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."

"Saturday Church" is a coming-of-age film inspired by LGBTQ teens who Cardasis met at his mother's church; Sundance organizers are taking steps to protect festival attendees from inappropriate behavior; Ruby Ibarra draws from her Filipino-American roots.

When Laurie Metcalf agreed to “Lady Bird,” she had no idea the film would become so popular; James Franco is the latest Hollywood figure to face accusations of improper behavior; Johnny Cash's landmark show at Folsom Prison included a fateful meeting with an inmate.

Greta Gerwig, Jordan Peele, Guillermo del Toro and Christopher Nolan are among the nominees for the Directors Guild Awards, which often predict the Oscars; then Mark Mangini and Theo Green created the soundscape for the "Blade Runner" sequel.

Writer/producer Kenya Barris just launched “grown-ish,” a spinoff of “black-ish” that centers around that show’s oldest child; Linda Perhacs left her music career behind when her 1970 debut album failed to catch on with audiences. Now her career is revived, with two new albums in the past few years.

"Foxtrot" director Samuel Maoz's film is about the cycle of trauma that he says permeates Israeli society; does awards campaigning seem a little trivial in the age of “Time’s Up”?; beat maker Tokimonsta talks about incorporating traditional sounds from her Korean heritage into her decidedly hip music.

Nicole Kidman ("Big Little Lies") was one of the Golden Globe winners who thanked dialect coach Liz Himelstein from the stage; men's voices were noticeably silent from the #MeToo chorus at the Globes; John Horn reports from the Palm Springs fest where foreign films rule.

Musician and composer Jon Brion's latest challenge was writing the score to Greta Gerwig's "Lady Bird"; TV producers and network chiefs are touting their shows for the new year; artists respond to the first year of the Trump presidency in a show at Glendale's Brand Library.

The Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena reopens with a show that examines how Mexican artists influenced their Chinese counterparts; researchers from FiveThirtyEight have new ways to examine the representation of women in movies; Alex Heffes scored a day in the life of the planet for a BBC documentary.

Mark Bridges created the gorgeous '50s-era dresses in Paul Thomas Anderson's film about an exacting fashion designer; Ava DuVernay is one of the prominent filmmakers involved with the "Time's Up" initiative; artist Zachary Aronson uses fire to create his work.

Barbara Broccoli has worked for 22 years to make "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool"; prominent women in Hollywood launch an anti-harassment initiative; a big music publishing company sued Spotify for $1.6 billion.

Errol Morris' documentary miniseries examines the mysterious death of a government biochemist who was given LSD by the CIA; Kira Kelly is a Hollywood rarity: an African-American female cinematographer. She got an Emmy nomination for shooting Ava DuVernay's documentary, "13th," which led to her working on the filmmaker's drama series, "Queen Sugar."

The filmmaker says the roots of his latest movie, "The Shape of Water," go back to his childhood when he saw "Creature from the Black Lagoon."