The Frame

Alison Bechdel says she thought the idea of having her graphic novel memoir turned into a musical was "insane"; composer John Adams says his landmark opera, "Nixon in China," is as timely as ever; NBC has invested $500 million in Snapchat with big plans for using the social media platform.

Bruna Papandrea has produced hit films such as "Wild" and "Gone Girl," and now she's part of the team behind HBO's "Big Little Lies"; Netflix has a new reality competition series that's being produced for six global markets simultaneously.

C-SPAN anchor Steve Scully (aka "the most patient man on television") talks with The Frame about C-SPAN's origin story, its mission and the role it fills in today's media landscape; Then, actress Jane Kaczmarek explains why she's spending her post "Malcolm In the Middle" years doing theater like Eugene O'Neill's "Long Day's Journey Into Night."

When Asghar Farhadi won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, he did not pick up his statue in person. But he was in L.A. last year following our election and he spoke with us about his movie, "The Salesman," and then-President elect Trump; R&B producer and musician Raphael Saadiq has branched out to scoring movies and TV shows.

Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black created the ABC miniseries, "When We Rise," to bring the history of the gay rights movement into America's living rooms in the hopes of bridging a divided nation and inspiring activism in a new generation; The Oscars are finally over. What must Hollywood do to become more inclusive?

On this year's Frame Oscar preview, get to know some nominees ahead of the big night. Among the guests are the writer/directors of "La La Land" and "Moonlight," actors Ruth Negga, Emma Stone, Dev Patel, and Andrew Garfield; Documentary filmmakers Ava Duvernay and Ezra Edelman; the screenwriters for "Hidden Figures" and "The Lobster," and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda. Plus, John Horn and his co-host in The Awards Show Show podcast, Kyle Buchanan, make predictions.

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."

Show biz veterans run a TV channel at an industry retirement home (pictured); the head of UCLA's Center for African American Studies weighs in on e-mails from studio executives joking about President Obama's taste in films; and acclaimed photographer Sebastião Salgado gets the documentary treatment from his son.

Julianne Moore talks about her role as an Alzheimer's patient in "Still Alice" (pictured); the British holiday stage tradition known as panto comes to the Pasadena Playhouse; and a movie marketing executive assesses Sony's challenge with "The Interview."

Several Screen Actors Guild award nominees took risky bets that paid off; Singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno rewrites some holiday classics; and director Laura Poitras talks about her Edward Snowden documentary, "Citizenfour."

There's some casting controversy over Ridley Scott's Biblical tale, "Exodus" (pictured); Sean Rameswaram of the Sideshow podcast leads us through the gems and lumps of coal among this year's holiday albums; and playwright Rebecca Gale mines the social welfare system in "Luna Gale."

World premieres at next month's Sundance Festival include Paul Weitz's "Grandma," starring Lily Tomlin (pictured); as "Boyhood" garners more praise, Ethan Hawke talks about the film's effect on audiences; artist Jennifer Moon gets her inspiration behind the wheel; and Jean-Marc Vallee says he didn't choose "Wild," the project chose him.

Grammy nominations are out: What did voters get right/wrong?; LACMA curator Franklin Sirmans attends Art Basel Miami and lives to tell the story; Chadwick Boseman has played Jackie Robinson, James Brown (pictured) and soon will play Marvel’s first black superhero; Robert Downey Sr. on his film retrospective.

NBC's coverage of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree lighting ceremony was almost disrupted by protests (pictured); Alexandre Desplat is one of Hollywood’s busiest and most celebrated composers; a neuroscientist on how cinema manipulates our minds; and why the current dearth of great sitcoms?

Filmmaker Kyle Alvarez on the thrill of being invited to the Sundance Film Festival; why Kevin Costner reached into his own pocketbook for "Black or White" (pictured); “Into the Woods” is back onstage and headed for the multiplex; and Daniel Catán's operatic legacy won't end with 'Florencia en el Amazonas.'

As movie award season gets underway, talk inevitably returns to the novelty of "Boyhood," which was named 2014's best film by New York critics; the Wende Museum in Culver City turns East German artifacts into artwork; and Carmen Esposito may be the hardest-working comedian in show biz.

Sony Pictures computers were hacked last week, resulting in several unreleased films being leaked. We also talk about the wider effects of film piracy; actress Reese Witherspoon (pictured in "Wild") and her producing partner, Bruna Papandrea, talk about how they're working to change the film industry.

CalTech physicist Kip Thorne talks about getting the science right for "Interstellar"; Tim Robbins' Actors' Gang theater company works to rehabilitate inmates; and Margaret Lyons of Vulture.com has some viewing suggestions after the mashed potatoes turn you into a couch potato.

Killer Mike talks about performing in St. Louis on the night the Ferguson decision came down; actor Benedict Cumberbatch shares the tragic story of the genius who broke the Enigma code; the indie film version of the Oscars unveils its nominations; and musician Ben Watt talks about his solo career.