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.

On today's show: TV critics Lorraine Ali (Los Angeles Times) and Daniel Fienberg (Hollywood Reporter) talk with John Horn about the broader issues raised by the "Roseanne" debacle; With "The Americans" coming to an end, we learn trade secrets from the show's costumer and makeup artist.

On today's show: Ted Johnson of Variety talks about ABC's dramatic move after Barr's racist tweet about former Obama official Valerie Jarrett; actress Shailene Woodley talks about her role in the new film, "Adrift"; L.A. Times art critic on how MOCA should solve its leadership issues.

The Frame's John Horn and L.A. Times reporter Jen Yamato guide you through the summer movie lineup. We've got interviews with Ethan Hawke, Shailene Woodley and Tessa Thompson, "Incredibles 2" director Brad Bird, and the paleontologist who consulted on all the "Jurassic" movies. Plus, John visits with concession stand vendors who are marketing the next generation of movie snacks.

On today's show: actor Jussie Smollett is an executive producer of "America Divided." His episode looks at the inheritance of slavery; songwriter Mary Gauthier wrote an entire album with veterans; an attorney who represents sexual harassment victims talks about the significance of Harvey Weinstein's arrest.

On today's show: The acclaimed filmmaker responded to the pope's invitation to make a documentary about the Catholic Church under his leadership; with "Solo: A Star Wars Story" opening, are fans suffering from galactic fatigue?; screenwriter Zak Penn on what makes for a successful Summer blockbuster.

On today's show: L.A. Times pop music critic emeritus Robert Hilburn talks about his new Paul Simon biography and about the singer/songwriter's final tour; the Portland-based musicians who record as Wonderly on how they created the theme song for The Daily — the radio version of the New York Times’ hugely popular daily news podcast.

On today's show: Olivia Milch wrote and directed the Netflix film, "Dude," and she co-wrote the much anticipated "Ocean's 8"; GLAAD's annual report says movie studios have regressed when it comes to LGBTQ representation; music producer Sebastian Krys' path from lowly intern to studio wizard.

On today's episode, filmmaker Jennifer Fox adds a personal chapter to the #MeToo movement with her film, "The Tale" (starring Laura Dern); Kyle Buchanan of Vulture.com talks about the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival; and writer Robert Gordon explores Memphis blues and R&B.

The documentary, “Bombshell,” tells the amazing life story of movie star and wartime inventor Hedy Lamarr; YouTube will compete with Spotify and Apple Music through its new streaming platform; the schlocky horror comedy, "Killer Klowns from Outer Space," turns 30.

Broadcast networks finished pitching to advertisers today, with the news that "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" will end after next season; a look at the Billboard Top 40 charts reveals that rock just isn’t very popular these days; Canadian singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega's latest album was inspired by spaghetti Westerns, Ennio Morricone film scores and Quentin Tarantino movies.

Playwright David Henry Hwang and composer Jeanine Tesori — both Tony Award winners — created a play with music that imagines China becoming the pre-eminent world power after the 2016 presidential election; it’s that time of year in Hollywood: the season known mostly by the acronym FYC — For Your Consideration.

Ethan Hawke has three movies coming out this year: "First Reformed," "Juliet, Naked" and “Blaze." Hawke opens up about his choices to make indie films and how he's wrestled with the notion of being a celebrity; a new study from the Annenberg Public Policy Center looks at whether some movie violence should merit a new PG-15 rating.