The Frame

Rankine, whose poetry has examined everyday racism in America, and Wolfe, whose music addresses issues of the American worker, were both named MacArthur Foundation fellows; as the Fall TV season launches, we visit with producer Betsy Beers at Shondaland, one of the most successful companies in the industry.

Diavolo Dance Theatre is reinventing modern dance by combing architecture and wildly physical choreography; media critics have been piling on NBC for going soft on the GOP nominee, and now late night host Samantha Bee has joined the fray; Richard Nelson keeps his election-themed plays current by writing until the last minute.

The new documentary, “The Lovers and the Despot,” tells the true story of what happened in 1978 when Kim Jong-il ordered the kidnapping of a filmmaking couple from South Korea to jumpstart North Korea's movie industry; William Bell has revived the classic Stax sound; a new report shows that the music business is actually making money in the streaming age.

Playwright and performer Lucy Alibar draws on her Southern childhood for “Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up"; Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, who won a writing Emmy for "Master of None," talk about their approach to diversity; the Toronto International Film Festival kicked off a lot of Academy Award talk.

Kent McCord of the 1960-70s TV cop show, "Adam-12," which was produced in partnership with the LAPD. McCord says a show about cops who aren't "edgy" wouldn't sell in today's TV business; In advance of TV's big awards night, we discuss what goes into an Emmy campaign, and how valuable is a nomination or a win in this era of "too much TV"?

Cheo Hodari Coker, creator and showrunner of the Netflix series "Luke Cage," unpacks the idea of building a show around a superhero who also happens to be a "bullet-proof black man" in a hoodie; Can Pandora and Amazon be the next disruptors in the streaming music space? They hope so.

The documentary "Audrie & Daisy" examines the sexual assault and cyber-shaming of two teen girls; with its third album, the band Local Natives remains entrenched in Silver Lake's indie rock scene; a group of songwriters is challenging the Dept. of Justice's control over royalty rates.

How do unconscious biases affect hiring practices in Hollywood? To dig deeper into this issue, Cathy Schulman (Oscar-winning producer/Women In Film) and Judith Williams (Global Head of Diversity at Dropbox) put Frame host John Horn to the test as if he's a studio executive; In 2005 Jackie Lopez co-founded the hip hop troupe "Versa Style" to teach kids not only how to dance but the cultural history behind hip hop.

"Kicks" filmmakers discuss how being outsiders who didn't fit society's views of manhood fueled the making of their lyrical coming-of-age drama; A new documentary explores why Brad Bird's 1999 animated film "The Iron Giant" was a critical darling, but a box office bomb; Inside Nate Parker's "The Birth of a Nation" press conference at TIFF; Can you scream like Nicholas Cage?

Every August, cultural festivals take over the Scottish city of Edinburgh with thousands of performances taking place day and night. This year The Frame host John Horn immersed himself in shows and brings an audio postcard of his creative excursion; TV reporter Whitney Friedlander joins us to preview some new and returning television shows that are worthy of our time and DVR space this fall.

A vocal group from "Pitch Perfect 2" (pictured) takes us inside the world of competitive singing; a week after Chris Burden died, his final work launches at the L.A. County Museum of Art; the Minnesota Orchestra plays a role in normalizing relations between the U.S. and Cuba; critics are effusive about the debut album by Shamir.

You know who’s really sad to see “Mad Men” end? The local businesses that supplied all that vintage clothing and furniture; musician Robert Cray and filmmaker Antoine Fuqua pay tribute to blues legend B.B. King (pictured); director Andrew Niccol’s new film, “Good Kill,” examines the difficult life of an Air Force drone pilot.

"Mad Men" creator Matthew Weiner (far right) talks about the show's legacy; if Harry Shearer leaves "The Simpsons," what would Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman and Mr. Burns say?; Chad Hodge sheds some light on his confusing new series, "Wayward Pines"; CBS' fall plans include "Supergirl."

Marc Maron (pictured) does stand-up, hosts a popular podcast, and his TV show is beginning its second season; at the TV upfronts in New York, the never-ending search for Latino audiences goes on; an artist-turned-radio producer seeks to find out why he's compelled to draw while riding the subway.

"Mad Max: Fury Road" has the hottest trailer, the best reviews and one of the oldest working filmmakers. We go deep with director George Miller (pictured with Charlize Theron); Crash the red carpet with our sneak peek of the Cannes Film Festival; ABC doubles down on diversity for fall season.

Reggie Watts (pictured), the one-man band from "Comedy Bang Bang," has moved on to become a bonafide bandleader on CBS' "The Late Late Show"; L.A. Times art critic Christopher Knight discusses the work of the late Chris Burden, who created two popular installations at the L.A. County Museum of Art.

As the Los Angeles County Museum of Art marks its 50th anniversary, CEO Michael Govan discusses the museum's past, present and future; the museum's coming exhibitions include a showcase for the late L.A. assemblage artist, Noah Purifoy.

As the big TV networks prep to unveil their new Fall line-ups, one show looms large — "Empire"; a new film about Gloria Trevi, known as "The Mexican Madonna"; former MTV news correspondent Tabitha Soren has a new photo exhibit of her work documenting the careers of minor league baseball players (pictured).

CalArts marks the 25th anniversary of its Community Arts Partnership with an annual stage show at Plaza de la Raza; Chaz Budwick is the musical talent behind Toro y Moi; first-time filmmakers Jarrad Paul and Andrew Mogel were fortunate to get Jack Black for "The D Train" (pictured).

Disney is in a dispute with theater owners over box office revenue from "Avengers: Age of Ultron"; the defunct TV show "Revolution"gets new life as a digital comic book; Best Coast (pictured) continues its love affair with California on the band's new album.

A writer asks: How Much Is Music Worth?; an L.A. teen is a finalist in the August Wilson Monologue Competition on Broadway; composer Brian Tyler creates movie magic with his scores to films like "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (pictured) and "Furious 7"; and "Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin is a Deadhead.

New York magazine art critic Jerry Saltz says the new Whitney Museum is showing up the rest of the art scene; a new exhibit at Sotheby’s (pictured) pairs work by prominent African-American artists with a soundtrack curated by rapper Drake; Rebekah Maysles, daughter of the late documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles, worked with her father on one of his last films, “Iris.”