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.

Hear from a wide range of nominees including David Byrne (alternative album); Linda Perry (producer of the year); H.E.R. (album of the year, best new artist); Yuja Wang (classical solo performance); Janelle Monáe (album of the year); Mary Gauthier (folk album); Mark Ronson (song of the year); Boz Scaggs (contemporary blues album); and Max Baca of Los Texmaniacs (regional Mexican album)

Nadine Labaki directed Lebanon's entry to the Academy Awards, which tells the heartbreaking story of a 12-year-old boy who just wants a future; Spotify makes a big podcast play by purchasing Gimlet Media; singer/songwriter Bhi Bhiman's new album, "Peace of Mind," is released song-by-song as a podcast.

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger talks about his current docu-series and his coming feature film about the serial killer; how is Hollywood lining up behind Democratic presidential candidates?; Kurt Farquhar went from being homeless to becoming a prolific composer for TV shows.

Ganatra talks about the film she directed, which was written by Kaling and was a big hit at Sundance; the latest study from USC's Inclusion Initiative has some distressing news about women in the music industry; the search to replace a legendary drummer and professor at a prominent music program.

The actor immersed himself in the painter's life for "At Eternity's Gate"; what is, and isn't coming to your TV in the coming months; actor Bill Pullman on what it takes to play the president.

The rock/folk music veteran recounts his life and career in the documentary, "David Crosby: Remember My Name"; Domee Shi's "Bao" has an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Short.

Comedian Abby McEnany is at the festival debuting her TV pilot, in which she co-stars with Julia Sweeney; John Horn reports from Sundance on the festival's final weekend; Lynell George reviews the new project by musician Anthony Wilson that combines his songs and photography.

The director becomes the rare woman to helm an action thriller; GLAAD puts the spotlight on LGBTQ-inclusive film scripts; the documentary "Of Fathers and Sons" is nominated for an Academy Award.

The singer/songwriters put their talents together for the album, “Better Oblivion Community Center”; an artificial intelligence company has an algorithm that writes movie scripts; cinematographer and Academy Award nominee Matthew Libatique ("A Star Is Born").

Rachel Lears on her documentary about a quartet of progressive women who ran for Congress, "Knock Down the House"; L.A. Times reporter Jen Yamato recaps her time at Sundance; Richard Ladkani's documentary, "Sea of Shadows," is about the tragic and illegal harvesting of fish in Mexico's Sea of Cortez.

The actor re-teams with writer/director Dan Gilroy ("Nightcrawler") for a horror film set in L.A.'s contemporary art world; film critic Claudia Puig assesses the first few days of Sundance; Alexandre O. Philippe, writer/director of the documentary, “Memory: The Origins of Alien.”

John Horn and a couple of producers are at the Sundance Film Festival where they will provide a daily recap of which films are getting the most buzz; also today: the director of "Untouchable," a documentary about Harvey Weinstein that is premiering at the very festival where he once ruled the roost.