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Whoopi & 5-head were among those who made the list of the 25 smartest people in TV land:

Whoopi Goldberg, Tyra Banks, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry appear on Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Smartest People in TV, a list of small-screen titans who are driving today’s sharpest shows and deals. Continue »

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Tyler Perry and the case of copyright infringement continues:

Tyler Perry went to court to face allegations that he stole material from someone else for his blockbuster film “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” Donna West is suing the actor-screenwriter for copyright infringement in U.S. District Court and wants a jury to award her family all profits made from the film. “I can’t put my play on because the stories are basically the same and nobody wants to see that again,” she said.

West testified Tuesday that she developed a script titled “Fantasy of a Black Woman” based primarily on her own experiences. With her in the starring role, the play was performed in July 1991 at the Junior Black Academy of Arts and Letters at the Dallas Convention Center. “The play was opened to the public. Anyone could have attended,” West said. Perry’s movie, which earned some $50 million, came out in 2005. Jurors on Tuesday watched the film and listened to a reading of the script from West’s play.

In her opening remarks to the jury, Perry’s attorney, Veronica Lewis, said her client is an “immensely talented” individual “who has no need whatsoever” to use the materials of others. Lewis noted that Perry had experienced considerable success before and after the film, “so why would he need to copy Ms. West’s script?” Testimony was expected to resume Wednesday.

According to the judge, the case will be completed by next Tuesday. Perry may have to prepare to fork over some of them stacks. SMH.

Source

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There’s a new edition to the Madea series according Livesteez:

Actor/Director Tyler Perry is being sued over a film script, in which a jury was selected in Marshall’s federal court last week to hear a copyright infringement case against the mogul. Perry was present, under heavy security, for Tuesday’s jury selection process in Marshall, TX. His appearance was deliberately kept secret. Jurors have been instructed to return at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, to hear evidence before U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis.

The lawsuit was filed May 21, 2007, on behalf of Donna West, who is a Texas resident according to court documents. Ms. West’s attorneys claim Perry’s film, “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” was “copied largely from the plaintiff’s copyrighted script.” Ms. West is suing Perry individually as well as Tyler Perry Company Inc. and Lions Gate Entertainment Inc, reports The Marshall News Messenger.

Perry’s attorneys have filed answers to the lawsuit, denying all allegations of copyright infringement. The answers say “the materials claimed to have been copied from the plaintiff’s work are not protected by copyright law because they are ideas, facts, conventions or cliches of story-telling, script-writing or movie-making.”

Meanwhile, Perry’s attorneys say “defendants were not aware and had no reason to believe that their acts constituted an infringement of copyright” because the “defendants’ motion picture was created independently of the plaintiff’s allegedly copyrighted script.”

It looks like Tyler Perry is gonna have to convince a jury he didn’t steal anything from Ms. West and it might just take an @ss whipping or two from Madea to help get the job done. How are yerrr doin’?

Read the full Livesteez story.

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Here is lil Rudy arriving in Washington DC yesterday. Keshia Knight Pulliam will be starring in the new Tyler Perry movie ‘Madea Goes To Jail’ as a hooker later this year.

Them 2 liters sure are bouncing.

Pictures below.

Splash

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Tyler Perry threw a big bash to celebrate the opening of Tyler Perry Studios and stars like Oprah and Will Smith came out to show their support. When stars of that caliber start coming to your events, it is most likely a sign that you have “made it,” and we ain’t even mad at you Tyler.

The pics below are as close as we could get you to the all the fun.

There’s more for your viewing pleasure when you pop open the hood. Continue »

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Madea’s alter ego, Tyler Perry, just made Oprah cry by becoming the first African-American person in history to own a major TV and film studio.

History was made Saturday night, when Tyler Perry became the first African-American ever to launch his own major TV and film studio. [...]A New Orleans native with a troubled childhood, Perry, 39, credited all of his guests with inspiring his life. Of Winfrey, who attended the celebration with longtime beau Stedman Graham and best friend Gayle King, Perry said, “She owns her life. I am learning that. I never would have shown this to people a few years ago. I was embarrassed by the success.” At one point, Perry unveiled a special surprise for veteran trailblazers Poitier, Dee and Tyson: each now has a soundstage named after him and her. “Is this my wall?” joked Poitier – as Winfrey dissolved into tears.

Say what you want about Madea being a minstrel act, but Tyler Perry’s got them Hollyweird folk eating out of palm of his hands.

Many more pics up under that thang when you… Continue »

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Writers from Tyler Perry’s studio are out of a job:

Four writers involved with a Writers Guild of America organizing effort at writer-director-producer Tyler Perry’s cable TV show “House of Payne” have been fired. The production company says they were fired for cause, but the union said Thursday that they were dismissed because they were involved in the organizing effort. The WGA West plans to picket Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta when the facility opens the weekend of October 3. The guild claims that the problems began in April when the writers — Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson and Lamont Ferrell — were among seven scribes seeking to negotiate a first WGA contract with Perry’s production company, House of Payne. The company produces “House of Payne” and the upcoming TBS show “Meet the Browns.” No contract has been signed. Continue »

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Sanaa Lathan and Taraji P. Henson attended the screening for their new movie “The Family that Preys”.

We must ask, Who Looked More Bangin???

Proceed for more… Continue »

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Lovebirds, Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon kicked it at LA Reid’s Summer of Love Bash. No comment on these two, but Mary is looking quite fly these days.

Some more pics are just a click away… Continue »