According to ajc.com, Tyler Perry has issued a statement via Facebook and Twitter regarding fraudulent ad's for extras listed (the ad wanted to charge potential extras a $29.95 fee to join a casting club) on Craigslist:
“It’s a lie, don’t fall for it,” writes Perry to fans. “These folks are trying
to rip you off. I hate for people to prey on people’s dreams and hopes. Why
don’t people get a job and stop trying to steal folks’ hard-earned money.”
Perry goes further to indicate that he will seek legal action to stop the dream thieves. Now I applaud Mr. Perry for taking a stand against those attempting to profit from his name. Further, I think it's sad, that in these hard economic times, you have people out there trying to make money off of people who may have nothing but a dream of being discovered. These people should be ashamed and prosecuted to the highest extent of the the law. However, some people aren't as enthusiastic as I. Some posters on the ajc.com blog are accusing Tyler Perry of using this scam as a publicity stunt. Other's state that he treats his extras poorly when they are on set (I'm not sure what this had to do with the actual article..).
So my question is: Why do so many people still hate on Tyler Perry?? Is it because he is a successful Black man proving the reality of the American Dream? Or is it because of plain old fashioned jealousy?
While his TV shows may not appeal to the masses, it’s no denying that this man has Hollywood’s attention. He’s setting box office records for opening weekends, making full feature movies in half the time of major studios, setting records in TV broadcasting with two top-rated TV shows on the TBS cable network. Not to mention, he is creating jobs and opportunities, in addition to inventing a new reality for our youth. How many people can say that?
