The Frame

The Oscar-winning rapper, actor and producer talks about the importance of artists using their passions to bring about social change; music streaming is no longer the future of the industry, it is the industry.

A new documentary web series, "The Secret Lives of Muslims," aims for true and often humorous portrayals of American Muslims; Shane Smith says Vice is just like other big media companies, just "weirder" and "younger."

Writer-director Damien Chazelle talks about directing Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in his musical love letter to L.A.; Beyoncé leads the pack with nine nominations as hip-hop, rap and R&B dominate the Grammy list; an annual holiday musical at the Falcon Theatre adapts pop music into Christmas carols.

After Nick Cave's son died in a tragic accident, he asked filmmaker Andrew Dominik to document the recording of his next album. The result: the haunting documentary, “One More Time With Feeling"; Emilie Friedlander of Vice Media says the fire-ravaged warehouse in Oakland that was home to artists is not a rarity; Sandra Bernhard on blending comedy, music and commentary in her new cabaret-style stage show.

Pharrell Williams is mainly known for his music career, but he's branched out into producing films and his latest is "Hidden Figures"; China’s increasing involvement in Hollywood is an issue both Democrats and Republicans actually agree on; The Secret City is a theater experience that's part cabaret, part joyful tent revival, and all about worshipping art;

Actress Emma Stone sings, tap dances and floats among the stars in the new movie musical, “La La Land"; film critics are making their best-of-the-year picks. But who are these critics and how do their biases play a role?; one movie poster artist has played a big role in pop culture — and many people consider his posters not ads, but art.

Actress Isabelle Huppert and writer/director Mia Hansen-Løve talk about their film, "Things To Come," about a middle-aged philosophy teacher who's forced to reconsider her life; we talk with filmmakers Jeff Orlowski ("Chasing Coral") and Marina Zenovich ("Water & Power") about their climate change docs screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

Alena Smith’s new play, “Icebergs,” tackles climate change, infertility, hate crimes, sexism and divorce — and it’s a comedy; actress Zooey Deschanel and singer/songwriter M. Ward, aka She & Him, have a new Christmas album; with critically-acclaimed films such as "Moonlight" and "Loving," the next Oscar nominations should be more diverse than in recent years.

Natalie Portman talks about playing Jacqueline Kennedy in "Jackie," which follows her in the days and weeks following the assassination of JFK; now that Fidel Castro is dead, how might things change for Cuba's artists?; Leo Matsuda's "Inner Workings" is a short animated Disney film that is screening with "Moana."

Actress Jenny Slate and her father talk about their book of stories inspired by their family life in Massachusetts; we break down the nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards; in the 1940s, a Silicon Valley start-up came up with an invention that revolutionized pop music.

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.