Melvin Van-Peebles Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

A star studded lineup is set for the Critics Choice Association’s 5th Annual Celebration Of Black Cinema and Television taking place in Los Angeles on Monday December 5, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Mario Van Peebles has been tapped to direct “That’ll Be the Day,” the story of how Buddy Holly and other musicians of the late 1950s helped give birth to rock ‘n’ roll and influence the wider societal and cultural landscape, including the civil rights movement. Music has been central to much of Van Peebles’ work, from his 1991 gangster movie “New Jack City” to his work on “Wu-Tang: An American Saga,” which he co-executive produced for Hulu.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film Critic In “Is That Black Enough for You?!?,” Elvis Mitchell’s highly pleasurable and eye-opening movie-love documentary about the American Black cinema revolution of the late ’60s and ’70s, Billy Dee Williams, now 85 but still spry, tells a funny story about what it was like to play Louis McKay, the dapper love object and would-be savior of Billie Holiday in “Lady Sings the Blues.” The year was 1972, and African-American audiences had rarely (if ever) been given the chance to gawk at a movie star of color who was not just this sexy but this showcased for his sexiness. Louis was like Clark Gable with a dash of Marvin Gaye; when he was on that promenade stairway, Williams says that he just about fell in love with himself. That’s how unprecedented the whole thing was. The actor recalls how the lighting was fussed over (we see a shot in which Louis appears bathed in an old-movie glow), and how unreal that was to him on the set. At the time, Black actors didn’t get lighting like that. But Black audiences drank it in with a better-late-than-never swoon, even as they knew that this was a representation they’d been denied for more than half a century.

Robert Daniels Less than a year ago, the legendary Melvin Van Peebles died. He left behind a legacy as a fiercely independent multi-hyphenate creator who altered the course of Black filmmaking and cinema at-large.During his influential life, Van Peebles tackled and excelled in every possible storytelling medium. He recorded seven studio albums and four soundtracks, wrote 13 books and one graphic novel, fashioned nine plays, directed eight feature films, four shorts and a music video.

Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898-1971 is not to be missed. Not only does the exhibition celebrate Black representation in film, it serves as an important reminder and lesson about the contributions of Black filmmakers and stars to the world of cinema.Opening Aug. 21, seven galleries make up the exhibit exploring Oscar Micheaux’s low-budget dramas in the silent-film era to the works of Melvin Van Peebles.The exhibition also introduces audiences to stars largely unknown to mainstream moviegoers — Ralph Cooper, Clarence Brooks and Francine Everett — alongside iconic screen legends Paul Robeson, Josephine Baker, Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne.

Academy Gold, a global talent development and inclusion initiative that provides creative individuals of diverse backgrounds with access and resources toward achieving their career pathways in filmmaking.  Programs under the Academy Gold umbrella also include Gold Fellowship for Women, the Student Academy Awards and the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.  All past participants and award recipients of these programs become a part of the Gold Alumni Program, which provides networking opportunities, access and career advancement services, and offers affinity groups for Black and African American, Latinx, Asian American and Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+ and women alumni to network with others who share similar identities, backgrounds and experiences.  The program also tracks participants’ career progression and successes through a database, offering a diverse talent pipeline for the industry.Academy Gold Rising is supported by grants from The James Irvine Foundation and the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.  Additional support is provided by The Walt Disney Company and the Ruderman Family Foundation.Other funding is provided by the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Critics Choice Association in honor of Melvin Van Peebles, and Leon Silverman.

Regeneration features rarely seen excerpts of films restored by the Academy Film Archive, as well as other narrative films and documentaries; newsreels and home movies; photographs; scripts; drawings; costumes; equipment; posters; and historical materials, such as entrance tickets, note cards, and telegrams; along with augmented reality experiences (AR) designed specifically for the exhibition.”The seven galleries will begin with clips from the 1898 “Something Good – Negro Kiss,” one of the earliest films showing on-screen affection from Black actors. It will then move to a study of “race films” from 1916 through the 1940s, and a look at segregated movie theaters; a gallery devoted to musicals, particularly ones with all-Black casts; a “Stars and Icons” gallery saluting Black performers from the 1920s through the 1950s; a section devoted to post World War II “freedom movements”; and one exploring post-1960s Black filmmakers Madeline Anderson, Robert L.

Pat Saperstein Deputy EditorThe Oscars In Memoriam segment gave viewers a chance to remember the memorable names in film who died over the past year. But every year, viewers are surprised to see that a few recognizable names were omitted.Beloved comedian Bob Saget, who had a small handful of film appearances in movies including Richard Pryor’s “Critical Condition,” drew the most outrage on social media.

Bright Road (1953), Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow (1959), and 1974’s comedy Uptown Saturday Night, which the actor and singer directed. That film, in particular, is notable for its cast, which includes Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, Calvin Lockhart, Roscoe Lee Browne, and Bill Cosby.Also on the bill, Robert Altman’s 1996 jazz-noir Kansas City, in which Belafonte plays a gangster named “Seldom Seen.” The film also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, and Steve Buscemi.The channel is also highlighting the innovative independent works of Melvin Van Peebles, a one-man creative force who often starred in, wrote, directed, and composed his films.Of the four entries, the most notable are Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song (1971), in which a Black man outruns white police authorities (the score, by Van Peebles, was performed by Earth, Wind & Fire) and Watermelon Man (1970), a renowned social comedy starring Godfrey Cambridge and Estelle Parsons, in which a white bigot wakes up to find his skin has turned Black.Also on tap: The Harder They Come (1972), featuring reggae artist Jimmy Cliff as a singer who faces down corruption in Jamaica’s music industry.

SAG-AFTRA’s unclaimed residuals fund has grown to roughly $76 million – up 60% from $48 million six years ago. According to the union, the fund now contains 124,000 separate accounts for members and others, living and dead, that it can’t locate. That’s up from 96,000 accounts in 2016.

It was another Year of Covid in 2021, and the sadness extended to many beloved and groundbreaking people in the show business and media worlds who died during the past 12 months.

Angelique Jackson Ava DuVernay and Will Smith are among the final slate of honorees for the Critics Choice Association’s fourth annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television.DuVernay will honored with the first-ever Melvin Van Peebles Trailblazer Award in celebration of her achievements as an award-winning writer, director producer and film distributor.“We are truly honored to name our prestigious Trailblazer Award after Melvin Van Peebles. Van Peebles inspired a generation of filmmakers.

Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching.

It is too easy to throw superlatives around when talking about filmmakers. Many directors with a decent enough filmography, who have been around long enough to be forgotten about can attain such a status.

Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticMelvin Van Peebles, who died Sept. 21 at 89, was not the inventor of Black cinema, but it’s no exaggeration to say that he smashed open the door to Black cinema as we know it.

UPDATE The 2022 Broadway revival of Melvin Van Peebles’ groundbreaking 1971 musical Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death will go on as planned, producers – including the late filmmaker’s son Mario Van Peebles – confirmed today.

As you probably already know, it was announced yesterday that the influential filmmaker, Melvin Van Peebles, passed away. And as with the passing of any sort of filmmaking royalty, folks from the industry went to social media to share kind words.

Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and comedy Watermelon Man, in which a white, racist man wakes up one morning to find that he’s a Black man.Hollywood admirers of the filmmaker have taken to social media to pay their respects.“He made the most of every second, of EVERY single damn frame and admittedly, while the last time I spent any time with him was MANY years ago, it was a night in which he absolutely danced his face off.

New York, according to a statement. The pioneering director, actor, composer, writer and novelist has been described as the ‘godfather of black cinema’.

director behind Watermelon Man and Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, has died. He was 89.

Filmmaker and author Melvin Van Peebles has died at the age of 89.The rebel director known for his groundbreaking "blaxploitation" films, passed on Sept. 21 surrounded by his family, the Criterion Collection announced.

pic.twitter.com/HpciXXVoYoHere’s the full text of our announcement on the passing of Melvin Van Peebles: pic.twitter.com/n0svUACrKPAs the statement noted, Van Peebles was the pioneering filmmaker behind '70s films like  and He's considered by many to be the godfather of modern Black cinema, and impacted a generation of filmmakers, including Spike Lee. Van Peebles, who was also a novelist, songwriter and musician, was born in Chicago in 1932.

Refresh for updates… Hollywood paid fast and heartfelt tribute to director Melvin Van Peebles today, with news of his death eliciting words of praise for the filmmaker from such industry figures as actor David Alan Grier and directors Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, and Spike Lee, along with notable musicians and music execs.

Criterion Collection announced.“Dad knew that Black images matter,” his son Mario Van Peebles said in a statement released by Criterion. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free.

Spike Lee credited Van Peebles as a “big supporter” of Lee’s own film career (and shared a signed poster of the older auteur’s breakout hit “Sweet Sweetback’s Badassssss Song”). “I Am So Saddened By The Loss Of My Brother Melvin Van Pebbles Who Brought Independent Black Cinema To The Forefront,” Lee wrote.

Refresh for updates… Hollywood paid fast and heartfelt tribute to director Melvin Van Peebles today, with news of his death eliciting words of praise for the filmmaker from such industry figures as actor David Alan Grier and directors Barry Jenkins and Ava DuVernay, along with notable musicians and music execs.

NEW YORK -- Melvin Van Peebles, the groundbreaking playwright, musician and movie director whose work ushered in the “Blaxploitation” wave of the 1970s and influenced filmmakers long after, has died. He was 89.His family said in a statement that Van Peebles, father of the actor-director Mario Van Peebles, died Tuesday evening at his home in Manhattan.“Dad knew that Black images matter.

announced the news of his passing on Wednesday. He died on Tuesday night at his home.