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.

Artist Rafa Esparza uses traditional handmade adobe bricks in his installations and to bond with his father; Led Zeppelin goes to trial for "Stairway to Heaven" copyright case; meet MØ, a Danish pop singer with the most-played song on Spotify.

Director James Wan took a detour with "Furious 7," but he's back to the horror genre in "The Conjuring 2"; "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" begins previews in London; Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw is one of the featured composers at the Ojai Music Festival.

"The Fits" filmmaker Anna Rose Holmer makes a coming-of-age movie that has very little dialogue but a whole lot to say; the L.A.-based band The Allah-Las found early inspiration while working at Amoeba Records; the movie "Me Before You" has revived the debate over how Hollywood portrays people with physical disabilities.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma and his Silk Road Ensemble are the center of the new documentary, "The Music of Strangers." He reflects on what drives his passion and how music is a source of creative connection and cultural diplomacy; Dissecting where Clinton, Sanders and Drumpf stand in Hollywood on the eve of the California primary.

George C. Wolfe, an accomplished writer and theater director, talks about his Broadway musical, inspired by the 1921 show, “Shuffle Along"; The Broadway hit "Hamilton" won't be on the West Coast until 2017, but devoted fans here have figured out a way to bring it to life now.

Oscar-winning documentarian Charles Ferguson turns his camera to the climate crisis with "Time To Choose"; Stephanie Allain, Director of the L.A. Film Festival is on a mission to showcase filmmakers who Hollywood typically ignores; The rock duo The Kills are back with a new album, and they reveal why they don't have a drummer.

Comedian Quincy Jones was diagnosed with terminal cancer, but that didn't stop him from achieving his goal of filming a stand-up special. This week it airs on HBO; Fandango Fronterizo is an annual event that brings together musicians across the U.S.-Mexico border in celebration and in protest; L.A. theater company Chalk Rep mounts a play in a cluttered garage to bring an immersive experience to their audience.

Bryan Cranston is busier than ever with a number of films in various stages of production and distribution. He reflects on his life in acting — lessons learned and given; Slate culture writer Aisha Harris discusses the piece she co-wrote with Dan Kois, "The Black Film Canon: The 50 Greatest Movies by Black Directors."

"Honky" is a play by Greg Kallares that takes a humorous and provocative look at race, racism and marketing; Starting in September, Netflix will have exclusive rights to valuable Disney titles; South Africa is an increasingly popular locale for American films and TV shows.

Aziz Ansari wasn't happy with the parts he was being offered, so the comic actor created “Master of None” for Netflix; Ellis Ludwig-Leone of the band San Fermin brings together classical music and pop for his own brand of indie rock; Slate culture writer Aisha Harris previews this year's highly-anticipated slate of summer movies.

Kate Beckinsale opens up about Lady Susan, her role in "Love & Friendship," an 18th Century character who behaves very much like a 21st Century woman; DC Comics reboots its universe of familiar characters with "Rebirth"; the González siblings prepare to perform together for the first time in 20 years.

Director Susanne Bier on adapting John Le Carré's novel 'The Night Manager' for TV and lifting women filmmakers by example; meet musician Will Toledo, aka Car Seat Headrest, whose latest album is getting good reviews; Spotify is the leading streaming service with close to 100 million users, but the Swedish company isn't yet making a profit.