Transparent."

The Irish actress talks about her role as a California teenager, and about the troublesome male behavior she’s seen in Hollywood; Claes Bang plays an art museum director in the offbeat and unpredictable film, "The Square."

Comedian Hari Kondabolu explores his love-hate relationship with “The Simpsons” in a documentary about the show's portrayal of the South Asian store keeper; with The Weinstein Co. out of the picture, Quentin Tarantino is a free agent with his next film; the L.A. band Quetzal explores its musical roots in Veracruz.

Elvis Costello wrote a new ballad for the movie, "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool," about the eccentric actress, Gloria Grahame; after leaving Saturday Night Live, Dana Carvey made a sketch show for ABC that was an epic bust. The tale is told in the documentary, "Too Funny to Fail."

Joe Berlinger's film examines how Hollywood has depicted the Armenian Genocide, and how it has been pressured to ignore that story; a new USC study shows teenage girls are more likely to be sexualized in feature films; the Greenway Court Theatre survives through a partnership with Fairfax High School.

If Mel Gibson can revive his career, could Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K.?; Yuval Sharon turns Orson Welles' radio play into a multi-site opera; it's awards season in Hollywood, but there are some familiar names you won't be hearing, e.g., Harvey Weinstein.

The New York Times confirms the long-standing rumors of sexual misconduct by the writer and comedian Louis C.K.; director Ridley Scott will re-shoot Kevin Spacey's scenes in an already finished film; in “What Haunts Us,” director Paige Tolmach explores why so many male former students at her prep school alma mater had died by suicide.

Music industry veteran Bill Bentley pairs his stories with crowdsourced photos in “Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen”; the Weinstein Company is seeking buyers, but may not avoid bankruptcy; Rockabye Baby turns songs by artists like David Bowie, Rihanna and Coldplay into kid-friendly lullabies.

Meet Hong Chau, the actress from Alexander Payne's movie "Downsizing," who will blow you away; LA Times pop music critic Mikael Wood says that some performers use their music as "guilt laundering" for sexual harassment and abuse; and what power do Hollywood's guilds and unions have to shut down sexual predation?

Actor Sam Rockwell discusses his new movie "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and his approach to playing George W. Bush in Adam McKay's forthcoming Dick Cheney biopic; Jon Robin Baitz's play "Vicuña,"about a Trumpian presidential candidate, premiered in L.A. before the 2016 election. Now it's on stage in Washington, DC.

The new movie from the director of "Boyhood" is about three Vietnam vets who reunite when one of their sons is killed in the Iraq War; talent agent Tyler Grasham has been accused by eight young male actors and industry workers of sexual misconduct while Grasham worked for the APA agency, which specializes in representing young actors.