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."

With her new film, "Disobedience," Rachel Weisz found something she had been seeking but couldn't find: a story with two female leads; former comedian and TV host Byron Allen has quietly built a company with interests in both film and television.

Movie theater owners look beyond popcorn to find new concessions at CinemaCon; Chicano photographer George Rodriguez captures two very different L.A.'s over a 50-year period; CalArts celebrates world music with its own salsa band.

Andrew Form and Bradley Fuller, producers of the hit horror movie, "A Quiet Place," talk about the film's surprising box office success; movie studios at CinemaCon tout sequels, more sequels, and a Tarantino movie; meet poet and singer-songwriter Jamila Woods.

Married comedians Natasha Leggero and Moshe Kasher turned their honeymoon into a comedy tour a three-part series for Netflix; Harry Potter mania arrives on Broadway with the opening of the two-part play, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.”

Former "Daily Show" correspondent Wyatt Cenac has a new, weekly HBO show that examines pressing social issues; movie theater owners are trying to fight the popularity of streaming services; Hasan Minhaj's "Homecoming King" wins a Peabody Award.

Prince died two years ago without leaving behind a will and now his estate is in disarray. Washington Post reporter Karen Heller fills us in on where things stand with Prince’s estate; In the podcast “Dear Franklin Jones,” producer Jonathan Hirsch revisits his childhood and how it was dominated by his parents’ guru; A play by Tim Robbins' Actors’ Gang forces audience members to ask themselves if America is still a welcome place for immigrants.

With Earth Day approaching, "FernGully" director Bill Kroyer and KPCC environment reporter Emily Guerin talk about the 1992 film's impact; Barry Avrich made a second documentary about Harvey Weinstein after a struggle with the mogul thwarted his first.

How director Joshua Marston and screenwriter Marcus Hinchey made "Come Sunday"– a movie about a Pentecostal bishop's spiritual epiphany first documented by This American Life; could MoviePass be the next film industry disruptor?; Moses Sumney dissects his song, "Quarrel."

Queen Bey's performance at Coachella set a new standard; The HBO documentary "I Am Evidence" examines the backlog of untested rape kits around the country; Kendrick Lamar is the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for music who is not a classical or jazz artist.

Zhao takes stories and events from her untrained actors’ real lives and writes them into a fictionalized script; Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, “The Problem with Apu,” gets a response from "The Simpsons"; “Will & Grace” and “Roseanne” are hits again, but how strong is the appetite for reunion shows?

"Still Dreaming" follows a group of retired actors who mount a Shakespeare play; Netflix pulls its movies from the Cannes Film Festival in a disagreement over screening policy; composer and producer Gustavo Santaolalla returns to the concert stage.

Al Madrigal, who got his break from Mitzi Shore at The Comedy Store, pays tribute to the late patron; actor Michael K. Williams digs into the juvenile justice system; Canadian singer & songwriter Lindi Ortega on her new album, "Liberty."