Tyler Perry says his aunt inspired The Single Moms Club
At five years old, Tyler Perry knew that he wanted to be so successful when he grew up that he could take care of his mother. His determination never wavered and he’s now one of the most prolific writer/director/actors working, with multiple TV series on the air and his latest movie, The Single Moms Club, which opened in theatres last week.
It wasn’t until his mother, Willie Maxine Perry, died in 2009 that Perry realised striving for success just for his mother wasn’t the wisest thing to do.
“I did everything for my mother. I sacrificed my entire life for her. It worked out because it drove me to success because I wanted to be the kid who made it. But when my mother died, it left me so empty. I didn’t have any of this on my own. There was no success for myself,” Perry says. “It was great. I had it. But, it was all about her. So I had to find a way to re-focus.”
The result of that focus is The Single Moms Club, which looks at five women — played by Nia Long, Cocoa Brown, Amy Smart, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Zulay Henao — from different backgrounds who are pushed together. They soon discover they have one thing in common: raising children on their own.
It was Perry’s aunt who served as the inspiration for The Single Moms Club.
“My aunt raised four boys by herself. She never took welfare a day in her life. She never begged anybody for anything. But she always made it her own way,” Perry says. “She raised these four boys by herself. I started thinking about her life. This is my homage to her and every single mother out there.”
Perry says Single Moms Club isn’t a “woe is me” movie about single mothers. He’s written about a group of women who are doing what they have to do for their kids and the support they give each other. He’s a strong believer in the idea that it takes a village to raise a child.
Family is a familiar theme for a Perry movie. Although he’s heard complaints that all of his movies have a similar voice, he thinks each one has had something different to say. What they often say reflects Perry’s Christian beliefs, whether it be full-blown comedy like any of the Madea movies or something that has a more dramatic edge such as The Single Mom’s Club.
“I usually like to do something really stupid and silly and fun after I have done something really heavy. I remember thinking after shooting For Colored Girls and Alex Cross that this was really dark and taking me down too far. So, I wanted to do something that was really, really fun,” Perry says. “It’s all about where I am in my own head where I just need a break.
“With this movie, I just thought this was a subject that needed to be addressed. It is the last film I’m going to be doing for a couple of years so I can focus on television. So I wanted to take a break with something that I hoped would be inspiring and encouraging to a lot of people.” — By Rick Bentley, The Fresno Bee, MCT
Jamie Chung wants ‘intimate’ wedding
The Hangover star Jamie Chung and her fiance Bryan Greenberg have different ideas on how they would like to mark their wedding ceremony. She says she would prefer an “intimate” ceremony. The 30-year-old actress also says Greenberg is better at organising events. “He wants a big blow out and I want to keep it intimate, so there’s certainly things we need to work out,” contactmusic.com quoted Chung as saying. “We’re equally excited... Actually, he’s better at planning parties than I am,” she added. — IANS
Aaron Paul never argues with wife
Actor Aaron Paul says that he has never had an argument with his wife Lauren Parsekian. The Breaking Bad star married Parsekian last May and Paul says that they prefer to talk through their problems and deal with them together, reports contactmusic.com. “People get in fights because they don’t communicate, because you don’t want to hurt the other person. If you do want to hurt the other person, then shame on you — you’re an *******,” he said. “My wife and I do not argue. We communicate. We talk. But we’ve never fought in our entire relationship,” he added.
Emma Watson steals the show
Actress Emma Watson made sure all eyes were on her when she stepped out in a navy blue gown to attend the European premiere of her movie Noah in Berlin. The 23-year-old teamed the gown with Christian Louboutin heels for the event held at the Zoo Palast theatre, reports dailymail.co.uk.
The gown had a halter neck and a cut-out detail at the back, which was held in place with a trailing piece of ribbon. Her elegant outfit puts her back at the top in the fashion game. The Harry Potter Series actress slicked her long hair back and applied a red lipstick as she posed confidently on the red carpet. — IANS
Russell Brand plans to buy house in India
Comedian Russell Brand is so fascinated with yoga and Hinduism that he is determined to buy a house in India.
The actor, who got married to his former wife Katy Perry in Jaipur, wants to spend six months in a year in the country. The 38-year-old actor is currently on the lookout for an estate. “Russell consulted his Indian guru early this year about the idea and is now making noise about buying an estate or plantation in India,” said a source. “He wants to be closer to his various spiritual, dietary and health guides in the country and is telling pals that he would like to spend as much as six months out of the year in India,” the source added. The actor split from Katy just after 14 months of marriage in December 2011 and is said to be ready to turn his back on Hollywood in favour of a literary career. The source said: “He will probably rent a home there immediately before he plunks down the millions he would need to buy a place, but he’s serious about this move, arguably more so than his movie career.” — IANS
INDIA-BOUND: Russell Brand
Sheen wants child support allowance reduced
Actor Charlie Sheen is reportedly heading to court to ask the judge to reduce the monthly child support allowance he pays to his ex-wife Denise Richards for their children. The Anger Management star is believed to be going to the Los Angeles court to ask the judge to cut the $55,000 he gives to Richards each month for their daughters Sam, 10, and Lola, eight. ‘’Sheen hasn’t spent any time with the girls in several months and thinks it’s ridiculous that he continues to pay Richards $55,000,” radaronline.com quoted a source as saying.
Sheen also wants his former spouse to move out of the luxurious pad he has provided her with in Los Angeles. Richards, 42, has lived in the house with Sam, Lola, and her adopted two-year-old daughter Eloise, for over a year because it is close to her children’s school. — IANS