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.

Simmonds stars in the new film, "Wonderstruck" and Harvard is featured in the Deaf West Theatre production of "Our Town"; Netflix will spend $8 billion on content in 2018; low budget horror films like "Happy Death Day" are a bright spot for movie studios.

Mexican jazz drummer Antonio Sánchez has made a career of composing for film ("Birdman") and TV ("Get Shorty"). His new album is called "Bad Hombre"; WSJ reporter Ben Fritz discusses the Weinstein Company's possible sale to Colony Capital; Film producer Emily Best on the power dynamics that foster a culture of abuse in Hollywood.

"Lore" creator Aaron Mahnke reveals how he adapted his horror legend podcast into a new Amazon TV show; country music artist Jason Aldean performed last night for the first time since the Las Vegas shooting. We hear from one person who was at the show; and New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis puts the Harvey Weinstein story of alleged sexual misdeeds into the context of Hollywood history which has kept men in positions of power, women marginalized and many silenced.

Why did Ronan Farrow, a reporter for NBC News, publish his story about Harvey Weinstein in The New Yorker?; over the past 25 years, Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, co-producing directors of A Noise Within, have built a respected, classical repertory company from the ground up; musician Rostam breaks down a song from his first solo album since leaving the band Vampire Weekend.

Agnes Varda and JR travel through their native France to photograph their fellow citizens in the documentary, "Faces Places"; IMAX is trying to lure audiences to its new virtual reality experience centers; experimental opera director Yuval Sharon is among this year's MacArthur Fellowship honorees.

Published reports of Harvey Weinstein's predatory behavior spotlight the non-disclosure agreements that prevent whistleblowers and victims from telling their stories; Brandon Micheal Hall is the lead in ABC's new comedy "The Mayor." He's happy to combine politics and rap in his first big acting gig.

Veteran actor Joe Morton talks about his stage portrayal of the late comedian and activist, Dick Gregory; producer Amy Ziering, whose documentary "The Hunting Ground" was distributed by The Weinstein Company, wants to make a film about sexual harassment in Hollywood; can The Weinstein Company survive without Harvey?

The published report of Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual harassment begs the questions: How did his behavior go unchecked for so long? And how are Democratic politicians trying to distance themselves from Weinstein?; Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" once helped exonerate a murder suspect. The story is told in the documentary, "Long Shot."

Filmmaker Brett Morgen's "Jane" uses never-seen footage that National Geographic had stored for decades; there are more than usual women among this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; from Amish country to Hollywood, and classical piano to Dolly Parton: the evolution of singer-songwriter Our Lady J.

Lukas Nelson learned a lot from his dad, Willie, but he's making his own musical way; David Geffen has pledged $150 million for the planned new building at the L.A. County Museum of Art; movie studios are increasingly trying to limit what critics can divulge in a review.

Tom Petty recently finished a 40-year anniversary tour with his band. L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood joins us for a remembrance of the music icon's career; in the wake of the mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas, NPR music critic Ann Powers talks about country music's complicated relationship with gun culture.

The Pasadena Playhouse marks its 100th anniversary with a collaboration on "Our Town" with Deaf West Theatre; some outdoor concert venues are using a pre-screening process for ticket buyers similar to what the TSA uses at airports.