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.

Alexandra Dean's documentary, “Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story,” reveals the actress' other life as an inventor; director Bryan Singer was fired and sued this week; Alynda Segarra of the band Hurray for the Riff Raff explores her Puerto Rican roots.

Morris' new documentary examines the mysterious 1953 death of a government biochemist who was given LSD by the CIA; John Adams and Peter Sellars collaborate on the opera "Girls of the Golden West"; SoCal wildfires are affecting TV and film production.

Brothers Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick think musicals are a little absurd, so they wrote the parody, “Something Rotten!”; six women have filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and they're seeking class action status; Cornerstone marks its 25th year in L.A. with the culmination of an eight-play cycle.

"SpongeBob SquarePants" is now a Broadway musical. Playwright Kyle Jarron reveals how the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon was adapted for the stage; Russia's banishment from the 2018 Olympics is connected to Bryan Fogel's documentary "Icarus" about trying to dope his way through bicycle races.

"Beauty and the Beast" lyricist died before the original film was complete. We put together this remembrance of his life and legacy; "Call Me By Your Name" screenwriter James Ivory talks about adapting the celebrated gay love story for the screen; a pot entrepreneur takes issue with Hollywood portrayals of the pot industry.

Actor Doug Jones has made a career of playing monsters in Guillermo del Toro films. His latest is half-man, half-fish; Women in Film holds gathering to discuss how to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

Franco directs and stars (with his brother, Dave) in a film about the making of "The Room" — considered one of the worst movies ever made; Amy Adrion directed a documentary that examines the long history of systemic discrimination against women filmmakers

The director's WWII film returns to theaters as awards season heats up in Hollywood; "The Today Show" co-host Matt Lauer was fired amid allegations of sexual misconduct; the group Women in Film is launching a help line to support victims of harassment.

Jay-Z led the pack with 8 nominations, including his first ever Album of the Year nod, in a year when rap and R&B dominate the major categories; Mary Harron talks about directing the TV adaptation of another Margaret Atwood book.

Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina co-wrote and co-directed the latest hit from Pixar Animation; Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com looks at the early contenders for the Academy Awards.

We revisit two of our favorite interviews of the year: Jordan Peele on his hit social thriller; and Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, creators of the Netflix series about women's wrestling in the 1980s.

Anthony McCarten was inspired by Winston Churchill's oratorical skills for his "Darkest Hour" screenplay; Pixar chief John Lasseter is the latest Hollywood figure accused of sexual harassment; two companies led by women are interested in buying all or some of The Weinstein Co.