As some of you may know, Tyler Perry is throwing an A-list Grand Opening Bash this weekend for his new movie studio which officially opens today (10/3).
Tyler Perry Studios is located behind Magic Johnson theaters in the Greenbrier Mall area.
The studio actually opened last year, but Perry decided to expand the facility without obtaining the proper permits from the city.
After a little back and forth with the city and some bad press in the local rag, the revamped studio will host the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Will and Jada Smith, and Tyler’s “fiancee” Taraji P. Henson, at a grand bash tomorrow night that I’m not invited to.
Normally I don’t care if I’m not invited to some foo foo industry party. But I was desperate to see my girl Jada Pinkett (I hear she’s family).
So I swallowed my pride and called the studio yesterday to get my name on the guest list. But the reaction from Tyler’s peeps was not what I expected. I was hung up on not once, but twice! How unprofessional!
Yes, I write some things about Tyler that he might not like. But bad press is to be expected when a star lives a down low lifestyle and lies about it. Is a blogger like myself supposed to just ignore the facts? Plus, am I lying about anything I write about him?
Anyway, the Writers Guild of America filed a complaint against Tyler Perry yesterday and plans to picket outside his party tomorrow night. At least the picketers will get to see Jada if I won’t.
Jeff Hermanson, an assistant executive director for the Writers Guild, filed the complaint because Perry fired four writers based out of Los Angeles. The WGA citing unfair labor practice in its charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board, claimed the four were fired unjustly and that Payne’s company bargained in bad faith.
But Perry’s attorney, Matt Johnson, said that the four were fired because of poor work performance.
This might be true because the ‘Payne’ series initially received terrible reviews from the viewing public due to the show’s wack jokes.
The Writers Guild had been negotiating with representatives of Mr. Perry’s studio since April, Mr. Hermanson said. He said that the writers – Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson and Lamont Ferrell – had sought a union contract because they felt they were underpaid and lacked benefits.
