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.

With "Logan Lucky," Soderbergh returns to the big screen with a new strategy for indie filmmaking; Disney decides to go its own way with plans to launch two streaming services; a new virtual reality experience puts you into flatline mode.

Aubrey Plaza is changing things up with her role in the FX show, “Legion,” and in two movie parts this summer, including the mentally unbalanced title character in “Ingrid Goes West”; When actor Algee Smith auditioned for “Detroit,” director Kathryn Bigelow did not give him the script or tell him much about the film. Smith chats with John about Bigelow’s unusual process.

"Twilight" actor Robert Pattinson hopes to shake-off his heartthrob rep with the new movie "Good Time"; filmmaker Alejandro Iñárritu uses virtual reality to replicate a border crossing through the desert; "Whose Streets?" documents how the shooting death of Michael Brown inspired grassroots activism in Ferguson, Missouri.

The band Spoon formed in Austin, TX 25 years ago. Lead singer Britt Daniel talks about the band’s new album, “Hot Thoughts," and the many changes in the music industry; YouTube has created a new breed of reviewer: TV and movie superfans; We all gravitate toward different kinds of music, but there is one album we found with sounds that are literally out of this world.

The filmmakers of 'Brigsby Bear' discuss their off-beat comedy and their rise from youtube stars, to SNL, to feature film. The Television Critics Association summer press tour (aka TCA's) continues this week where the subject of who is included in the TV universe – on and off screen– was debated and discussed. And the fallout continues from the cyber attack on HBO which could be larger that the one that hit Sony in 2014.

In the new documentary "Step", filmmaker Amanda Lipitz shows the power of sisterhood, school and stepping in a Baltimore girls inner city school. She and the subjects of her movie tell The Frame what they hope people take away from their story. The French band Phoenix breaks down a song off their new album.

Filmmaker Bryan Fogel set out to make a documentary about performance enhancing drugs and cycling. But once a prominent Russian doping expert got involved, things got really weird; HBO is the latest Hollywood victim of a cyber crime.

The actor and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright is remembered by longtime collaborators, Ed Harris and Peter Coyote; USC researchers watched 900 movies and found women are often sidelined, sexualized or outright invisible; La Cuneta puts its small country on the musical map.

Filmmaker Joshua Weinstein used non-professional actors for his film set inside an insular Jewish community; TV journalists gather to get the lowdown on shows premiering in the coming months; a new opera digs into the life story of the Apple icon.

The former vice president is back with the timely “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power"; American Ballet Theater dancer Tiler Peck has curated a showcase called BalletNow; June Foray voiced Rocky the Flying Squirrel and the Russian spy Natasha on the Bullwinkle cartoons.

Mary-Louise Parker and Denis Arndt on the spare staging of "Heisenberg" at the Mark Taper Forum; inside a rehearsal with Nancy Keystone – a theater artist from L.A. whose new production will open the REDCAT's New Original Works Festival; Hollywood Reporter film writer Tatiana Siegel discusses the rocky relationship between Hollywood studios and outside financiers.

“Atomic Blonde" director David Leitch is a former stunt man and coordinator, but this is his first solo directing effort; Musician Flying Lotus called on British animator David Firth to help him make his debut film, "Kuso"; Film composer Michael Giacchino has written scores for every reboot and remake from his childhood, including “Star Trek,” “Star Wars” and “Mission Impossible."