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.

"Mockingjay" director Francis Lawrence admits he reads reviews; Pasadena Playhouse takes a risk with "Stop Kiss," a show about a lesbian love affair; Beyonce’s least known collaborator goes by the name of Boots; and how did Mike Tyson end up with a TV cartoon?

Five musicians were charged with adding music to Bob Dylan lyrics from the 1960s for a Showtime documentary (pictured); country singer Ty Herndon challenges Nashville conservatism; Lily Amirpour on her quirky “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night”; vocal lessons from a metal singer.

The producer of "The Graduate" talks about working with Nichols; why Sandra Oh went from “Grey’s Anatomy” to producing a crowd-funded animated film; was Atari’s “ET” one of the worst video games ever made?; and musician George Clinton spills all the funk in his new memoir.

NBC has decided to shelve its development deal with Bill Cosby for a new sitcom that was slated for next year; comedian Alonzo Bodden talks about Cosby's legacy; director Amir Bar-Lev on “Happy Valley," his new feature documentary about the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Disney has mounted "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" (pictured) at the La Jolla Playhouse as a Broadway tryout; The "Music & Memory" program provides iPods as therapy for victims of Alzheimer's disease; Like reading? Try 200 books in six months as an awards judge.

The director of "Banksy Does New York" (pictured) talks about how the elusive street artist took the Big Apple by storm; NBC had no comment today on the status of its planned Cosby show as rape allegations swirl around him; and Hollywood prepares to use virtual reality as the next tool for storytelling.

E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman spent years trying to get the screenplay for “Foxcatcher” (pictured) just right; Gael Garcia Bernal plays an Iranian journalist in “Rosewater”; a section of the Berlin Wall has become a work of art in L.A..

Cindy Lauper on why she was fearless about writing her first Broadway show; What would happen if Hasbro buys DreamWorks Animation?; Pete Nowalk talks about creating "How to Get Away with Murder"; Jill Soloway on the first time she saw a set being built for a script she wrote.

"The Daily Show" host (far right) talks about his film directing debut, "Rosewater"; how is the LGBT community faring in depictions on television?; Jake Gyllenhaal tells us about the first time he realized he wanted to act; and singer Perla Batalla recalls her family-run record store that is gone, but not forgotten.

Hilary Swank talks about her unglamorous role in “The Homesman" (pictured); Mexico's most acclaimed filmmakers criticize the handling of a student massacre in their homeland; the grandson of General George S. Patton on how filmmaking can help veterans deal with PTSD; and Amazon unveils its next slate of TV shows.

The director on why "Interstellar" is his "most aggressive" attempt at a family blockbuster; how a high school teacher works the arts into the classroom; the butler from “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” becomes King Lear; Jon Stewart tells us about the first time he bombed as a stand-up comic.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art gets a collection (including a Monet, pictured) valued at $500 million; Herbie Hancock talks about the Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition in L.A.; James Marsh's 'Theory' tells the Stephen Hawking story; and the AARP puts on its second film festival in L.A. (Did you know the "R" no longer stands for "retired"?)