The Frame

Ira Sachs' latest is a coming-of-age film with a gentrification angle set in Brooklyn; a dinner theater in Hollywood is combining Shakespeare with '80s pop music and a chef-driven menu; screenwriter Mark Boal is trying to avoid turning over all his taped interviews with Bowe Bergdahl.

Patricia Rozema, the writer-director of "Into the Forest," says it was hard to get a film with two female leads off the ground; Stephen Colbert could face a legal challenge over the use of his former "Colbert Report" persona; the Hollywood Bowl's production of "A Chorus Line" is directed by a member of the show's original cast.

Rock the Vote, the non-profit founded by music industry pros doing PSAs on MTV, is still rockin'. The organization has hired a former Bernie Sanders operative to do marketing and was present at both the GOP and Democratic conventions; Bonnie Raitt opens up about a life in music.

Filmmaker Paul Greengrass returns to make a new Jason Bourne movie, this time with cyber security on his mind; Now that Verizon is buying Yahoo!, what will become of the search engine's streaming TV shows?; A Sophocles play gets a modern update with veterans in the cast; Bill Clinton, binge watcher.

What happens when an aspiring filmmaker works as a nanny for wealthy L.A. mothers? Naturally, she comes up with a movie idea. Writer-director Sian Heder talks motherhood, movie-making and "Tallulah;" and a “Star Wars” movie set accident that could have killed Harrison Ford ends with a guilty plea.

The Congressman and civil rights icon was at Comic-Con to introduce the third part of his graphic novel memoir, "March"; there was plenty of news and previews at Comic-Con to keep the fanboys (and fangirls) happy.

The filmmaker leads a tour of the dwelling that houses his extensive collection of horror memorabilia and serves as his retreat; the Republican Convention had plenty of drama, but how much of it was scripted?

The annual pop culture extravaganza is underway in San Diego, with more than 100,000 fans expected to attend; CURRENT: LA chose 16 artists to make water-themed site-specific artwork around the city; "Lights Out" producer Lawrence Grey on why every big Hollywood director secretly wants to do a horror film.

Comedian Mike Birbiglia's new film is about improv, friendship and the struggles that go along with striving for your big break; "The Wolf of Wall Street" producer Red Granite Pictures is at the center of a federal complaint alleging that the film was financed with embezzled funds from Malaysia; We look into the history of pop song usage at political conventions.

R&B singer Irma Thomas never got the acclaim of Aretha Franklin or Etta James, but she is still the undisputed Soul Queen of New Orleans; actor LeVar Burton narrates the kids audio tour of The Broad museum because he's compelled to teach; after tragic shootings of police officers, the USA Network postpones its new series, "Shooter," to the fall.

Writer/director John Ridley (far right, with actor Timothy Hutton) talks about his edgy new TV series, “American Crime"; We crash a viewing party for the breakout TV hit, “Empire"; Musician and attorney Joe Escalante on the fallout from the “Blurred Lines” verdict.

A jury ruled that Robin Thicke (pictured) and Pharrell Williams violated the copyright to Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up"; an assistant director on the film "Midnight Rider" was found guilty of charges relating to the death of a camera assistant; producer David Shore revived a TV project created a dozen years ago by Vince Gilligan, before his "Breaking Bad" success.

"Midnight Rider" director Randall Miller was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to charges resulting from the death of a crew member on the set; Clint Eastwood talks about "American Sniper" (pictured) becoming the biggest-grossing film released in 2014; actress Gillian Jacobs has added director to her resumé with a documentary about computer pioneer Grace Hopper.

A fan laments that legendary radio DJ Art Laboe (pictured) can't be heard in L.A., at least for now; Robert Christgau, the Dean of American Rock Critics, has a memoir covering his 40-plus years on the music beat; Claire Keane is a third-generation artist who left a cushy job to write and illustrate children's books.

The trial for the lawsuit brought by Marvin Gaye's children against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams is nearing an end; how "Dead Man Walking" was transformed from a movie to an opera (pictured); comedian Wayne Federman rounds up his hilarious friends to host a film festival where they chose the lineup; comic book writer Scott Snyder put his anxieties into his version of "Batman."

Ed Piskor’s "Hip Hop Family Tree” (pictured) takes a look at the music's history in a comic book series; young comedians test their chops in roast battles; the Writer's Guild examines the lack of racial and gender diversity among TV writers.

Late night host Conan O'Brien tells us about his trip to Cuba and his thoughts on the late night TV shuffle; Vulture.com's Margaret Lyons recommends some TV shows that have an air of optimism; comic book writer Ed Brubaker goes from Captain America and Batman to a Hollywood noir graphic novel.

Will Smith's "Focus" (pictured) did middling business in its opening weekend, so where does this leave his career?; filmmaker Ed Burns on the highs and lows of his career since bursting on the scene with "The Brothers McMullen" in 1995; Valiant Entertainment has a simple goal: make comic books like they used to be made.

Leonard Nimoy (pictured) died today. We discuss his artistic journey as an actor, writer and photographer; the copyright trial pitting Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and T.I. against Marvin Gaye's children is underway; Will Forte is "The Last Man on Earth," a new Fox comedy.

Singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane (pictured) wrote "The Ambassador," a song cycle inspired by architectural landmarks around L.A.; Yann Demange's new film is set amidst the violent Northern Ireland conflict known as The Troubles; a new study concludes that watching even just one film can change minds about a topic as charged as politics.

A new report by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA says movies and TV shows with diverse casts (such as "Empire," pictured) make good financial sense; Song Exploder breaks down the theme song for "House of Cards"; a new stage production at CalTech takes "Alice Through the Wormhole."

How did Amy Poehler's sitcom (pictured) survive seven seasons of average ratings?; Sam Beam, aka Iron & Wine, returns to his musical roots with "Archive Series Volume Number One"; Wes Anderson's Oscar-winning film is the subject of a new book; the L.A. Philharmonic stages a multimedia production of "Alice in Wonderland."