My Publicist Note Book

TYLER PERRY’S ATLANTA STUDIO REMAINS UP FOR SALE When Tyler Perry first opened his studio lot in 2008, in Atlanta, GA, it was considered a wonder of the times. But things change quickly. A year ago, Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta was put up for sale, although it wasn’t widely reported. The property still remains for sale, at a $25 million listed price. You can read the real estate listing here. The offering includes: over 120,000 square feet of office, production, commissary, café, gym, hair and makeup, wardrobe and post-production space, 5 sound stages totaling 50,595 square feet with 32’ ceilings, 56.6 acre parcel with 33.2 acres available for future expansion, fully functional backlot with 12 houses/sets among others, and more. The $25 million is actually quite bargain considering all that you’re getting. Although when it first went up for sale, it may have been priced higher, but since there still aren’t any buyers a year later, the price might have been dropped. ...

Alicia Keys closed the curtain on day 2 of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia with a musical performance dedicated to the mothers of their slain children. “Women are the answer. We have the power to ensure this country gets on the right path,” Keys said before singing “Superwoman” on Tuesday evening. “I dedicate this song to the Mothers of the Movement and all mothers who have lost their sons and their daughters to senseless violence. Until we deal with gun violence in this country, we can’t claim home of the brave.” Mothers of the Movement:  "We're going to keep telling our children's stories, and we're urging you to say their names ." Earlier in Tuesday’s program, the mothers of the late Martin, Sandra Bland, Jordan Davis, Eric Garner, Hadiya Pendleton, Dontré Hamilton, Michael Brown, and Oscar Grant  delivered powerful speeches honoring their children and calling for change. Keys introduced her next song, “ In Com...

THE GRAMMY FOUNDATION ®  AND GRAMMY MUSEUM ®  PARTNER  TO PRESENT  ICON: THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF B.B. KING  FEATURING JOE BONAMASSA, KEB' MO', KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD, SLASH,  SUSAN TEDESCHI, DEREK TRUCKS, JIMMIE VAUGHAN, AND  JOE LOUIS WALKER  WITH JIMMY VIVINO AND THE BASIC CABLE BAND   GRAMMY Foundation ®  Vice President Scott Goldman to Host Benefit Tribute Event SANTA MONICA , Calif. (July 26, 2016)  — The GRAMMY Foundation ®  and GRAMMY Museum ®  are partnering on  Sept. 1  to celebrate the life and legacy of  B.B. King , 15-time GRAMMY ® -winning rhythm & blues singer. Titled  Icon: The Life And Legacy Of B.B. King , the live tribute, sponsored in part by  Gibson USA , will include performances by multi-GRAMMY winners  Keb' Mo' ,  Derek Trucks , and  Jimmie Vaughan ; GRAMMY winners Slash  and  Susan Tedeschi ; GRAMMY nominees  Joe Bonamassa  and...

Nearly two weeks after the release of  Straight Outta Compton , producers still trying to understand what its success means for hip-hop. There are now  111 million reasons  why they should be paying attention to the pivotal hip-hop biopic and its accompanying press. Undoubtedly, it makes a claim for the return of engaging, big-budget Black films that do not star a man in a dress. Its careful storytelling and well-rounded edge means that hip-hop history is capable of gripping a vast audience.  More importantly, hip-hop biopics are filmed through an empathetic lens: by practice, it often regards the artist (or those closest to them) as subject matter experts. For many Black artists, a biopic places the national narrative into their hands for the first time. Dr. Dre and Ice Cube’s presence during the film’s production no doubt influenced the finished product. Inevitably, their revisionism led to the absence of certain stories. Despite the group’s noto...

MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  — The legendary career of comedian and actor Don Knotts halted traffic in downtown Morgantown Saturday. Three replica police cruisers, 2 Barney Fife impersonators, countless fans and dozens of people with their own “before he was Barney” stories lined High Street outside the Metropolitan Theatre for the first annual Don Knotts Days celebration. “I actually waited on him one time at the Wilkins Motors down on University Avenue.  One day he came in.  He came to my window and I waited on him,” laughed Jean Faini who added that Knotts was just “very normal”. “I am a very big fan of Barney Fife for a long, long, long time.  I watch him every night on TV.  It’s just exciting that Morgantown can be part of this,” shared Morgantown resident Barbara Kuhn. Don Knotts was and is a part of Morgantown.  He grew up in a boarding house owned and operated by his mother.  It was nearly as popular as the 5-time Emmy Award winning actor him...

If You See A Penny Placed In Your Car Door Handle, You Might Be In Danger! Thieves will always be searching for new ways to take from others. The latest trend in car thievery is something that’s easy to miss if you aren’t paying attention, but it’s also simple to look for and prevent. Out of all of the things thieves can use to break into your car and steal your belongings, coins don't seem likely to be on your list of possible options. But that’s just what some criminals have begun to use, according to Sun Gazing. Criminals have reportedly been using pennies and nickels to break into cars. Here’s how it works: The thief jams a coin into the door handle on the car’s passenger side. Then, they wait for the car owner to show up and follow the owner home. When the owner tries to lock the car, the mechanism fails because the passenger door handle is jammed, which gives the thief the ability to enter the car through the unlocked door. Thankfully, this method is eas...

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held its 107th Annual Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio at the Duke Energy Center July 16-20, 2016.  The vision of the National Association for the Advancement of  Colored People is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race. Leaders of the nation’s oldest civil rights organization on Saturday morning thanked the city of Cincinnati and the community for the warm welcome before a ribbon cutting that officially opened the 107th NAACP convention just two days ahead of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Attendance was exceed 5,000 conventioneers. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton spoke Monday.  NAACP leaders say presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump turned down an invitation, citing scheduling conflicts with the RNC beginning Monday on the northeast side of the state. With a...

New York, N.Y. – July 21, 2016 – Nominations for the 37th Annual News and Documentary Emmy ®  Awards were announced today by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS).  The News & Documentary Emmy ®  Awards will be presented on Wednesday, September 21 st , 2016, at a ceremony at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P Rose Hall in the Time Warner Complex at Columbus Circle in New York City. The event will be attended by more than 1,000 television and news media industry executives, news and documentary producers and journalists. Awards will be presented in 46 categories. “From the beginning of my career in television, the News & Documentary Emmy ®  Awards have held a special place for me,” said Bob Mauro, President, NATAS. “These awards are a tribute to the outstanding work being done by men and woman at the highest level of the broadcast journalism and documentary filmmaking professions.  They honor the organizations and people w...