The Frame

In the 1973 movie "Westworld," Michael Crichton created a fantasy world that now doesn't seem so far-fetched in the new HBO series; Desert Days may be jokingly called "Oldchella," but the promoters are laughing all the way to the bank; Get Lit was founded with the goal of using poetry to increase teen literacy ... and it’s working.

“Delusion: His Crimson Queen” is a haunt for people who will pay for the privilege of being scared, while "Hollywood Premiere Party: The Show" lets movie fans have the red carpet treatment; as rumors swirl about Netflix being sold, the streaming service continues to throw its weight around.

Between "Portlandia," "Documentary Now" and "Seth Meyers: Late Night," Fred Armisen may be the hardest working man in show business; since its release in May, Ezra Edelman's "O.J.: Made in America" continues to resonate as a chronicle of the relationship between African-Americans and law enforcement.

Google announced a slew of new products today, including the Pixel phone, Chromecast Ultra and the Daydream VR headset; Willie Bobo was a Latin music legend from the '60s-'80s. His son, Eric, has assembled an album of his father's previously unreleased music; for 40 years, filmmaker Terrence Malick has been working on a documentary about the origins of the universe. We talk to the producers who shepherded the project into existence.

We debate the issues surrounding the film, "The Birth of a Nation," and its writer-director-star, Nate Parker; remembering two L.A. cultural icons: Gordon Davidson of the Center Theatre Group and conductor Sir Neville Marriner, the first music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

The creators of “For the Record” build cabaret-like stage shows around classic pop songs used by top filmmakers; "Saturday Night Live" returns in the heat of the presidential campaign; L.A. singer-songwriter Devendra Banhart uses the city as inspiration on his latest album.

Bell says the title of his new comedy album refers to his being called on as a news show commentator only after more prominent people are unavailable; Kirsten Johnson is an award-winning documentary cinematographer who has woven footage from her 25-year career into a documentary memoir called “Cameraperson."

Filmmaker Andrea Arnold cast “American Honey” with amateur actors, including Sasha Lane, who was discovered on a beach in Florida; the Wanda Group's purchase of American movie theaters and production companies has some members of Congress worried; there's an effort to make vinyl copies of a recording of life on earth that was sent into outer space.

The success of "Between Two Ferns" with Hillary Clinton explains why Funny or Die opened a bureau in the nation's capitol; a new state bill aims to prevent websites like IMDb from publishing the age of actors and actresses; Grammy nominee Austin Wintory composed the music for the new video game, "Abzu."

Director Mira Nair's new movie, "Queen of Katwe," tells an inspirational story that's set in Uganda, showing a side of Africa not often seen in big studio movies; TV producers are high on reboots and remakes, with no sign of slowing; photographer Phil Toledano's bizarre attempt to deal with his death anxiety is documented in the film, "The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano"

Writer-director David Lowery had a tiny budget for "A Ghost Story," but he managed to attract Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara to the cast; Errol Morris is known for his serious documentaries, but he switches gears with The B-Side," a profile of photographer Elsa Dorfman.

Jay-Z's new album, "4:44," may be a hit, but the business model behind his music streaming service Tidal is in question; Two leaders of Outfest — the Los Angeles LGBT film festival — discuss how far has event has come and the history of queer cinema in Hollywood; How the New York Times became an outlet for documentary filmmakers.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj is doing more with his stand-up act than just making people laugh. He’s representing a vision of America. With the release of the album "The Hamilton Instrumentals," super fans like the people behind Hamiltunes LA get their wish. And keyboardist Benmont Tench, plays his ode to LA in the backseat of a car.

Two music supervisors who work on TV shows like "Fargo" and "Breaking Bad" say they love what they do but they discourage others from going into the field. And 50 years later, a new book looks at the legacy of the Summer of Love.

This year, the Emmy Awards will finally recognize music supervision. In the first of a two-part interview, John Horn chats with Maggie Phillips (“Fargo”) and Thomas Golubic (“Breaking Bad”) about their work; Andrew Jay Cohen makes the leap from writing to directing with “The House,” a comedy starring Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler.

“The Big Sick” tells the true story of how comedian Kumail Nanjiani and writer Emily V. Gordon became a couple; The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences invited a record 744 actors, writers, directors and other movie industry workers; Ginnifer Goodwin and Allen Leech star in “Constellations," a play that combines a love story with physics.

Writer-director Jeff Baena turned a series of 14th-Century novellas set in a convent into a bawdy sex comedy; The Kronos Quartet is expanding the repertoire of contemporary music for string quartets; American movie studios benefit from taking on Chinese partners.

Paul Dano stars in “Okja,” the story of a seemingly benevolent conglomerate working to help feed the world through genetically modified animals. Dano speaks about the issues raised in the film, and about working with director Bong Joon-Ho; The Arroyo Seco Weekend attracted about 24,000 people for each day of the two-day music festival on the grounds of the Rose Bowl. Two L.A. Times music writers have different takes.

Broken Social Scene wants to make music memories. They talk about their love of festivals and bringing music "to the people." And Pasadena City Councilmember Steve Madison says why he wanted to bring music to his city with the Arroyo Seco Weekend. And where are all the film scoring jobs going these days? Two people in the industry tell us why California needs to include film scoring in its production incentive program.

Coal magnate sues John Oliver for defamation just days have the HBO host's scathing "Last Week Tonight" segment. The tumultuous love story of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera is now a bilingual opera called "Frida." And two of the lead actors in the play "The Pride" open up about the personal and political reasons they wanted to tell this story of gay men in love.

Kulap Vilaysack discusses her Seeso reality TV spoof “Bajillion Dollar Propertie$” and the documentary she's making about the search to find her biological father. Variety's Brent Lang reports on why and how the directors of the Han Solo spinoff movie were fired. And The Frame contributor Tim Grieving visits with the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet at Walt Disney Concert Hall to hear how they're reinventing what percussion is and could be.

'Time: The Kalief Browder story' recounts the tragic life and death of a teenager who was held a Rikers Island for years without being tried of a crime. The series' writer-director Jenner Furst puts his story into a larger context. Was Gal Gadot underpaid for starring in the smash hit “Wonder Woman?” The internet thinks so. Vulture's Kyle Buchanan helps us sort fact from fiction. Common Sense Media which rates movies and TV shows for language, violence, sex and drug use now assesses for gender stereotypes.