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.

Simmonds stars in the new film, "Wonderstruck" and Harvard is featured in the Deaf West Theatre production of "Our Town"; Netflix will spend $8 billion on content in 2018; low budget horror films like "Happy Death Day" are a bright spot for movie studios.

Mexican jazz drummer Antonio Sánchez has made a career of composing for film ("Birdman") and TV ("Get Shorty"). His new album is called "Bad Hombre"; WSJ reporter Ben Fritz discusses the Weinstein Company's possible sale to Colony Capital; Film producer Emily Best on the power dynamics that foster a culture of abuse in Hollywood.

"Lore" creator Aaron Mahnke reveals how he adapted his horror legend podcast into a new Amazon TV show; country music artist Jason Aldean performed last night for the first time since the Las Vegas shooting. We hear from one person who was at the show; and New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis puts the Harvey Weinstein story of alleged sexual misdeeds into the context of Hollywood history which has kept men in positions of power, women marginalized and many silenced.

Why did Ronan Farrow, a reporter for NBC News, publish his story about Harvey Weinstein in The New Yorker?; over the past 25 years, Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, co-producing directors of A Noise Within, have built a respected, classical repertory company from the ground up; musician Rostam breaks down a song from his first solo album since leaving the band Vampire Weekend.

Agnes Varda and JR travel through their native France to photograph their fellow citizens in the documentary, "Faces Places"; IMAX is trying to lure audiences to its new virtual reality experience centers; experimental opera director Yuval Sharon is among this year's MacArthur Fellowship honorees.

Published reports of Harvey Weinstein's predatory behavior spotlight the non-disclosure agreements that prevent whistleblowers and victims from telling their stories; Brandon Micheal Hall is the lead in ABC's new comedy "The Mayor." He's happy to combine politics and rap in his first big acting gig.

Veteran actor Joe Morton talks about his stage portrayal of the late comedian and activist, Dick Gregory; producer Amy Ziering, whose documentary "The Hunting Ground" was distributed by The Weinstein Company, wants to make a film about sexual harassment in Hollywood; can The Weinstein Company survive without Harvey?

The published report of Harvey Weinstein's history of sexual harassment begs the questions: How did his behavior go unchecked for so long? And how are Democratic politicians trying to distance themselves from Weinstein?; Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" once helped exonerate a murder suspect. The story is told in the documentary, "Long Shot."

Filmmaker Brett Morgen's "Jane" uses never-seen footage that National Geographic had stored for decades; there are more than usual women among this year's nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; from Amish country to Hollywood, and classical piano to Dolly Parton: the evolution of singer-songwriter Our Lady J.

Lukas Nelson learned a lot from his dad, Willie, but he's making his own musical way; David Geffen has pledged $150 million for the planned new building at the L.A. County Museum of Art; movie studios are increasingly trying to limit what critics can divulge in a review.

Tom Petty recently finished a 40-year anniversary tour with his band. L.A. Times pop music critic Mikael Wood joins us for a remembrance of the music icon's career; in the wake of the mass shooting at a music festival in Las Vegas, NPR music critic Ann Powers talks about country music's complicated relationship with gun culture.

The Pasadena Playhouse marks its 100th anniversary with a collaboration on "Our Town" with Deaf West Theatre; some outdoor concert venues are using a pre-screening process for ticket buyers similar to what the TSA uses at airports.