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.

The glitzy film festival has no insurance coverage to cover a cancellation; "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" is a timely film about access to abortion; The Moth en español.

Co-writers Damon Lindelof and Nick Cuse talk about overcoming inaccurate press reports to finally have their film released; "Onward" director Dan Scanlon on how his film began with the loss of his own father.

Hillary Clinton on why she agreed to go deep with for a new doc; H.G. Wells reimagined as a metaphor for abuse; actor Steve Coogan uses comedy to highlight extreme gaps in wealth around the world.

Haley Bennett talks about playing a woman with a dangerous psychological disorder; more musical fallout from the coronavirus; keeping L.A.'s Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra alive.

The avant-garde opera director's new work is about colonialism and displacement; where is Pete Buttigieg's and Elizabeth Warren's Hollywood support going now that they've exited the nomination race?; theater artist Geoff Sobelle explores the notion of "Home" onstage.

The British actor talks about how his latest comedy is a comment on income inequality; will the massive SxSW conference be canceled?; an emotional connection to the band KISS.

The four-part Hulu series includes the former First Lady and Secretary of State talking about the Democratic primaries and the presidential election; the coronavirus could be a disaster for the movie industry, but a boon for streaming services.

Director and screenwriter Leigh Whannel talks about his update of the H.G. Wells story; comedians who are feeling the Bern; the singer Vagabon breaks down her song, "Water Me Down."

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" teams makes an Apple TV+ show; Comedian Maria Bamford masters the impersonation; Alex Newell brings his unique voice to "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist"; After Weinstein's conviction, what's left to do?

Tamar-kali is a film composer with unique musical roots; Linas Phillips is a rideshare driver/spiritual coach in "The Ride"; what comes next for Hollywood after the Weinstein verdict?

Alex Newell plays a nonbinary character and Mary Steenburgen is Zoey's mother on the new NBC show; Hollywood is bracing for fallout from the coronavirus.

Filmmaker Benh Zeitlin returns to directing for the first time since "Beasts of the Southern Wild" with "Wendy"; Dr. Shari Fink, executive producer of "Pandemic: How to Prevent an Outbreak"; Gabriel Roth, the man behind The Daptone Sound.