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.

The new documentary, “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press,” uses the Hulk Hogan/Gawker lawsuit to highlight the importance of freedom of speech — even when it’s tawdry; Singer/guitarist Benjamin Booker was in a rut in New Orleans, so he went to Mexico City to record his new album, "Witness"; Bloomberg entertainment reporter Lucas Shaw talks about Apple, Vice and Snapchat's plans to make original scripted programming.

Sofia Coppola has remade the 1971 film, "The Beguiled," which is a Civil War-era story set at a girls' boarding school in the South (starring Nicole Kidman); "Thumbprint" is an opera about a Pakistani woman who sought justice after she was gang raped in her village.

When Judd Apatow learned that Sony was releasing "clean" versions of R-rated and PG-13 movies — including two he produced — he was not happy. He tells The Frame why these edited films should have the filmmakers' consent; The Secret Sisters return to making music with their new album, "You Don't Own Me Anymore"; and we go for a run with the people in the new L.A. Film Festival documentary, "Skid Row Marathon."

Former Bravo network executive Andy Cohen now hosts two shows and has become a reality TV guru; corporations are being extra cautious about advertising in an age when opposition campaigns can quickly gain traction; after a long hiatus, the band Fleet Foxes is back.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who directed the documentary “Blackfish," moves to features with “Megan Leavey,” the true story of a Marine and her service dog; how the Los Angeles Film Festival distinguishes itself through a commitment to diversity; a music industry gathering in Mexico where talent from across Latin America gets showcased.

New York's Public Theater is getting heat over its production of "Julius Caesar" that depicts the Shakespeare character as Donald Trump; Tony Award-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul talk about their songs for 'Dear Evan Hansen'; director Lucia Aniello talks about her raunchy comedy, "Rough Night."

It's a rarity for a woman to direct a big budget, comic superhero movie, but Jenkins has torn down the walls with her critically-acclaimed box office smash.

Broadway will honor the best in theater on Sunday night at the 71st annual Tony Awards. But there's one group of performers who will not be recognized, despite the fact that they often make up the majority of the cast in a musical. The Ojai Music Festival highlights an arts collective from the South Side of Chicago that launched 50 years ago by giving the west coast premiere of an opera about the collective titled "Afterward."

“Beatriz at Dinner” is set at a dinner party in a Southern California mansion. The filmmakers and long-time collaborators open up about how they sought to use the setting as a means to unpack "casual racism," and comparisons between John Lithgow's character and Donald Trump.

Movie trailers are both art and advertising. A co-founder of the annual Golden Trailer Awards breaks down what goes into the making of a trailer and why they honor the best and the worst each year. And filmmaker Trey Edward Shults says that dealing with his father's death and his own fear of dying informed his new thriller "It Comes At Night."

Bill Maher’s use of a racial epithet on his HBO show has led to calls for Maher's firing and ignited debate over who can say the N-word. We get reaction from NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates and "Dear White People" filmmaker Justin Simien; Brett Haley's new movie, “The Hero," looks at our admiration of cinematic heroes through the life of an aging actor whose public persona is defined by a role he played on screen.

Artist Jeff Koons has his detractors, but he is an undeniable force in contemporary art; blues veterans Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' have finally made an album together; George Pérez is the DC Comics writer and artist who revived "Wonder Woman" in the 1980s.