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.

On today's show: jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard's interest in social issues comes through in his choice of projects, such as his score for “BlacKkKlansman,” the forthcoming film by Spike Lee; documentary films are having a renaissance, evidenced by the success of "RBG" and "Won't You Be My Neighbor."

On today's show: filmmaker Debra Granik says if studios are the equivalent of big agriculture, she is the organic farmer; off the court, LeBron James has a big Hollywood presence; singer-songwriter Sam Buck contrasts '90s pop country with personal anecdotes of queer identity.

On today's show: Sarah Silverman is ramping up for the second season of her Hulu series, in which she travels the country to examine the causes of America’s polarization through a comedic lens.

On today's show: "Woman Walks Ahead" tells the story of Catherine Weldon, a real-life activist and artist who traveled from Brooklyn to the Standing Rock Reservation in the 1880s to paint a portrait of Sitting Bull. Jessica Chastain plays Weldon and is also an activist herself — for equal pay and equal opportunities for women in Hollywood.

On today's show: filmmaker Tim Wardle tells the unreal story of three men who discovered siblings they never knew existed; the mixed messages of the Motion Picture Academy's latest membership push; two exhibitions bring street art inside Chinatown galleries.

On today's show: the lead singer of Imagine Dragons is a practicing Mormon, but he questions the church's stance on LGTBQ issues in the HBO documentary, "Believer."

On today's show: The actress produced and narrates the documentary, which is based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer. She wants you to think twice about being a meat-eater; filmmaker Eugene Jarecki goes in search of the America that produced Elvis Presley.

Steven Canals, co-creator of the FX series about the underground club culture, talks about re-creating those elaborate scenes; why is the Pasadena Museum of California Art shutting its doors?; Ben Lewin's film, "The Catcher Was a Spy," is about a major league baseball player who lived a double life during World War II.

Writer/director Shana Feste's father was a troubled but charismatic man who inspired her new film; in the Vice series, "Minority Reports," Lee Adams explores racial angles of fish-out-of-water stories; Rosie & the Riveters play folk music with a feminist bent.

On today's show: After going dark for five years, LALIFF has been revived by its co-founder, Edward James Olmos; Disney makes a counteroffer for properties being sold by Fox; The documentary, "Half the Picture," looks at the long history of systemic discrimination against women filmmakers.

On today's show: comedian Hannah Gadsby grew up in Tasmania, where being gay wasn't just dangerous, it was criminalized. Now, she’s sharing her story in a Netflix special; WeTransfer creates a platform for artists and other creatives to showcase their work; Anna Abondolo is a teen musician who's going places.

On today's show: Beyoncé and Jay thrilled their fans by dropping a surprise album over the weekend; playwright Stephen Karam turned a bad family Thanksgiving dinner into "The Humans"; real life paleontologist Jack Horner inspired the Sam Neill character in the "Jurassic" franchise.