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.

Comedian and art collector Cheech Marin walks the galleries of Frank Romero's retrospective with the artist himself; "Hacksaw Ridge" sound mixer Kevin O'Connell has 21 Oscar nominations but no win ... yet; political and topical ads are likely during the Academy Awards. Who's advertising and how are they hoping to benefit?

Melanie Lynskey felt a deep connection with her character in the Sundance hit, "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore"; a federal judge issues an injunction against a law that prevented websites such as IMDb from publishing the birthdate of actors.

Jordan Peele (of "Key & Peele" fame) makes his film directing debut with the horror movie, “Get Out," which takes on racism in the creepiest fashion; John Horn debates how to improve the Academy Awards broadcast with his "Awards Show Show" podcast co-host, Kyle Buchanan, and TV mavens Alex Jung and Jen Chaney.

The Oscar-nominated movie "Lion" is based on the memoir of Saroo Brierly, whose unbelievable life story was turned into a two-hour film by screenwriter Luke Davies; an annual report on diversity in Hollywood makes a strong case that on-camera diversity is directly linked to box office and ratings success; the WGA honored the screenwriters of "Moonlight" and "Arrival."

The Oscar-nominated editors behind "Moonlight," Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders, discuss working with director Barry Jenkins, editing reality TV and making history at the Oscars; A new study from USC finds best picture Academy Award nominees rarely have characters over 60.; What are the trends for the current TV pilot season?

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is in settlement talks with all of the major movie studios after a lengthy investigation into how directors are hired in Hollywood. Is change coming? Then "La La Land" composer Justin Hurwitz reveals how he went about scoring the modern day movie musical that's become an Oscar favorite.

The off-beat show "Baskets" is much closer to the actor's own comic and storytelling sensibilities. He calls it a "slapstick drama"; Facebook is hoping to add more music content to its influential platform.

The latest Marvel TV series doesn’t look anything like a Marvel TV series. And that’s what show creator Noah Hawley had in mind for “Legion”; "4.1 Miles" is a documentary whose title refers to a small strip of the Aegean Sea where tens of thousands of migrants try to make the treacherous crossing.

The HBO documentary “Eagles of Death Metal: Nos Amis” recounts the band's experience in the Paris terrorist attacks; Sting collaborated with J. Ralph for the Oscar-nominated song, “The Empty Chair”; the Grammy Awards are like a car wreck: you can't look away.

French electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre — who's nominated for a Grammy this year — takes us on a journey through the past, present and future of the electronica genre; It's no accident that five of the last 10 films starring David Oyelowo were directed by women, including his latest, "A United Kingdom"; Hollywood studio execs and filmmakers may get a new relationship with China later this month.

Violin virtuoso Rachel Barton Pine proves that classical music and heavy metal have a whole lot in common. Solange Knowles breaks down her Grammy-nominated song “Cranes In the Sky" in a Song Exploder segment. And the Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer is trying to put an end to one of the oldest scams in Hollywood- pay to play casting agencies.

Producer Dan Lin proved with "The Lego Movie" that he could make a critically and commercially successful film based on a toy. Now the pressure is on to do the same with "The Lego Batman Movie"; Dave and Pos of De La Soul reveal their innovative approach to making their latest album, which paid off with a Grammy nomination; can Warner Bros. help subvert the traditional way movies get distributed?