ALL: Soap Stars - Where are they now?

[ReddFoxx]

Matt Cedeno (former Brandon, DAYS) will be playing a cult leader in Tyler Perry's Ruthless. And he'll be wearing one of the wigs that some many people make fun of Tyler Perry for using in his productions.

[John]

That show looks a mess

faceit 90% of TP's shows end up horrible if they dont already begin that way. 

And its his fault for having no one else help him writing

[Khan]

 

Ah, but Tyler Perry said he tried running a writers' room and it was (his words) "a nightmare."  Apparently, it was the other writers' fault that his ratings dipped, even though, as showrunner, it is HIS responsibility to ensure that every script bears his voice.  (Say what you will about Joss Whedon, but I never heard him blame Marti Noxon for turning the last two seasons of "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" into a chore to watch.)

 

 

Doesn't Tyler Perry realize that, at the very least, letting actors wear their own hair would be more cost-effective?  Or is the man just trolling the haters at this point?

Edited February 23, 2020 by Khan

[ReddFoxx]

He's stuck in the same mode that he was in for writing his plays and he very much prides himself on lifting himself out of poverty with his work (he was living in his car at one point years ago), so I'm guessing that gives him an elevated view of his writing.

 

Wigs are a big part of theatre, but on stage props like wigs are a lot more common as they are used there to hide microphones and to better help transform actors in their characters. Television and film is a lot different, but he doesn't seem to get that. Or maybe he really is trolling, which would be absolutely hilarious.

[Khan]

 

I guess I'd feel as proud, too, if I had taken a similar path toward commercial success and financial security.

 

I can't fault Tyler Perry for reaching out and connecting with a demographic that Hollywood otherwise ignores.  I think it's wonderful that he tells stories that his audiences want to see and hear, even as I question many of the religious, moral and ethical messages contained therein.  However, it seems to me that three issues in particular keep Perry from achieving next-level greatness: 1) an inability to evolve in his chosen craft (which is amazing since common wisdom tell us that the more one writes, the better he/she becomes); 2) an inability to accept and process criticism of his work (whenever anyone questions the quality of or questions raised within his plays, movies or TV series, his usual, knee-jerk response is to tell the critic(s) to go to hell); and 3) an inability to use his success to help other, struggling playwrights and screenwriters of color fulfill their own dreams (a fault made all the more glaring by the fact that he recently built his own studio, it seems, to produce his own works exclusively).

 

For someone who bases so much of his work on Judeo-Christian philosophy, Perry appears to have forgotten that, above all else, Jesus taught his disciples the value of humility and self-sacrifice in the name of lifting up others.

 

 

Just as he doesn't seem to get that sitting down and writing some sort of "bible" for how he wants each season to go for this-or-that show would go a LONG way toward making all his shows more watchable.  Part of the brilliance of shows like DALLAS and KNOTS LANDING was how, before each season began, the producers and story editors would sit down and decide the arc for each character for that season, so that each individual episode played like another chapter in a novel.

 

Of course, you can't be rigid about your long-term projections, because what plays on the page doesn't always play on the stage.  However, with a season bible, you (and your audience) would have some idea of what the show itself is building toward at various points in the season, something that is hardly ever clear on any of Perry's shows.

Edited February 24, 2020 by Khan

[Chris B]

Tyler Perry uses this mysterious ratings drop as the reason he doesn't have a writing room, but the real reason is because he didn't want the writers to be in the union and didn't want to pay them. Nobody ever calls him out on it, but that is literally the only reason. His shows are horrific and it's a shame because they could be better with more people involved to execute his vision. It amazes me he has a show called SISTAS, with no black women writing.

[John]

YEP

He had writers but they were non union. WGA tried to force him to hire Union writers or unionize his  so he fired them

ARE TP's Directors, DGA? 

[Vee]

Vanessa Williams (DOOL) can be seen here reprising my favorite of her roles in Jordan Peele's revival of one of my favorite horror movies:

 

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[Gray Bunny]

 

Just saw that -- can't wait! 

[DRW50]

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[John]

Patsy Rahn (OG Monica, GH) is now a poet & writer

https://www.patsyrahn.com/about

Edited February 28, 2020 by John

[DramatistDreamer]

This one's for all you Days fans out there.

 

[Khan]

Well, she's definitely NOT another Fly Girl in the making. 

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[Chris B]

 

This is amazing and was so unexpected! I love how much she's been working in primetime lately and a high profile film like this is a nice bonus. I never expected them to include her when this was announced, now she's one of the main reasons Twitter is going crazy over the trailer! And again it shows the value in her an actress and it's a shame that once again Daytime is stuck in the stone age not appreciating an actress as strong as her.

[Vee]

I knew the plot featured her character's son, who was a baby in the original, yet I was still surprised and pleased to see her.