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 producer/director says Hollywood must eradicate the culture of enabling that keeps sexual predators in power; The Joshua Light Show was a staple of '60s concert lighting and its creator is reviving the magic.

Actress and screenwriter Greta Gerwig goes behind the camera for "Lady Bug"; producer/director Brett Ratner is the latest Hollywood figure to be accused of sexual harassment and misconduct; young L.A. dancers audition for Miami City Ballet's "The Nutcracker."

The singer Lizzo performs a brand of rap and pop with a strong empowerment vibe that’s taken on new resonance in the Trump era; SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris says calls to the union’s hotline to report harassment have increased since the Harvey Weinstein story broke.

After allegations that he made sexual overtures to a 14-year-old actor 30 years ago, there are questions about Spacey's current TV and film roles; the Molyneux sisters are the queens of punnery; Alynda Segarra examines her Puerto Rican roots in Hurray for the Riff Raff's latest album.

Well, not completely solo. Auerbach hooked up with a number of ace musicians in Nashville for an album that leaves the Keys' garage blues behind.

The actor is the author's nephew and that family connection helped get her cooperation for the Netflix film, "Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold."

The young Irish actor Barry Keoghan stumbled into the business, and now he's in a film with Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman; film and TV director Rachel Feldman says Hollywood's sexism problem is rooted in a lack of inclusion for women; New Orleans musical icon Fats Domino died at the age of 89.

At the age of 32, actor Jonathan Groff has already had quite the career. He was in the Broadway casts of “Spring Awakening” and “Hamilton." He had a recurring role in the TV series “Glee,” and he was one of the voices in Disney’s animated “Frozen.” Now, he’s back on TV in the Netflix series, “Mindhunter.”

"The Florida Project" follows a six-year-old girl, her mother, and the other families who live in a budget motel not far from Disney World. Sean Baker talks about his movie, which highlights the lives of the "hidden homeless" in America; filmmaker Todd Haynes and cinematographer Ed Lachman on their ambitious film, "Wonderstruck."

Dissident artist Ai Wei Wei made "Human Flow," a documentary about refugees around the world; Philip K. Dick wrote the story that inspired the original “Blade Runner,” but he didn't think the movie would amount to much; folk singer Barbara Dane has a lifetime of memories.

Spoken word artist Alex Alpharaoh was brought to the U.S. from Guatemala as an infant. His journey to becoming a DACA recipient in these uncertain times is told in his new solo stage show.

From the start of his career, Noah Baumbach has been fascinated with family dynamics. His new movie, “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected),” centers around a domineering patriarch played by Dustin Hoffman. Baumbach talks about exploring the relationships between adult children and their father, and the legacy of family myths.