The Frame

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are on a roll: they wrote song lyrics for "La La Land" and the music and lyrics for the Broadway hit, "Dear Evan Hansen"; more than 3,500 companies are debuting their futuristic products at the annual, massive technology trade show.

Actor and documentary filmmaker Fisher Stevens jumped at the chance to make a documentary about the iconic showbiz mother-and-daughter, Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher; Sorting through the Jan/Feb TV premieres and comebacks to watch for in 2017 with TV critic Whitney Friedlander.

"Hidden Figures" writer Allison Schroeder (who was just nominated for a Writer's Guild award) tells us why she was the right person to co-write the film “Hidden Figures”; In the film “A Monster Calls,” director J.A. Bayona talks about how families might view his dark and personal coming-of-age story; Elliott Smith’s landmark 1997 album, “Either/Or,” gets a 20th anniversary re-issue.

Clay Tarver is a writer and co-executive producer for HBO’s “Silicon Valley," but he recently reunited with his bandmates in the group Chavez to record their first new music in 20 years; there may be a more diverse roster of actor and actress nominees for the Academy Awards this year, but that doesn’t mean #OscarsSoWhite is a thing of the past, says April Reign, the writer and activist who coined the hashtag.

It's our last Frame episode of 2016! From Beyonce's "Lemonade" to Chance The Rapper's "Coloring Book," we look back at the year in music with MTV Executive Editor Alex Pappademas; Also, we revisit one of our favorite musician interviews of the year, soul singer/songwriter Aloe Blacc, who describes himself as an "artivist," someone who blends art with activism.

The singing voice of Debbie Reynolds echoes throughout the show today as we honor the actress who died yesterday; Los Angeles Times culture writer Carolina Miranda picks some of 2016's most impactful moments in culture; playwright Jon Robin Baitz challenged himself in 2016 to write a play responding to Donald Trump's candidacy and get it up before the election. He did that. Now what?

For our wrap up of the best in TV, Margaret Lyons of the New York Times talks with us about the most overrated, underrated and heavily debated shows of 2016; Among the most lauded performances on TV this year was Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark in the FX mini-series "The People v. O.J. Simpson." Paulson discusses how Clark had been scrutinized by the media and much of America during the trial.

Carrie Fisher imbued the role of Princess Leia with an assertiveness that set the tone for the future Star Wars heroines; Fisher was also the columnist of "Advice from the Dark Side" which ran in The Guardian; New York Times co-chief film critic Manohla Dargis joins John Horn to talk about some of the top film stories of the year.

The popular British singer-songwriter died from heart failure at the age of 53; Kristen Anderson-Lopez is working on a stage musical version of "Frozen," but for now she has another show on Broadway, "In Transit."

David Oyelowo is extremely selective about the roles he chooses to play, and also the kinds of parts he wants to avoid; the Presidential Inauguration Committee has gotten more nays than ayes from singers and bands.

Apple changed its tune after Taylor Swift (pictured) called out the company for not compensating labels and artists during the upcoming three-month trial for its streaming service; Patrick Clair, who won an Emmy for creating the main titles for the first season of "True Detective," is once again setting the mood for the dark subject matter at hand.

Comedian and podcaster Marc Maron tells us about his interview with President Obama. The brothers in the documentary "The Wolfpack" grew up worshipping movies — now they're the subject of one. We also talk with KPCC's Kevin Ferguson about our new "True Detective" podcast.

Is Apple the big bad wolf of the music streaming world? The tech giant will withhold all payments to labels and artists for the first three months of Apple Music. Runaway film score production leads Hollywood composers and musicians to take action. How the Pixar filmmakers created the world of a little girls mind and the character based on her emotions for "Inside Out." Arnold is back and scaring people on Hollywood Blvd.

Filmmaker Maya Forbes cast Mark Ruffalo to play her likable bipolar dad in "Infinitely Polar Bear" and shows the human side of mental illness. Singer/Songwriter Ryn Weaver's quick rise to fame and the internet haters that came with it. Report from the floor of the massive video game trade show E3; Neil Young v. Donald Trump

"Dope" filmmaker Rick Famuyiwa was influenced by Inglewood, Hip Hop and John Hughes movies. Author Jillian Lauren and her Weezer bassist husband share tales of a rock 'n' roll tour life with their young son. E3 Day one: Star Wars and virtual reality. Is Jeb Bush a "Die Hard" fan?

The 5 lessons to be learned from 'Jurassic World''s $500 million weekend. An experimental comedy show puts comedians in purgatory. Filmmaker Zoe Cassavetes takes on ageism in Hollywood. What the heck are Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig doing in a Lifetime movie?

Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen talk about depicting the inner life of a child’s mind in "Inside Out" (pictured); on our latest "Song Exploder" segment, the composer for "Game of Thrones" deconstructs his theme music; FIFA invested $32 million in a film that virtually no one will see.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon used his film, "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" (pictured), to process his father’s death; a long-lost silent cartoon by Walt Disney finally gets a musical score; Rupert Murdoch takes the next step for his sons' future at 21st Century Fox.

As Pixar readies the release of "Inside Out," we visit the animation studio's Bay Area campus (pictured); former NBA star Baron Davis co-directed a documentary that takes him back to his basketball roots; the Ojai Music Festival presents the West Coast premiere of a work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams.

'The Wolfpack' is a documentary about six brothers, sheltered in a New York apartment, who look to movies as their refuge (pictured); FFS is a new supergroup that combines the bands Franz Ferdinand and Sparks; the Charles Manson case continues to reverberate in pop culture through a TV series, feature film and podcast.

Apple finally announced its streaming service, with a little help from Drake (pictured); the 21st annual Los Angeles Film Festival will once again include a showcase called LA Muse; the Tony Awards made some Broadway history with a first-time win for women composers.

Popular comics are tackling more serious issues these days, says Megan Garber in her essay, "How Comedians Became Public Intellectuals" (pictured: John Oliver); Joan Scheckel is a popular teacher for many directors, writers and actors, but what goes on inside her studio?; Australian singer Vance Joy talks about the ups and downs of life on tour.