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."

Nick Stoller's huge success directing the first "Neighbors" movie led to the inevitable sequel, which centers around a sorority; Asian-American men have a particularly difficult time landing lead roles in films and TV shows; HBO programming chief Michael Lombardo steps down and leaves challenges for his successor.

We visit the set of Maria Bamford's Netflix show “Lady Dynamite” to see how she blends the absurd with autobiography. The filmmakers of the documentary "Song of Lahore" track how musicians revived their art form and found an international audience with their cover of the Dave Brubeck song, "Take Five." What's hot and not at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

If you think musicians are getting shorted by streaming services, songwriters fare even worse; Google introduces Daydream, its virtual reality headset that works with Android phones; the new light rail stop at Santa Monica's Bergamot Station has some worried about the art center's future.

"Outlander" creator Ronald D. Moore and costume designer Terry Dresbach share secrets from their married life and work collaboration; an inside look at creating the music for the ABC comedy, "The Middle"; how diverse are the broadcast networks' new shows?

Filmmaker Lee Daniels and actors Geena Davis and Peter Jacobson tell The Frame's John Horn what it's like to be part of the dog-and-pony show that are the broadcast TV Upfronts. Director Jay Roach makes political theater into an HBO movie with LBJ's story in "All the Way." Songwriter Guy Clark remembered.

Paul Buckmaster's long music career began with David Bowie in the 1960s and includes arranging for Elton John, Miles Davis, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood; The Mexican female punk band 'Las Hijas de Violencia' combats street harassment with performance art; NBC and Fox kick of day one of the TV Upfronts.

'The Lobster' filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos reveals what lies behind his dark satire about love, society and relationships; The SFMOMA reopens with a new wing and new art but something is still missing; Broadcast TV networks cancel shows and rearrange line-ups ahead of next week's Upfront presentations to ad buyers.

The "Downton Abbey" creator has moved on to write the book for the Broadway musical, "School of Rock," and an interactive online novel, "Belgravia" but there may be a 'Downton' movie in the works; Donald Drumpf will begin fundraising in L.A, but does he have any Hollywood support?; singer-songwriter Andy Shauf makes a concept album, "The Party."

Comedian Ali Wong tackles everything from bodily functions, to specific sex acts, to the woes of feminism all while nearly 8 months pregnant in her Netflix special, 'Baby Cobra'; There’s a new music scene taking over south Los Angeles and it’s not hip-hop; Amazon mounts a challenge to YouTube.

Filmmaker Rodrigo Garcia and actor Ewan McGregor team up for a fresh take on a centuries-old story from the Bible; Chadwick Boseman follows roles as Jackie Robinson and James Brown with a new hero — Black Panther; Ticketmaster class action lawsuit plaintiffs won't get rich; YACHT's sex tape prank ends in a backlash.

Actors Alan Mandell and Barry McGovern continue their deep connection to Samuel Beckett at the Kirk Douglas Theatre; Paula Fairfield uses unusual sources (animal sex!) for the dragon sounds in the fantasy series; the Cannes Film Festival kicks off this week with the usual glitz and glamour.

Louie Anderson drew on his own mom for his role as Zach Galifianakis' mother, Christine Baskets, and John Roberts did the same to voice Linda Belcher; a report from the NewFronts: YouTube wants to replace your TV.