The Frame

Zoe Lister-Smith directed “Band Aid,” a hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival that just got picked up for distribution; Fox's new “24” reboot is being criticized because the villains on the series are from the Middle East; Andrew Lockington talks about his untraditional score for the new movie, “The Space Between Us.”

For bands, landing a song in a Super Bowl ad (or any other televised event) is a HUGE pay day; how 'Jackie' composer Mica Levi created a mesmerizing score for Pablo Larrain's psychological drama; Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Raoul Peck could have made a conventional documentary about James Baldwin, but instead he uses only Baldwin’s words to create his powerful film, “I Am Not Your Negro."

The madcap "Billy on the Street" TV series has added a political edge; arts leaders from Western states visit D.C. to advocate for the National Endowment for the Arts; the latest Hollywood story from USC has more dire news for women in the industry.

Muslim-American writer, producer and author Reza Aslan's family fled the Iranian Revolution when he was 7-years-old — now believes that the best way to change American hearts and minds about Islam is through entertainment; Sony Pictures is reporting a $1 billion loss in its third quarter alone. The report comes as the company embarks on a new head for the studio, which executives in Japan maintain is not for sale.

How SAG Award winners used the platform to comment on Trump's executive order barring refugees from select Muslim-majority countries; one L.A.-based concert promoter had to cancel shows with Iranian musicians planning to play in the U.S.; "Cries from Syria" filmmaker wants to generate understanding and empathy for Syrian refugees with his new doc, airing on HBO in March.

"Nobody Speak" looks at free press issues through the Hulk Hogan lawsuit and the presidential election; "The Salesman" is the latest from Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi; the Wallis Youth Theater Company is breaking new ground.

How Late Night host Seth Meyers is seizing the Trump era for political commentary and comedy; rapper Roxanne Shanté's life is the basis of a new Sundance biopic "Roxanne Roxanne;" Bryan Fogel is a cyclist who set out to document his experiments with performance-enhancing drugs only to find himself making a movie that uncovers a massive doping scandal inside Russia.

Director David O. Russell remembers working with Mary Tyler Moore in his 1996 dysfunctional family comedy "Flirting with Disaster," then the married couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon turned their real-life love story into the new romantic comedy "The Big Sick" which just sold to Amazon at the Sundance Film Festival.

The Frame host John Horn reports from Sundance where he interviews Lakeith Stanfield (“Atlanta” and "Crown Heights"), and talks Oscars nominations with Vulture's Kyle Buchanan.

The Frame host John Horn reports from Sundance where he interviews Jessica Williams (“The Incredible Jessica James”), and documentary director Peter Bratt ("Dolores") and the subject of his film, activist Dolores Huerta.

Jenny Lewis has played Coachella with her previous bands, but she’s there this year as a solo artist; the Alvin Ailey dance troupe shows middle schoolers how to turn emotion into motion (pictured); talking shop with two acclaimed narrators of audio books, llyana Kadushin and Kevin T. Collins; and a farewell to R&B singer Percy Sledge.

The Coachella music festival brought tens of thousands of music fans out to the desert for three days of fun in the sun; Trevor Noah performs in the U.S. for the first time since being named host of “The Daily Show”; Kristen Schaal's career gets a boost from her first co-starring role on a major network (pictured).

Netflix debuts the latest adaptation of Marvel Comics' "Daredevil" (pictured); women singers are not allowed to perform solo in Iran, which is partly why Delaram Kamareh came to the U.S.; the audience for electronic dance music is widely diverse, but that's not the case for the genre's DJs and producers.

"Made Men" creator Matthew Weiner (pictured, holding Emmy Award) is saying a long goodbye to his landmark series; Lauren Bon, the artist behind Metabolic Studio, looks at water and the drought through a creative lens; HBO's "Veep" is back, and so is Tony Hale as the president's personal assistant.

Whether you're attending Coachella or following via YouTube or Sirius, you need to know who's playing and when; director Jay Chandrasekhar used a crowd sourcing campaign to fund 'Super Troopers 2'; Judith Hill (pictured) goes from backup singer to releasing her debut solo album with a little help from Prince.

On the 100th anniversary of her birth, we revisit a 1948 performance by Billie Holiday (pictured) at the Shrine Auditorium; the band Night Terrors of 1927 is a Coachella Music Festival newbie; writer/director Alex Garland explores artificial intelligence in the new film, "Ex Machina."

WonderCon turned the Anaheim Convention Center into pop culture nirvana over the weekend; the hip-hop old schoolers from De La Soul (pictured) are in the studio with an album financed by their fans; getting the new TV show “American Odyssey” on the air was an odyssey unto itself.

Tips on which "Mad Men" episodes to watch before the series begins its swan song (pictured); the landmark exhibition by Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei Wei is in its last month on Alcatraz Island; animal trainer Teresa Ann Miller talks about casting and wrangling 250 dogs for the new movie, “White God"

Comic book editor Janelle Asselin is reviving the romance genre in a new magazine anthology (pictured); L.A. stage actors are voting on contract changes that would pay them more, but could result in fewer roles; 'Game of Thrones' novelist George R.R. Martin drops an excerpt from his next book. (Spoiler alert!)

Director Bob Yari (pictured, far left) recently shot the first American feature film in Cuba in more than 50 years; 2015 is already shaping up as perhaps the best year for hip-hop music ever; Amber Tamblyn's third book of poetry is about young actresses who died tragically.

Should Trevor Noah’s Tweets cost him his job as the new host of "The Daily Show"?; “Furious 7” director James Wan (pictured at left, with Vin Diesel) reveals why he needed to finish the film after the death of actor Paul Walker; The Los Angeles Philharmonic completes its tour of Asia, jet lag and all.

Comedy Central drops a surprise by announcing Trevor Noah (pictured) will replace Jon Stewart; young musicians from L.A. and Fukushima get to work with Gustavo Dudamel; Dreamworks gets a much-needed hit with "Home"; transgender actors are in demand during TV pilot season.