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.

Bruce Springsteen's long-time guitarist has his first solo album in 20 years —and it's just one of his many gigs; Democratic presidential hopefuls are starting to make the rounds in Hollywood.

The streaming service, now mostly owned by Disney, unveiled its new projects that include big stars and an expansion of the company's comic book properties; playwright Eleanor Burgess deals with 'The Niceties'; Jonny Pierce leads the way for the band The Drums.

The musical "Hadestown" led the way with 14 nods, but the big surprise was the omission of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Network" in the best new play category; Michelle and Robert King talk about their hit TV series, "The Good Fight."

The campaigns of the rookie Congresswoman and three other candidates are documented in a Netflix film; filmmaker John Singleton ("Boyz n the Hood") died today at the age of 51; with "Avengers: Endgame" breaking box office records, what's next for the Marvel movie universe?

Former CBS executive speaks out about the workplace culture at CBS which she says is toxic. Then, the Victoria Riskin, daughter of Hollywood legends, writes a memoir. And one Armenian-American musician strives to keep her culture's musical history alive.

Aaron Sorkin was approved by Harper Lee to adapt "To Kill A Mockingbird" to the stage but just months before it was due to premiere her estate sued. The issues got resolved and now the play is a timely Broadway blockbuster. And, "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett's future on the show is unknown but last night his character made TV history.

Actress Kate del Castillo is back with "La Reina del Sur." She opens up about her secret meeting with El Chapo, the backlash she suffered in her career and her return in a role of a lifetime; As Disney chief Bob Iger benefits from the largess of his company, critics look at what Disneyland workers are paid and question the mogul's compensation.

The humorist, best known for his work in The New Yorker, is on tour before live audiences; students at Chapman University have successfully petitioned for the removal of posters from "The Birth of a Nation" that had been on display at the film school; Angelina Spicer fights postpartum depression through comedy.

The documentary by Penny Lane explores the misconceptions behind the Satanic Temple; L.A. Times TV critic Lorraine Ali on depictions of Muslims; Zev Feldman of Resonance Records is known as the "Indiana Jones" of lost jazz recordings.

The women behind the weekly podcast scheduled a live taping for April 18, and then had to scramble when the date was chosen for the Mueller report's release; actress Michelle Williams on playing Gwen Verdon in "Fosse/Verdon."

The Tony Award-winning actor takes on the role of newsman Howard Beale in a stage adaptation of the 1976 movie; with the final season of 'Game of Thrones' underway, we visit with the show's weapons master.

When the actresses met a few years back, they bonded over their love of music, and it led to the formation of their eclectic act; the Writers Guild of America filed suit today against Hollywood's major talent agencies, claiming some of their practices violate state law.