Janet Jackson holds it together

Janet Jackson, music royalty and one of the youngest 42-year-olds in the world, is back on the big screen in Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married, Too," and it seems that she and both Jill Scott were going through absolute hell while filming, even though part of the set was done in Barbados.
We all know Janet's ordeal with her brother Michael Jackson's death (and the ongoing NippleGate saga), but few knew that Jill Scott was going through a torturous divorce around the same time.
It says something when two music stars, not necessarily known for their acting (at least in the case of Scott) can pull off some fine, theatrical acting under stress.
Jackson said Perry is a stern director but he was patient with her after her brother died.
Perry was "constantly calling me, making sure I was OK, making sure that there wasn't anything that I needed or my family needed," she said.
Perry said he expects to do more movies about marriage and relationships in the future.
Jackson and her family are about to relive the horror all over again as a nasty trial over her brother's death is sure to open newly mended wounds.


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Sheree Whitfield: Actress?

Atlanta "Housewives" star Sheree Whitfield has been biten by the acting bug, albiet on the Chitlin Circuit.
She'll star in the Gospel play "Heaven I Need A Hug," written by Dallas, Texas playwright Kendrick D. Young.
The play, which is based loosely on Young's life growing up in a household that included a mother who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is about a family coping with skeletons in the closet and demons real and imagined.
No word of if Sheree will play a demon (which she has shown talent for) but we think it'll be entertaining. The cast also includes Judy Peterson, from Tyler Perry's, "Madea Goes to Jail," music artist Dave Hollister, and a whole lotta church singin'. I just hope Sheree doesn't start singing. Somehow her with the Holy Ghost just doesn't sound right. And how good can a play based on an R. Kelly song really be, ya know? Don't worry, this too shall pass.

Celebrities come out for 'Precious' premiere

The movie that everyone's talking about, "Precious," based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire premiered to raucous praise and support recently by some of Hollywood's A-listers.
The film's director, , has a hilarious quote about how he inroduced himself at Cannes, by saying, "I’m a little homo, I’m a little Euro and I’m a little ghetto.”

To say that the film is a little ghetto though would be an accurate portrayal. Gabourey Sidibe, the film's protagonist, shines as a mountain of teenage insecurity and low self-esteem (the total opposite of the real Gabourey). Even Lenny Kravitz has a role in the Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry-produced film.



The film stars stars comedian and talk show host Monique (shown here with her husband) as an abusive single mother who is raising a baby having babies. Monique's appearance at the premiered deaded rumors that she had reportedly refused to promote the film without a steep payback.



People are saying that Mariah steals the show as a totally unrecognizable counselor. Mimi is quoted as saying that the hardest part of the role was going "without makeup"
for so long. (What?)

Stalker to Tyler Perry: 'Murder' is the Case

This scary message has filmmaker Tyler Perry knowing exactly what the diary of a mad - insane - black woman feels like:
“You need to check your heart condition because it is filled with murder… your love has been but costly and deadly… Murder I say is the verdict… Why do you insist on assisting the devil?”
According to reports, a woman by the name of Dawne Wilson was arrested for aggravated stalking of last week after talking str8t wreckless.
Maybe Perry should dress up in that studio makeup more often, so that he can slide out of his personal House of PaynePain.

Black Comics in Drag: A Trend?

Take a black male comedian, give him a show or movie ... and sooner or later the lipstick and wig comes out.
Is it coincidence or do black male comics all have the same schtick? What schtick? The schtick of mimicking women, complete with heels, stockings and in some cases, a girdle?
With the upcoming release of the full-feature length "Madea Goes to Jail" by the wunderkind Tyler Perry the debate will no doubt stir again. Perhaps more comics will see this as a way to enter the business.
Reminded I am when Spike Lee made a thinly veiled plea to Perry to take on an MLK biopic, I wonder what the fascination is with Hollywood seeing black men in drag.
Of course, there are PLENTY of This textothers (sidenote: Remember that movie, HavPlenty? WTF now?) who have donned the makeup, including A-listers such as Tom Hanks, who got his renown from a little sitcom where he performed in drag. Don't get me wrong, I get it. It's funny, at times. But does it seem that Hollywood has enabled black comics to put on that dress a little too eagerly? Perry's Madea blows them all away because her character is central to almost all of his other plays. But some say that the portrayals feed into the line of thinking that "If a black comic wants a blank check from Hollywood, he has to put on a dress." I don't know. What do you think?