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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 15, 2012)
Arts & Entertainment Tyler Perry: The ‘Good Deeds’ Interview T yler Perry’s inspira- tional journey from the hard streets of New Orleans to the heights of Hollywood’s A-list is the stuff of American legend. Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Tyler fought from a young age to find the strength, faith and perseverance that would later form the foundations of his much-acclaimed plays, films, books and TV shows. It was a simple piece of advice from Oprah Winfrey that set Tyler’s career in motion. Encouraged to keep a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences, he began writing a series of soul-searching letters to himself. The letters, full of pain and, in time, forgive- ness, became a healing catharsis. His writing inspired a musical, “I Know I’ve Been Changed,” and in 1992 Tyler gathered his life’s savings and set off for Atlanta in hopes of staging it for sold out crowds. He spent all the money but the people never came, and Tyler once again came face to face with the poverty that had plagued his youth. He spent months sleeping in seedy motels and his car but his faith - in God and, in turn, himself - only got stronger. He forged a pow- brated collaboration with the prominent Dallas pastor T.D. Jakes. In the year 2000, “I Can Do Bad All by Myself” marked the first appearance of the now-leg- endary Madea, a God- fearing, gun-toting, pot-smoking, loud- C ELEBRITY mouthed grandmother I NTERVIEW played by Perry him- self. Madea was such a by Kam resounding success, she Williams soon spawned a series of plays – “Madea’s Family Reunion” (2002), “Madea’s Class Reunion” (2003), “Madea Goes To Jail” (2005) - and set the stage for Tyler’s jump to the big screen. In early 2005, Tyler’s first feature film, “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” debuted at #1 nationwide. His ensuing films, “Madea’s Family Reunion,” “Daddy’s Little Girls,” “Why Did I Get Married,” “Meet The Browns,” at a local church-turned-the- “The Family That Preys,” atre. This time, the commu- “I Can Do Bad All by nity came out in droves, and Myself,” and “Why Did I soon the musical moved to Get Married, Too?” have all Atlanta’s prestigious Fox met with both critical Theatre. And Tyler Perry acclaim and commercial never looked success, delighting audi- ences across America and back. Thus began an incredible around the world. 2006 saw run of 13 plays in as many the publication of Tyler’s years, including “Woman first book, “Don’t Make A Thou Art Loosed!,” a cele- Black Woman Take Off Her erful relationship with the church, and kept writing. In 1998, his perseverance paid off and a promoter booked “I Know I’ve Been Changed” for a limited run He spent months sleeping in seedy motels and his car but his faith - in God and, in turn, himself - only got stronger Earrings: Madea’s Uninhib- ited Commentaries On Life And Love,” which shot to the top of the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list and remained there for 8 weeks. The following year, Tyler expanded his reach to tele- vision with the TBS series “House of Payne,” the high- est-rated first-run syndicat- ed cable show of all time. His next TV sitcom, “Meet the Browns,” was the sec- ond highest debut ever on cable - after “House of Payne.” Not one to rest on his lau- rels, in the fall of 2008, Perry opened his 200,000 square-foot Studio in Atlanta, situated on more than 30 acres of real estate. The Studio consists of 5 sound stages, a post produc- tion facility, a pond, a back lot, a 400-seat theater, a pri- vate screening room, and designated areas for enter- taining and hosting events. But listen to Tyler and you’ll hear a man who has- n’t forgotten where he came from or the folks who helped him reach the show- biz mountaintop. He has donated generously to char- ities that focus on helping the homeless, such as Feed- ing America, Covenant House, Hosea Feed the Hungry, Project Adventure, and Perry Place - a 20-home community that he built for survivors of Hurricane Kat- rina. In July 2009, Tyler spon- sored a trip to Walt Disney World for 65 children after learning that a suburban swim club had turned them away because of the color of their skin. Tyler Perry has also built 2 churches and has donated generously to the NAACP. In January 2010, he pledged $1,000,000 via The Tyler Perry Foundation to help rebuild the lives of those affected by the recent earth- quakes in Haiti. Obviously, Tyler practices what he preaches, and what he preaches has endeared him to millions of fans drawn by that unique blend of spiritual hope and down- home humor that continues to shape his inspiring life story and extraordinary body of work. Here, he talks about his new film, Good See CELEBRITY on page 7 Best of the NW Check Out PHOTO BY SUSAN FRIED The Skanner Turn-the- Pages Web- Paper The SE Community Youth Orchestra warmed up the audience Feb. 10 before the start of Northwest Tap Connection's Best of the Northwest a celebration of five years of performing at the Paul Robeson Performing Arts Center at Rainier Beach High School. The locally renowned dance school offers an opportunity for young people to become great dancers and members of their community. Page 6 The Seattle Skanner February 15, 2012 Go to www.theskanner.com home page and click the ‘Full Print Version Online’ button to view our full newspapers, just as they are printed, on-line. 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