“Mediocrity will make you think you’re climbing a mountain when you’re actually climbing a molehill.” – Unknown It’s easy to be ordinary, especially when people…
Atlanta police have launched an internal investigation into Tyler Perry’s claim he was racially profiled by two white officers who pulled his car over, CNN…
Tyler Perry’s claim earlier in the week that he was a victim of some not-so-civil treatment by Atlanta police has led to an internal department investigation. The comedian and producer spoke out, in light of the Trayvon Martin case , about racial profiling he allegedly suffered from two officers during a traffic stop. Perry claimed he was questioned unreasonably because he is black, and spared further trouble only after a black officer showed up and recognized Perry. Perry says racial profiling should be a federal offense . While that may never happen, Atlanta police are looking into his claims of misconduct in this case. The Good Deeds director described his version of events in detail on his Facebook page on Sunday, writing that he was driving to the airport at the time. Perry was pulled over for turning left from a right lane, a maneuver he attempted to ensure he wasn’t being followed, as he was without his security detail. According to Perry, who described the ordeal on Facebook, the officer who approached his window asked, “Why do you think someone would follow you?” After which, he wrote, another cop banged on the passenger-side window. The second officer, Perry wrote, asked repeatedly, “What’s wrong with you? Why do you think someone is following you? What’s wrong with you?” Perry claims that the pair of officers continued to badger him about why he might be followed. “It was so hostile. I was so confused,” he wrote. “It was happening so fast; I could easily see how this could get out of hand very quickly. I didn’t feel safe at all. One officer stopped his questioning and said, ‘We may not let you go. You think you’re being followed, what’s wrong with you?'” “At this point, I told him that I wanted to get out of the car. I wanted the passersby to see what was happening.” When he got out, Perry wrote, another officer pulled up – a black male officer – and “took one look” at Perry, “an ‘oh no’ look on his face.” “He immediately took both officers to the back of my car and spoke to them in a hushed tone,” he continued. “After that, one of the officers stayed near his car while one came back, very apologetic. I said all of that to say this.” “Do you see how quickly this could have turned for the worse?” [Photo: WENN.com]
Tyler Perry shared his recent encounter with the Atlanta Police Department on his Facebook fan page yesterday. Perry says he was stopped by police officers soon after leaving his Atlanta studios. The officers did not know who he was and he felt that he was in a situation that could have gone very badly until another officer arrived. This is an excerpt of what he shared: A few days before President Obama was supposed to speak at my studio, I was leaving the studio, headed to the airport. Most times when I leave the studio I have an unmarked escort. Other times I constantly check in my rearview mirror to be sure that I’m not being followed. It’s a safety precaution that my security team taught me. As I got to an intersection, I made a left turn from the right lane and was pulled over by two police officers. I pulled the car over and put it in park. Then, I let the window down and sat in the car waiting for the officer. The officer came up to the driver’s door and said that I made an illegal turn. I said, “I signaled to get into the turning lane, then made the turn because I have to be sure I’m not being followed.” He said, “why do you think someone would be following you?” More than 92,000 fans liked his thoughts, another 8,741 shared them and more than 15,000 comments have been made on this story as of 10:15 P.M. ET. Go to Tyler Perry’s Facebook Fan for the rest of the story. RELATED: Cee-Lo Drops The F-Bomb At Atlanta Obama Fundraiser President Obama In Atlanta Today For Tyler Perry Fundraiser Tyler Perry Pays It Forward In “Good Deeds” [TRAILER] Tasha Smith & Michael Jai White On Tyler Perry: “All His Work Is Not The Same!” Tyler Perry Responds To Kim Kardashian Casting Criticism: “I Thought, What Better Person!”
It really pays to have friends in high places. Just ask President Obama , who raised several million dollars during campaign stops in Illinois and Georgia Friday with help from celebrity friends Oprah and Tyler Perry. President Barack Obama, turning full attention to his re-election campaign, aimed to raise more than $5 million today with fundraisers in his adopted hometown of Chicago and then Atlanta, where Oprah Winfrey joined with other wealthy donors. Obama arrived in Chicago as two of the Republicans who want to challenge him in November, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, also had Illinois campaign events before the state’s March 20 presidential primary. His stops included dinner for about 40 people, including Winfrey, at the home of actor and film producer Tyler Perry. There, Obama said of his presidency: “This is not a three-year project. This is an eight-year project,” prompting applause. The first of Obama’s five stops was at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago, where about 600 people paid $2,500 a piece to watch the campaign film and listen to the president. Without naming his would-be opponents, Obama said the state has “guests this week,” referring to the campaigning leading up to the primary. “Welcome to the Land of Lincoln,” Obama said. Taking an indirect dig at his rivals, he said that he hoped “maybe some Lincoln will rub off on them while they are here,” and told the audience to prepare for “an avalanche of attack ads.” The state’s Republican Party chairman, Pat Brady, criticized Obama for concentrating on his campaign. “After three years of failed policies, broken promises and a seemingly endless supply of empty rhetoric, it is abundantly clear that President Obama has given up on governing and is only concerned about campaigning to save his own job,” Brady said in an e-mailed statement. After the speech, the president held a closed discussion with about 60 supporters who donated at least $10,000 each. In Atlanta, Obama began his fundraising at a private residence where 75 people paid $10,000 each to attend. He then greeted 1,000 supporters at Perry’s studios, an event that included a musical performance by Cee Lo Green. Most of the tickets started at $500 with a smaller number sold at $250, according to the campaign. At the first Atlanta stop, Obama jabbed at the Republicans. “Their basic vision is, ‘You know what? I’ve got mine,’” he said. “And that’s why the other side really doesn’t talk about issues.” Obama capped the day at Perry’s house. Tickets to that cost $35,800. Perry gave $30,400 on May 30, 2009, to the Democratic National Committee and $4,600 Sept. 12, 2007, to Obama’s first presidential campaign, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks contributions. The money raised today goes to the Obama Victory Fund, a joint account for the president’s campaign organization and the Democratic National Committee. Obama raised $140 million for his re-election campaign through the end of January, Federal Election Commission reports show. Looks like the Obama 2012 campaign is on and poppin’. Do you want to see him re-elected? Source More On Bossip! Underrated Cakes: The Ladies With The Backs You Might’ve Mistakenly Missed Out On! Forbidden Fruit: A List Of Celebrities Who Were Spotted Playing Freaky Kissy Face With Family Members Nicki Minaj Flossin’ Her Cakes In A Pink ‘Kini On The Beaches Of Hawaii For New Music Video Solange Knowles Keeps Her Natural Hair, Vintage, Hippy, Hella Colorful Steez Alive On The Cover Of Time Out New York Magazine
What a weekend for Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax : The environmentally tinged adaptation became the latest of the beloved author’s film spinoffs to capture the top box-office perch. Meanwhile, the raunchy Project X settled in quietly behind it, earning roughly a dollar per topless scene en route to second place. Your Weekend Receipts are here. 1. Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax Gross: $70,700,000 (new) Screens: 3,729 (PSA $18,960) Weeks: 1 What can I say? A generation is indoctrinated to the left! Lou Dobbs will be outraged ! Malia Obama for president in 2036! 2. Project X Gross: $20,775,000 (new) Screens: 3,055 (PSA $6,800) Weeks: 1 Not so bad an opening for the critically reviled bit of mayhem from the mind of Todd Phillips — but good enough for a sequel? Project Y , coming to DVD and Blu-ray by the holidays? Hell, the way these things are shot, maybe by Memorial Day. 3. Act of Valor Gross: $13,700,000 ($45,239,000) Screens: 3,053 (PSA: $4,487) Weeks: 2 (Change: -44%) The Navy SEALs-against-the-world propaganda exercise held up reasonably well in its second week, setting up next weekend’s crucial Lorax vs. Valor ideology face-off for fourth place — or maybe even third place, considering the smallish release for Eddie Murphy’s A Thousand Words . Place your bets. Or I can just wake you when it’s April, your call. 4. Safe House Gross: $7,200,000 ($108,200,000) Screens: 2,533 (PSA $2,820) Weeks: 4 (Change: -34.1%) I can only imagine the back-and-forth between Denzel Washington’s WME team and Ryan Reynolds’s CAA crew this morning as they struggle to take primary credit for their stars’ stunning collaborative success. If I didn’t know any better, I’d just attribute the whole phenomenon to Harvey Weinstein, because what triumphs hasn’t he wrought in the last seven days? 5. Tyler Perry’s Good Deeds Gross: $7,000,000 ($25,745,000) Screens: 2,132 (PSA $3,283) Weeks: 2 (Change: -55.1%) Tyler Perry is nothing if not consistent, on track for another mid-$30 million performer sans the Madea muumuu. He’d argue that a wider release would sweeten the box office, and for this one in particular I’d agree — though I’d rather simply see him split the franchise difference and attempt Why Did I Get Married 3-D . They’ve got The Rock in the series now! Seriously, blockbuster city. [Figures via Box Office Mojo ] Follow S.T. VanAirsdale on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Loveless, jobless and terminally ill, Frank has had enough of American society. He decides to go out with a bang – literally – and go postal on everyone who deserves it. In the hilarious-looking dark comedy God Bless America, Frank (Joel Murray) takes his gun and decides to take out the stupidest, cruelest, most repellent U.S. citizens. Frank finds an unusual accomplice in high-school student Roxy (Tara Lynne Barr), who shares his sense of rage, disenfranchisement, and loathing of irritating celebs. Stand-up comedian Bobcat Goldthwait wrote and directed this scathing, gut-busting attack on all that is sacred in the United States of America. Watch the trailer: God Bless America Trailer
Pssst, Seneca Crane and other Gamemakers: Katniss Everdeen would like your attention. A new clip from The Hunger Games should ease many concerns fans of this book series might possess, as it’s taken straight from the pages of the best-selling Suzanne Collins’ novel. Watch now as Katinss brandishes her best skill in order to make an impression on those who will decide her fate: The Hunger Games Clip: Katniss Takes Aim The sneak peek premiered on the movie’s Facebook page and included, along with it, the following statement from Collins: “I’m really happy with how it turned out… Director Gary Ross has created an adaptation that is faithful in both narrative and theme, but he’s also brought a rich and powerful vision of Panem, its brutality and excesses, to the film as well… The cast, led by the extraordinary Jennifer Lawrence , is absolutely wonderful across the board. It’s such a pleasure to see how they’ve embodied the characters and brought them to life.” The Hunger Games – EEEK! – opens on March 23.
She’s flattered, but she’s out of the running. Janet Jackson has put the rumors – which she sort of encouraged initially by hemming and hawing during an interview with Anderson Cooper – of her involvement with The X Factor to rest. In a statement, Janet says she’s “very flattered that X Factor let me know I was being considered for next season, but it just wouldn’t be possible.” Why not? What’s on tap for the artist? She is committed to her Number Ones Up Close and Personal Tour and will be starring in an upcoming Tyler Perry movie. Does this mean The X Factor will seriously consider Britney Spears as a judge ? Let’s hope so! [Photo: WENN.com]
Another senseless crime involving kids. A student apparently comes to school with a loaded gun in Ohio and opens fire. At least 4 students were hit by gunfire with one critically injured. Official say they have the suspect in custody. Check below for the report. “CHARDON, Ohio – Gunfire at a high school outside Cleveland injured a number of students Monday morning, and at least one suspect has been taken into custody, officials said. FBI agent Scott Wilson said that there was one suspected shooter, who is in custody. He said four students were wounded in the shooting but wouldn’t discuss the extent of the students’ injuries. The shooting was reported around 7:30 a.m. at the 1,100-student Chardon High School about 30 miles east of Cleveland, said Civil Deputy Erin Knife of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Office. CBS affiliate WOIO-TV in Cleveland reports the shootings happened in the cafeteria before classes started for the day. Television news footage showed anxious parents escorting children away from a school building, and ambulances could be seen outside. WOIO-TV reports the high school was evacuated and students were taken to an elementary school to be picked up by their parents. Students on school buses were dropped off back at their homes. A spokeswoman for Cleveland’s MetroHealth System said a medical helicopter was dispatched to the high school. Schools in the area were locked down. Bob Herp, a Chardon trauma nurse, was at a command scene at a local Wal-Mart store where he said helicopters were on the ground. Chardon is a city of about 5,100 residents”.
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