: MediaTakeOut.com told you yesterday that director Tyler Perry summarily FIRED all of his African American writers when they tried to unionize. Well now Spike Lee is weighing in on the mess.
Here's what he wrote on a public message board:
Tyler,It's about to get real messy....Come on, man. Being a writer yourself you should know how important it is to be a union member and support union wages and benefits for those who you employ on your writing staff.
Look at the temperature of the country now with corporate greed and with the very few profiting off of the very many. Don't fall into that trap.
"Do the Right Thing."
-- Spike
Wow. This is getting deep. Yesterday I stated that I didnt think it was a race issue, but was just a "business decision" since the show is written poorly (let alone the corny, oogly characters). But now, to hear T. Perry fired folks JUST TO STOP A UNION is plain ol wrong!
What, this chump think he Ronald Reagan or something now? I really hope this mess is not true cause if so, I'll have MAJOR trouble supporting this kat in the future.
Spike Lee might be right on this!
This is an awkward situation and here's why:
I agree with his workers that they should be able to form a union and receive royalties based off of their work. After all, THEY WROTE IT. However, and this is where it gets sticky. If those some black writer were writing for Spielberg or Ron Howard they would have never tried to form a union. They would have considered it Hollywood standard and just been honored for the opportunity! When African Americans get in a position of authority (Tyler) most feel that they are going to go in there and play by the same rules as their white counterparts, however most of the time the black people aren't having it. Most black people feel that you're my sister or brother and should therefore not treat me as I would have been treated in white Hollywood. Long story short, again those same writers would have just taken it on the chin if Tyler was white, but even then that doesn't make it right!!
LOL @ TexasGlamourChic. I'm sorry, but 'House Of Payne' is wack. I saw the debut episode, and it was a wrap from that point....hated it!
Spike speaks a lot of sense. I seriously hope that Tyler didn't let the fame go to his head. When people let that happen, they loose themselves in the process and forget where they came from. And it's sad.....
The hottest lil forum: ebonycity.heavenforum.com
DEAR MR. PERRY, IF THIS ALL HAS ANY RING OF TRUTH TO IT YOU NEED TO REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM AND WHERE THINGS ARE GOING RIGHT NOW. WITH THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE PLAGUING AMERICA AT THIS TIME AND THE PROBLEMS THAT PLAGUE OUR AFRICAN AMERICAN PEOPLE YOU NEED TO SUPPORT THOSE THAT HAVE LESS THAN YOU. I SUPPORTED EVERY PLAY/MOVIE THAT YOU HAVE EVER PRODUCED HOWEVER BEHIND EVERY SUCCESSFUL BLACK MAN/BLACK WOMAN THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT CARRIED THEM TO THE PLACE OF SUCCESS. YOU MUST SUPPORT THEM BECAUSE WITHOUT THEM THERE IS NO YOU. IT IS SO SURPRISING TOME THAT KNOWING HOW YOU CAME UP IN THE BUSINESS AND WHERE YOU WERE PRIOR TO YOUR SUCCESS I FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD TERMINATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF YOUR STAFF BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAQT THEY WANT TO EXECUTE THEIR RIGHTS TO HAVE A UNION. IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO HAVEMEDICAL AND DENTAL BENEFITS FOR PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES, IT WILL TAKE NOTHING FROM YOU TO SUPPORT THEM THE WAY WE ALL HAVE SUPPORTED YOU. COMING FROM A UNION WORKER. DELEGATE.
If everyboy started boycotting this oreo, he would be out of work too. From now on Im against everything tyler fairy has to do with.. Give a Negro some power it will go str-8 to their head. He aint never been sh*t on any level. That aint a manly act. Thats real broad-ish. Somebody need to whoop his ass and bring his punk ass back to reality. BOYCOTT THIS MOTHERFU**ER!!!!!!!
Spike speaks what is right, because it is the right thing to do!
Tyler had to adhere to Hollywood, just as Hollywood had to adhere to the writers strike.
Our Church community embraced some of the Tyler Perry perspective of christian entertainment.
Interestingly enough God blessed him with these writers, to begin a work for the Kingdom Of God.
Are we now directing our own paths? Did God not breath life into his homelessness. Now this impromptu, God don't know whats right....
We must pray that Tyler will do the right thing. Otherwise, God will assist him in doing the right thing!
[link to external website removed]
A LOT OF YOU "COMMENT'ERS" ARE FORGETTING THAT "HOUSE OF PAYNE" IS WACK, STALE AND BORING. THE JOKES ARE NOT FUNNY, MOST OF THE ACTORS ARE BAD AND I CAN SEE WHY THE WRITERS WERE FIRED, THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THEM BEING BLACK. THEY DIDN'T STEP THEIR GAME UP, SO THEY HAD TO GO. GIVE TYLER PERRY A BREAK. AND WHY PUT THOSE WACK WRITERS IN HIS UNION AND STILL PAY THEM FOR THEIR BAD WORK. I'D FIRED THEM FIRST AND GET GOOD WRITERS TOO.
TP has gone Hollywood, that's all. That's how they do. 98% of all crew jobs on Hollywood sitcoms go to white people. Yes, even the Black shows. The highest ratio on a Black set, even is 90% white. There are less than ten Black writers employed on all sitcoms shooting in Hollywood. There might be token Black PA (lowest job on the totem pole) or grip, but that's it. One example, Everybody Hates Chris. Show created by Black people, about Black people - right, surely Black people get hired on that set, right? Same ratio 90% white crew. Props to John Singleton who insists on hiring some Black crew on his sets, but what happened to him? In the top 2 of Black filmakers, and can't even get his stuff green lit. (No Black people in charge at any Hwood studios, either people.)
And this is coming from a man who's married to a white woman yet everyone wanna label Tyler a sellout?! Spike Lee is talkin loud and saying nothing. Like most people here, he probably dunno the facts. There are always two sides to a story. He need to mind his own damn business. People on top always become a target!!!
Flag post If everyboy started boycotting this oreo, he would be out of work too. From now on Im against everything tyler fairy has to do with.. Give a Negro some power it will go str-8 to their head. He aint never been sh*t on any level. That aint a manly act. Thats real broad-ish. Somebody need to whoop his ass and bring his punk ass back to reality. BOYCOTT THIS MOTHERFU**ER!!!!!!!
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Yes everyone let's start boycotting TP. Let's bring another black person down. We are good at that.
SMH!!!
Ok, READING IS FUNDAMENTAL! Tyler allegedly fired the writer for try to ORGANIZE A UNION, not because he thought their skills as writers are lacking. I think it's bogus and demonstrates how greedy people get when the money starts rolling in. What's a few extra bucks to Tyler Perry? Wasn't he showing off his mansion on Oprah and in Essence magazine? Would it hurt him to pay his writers a little more? Sometimes I wish Spike would shut his mouth, but he's on point with this one.
SunflowerKisses- I respect your opinion, but I don't think Tyler would ever get to the level that Spike is at. Spike is a true artist. His films, for the most part, are genius. Tyler, on the other hand, is just regurgitating centuries of buffoonery. There isn't anything fresh about his movies or his sitcom. As far as I'm concerned, he can rot.
"House of Payne" is whack to me, too.
I think "tashag" has a point with this statement:
"This is an awkward situation and here's why:
I agree with his workers that they should be able to form a union and receive royalties based off of their work. After all, THEY WROTE IT. However, and this is where it gets sticky. If those some black writer were writing for Spielberg or Ron Howard they would have never tried to form a union. They would have considered it Hollywood standard and just been honored for the opportunity! When African Americans get in a position of authority (Tyler) most feel that they are going to go in there and play by the same rules as their white counterparts, however most of the time the black people aren't having it. Most black people feel that you're my sister or brother and should therefore not treat me as I would have been treated in white Hollywood. Long story short, again those same writers would have just taken it on the chin if Tyler was white, but even then that doesn't make it right!!"
First of all...
Generally, when Spike talks about somebody else, I'm like...LAWD, HAVE MERCY...
But the fact of the matter is this...even if the show is shoddily written...IT'S THE NUMBER ONE CABLE SITCOM IN HISTORY!!! So that bad product crap dosen't add up to two cents...
Folks with money have been union busting people for decades...and this is all about money...but here's the funny party...the white folks he hired (and he's already hired some)...you can bet that he's paying them more money than he paid the Black writers...
The best way to avoid unionization is to pay good money up front and give the writers a piece of the action regarding syndication...which, I'm sure is NOT what happened...
Not watching "House of Pain" (no misspelling) and not give Mr. Perry another dime of money in life will not be a difficult thing for me to do
Man
Tyler Perry got that deal from the White man. He has to deliver to fulfill his contract. He can't hold your black ass hand for the rest of your life. Now it is time to get off the Tyler "titty" and write your own stuff and "blow up".
50 cents had to do the same thing except they ended up "crying on the phone".
When the white man fires his white writers they don't talk about "look out for a white brother". They pack their [EXPLETIVE] and go.
Tyler Perry keep doing your thing.
OK, this is what I said, but for some reason it didn't post. You all are looking at this the wrong way. Writers always get paid union $$ on TV and movie projects - the Writer's Guild has jurisdiction. I'm a member, this is the damn truth. Perry was getting out of paying it on a loophole. It's got nothing to do with black or white, he is busting up a union. It doesn't matter if they're black or white or even if they're good or not. They are doing the job, they should be getting paid what other people who do the same job get paid. He is just greedy like Spike said.
By the way :
"If those some black writer were writing for Spielberg or Ron Howard they would have never tried to form a union. They would have considered it Hollywood standard and just been honored for the opportunity!"
Anybody working for Spielberg or Ron Howard wouldn't have to start a union, because they both are union signatories already.
I do not know all the facts around this incident and I live here in Atlanta, but if Tyler Perry fired these writers based on them wanting to unionize then that is just plain wrong! If it was because of poor writing and performance then that is a whole new issue.
Although "House of Payne" maybe weak it is still a highly rated show on cable and being real it's better than 80%-90% of the crap on television right now. Also to say these blacks would not have tried to unionize if it had been Roh Howard or Steven Spielberg is a mute point- if I black was writing for them they would have already been unionized because before working for them they would have worked on other projects before. You have to remember that these writers were with Tyler during the early days of the fame and money, so unionization would not be a priority as it would be now....
Last just as side note I think Tyler Perry is a good comedic actor! Anyone who can play a straight black men on film knowing that he is totally opposite of that in real life- is real comedy!!! I live here in Atlanta, we in the know, know better, way better!!!!
his movies will start to bomb badly and he wont be the golden boy at some point anymore. thats when the white people are going to cut his ass loose. theyre only interested in him now because so far all of his movies open at number one or at least in the top 3. Im not really sure how many people saw his last two movies. they werent critically praised either, so his star might be falling. he needs to go back to his theater roots and put on some more of those plays, now those were great. his movies are mediocre at best. Ive never been a fan of his movies. theyre too preachy and try too hard. it ends up being corny or cartoonish. His House of Payne show is terrible too. he was smart though, he struck while the iron was hot when he made all of these movie and tv deals.
Whats the industry standard? Every cent of Tyler's funds are important considering that he has the expenses associated with production if my understanding is correct. Surely Spike could understand this with diffulty he had with raising funds fo Malcolm X. I love Spike and hope the comparison he makes of tyler to white executives is an accurate observation and not jealousy. Blacks are always expected to be the pioneers of benevolence. If the industry standard is non-union we should not make or expect new standards for Tyler. We also should not make financial assumptions. The last I seen he is the only person placing a positive face to the black race on screen. I don't think there is enough recognition being paid to the man. I'm probably one of the most militant you could find and I just think yall need to cut Tyler some slack
Well the Entertainment industry has a lot of growing to do with respect to how they treat their African American Employees with regards to pay etc and Blacks in that medium really are some of the cheapest. Look at how much BET brings in and how much they pay their people Tyler Perry is just the tip of the iceberg. They do deserve better pay all the way around not just Tyler Perry.
whatever Spike.. I say NO- GO w/ your plan Tyler.... I think thats the problem w/ so many of these black producers- THEY GET STUCk. They get stuck typcasting- the same roles, same movies- maybe this is WHAT TYLEER DOES NOT WANT FOR HIMSELF> He wants to EXPAND..whats wrong w/ expanding He started alot of black writers off- and found his way- Now he wants to go in a different direction- THATS GOOD... WHo said hes greedy- maybe he wants to GROW..and perhaps GROW FURTHER THAN SPIKE... GET EM TYLER
Matthew 7:3-5 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Spike should clean our his own backyard and stay out of Tyler's.
I like Spike Lee - to me he has always been an upstanding guy. I like what he said to Mr. Perry. I hope Mr. Perry takes his words into consideration. It is a dog eat dog world out here today and we need to stick together in these bad times. Go see Spike’s movie, too. He deserves that from us. He has always tried to do the right thing (all jokes aside) by us in my eyes.
I think the whole "trying to unionize" reason was a tactic by Tyler Perry to soften the impact of the truth: those writers were responsible for more COMEDIC FLOPS and NOT FUNNY, STEREOTYPICAL,and OVERUSED material than a minstrel show. Tyler is doing them a favor by leaving them a little bit of their egos. He definitely needs new material on that show. Thanx Tyler!
