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.

"Mystery Science Theater 3000" went off the air 17 years ago, but the cult TV show is having a reunion; Gary Ross has never been happier as a filmmaker than when doing research for the Civil War drama, “Free State of Jones.”; a federal judge dismissed another lawsuit filed against the Cinemark theater chain in relation to the 2012 mass shooting in Colorado.

Jennifer Lopez joins us from the set of her NBC show "Shades of Blue." She reflects on her life as an actress, singer, producer and mother and how she refuses to be "put in one box;" What does Brexit mean for the film, TV and music industries? We check in to see how the UK's exit from the European Union could impact the creative world.

New Zealand filmmaker Taiki Waititi went from HBO's "Flight of the Concords" to the next "Thor" but along the way he made the sweet indie comedy "Hunt for The Wilderpeople;" Musician Mike Hadreas aka Perfume Genius opens up about being bullied and embracing his queer identity; Big name musicians take on Youtube and the DMCA

A.D. Miles says "The Tonight Show" will take its audience wherever — on the air or online; the copyright infringement suit against Robert Plant and Jimmy Page over "Stairway to Heaven" goes to the jury; Stephen Lieberman is one of the leading production designers on the electronic music circuit.

Ayad Akhtar discusses his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, "Disgraced," and how he explores issues of Muslim identity in post-9/11 America; Reggae icon Burning Spear and his wife and manager Sonia Rodney prepare for his final appearance in California.

Chilean musician Alex Anwandter has branched out to filmmaking to extend his message of tolerance for the LGBT community; Long Beach Opera makes another foray into experimentation with a work stripped from the headlines; Ticketmaster customers who were part of a class action suit are learning how they will benefit.

As CEO of The Jim Henson Company, she's focused on new technologies and improving the gender, racial and ethnic diversity of the people behind the characters.

Comedian, podcaster and actor Chris Gethard has a talk show on the Fusion cable network after years on public access TV. He also hosts the podcast, "Beautiful Stories from Anonymous People." He sits down with The Frame for an in-depth conversation about failure, success, depression and comedy.

Shanghai Disney is the company's $5.5 billion entrance into mainland China with a resort that includes hotels and shopping areas in addition to the 123-acre park; "Tickled" is a documentary about the odd world of competitive endurance tickling.

Derek DelGaudio uses "magic, moments of wonder and mystery" in his hit stage show, “In & Of Itself"; the opera “Anatomy Theater" explores the nature of evil on a visceral level; a new initiative from the Berklee College of Music seeks to resolve compensation issues between musicians, streaming services and record labels.

Director Thomas Kail and production designer David Korins helped bring the Broadway hit “Hamilton” to life, but in 2016 they also collaborated on the production of “Grease: Live!” — the TV event for Fox; New York Magazine theater critic Jesse Green says diversity was the big winner at this year's Tony awards.

Musician Joe Henry produced what turned out to be the final album by the New Orleans legend, who died last Fall; will a crackdown by New York's attorney general help rein in the re-sale market for concert and stage tickets?; Muhammad Ali even sang about being "The Greatest."