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 annual pop culture extravaganza in San Diego is nirvana for movie, TV and comic book fans; the documentary "Game Girls" follow a lesbian couple trying to escape life on L.A.'s Skid Row; what have been the best depictions of Russian spies in movies and TV shows?

The British musician and composer Anna Meredith dips into movies with her score for "Eighth Grade"; voiceover actors are threatening a strike against streaming services that would affect all TV animation production; Liz Phair marks the 25th anniversary of "Exit to Guyville."

John Gerrard’s installation at LACMA is a digital simulation that recreates a Nevada solar thermal power plant and the surrounding desert landscape; how the gender imbalance among film critics can affect female-led movies; the Dodgers organist does more than just play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.”

The two longtime friends use their boyhood home of Oakland as the setting for their tough-minded film about friendship in a changing city; "Skyscraper" writer/director Rawson Marshall Thurber on his summer blockbuster; "Black Panther" costumer Ruth Carter has tips for Comic-Con cos-players.

The chef and restaurant owner uses his experience as an immigrant to inform his PBS series, "No Passport Required"; former Obama speechwriter and current "Funny or Die" writer/producer David Litt weighs in on Sacha Baron Cohen's "Who Is America?"; the South L.A. band Inner Wave has been together for 10 years, and the members are still in their early 20s.

Gus Van Sant makes a movie about the quadriplegic cartoonist John Callahan's life in AA. And could Sacha Baron Cohen's new TV show land him in legal jeopardy? And the LA Phil brings kids to California for the 2nd annual Take A Stand Festival.

Musicians Bhi Bhiman, Gaby Moreno and Radney Foster – each in their own way – sing about the rights and suffering of immigrants. Also, we unpack the 2018 Emmy noms.

"Won't You Be My Neighbor" filmmaker Morgan Neville reveals why his documentary about Fred Rogers has become a hit movie this summer. And singer-songwriter Mary Gautier partners with veterans to make music and mend wounds.

At the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical is re-imagined with same-sex lead couples; Warner Bros. wants to build a gondola from its lot to the Hollywood sign; this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival featured Armenian-American musicians who are challenging traditional sounds.

On today's show: Comedian Bo Burnham has conflicted feelings about the Internet, so he addresses that angst through a young teen in his feature directing debut, "Eighth Grade"; Congress could soon pass long-overdue updates to music copyright laws that will benefit songwriters; the Filipino-American drama "Bitter Melon" screens at Outfest.

On today's show: Inside the restoration of The Beatles' animated classic from 1968; we revisit a 2013 interview with sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, who died on June 27; an initiative to increase the number of women of color in classical music.

On today's show: director Boots Riley and actress Tessa Thompson talk about one of the buzziest movies of the summer; former soccer player and current stuntman Bobby Holland Hanton talks about bad acting in the World Cup.