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."

Joel Edgerton talks about directing his adaptation of a memoir about a boy (played by Lucas Hedges) whose parents (Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe) won't accept his homosexuality; can politicians play any music they want at rallies?; Jadis is prop store in Santa Monica like no other,

Eli Horowitz and Micah Bloomberg created "Homecoming" as a scripted, fictional podcast, and now they're overseeing the Amazon TV version; the movie ratings system has existed for 50 years, but it has occasionally been plagued by inconsistencies.

The new documentary examines the relationship between art, money, success and notoriety; “Delusion: The Blue Blade" is an immersive theater production described by its creator as "Indiana Jones"-meets-"Blade Runner."

Game designer Ben Esposito takes a user-friendly approach to examine L.A.'s changing neighborhoods; does NBC's Megyn Kelly have a future in TV?; the past, present and future of the L.A. Philharmonic (part 2).

Two prominent music critics look at where the orchestra has been and where it's heading; filmmaker Sandi Tan looks for a lost film of hers in "Shirkers."

Aoife O'Donovan, Sarah Jarosz and Sara Watkins all have successful individual careers, but decided to combine forces for their folk-Americana trio; how is "House of Cards" concluding without Kevin Spacey?; MOCA puts the spotlight on influential painter and film critic Manny Farber.

"The Good Place" creator Michael Schur and writer Jen Statsky talk about making a sitcom that takes on ethics and philosophy; as the Trump Administration reportedly considers rolling back civil rights protections for trans people, we revisit The Frame's 2017 roundtable discussion on transgender representation on television.

The award-winning Broadway smash with music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul finally arrives in Los Angeles; how deep are Saudi Arabia's tentacles in American museums?; the Berlin-based performance group, Gob Squad, examines how we cope with aging.

The mezzo-soprano had a promising hoops career, but then she discovered singing; Netflix buys a huge production studio in Albuquerque; Janelle Monáe breaks down her song, "So Afraid."

She's a rare female minority show-runner, but her main goal is to let the mom character have some fun; how are immigrants depicted on TV?; the L.A. Master Chorale takes its show on the road.

Actor Peter Dinklage and filmmaker Sacha Gervasi on making "My Dinner With Hervé," about the French actor Hervé Villechaize; how do "The Conners" fare without Roseanne? L.A. Times TV critic Lorraine Ali shares her thoughts.

Muslim comedian Mo Amer once sat next to Eric Trump on an international flight. That's just one of many stories in his Netflix special "Vagabond." In the wake of Jamal Khashoggi's disapperance, Hollywood rethinks its relationship with Saudi Arabia. Plus, how Dieter Ruehle came to be the Dodgers' organist.