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."

Jill Soloway on the making of the "musicale finale" of "Transparent" — without actor Jeffrey Tambor; a group of up-and-coming film composers and indie directors convene at Skywalker Ranch for some intensive collaboration.

Jim Gaffigan is best known for his comedy, but can play a mean child kidnapper too; what the retirement of the head of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame could mean for overlooked artists; singer/songwriter Lupita Infante carries on her grandfather's legacy.

The LA-based contemporary dance company BodyTraffic debuts new works; what The Black Keys concert fiasco says about the live music industry; how the prolific musician Alex G transforms his voice.

Executive producers Susannah Grant and Sarah Timberman on their Netflix adaptation of a true story about the search for a serial rapist; concerns in Aurora, Colorado about the themes in "Joker"; the band Trashcan Sinatras.

The actress talks about playing the iconic singer and actress Judy Garland; Emmys were a big night for Phoebe Waller-Bridge, not so good for the broadcast networks; our resident "Downton Abbey" nerds revel in their big weekend.

Television is exploding and it’s time to celebrate! Join The Frame's John Horn and L.A. Times TV critic Lorraine Ali as they break down the year in television and this year's Emmy-worthy shows.

Documentary filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky turns the camera on her 11-year-son and his effort to learn Beethoven's composition; Hollywood struggles to strike the right note of climate urgency; how sound becomes a character in the film, "The Sound of Silence."

The writer/director of the hit film talks about the making of the movie, and life as a woman director in Hollywood; "Bandersnatch" is not your average TV movie.

In the animated series from the people behind “Bojack Horseman” (Raphael Bob-Waksburg and Kate Purdy), there’s no horse, but there’s still an existential crisis; the play Mike Pesca on SNL's on- again, off-again casting of Shane Gillis; "American Mariachi" is a soundtrack for Mexican-American life.

The director and co-writer of the space epic talks about his new film, which stars Brad Pitt as an astronaut on a perilous mission; NBC announces plans for its streaming service, which will be called Peacock; Rhiannon Giddens talks about her affinity for country music.

The singer and songwriter has a new album and a new movie score coming up, plus a documentary about his time with The Band; Variety film critic Peter Debruge wraps up the Toronto International Film Festival.

Nick Offerman goes on tour; NYT TV critic deconstructs Donald Trump's TV character; Gay of Thrones and The Handmaid's Tale costumer go for Creative Arts Emmys; La Santa Cecilia plays in El Paso and "This Close" is a TV show created by and starring deaf people.