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.

A vocal group from "Pitch Perfect 2" (pictured) takes us inside the world of competitive singing; a week after Chris Burden died, his final work launches at the L.A. County Museum of Art; the Minnesota Orchestra plays a role in normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba; critics are effusive about the debut album by Shamir.

You know who’s really sad to see “Mad Men” end? The local businesses that supplied all that vintage clothing and furniture; musician Robert Cray and filmmaker Antoine Fuqua pay tribute to blues legend B.B. King (pictured); director Andrew Niccol’s new film, “Good Kill,” examines the difficult life of an Air Force drone pilot.

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner (far right) talks about the show's legacy; if Harry Shearer leaves "The Simpsons," what would Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman and Mr. Burns say?; Chad Hodge sheds some light on his confusing new series, "Wayward Pines"; CBS' fall plans include "Supergirl."

Marc Maron (pictured) does stand-up, hosts a popular podcast, and his TV show is beginning its second season; at the TV upfronts in New York, the never-ending search for Latino audiences goes on; an artist-turned-radio producer seeks to find out why he's compelled to draw while riding the subway.

"Mad Max: Fury Road" has the hottest trailer, the best reviews and one of the oldest working filmmakers. We go deep with director George Miller (pictured with Charlize Theron); Crash the red carpet with our sneak peek of the Cannes Film Festival; ABC doubles down on diversity for fall season.

Reggie Watts (pictured), the one-man band from "Comedy Bang Bang," has moved on to become a bonafide bandleader on CBS' "The Late Late Show"; L.A. Times art critic Christopher Knight discusses the work of the late Chris Burden, who created two popular installations at the L.A. County Museum of Art.

As the Los Angeles County Museum of Art marks its 50th anniversary, CEO Michael Govan discusses the museum's past, present and future; the museum's coming exhibitions include a showcase for the late L.A. assemblage artist, Noah Purifoy.

As the big TV networks prep to unveil their new Fall line-ups, one show looms large — "Empire"; a new film about Gloria Trevi, known as "The Mexican Madonna"; former MTV news correspondent Tabitha Soren has a new photo exhibit of her work documenting the careers of minor league baseball players (pictured).

CalArts marks the 25th anniversary of its Community Arts Partnership with an annual stage show at Plaza de la Raza; Chaz Budwick is the musical talent behind Toro y Moi; first-time filmmakers Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel were fortunate to get Jack Black for "The D Train" (pictured).

Disney is in a dispute with theater owners over box office revenue from "Avengers: Age of Ultron"; the defunct TV show "Revolution"gets new life as a digital comic book; Best Coast (pictured) continues its love affair with California on the band's new album.

A writer asks: How Much Is Music Worth?; an L.A. teen is a finalist in the August Wilson Monologue Competition on Broadway; composer Brian Tyler creates movie magic with his scores to films like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (pictured) and "Furious 7"; and "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin is a Deadhead.

New York magazine art critic Jerry Saltz says the new Whitney Museum is showing up the rest of the art scene; a new exhibit at Sotheby’s (pictured) pairs work by prominent African-American artists with a soundtrack curated by rapper Drake; Rebekah Maysles, daughter of the late documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, worked with her father on one of his last films, “Iris.”