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.

Kamau Bell's new CNN docu-series gets off to a wild start when he spends time with some Ku Klux Klan members on their turf; on a new episode of Song Exploder, punk legend Iggy Pop and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age dissect their collaboration.

Rachel Bloom, star and co-creator of the CW show, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” reveals how she took her love of musical theater and made it into a modern day commentary on sex and the single woman; Plus, electronic music rules at Coachella this year. We'll hear a wrap-up of the first weekend and a review of some wearable tech aimed at audiophiles.

Former "Daily Show" correspondent puts a twisted spin on the family sitcom with "The Detour"; at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, vendors tease movie theater ideas, including a robotic bar; L.A. theater veteran Diane Rodriguez takes her expertise to a national stage.

Eric Spitznagel's new book chronicles his quest for prized albums he disposed of over the years; Pacific Symphony tries to find new audiences in bars and restaurants; Amazon lays out its plans in the original feature film arena.

Screenwriter Susannah Grant revisits the 1991 hearings that pitted Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas against law professor Anita Hill; the spokesman for movie theater owners says theaters should remain the first venue for film releases; Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner teams up with Miles Kane on a side project.

Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan, the stars and creators of the Amazon series "Catastrophe" explain why they may push the boundaries of language but not of nudity. Musician Mayer Hawthorne muses on his upbringing and his Detroit roots. Host John Horn reports from CinemaCon in Las Vegas-- where theater owners and movie studio execs strategize ways to generate box office boffo.

Ben Falcone opens up about directing his wife, Melissa McCarthy, in "The Boss"; Karyn Kusama made her new movie with support from a group of investors who fund movies made by women; N.W.A. injects some West Coast rap style into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright once again ties history to the present day in "Father Comes Home From The Wars."

Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals have reunited for their first album in nine years. The singer talks about taking on police brutality in the title track, and he reveals how his family’s music shop in Claremont shaped his life, his passion for social justice and his music career.

Country music icon Merle Haggard died today on his 79th birthday. Filmmaker Gandulf Hennig talks about the Haggard documentary he made for PBS' “American Masters"; Jesse Eisenberg is a true multi-tasker. The actor plays Lex Luthor in “Batman v. Superman” and he’s also a playwright whose “The Revisionist” is currently at The Wallis in Beverly Hills.

Kulap Vilaysack is the creator of the Seeso original show "Bajillion Dollar Propertie$." Her husband, Scott Aukerman (host of IFC's "Comedy Bang! Bang!"), serves as executive producer on the series. The pair talk about collaborating on the show and their other projects.

The singer and guitarist's latest album, "Dig In Deep," is a collection of original songs plus covers of tunes by INXS and Los Lobos; Jessie Kahnweiler wasn’t sure anyone would want to watch “The Skinny” — her web series about her eating disorder. But then the Sundance Film Festival came calling.