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22 Sep, 9 tweets, 5 min read
Melvin Van Peebles, the influential filmmaker behind “Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song,” and father of director and actor Mario Van Peebles, has died at 89. bit.ly/2XDD69k
“Dad knew that Black images matter,” Mario Van Peebles said in a statement from the Criterion Collection. “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.” bit.ly/2XDD69k
“True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality,” the statement reads. “It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.” bit.ly/2XDD69k
“Sweet Sweetback” will be screened at the New York Film Festival this week for a 50th anniversary tribute. bit.ly/2XDD69k
“In an unparalleled career distinguished by relentless innovation, boundless curiosity and spiritual empathy, Melvin Van Peebles made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape,” the Criterion Collection said. bit.ly/2XDD69k
Van Peebles’ “Sweet Sweetback” was a groundbreaking film a few times over. The filmmaker financed and released the film independently, paving the way for an entire ecosystem of indie cinema. bit.ly/3EIEXKY
Because he couldn’t afford a traditional marketing campaign, he used the film’s soundtrack album to build awareness for the movie. bit.ly/3EIEXKY
Most crucially, he proved that films by Black filmmakers about Black life in America could be a profitable endeavor, presaging the explosion in Blaxploitation cinema of the 1970s. bit.ly/3EIEXKY
Barry Jenkins wrote, “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. The man just absolutely LIVED.” bit.ly/3EIEXKY

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More from @Variety

22 Sep
Owen Wilson, Kim Kardashian, Jason Sudeikis and Rami Malek have been tapped to host #SNL next season, as the show livestreams on Peacock for the first time. bit.ly/3CFH4x4
NBC intends to livestream the sketch comedy show on its Peacock streaming hub as the program launches its 47th season, marking the latest attempt to put the show in front of a broader audience. bit.ly/3CFH4x4
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22 Sep
Exactly one week ahead of the pop star’s next conservatorship hearing, Netflix has released a trailer for #BritneyVsSpears, its upcoming Britney Spears documentary.

The film is set to launch the day before the pop star heads to court. bit.ly/3CtAQAy
#BritneyVsSpears hits Netflix on Sept. 28. The next day marks the most significant court hearing in the singer’s legal battle, as she fights for her freedom out of the conservatorship she’s been under for more than a decade. bit.ly/3CtAQAy
In the trailer, a recording from the pop star’s June 23 testimony, in which she addressed the court for the first time publicly, can be heard: “I’ve worked my whole life... I don’t owe these people anything.” bit.ly/3CtAQAy
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22 Sep
Britney Spears’ lawyer told a judge that he expects her conservatorship will be terminated “completely and inevitably” this fall. bit.ly/2XJzd2I
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Rosengart is urging Judge Brenda Penny to replace him on Sept. 29 with someone who could handle the job on a “temporary, short-term” basis. bit.ly/2XJzd2I
Read 12 tweets
21 Sep
Willie Garson, best known for his roles in "Sex and the City" and "White Collar," has died at age 57. bit.ly/3hWWHbP
In the “Sex and the City” series, Garson portrayed talent agent Stanford, the witty best male friend of Carrie Bradshaw. Garson reprised the role in the franchise’s films, and had recently been filming HBO’s upcoming revival series, “And Just Like That.” bit.ly/3hWWHbP
Garson co-starred as cunning con man Mozzie on “White Collar” from 2009 to 2014. He was also known for playing doorman Ralph in the 2005 rom-com “Little Manhattan,” Gerald Hirsch in the “Hawaii Five-0" reboot and Henry Coffield on “NYPD Blue." bit.ly/3hWWHbP
Read 7 tweets
21 Sep
Kathryn Hahn will play Joan Rivers in “The Comeback Girl,” a limited series in development at Showtime. bit.ly/2W3fs5E
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“The Comeback Girl” is primarily set in the aftermath of the cancellation of “The Late Show,” which coincided with Rivers’ husband (and “Late Show” producer) Edgar Rosenberg’s death by suicide. bit.ly/2W3fs5E
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21 Sep
A “Pitch Perfect” series has been ordered at Peacock with @ADAMDEVINE onboard to reprise his role from the film franchise. bit.ly/3hTnvcM
The series is set several years after the events of the films. Devine returns as Bumper Allen, who moves to Germany to revive his music career when one of his songs becomes big in Berlin. bit.ly/3hTnvcM
Bumper was the main antagonist of the first film and the leader of The Treblemakers. He returned in the second film as the love interest of Rebel Wilson’s Fat Amy. He worked as a backup singer for John Mayer before returning to Barden as a security guard. bit.ly/3hTnvcM
Read 6 tweets

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