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."

Why was an ad attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez allowed to air during the Democratic candidates debate?; N.Y. Times TV critic James Poniewozik on his new book, “Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television and the Fracturing of America”; "This Close" is a first: a TV show starring, created and written by deaf people.

The L.A.-based Grammy-winning quartet defies genres on its new album; a proposed state law could have major ramifications for independent musicians; in an excerpt from the podcast Song Exploder, Swedish singer and songwriter Robyn breaks down the title track from her 2018 album, "Honey."

The comedic actor talks about his live show, "All Rise," which he sees as medicine for a divided country; movie critic Beandrea July reports from the Toronto International Film Festival.

What's behind the rising price of concert tickets?; Grammy-winning classical music guitarist Sharon Isbin; photographer Robert Frank, RIP.

The singer is on top of the charts and she's in the upcoming movie, "Hustlers"; a preview of Variety's first-ever Climate Crisis issue; singer John Paul White.

Linda Ronstadt doc filmmakers reveal her range ; Eddie Redmaye and Felicity Jones show their new film in Telluride; Flor de Toloache is a modern mariachi band in more ways than one; the Oregon Shakespeare Festival gets a new Artistic Director and filmmaker Justin Chon takes us to Koreatown.

The festival is one of the leading regional theaters in the country, presenting traditional and non-traditional classics, along with cutting-edge new plays; the state of the music industry; the documentary, "Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice."

L.A.'s Koreatown is the setting for the filmmaker's new movie about a young woman who has to defer her musical dreams; what's new — and good — on TV right now; Flor de Toloache is not your traditional mariachi group.

The pioneering queer performance artist and writer talks about his evolution as an activist; highlights from the Telluride Film Festival; "Untouchable" is a new documentary about Harvey Weinstein and the multiple allegations of sexual assault and harassment that he faces.

Filmmaker Stanley Nelson talks about his new documentary on the iconic jazz trumpeter, Miles Davis; with more streaming services coming online, is binge watching the best way to enjoy TV?; producer Larry Klein takes "world music" literally on his new project.

Emmy nominees John Leguizamo ("When They See Us") and Mahershala Ali ("True Detective") talk about their acclaimed performances; Renée Zellweger chats with John Horn at the Telluride Film Festival about portraying Judy Garland.

The actress plays Judy Garland in a biopic that's premiering at the Telluride Film Festival; SAG-AFTRA keeps its president ahead of a crucial year; singer R&B singer Michael Marshall transforms a '60s hippie anthem for "The Last Black Man in San Francisco."