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."

The new documentary, “Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press,” uses the Hulk Hogan/Gawker lawsuit to highlight the importance of freedom of speech — even when it’s tawdry; Singer/guitarist Benjamin Booker was in a rut in New Orleans, so he went to Mexico City to record his new album, "Witness"; Bloomberg entertainment reporter Lucas Shaw talks about Apple, Vice and Snapchat's plans to make original scripted programming.

Sofia Coppola has remade the 1971 film, "The Beguiled," which is a Civil War-era story set at a girls' boarding school in the South (starring Nicole Kidman); "Thumbprint" is an opera about a Pakistani woman who sought justice after she was gang raped in her village.

When Judd Apatow learned that Sony was releasing "clean" versions of R-rated and PG-13 movies — including two he produced — he was not happy. He tells The Frame why these edited films should have the filmmakers' consent; The Secret Sisters return to making music with their new album, "You Don't Own Me Anymore"; and we go for a run with the people in the new L.A. Film Festival documentary, "Skid Row Marathon."

Former Bravo network executive Andy Cohen now hosts two shows and has become a reality TV guru; corporations are being extra cautious about advertising in an age when opposition campaigns can quickly gain traction; after a long hiatus, the band Fleet Foxes is back.

Gabriela Cowperthwaite, who directed the documentary “Blackfish," moves to features with “Megan Leavey,” the true story of a Marine and her service dog; how the Los Angeles Film Festival distinguishes itself through a commitment to diversity; a music industry gathering in Mexico where talent from across Latin America gets showcased.

New York's Public Theater is getting heat over its production of "Julius Caesar" that depicts the Shakespeare character as Donald Trump; Tony Award-winning composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul talk about their songs for 'Dear Evan Hansen'; director Lucia Aniello talks about her raunchy comedy, "Rough Night."

It's a rarity for a woman to direct a big budget, comic superhero movie, but Jenkins has torn down the walls with her critically-acclaimed box office smash.

Broadway will honor the best in theater on Sunday night at the 71st annual Tony Awards. But there's one group of performers who will not be recognized, despite the fact that they often make up the majority of the cast in a musical. The Ojai Music Festival highlights an arts collective from the South Side of Chicago that launched 50 years ago by giving the west coast premiere of an opera about the collective titled "Afterward."

“Beatriz at Dinner” is set at a dinner party in a Southern California mansion. The filmmakers and long-time collaborators open up about how they sought to use the setting as a means to unpack "casual racism," and comparisons between John Lithgow's character and Donald Trump.

Movie trailers are both art and advertising. A co-founder of the annual Golden Trailer Awards breaks down what goes into the making of a trailer and why they honor the best and the worst each year. And filmmaker Trey Edward Shults says that dealing with his father's death and his own fear of dying informed his new thriller "It Comes At Night."

Bill Maher’s use of a racial epithet on his HBO show has led to calls for Maher's firing and ignited debate over who can say the N-word. We get reaction from NPR's Karen Grigsby Bates and "Dear White People" filmmaker Justin Simien; Brett Haley's new movie, “The Hero," looks at our admiration of cinematic heroes through the life of an aging actor whose public persona is defined by a role he played on screen.

Artist Jeff Koons has his detractors, but he is an undeniable force in contemporary art; blues veterans Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo' have finally made an album together; George Pérez is the DC Comics writer and artist who revived "Wonder Woman" in the 1980s.