Fire Damages Tyler Perry's Studio

There were no injuries or significant internal damage Tuesday night, after Atlanta-area firefighters put out a fire at the filmmaker's studio complex.

Would You Tune In To A Tyler Perry network?

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

By Chris Witherspoon

Tyler Perry has had undeniable success at the Hollywood box office, bringing in over $522 million in ticket sales from his films including For Colored Girls, Madea's Big Happy Family, and Diary of a Mad Black Woman. Apparently Lionsgate, the company behind his widely successful movies, is in talks of launching a 24/7 cable channel with Perry, tentatively called Tyler TV.

Jon Feltheimer, Lionsgate's CEO, has not given a formal comment, but reportedly told analysts this morning that "we strongly support" the idea of bringing Perry to "exciting new platforms." That could include a "not fully distributed [cable] channel that we could buy" or nesting Perry at "a channel we already have.... We have a lot of options if we choose to go down that path."

According to the New York Times Perry and Lionsgate are exploring three potential avenues for launching their cable venture. CONTINUE....

Blame Audiences, Not Black Men In Drag

Image via Wikipedia

By Morris O'Kelly

With the release of each new Tyler Perry Madea or Martin Lawrence Big Momma movie, the grumblings once again begin as to the supposed negative imagery of African-American men in drag. The arguments never change, from the “emasculation of Black men” to the alleged box office appeal of negative Black male stereotypes.

Yes, there’s some truth to those arguments, but those are only two variables in a very complex equation. In fact, it should be noted they are lesser in nature. History should never be the primary factor in determining future appeal of the genre.

It shouldn’t be…

Think law of diminishing returns. CONTINUE....

BLIGE, 50 CENT, PERRY, WYCLEF IN STEROID PROBE

Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent, Wyclef Jean, Timbaland and Tyler Perry have been named in a steroid trafficking investigation that has exposed just how far its use has traveled beyond the world of sports.


Citing confidential sources, the Albany Times Union claims the artists are among tens of thousands of people found to have either used or received prescribed shipments of steroids and injectable human growth hormone (HGH) in recent years.


Authorities, however, say there is not enough evidence to accuse any of the singers, rappers and other customers of breaking any laws. Instead, the probe is an effort to shut down the flow of drugs by doctors, pharmacists and anti-aging clinics that made the drugs accessible to their famous clients.


The Times Union says it gained access to records from several unnamed cooperating witnesses on Long Island, New York, that reportedly indicate that human growth hormone or steroids were shipped to Blige and the others — sometimes under fictitious names — at hotels, production studios, private residences, an upscale Manhattan fitness club and through the Long Island office of chiropractor Michael Diamond.

Diamond, who has not been identified as a target in the case or accused of breaking any laws, helps run an anti-aging program at Clay Gym in Manhattan.


The New York Daily News contacted Blige's camp for comment and was told by her rep that the allegations are false.

"Mary J. Blige has never taken any performance-enhancing illegal steroids," spokeswoman Karynne Tencer told the Daily News.

TYLER PERRY 'MARRIED' TO TOP OF BOX OFFICE

Who said Tyler Perry couldn't top the box office without Madea?

After a heavy marketing push from Lionsgate that included promotional appearances on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Regis & Kelly" and the late night talk shows – not to mention Perry's own e-mail plea for folks to see the film during opening weekend – "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" debuted as the No. 1 weekend film with $21.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The movie, starring Perry, Janet Jackson, Malik Yoba and Jill Scott, came in well ahead of George Clooney's critically-acclaimed legal drama "Michael Clayton," Cate Blanchett's period piece "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" and the Joaquin Phoenix/Mark Wahlberg crime saga "We Own the Night."

Though "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" had a luke warm opening earlier this year, "Why Did I Get Married?" joined his previous Madea-starring hits "Madea's Family Reunion" and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which also opened at No. 1.

Disney's "The Game Plan" starring The Rock fell from its box office perch last week to No. 2, as of Sunday afternoon. But its $11.5 million was neck-and-neck with "Michael Clayton's" $11.1" in ticket sales, according to early estimates. Exact rankings will be available later today.

Sunday's estimates are as follows:

1. "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?", $21.5 million.
2. "The Game Plan," $11.5 million.
3. "Michael Clayton," $11.01 million.
4. "We Own the Night," $11 million.
5. "The Heartbreak Kid," $7.4 million.
6. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," $6.2 million.
7. "The Kingdom," $4.6 million.
8. "Across the Universe," $4 million.
9. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $2.65 million.
10. "The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising," $2.15 million.

LET'S GET MARRIED

TYLER PERRY POPS THE QUESTION: 'WHY DID I GET MARRIED?'

Playwright-turned-screen adaptor/director Tyler Perry has another comedic drama for fans. His latest film, "Why Did I Get Married" opens in theaters nationwide today.

It's another big screen adaptation of one of Perry's stage plays that's about the trials of marriage, and what happens to one family when a sexy temptress (Denise Boutte) comes on the scene.

The film follows four married couples who meet in snowy Colorado for their annual reunion and begin to contemplate their choice to marry when one couple's infidelity is revealed. As described by film house Lions Gate:

"Over the course of the weekend, husbands and wives take a hard look at their lives and wrestle with issues of commitment, betrayal, and forgiveness as they seek a way forward."

"Why Did I" stars and ensemble cast made up of Perry, Janet Jackson, Michael Jai White, Jill Scott, Malik Yoba, Richard T. Jones, Tasha Smith, and newcomers Lamman Rucker, Sharon Leal and Boutte. Perry told reporters that he was very excited about the cast and what the contrast of major draws and new names brought to the film, which he considers his best movie so far.

"First of all, I love breaking new faces. As I was writing the movie, the cast just came together. I just write it and surrender it. Denise really pushed for the role and I’m so glad she got it. And Janet and I were talking a week or so before we started. Jill auditioned and was perfect ... it just all worked out," he said.

"I try to grow in every film. The way the story was told was really unique and using the camera the way that I did was very different for me. For me I really stretched it a little bit. And having an amazing cast like this, really made the movie come alive because everybody brought their own personality to it."

Tasha Smith, who previously teamed with Perry in "Daddy's Little Girls," agreed that the film's parade of stars was key in the film being a successful project.

"I think there was a lot of camaraderie amongst the cast. We all just hit it off and the friendship was built day one. We all genuinely love each other," she said, though her character spews venom.

"I was going through a divorce when I was filming this movie. So I think (you see) a little bit of my ex-husband and other ex-relationships I probably put in there to help me to deal with some of the frustrations that my character had."

The film's star Janet Jackson may have asked herself about her nuptials on more than one occasion. She admitted that she personally hasn't quite figured out the secret to marriage as a two-time divorcee, but was apparently quite compatible and well-matched for the film, Perry said.

"Janet was very adamant going in [that] she wanted [it to be] an ensemble piece. I thought, 'Why don't we change this?' and she said, 'No, it's all there. It's perfect for me.' She's very fair that way," he said. "I think the biggest hurdle was getting over Janet Jackson as you're watching the movie. But if you watch it for longer than 15 minutes, you realize that Janet is not Janet. She's Patricia. She is the character, so she totally surrendered to it."

Jackson admitted that surrendering to the character wasn't that difficult, as she found a lot of herself in the hard-nosed, overly perfect Patricia.

"There was really no time to prepare for the role," she said. As a matter of fact, Perry brought Jackson on board just days before beginning shooting. "A lot of my friends call me their therapist and they come to me looking for advice. I must be doing something right because they keep coming back, but I'm not very good at looking into my own world and looking at what's wrong and trying to fix those things."

Singer Jill Scott, who just released her latest album "The Real Thing: Words and Sounds, Vol. 3," also slipped easily into her character. The neo-soul star likened prepping to act to that of prepping to sing.

"I don't know that it's really different," she said. "When I write a song, I tap into the emotions and the feeling and I use the emotion to write the words. It's the opposite when I act; I tap into the words to find the emotion. But [Tyler] gave us great words; he gave us great lines to say. The thing I had to do, all of us had to do, was tap into the places where you're wounded and you reveal them and that's it."

Most of the cast praised Perry on his words and his commitment to addressing serious issues in the African American community. He's known to take on tough and, at times, uncomfortable subject matter, and in "Why Did I," Perry touches on the epidemic of sexually transmitted disease among women of color.

"One thing I love about Tyler Perry and his writing is that he addresses things that a lot of times in our community, we're afraid to address," Smith said. "He keeps it real; he keeps it honest and that's why it made it really easy for us, as actors to say those words. Those are words that we've experienced or are thinking and we don't always say it, so we got an opportunity to do that."

"I think a lot of people shy away from the pressure and the responsibilities of being role models," Rucker added, "but I think that it's very important that you have a cast - not only as actors and human beings, but characters - that are intelligent, highly trained, mature, and loving people, so we are setting and example to some degree. So if that's the type of people and the type of characters we are, I found it impressive that we were modeling at least certain types of behavior that people would listen to and will emulate. He does a great job."

"We continue to see the same reflection again and again," Scott compared. "Everybody's in some kind of drug war or where everybody is some kind of negative something. But to see people that are established and are married and are working at it ... that's a reality for a lot of us."

Perry, accepting the accolades, told reporters that he finds it important to show all aspects of the African American community.

"There are so many expressions of who we are as African American people and I want to cover it all," he said. "I don't think you can lock us into one little box and say, 'This is who we are.' These particular people happen to have all gone to college, so this story will represent that side of who we are as a people. I'll be going in a lot of different directions, but what you won't see is a lot of negativity. I won't do that."

For more on the film, check out www.whydidigetmarriedthemovie.com.

TYLER PERRY VS. FORMER SEGREGATIONIST

Tyler Perry's dream home has been a nightmare for the past two years thanks to an 89-year-old Atlanta lawyer and businessman who claims he still owns the property.


Moreton Rolleston Jr., a former segregationist whose family home of 40 years was demolished by Perry to make room for his own mansion, has not only been a thorn in the entertainment mogul's side, but has been a nuisance to local courts for more than 20 years, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Rolleston keeps filing lawsuits in efforts to regain the Buckhead property despite a series of rulings that have seen him jailed, fined and threatened with disbarment, the paper reports. Earlier this month, Rolleston showed up at the property with police cars in tow seeking to kick out Perry's construction crews, contending he still is the rightful owner.

"At this point," Perry told the newspaper, "I just don't know what to do to get rid of this guy."

Rolleston purchased the property more than 40 years ago, and in 1962 built his family home — a five-bedroom granite masterpiece with a large pool and pool house. Through the years, he managed to lose ownership of the land, and it was purchased in Oct. 2005 by Perry for $9 million, reports AJC. Perry tore down Rolleston's home and began construction on his own 30,000 square-foot French Provincial mansion – which should be ready by Thanksgiving.


Rolleston has been filing lawsuits to resume ownership of the land since 1985. He has fought the case through courts in Cobb, Fulton and Glynn counties as well as federal court. When he's lost, he's appealed, the paper reported. He has even sued lawyers, sheriffs and a judge. He's filed for bankruptcy, only to have that rejected by the courts

Rolleston was the owner of the Heart of Atlanta hotel, which opened in 1956 as one of the top places to stay between New York and Miami – but only if you were Caucasian. He refused to accommodate black patrons, and even attempted to apply his segregationist ways to the Atlanta school system – suggesting the district could avoid desegregation by selling school buildings to private businesses, thereby circumventing federal dictates. His various attempts to maintain segregation were ultimately defeated.