Doin’ Church with Tyler Perry

On Friday, September 18, I chatted with friend and radio personality Liz Lane from Positive Hit Radio The Current about Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself.

I was talking specifically about how in this particular Lionsgate comedy/drama the audience gets a wonderful taste of church, complete with excellent music from real-life Pastor Marvin Winans and stellar recording artist Gladys Knight. Plus, their is a hope-filled message from the pulpit. It’s enough to make you want to raise your hands in praise, wave a hanky, and say, “Preach it!” That’s exactly how I felt. And believe me, I wasn’t alone in my sentiments in the packed theatre on opening night.

Listen to this short, edited audio clip of our conversation, taken when taping for the radio broadcast. This is not the final on-air version, but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.

And be sure to check out Liz Lane’s “Heart of Praise” show Sunday’s from 8 a.m – 11 a.m.

Audio Commentary:

— Laura J. Bagby

Being Bad Fares Well on Screen

From writer/director/actor Tyler Perry, the Lionsgate comedy/drama I Can Do Bad All By Myself centers on the fractured life of a nightclub singer called April (Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and her difficult journey back to faith, love, and family.

April is living a selfish, dysfunctional life, letting her ailing mother raise her sister’s three kids Jennifer (Hope Olaide Wilson), Manny (Kwesi Boakye), and Byron (Frederick Siglar) while April spends her days abusing alcohol, sleeping all day, and having an affair with Randy (Brian White), a cold-hearted married man.

April’s lonely life is suddenly interrupted when Madea (Tyler Perry) brings by her troublesome niece and nephews and the local church – represented by churchgoer Wilma (Gladys Knight) and Pastor Brian (Marvin Winans) – sends over a handsome, out-of-work stranger with carpentry skills called Sandino (Adam Rodriguez, CSI: Miami), who hopes to get room and board in exchange for a job.

Looking Forward to Tyler Perry’s ‘Precious’

Last Friday I went to see the opening of Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. Watch for a review later this week.

In the meantime…

I can’t wait to see Perry’s November 6 release of Precious. Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, the Lee Daniels film is produced by Lionsgate, Oprah Winfrey, and Tyler Perry. The film stars Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, and introducing Gabourey Sidibe (as Precious).

Check out the trailer:

Chill Out with ‘New in Town’

Out now on DVD!

Just released on DVD and Blu-ray this week, New in Town is sure to thaw your spirits, warm your heart… and maybe even make you want tapioca pudding!

When the corporate branch of Munck Foods in Miami decides to implement major changes at its New Ulm, Minnesota, plant, power-hungry businesswoman Lucy Hill (Renée Zellweger) is on the next plane to the frozen little town to cut losses – and inevitably jobs.

But no sooner has Lucy settled into town than she has a complete change of heart. Lucy begins to warm up to the quirky, but good-hearted blue-collar town – and her new love interest, the plaid-shirt-wearing union rep., Ted Mitchell (Harry Connick, Jr.). But then she hears the bad news that corporate wants to shut the plant down completely.