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 writer-director called on some of her own experiences for the semi-autobiographical film about a troubled standup comic; diversity in Hollywood is depicted as writers are asked to #ShowUsYourRoom; the soundtrack for 'The House with a Clock in its Walls' makes use of a vintage instrument.

A dying man is hired to deliver a message to a recent suicide victim in "The Untranslatable Secrets of Nikki Corona"; Latino Vietnam veterans share their experiences in the play, “Ring Of Red: A Barrio Story;” at age 38, violinist Hilary Hahn's already had a long career.

Alex Honnold's daring climb of Yosemite's famous rock formation is chronicled in a new National Geographic documentary; with Bill Cosby's sentencing hearing this week, and other disgraced entertainment figures re-entering the arena, culture critic Megan Garber examines the “familiarity fallacy” and “accountability theater.”

The Prince archive releases songs that the artist may not have wanted the public to hear; Director Tom Shadyac once made movies with Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy but his new film is no joke; Spotify's co-dependent relationship with the music biz gets tense.

"Monsters and Men," director Reinaldo Marcus Green's feature debut, examines the complicated fallout of a fatal police shooting of an unarmed black man; the LA Film Festival kicks off today.

The site-specific show at the Huntington's Chinese Garden weaves a story that merges Latino and Chinese elements; the U.S. Senate passes the long-awaited Music Modernization Act; the Los Angeles legacy of jazz musician Alice Coltrane.

HBO and the streaming services dominated the night as the broadcast networks face an increasingly daunting future.

Bekah Brunstetter's play is about a conservative Christian baker who is asked to make a cake for a lesbian wedding — and one of the women is an old friend; yes, the Emmys are tonight, but who might win next year's trophies?; looking back with punk pioneer Ana da Silva.

Hear what it takes to get an Emmy nomination from 13 people who have one (or more). Guests include: Brian Tyree Henry, Sarah Paulson, Bill Hader, Carrie Brownstein and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Plus, the creators of "Glow" and "Black-ish." This Emmy special is co-hosted by The Frame's John Horn and LA Times TV critic Lorraine Ali who discuss the social and political relevance of television in this 2017-18 season.

Jim Stern shot his documentary during the 2016 presidential campaign, seeking insights into the support for Donald Trump; the advent of smart phones has changed the world of fashion photography; why is it suddenly more difficult for foreign artists to obtain visas to the U.S.?

The iconic Los Angeles artist is now 80 years ago and remains a vital and influential force; CBS' programming under Les Moonves was male-centric, but that's about to change; how has the FBI been depicted in film and television?

The remake that stars Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga is getting early Oscar buzz; musician Bryce Dessner of The National is branching out through a new collaborative; how has the FBI been depicted in film and television?