Melvin Van Peebles, iconic ‘blaxploitation’ filmmaker, dead at 89

NBC's Seth Meyers knows who should host the next big MSNBC show: Steve Van Zandt. Meyers shared a clip of Van Zandt's recent MSNBC hit on "Late Night" Wednesday, saying that in "a time of asymmetric, partisan fighting," the "Sopranos" star and member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band would be a great addition to the national conversation.

Steve Van Zandt has lived something of a charmed life. He’s been a part of the two biggest things to come out of New Jersey (the E Street Band and The Sopranos, of course), had a successful solo career, and his own radio show.

“Unrequited Infatuations.” “I thought he’s not really paying as much attention to my advice as much as he used to. I felt like I should be part of the official management team, and he just disagreed with that ’cause I was his little brother in his eyes.

Michele Amabile Angermiller Is Steven Van Zandt content with having spent much of his career in what might have been perceived a sidekick role? The answer is yes, he told Bruce Springsteen during a chat between the two that was webcast Tuesday evening. And maybe that’s just the sort of thing you’d be expected to tell the boss… or the Boss.

Dita Von Teese thinks trying too hard is the "kiss of death in being sexy". The 49-year-old beauty is currently competing on 'Danse Avec Les Stars' - the French equivalent of 'Dancing With the Stars' - and despite having a childhood passion for ballet, Dita fears "overstretching" herself on the show.

Steven Van Zandt is reflecting on his public fallout with Bruce Springsteen and the impact it had on both of their careers. Having played guitar for Springsteen’s E Street Band since the early 1980s, Van Zandt, now 70, opened up in his memoir, "Unrequited Infatuations," about a fight he had with Springsteen, now 72, during the band’s recording of "Born in the USA." The incident ultimately led to Van Zandt walking away from the band right before its big break.

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.

Melvin Van Peebles was an actor and filmmaker best known for his influential 1971 film, “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.”Van Peebles wrote, directed, co-produced, and starred in “Sweetback,” as well as composing its score despite being unable to read music. The result was a classic of indie cinema, created on a shoestring budget.