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Old 04-28-2011, 10:27 AM
 
32,019 posts, read 36,763,165 times
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Okay, Spike Lee may not be based here anymore but he was born here and educated at Morehouse and Clark. So I've always thought of him as having Atlanta roots.

Have y'all followed the controversy between Lee and Tyler Perry? They've been going at it pretty seriously.

Tyler Perry Vs. Spike Lee: A Debate Over Class And 'Coonery' : Tell Me More : NPR

Tyler Perry Vs Spike Lee | The Urban Daily (http://theurbandaily.com/theurbandaily-original/kevineason/tyler-perry-vs-spike-lee/ - broken link)
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Old 04-28-2011, 12:24 PM
 
Location: New York City Area
444 posts, read 703,357 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by arjay57 View Post
Okay, Spike Lee may not be based here anymore but he was born here and educated at Morehouse and Clark. So I've always thought of him as having Atlanta roots.

Have y'all followed the controversy between Lee and Tyler Perry? They've been going at it pretty seriously.

Tyler Perry Vs. Spike Lee: A Debate Over Class And 'Coonery' : Tell Me More : NPR

Tyler Perry Vs Spike Lee | The Urban Daily (http://theurbandaily.com/theurbandaily-original/kevineason/tyler-perry-vs-spike-lee/ - broken link)
Wow...so, Spike Lee's actually a native Atlantan, whereas Tyler Perry is not?
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Old 04-28-2011, 12:45 PM
 
Location: Lilburn GA
487 posts, read 1,815,432 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NYbyWAYofGA View Post
Wow...so, Spike Lee's actually a native Atlantan, whereas Tyler Perry is not?
Wow here also-when I lived in NY, I would have sworn up and down that Spike was a born and bred NYer.
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Old 04-28-2011, 01:05 PM
 
99 posts, read 212,842 times
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Originally Posted by LAB6120 View Post
Wow here also-when I lived in NY, I would have sworn up and down that Spike was a born and bred NYer.
Same here, wow!
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Old 04-28-2011, 02:11 PM
 
16,212 posts, read 10,814,566 times
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I heard Tyler Perry discussing this on the radio and really I agree with him even though I am not a big fan of his movies. I don't feel that Spike Lee has any right to criticize him, especially in regards to the black community since Tyler has put so many black actors/actresses and behind the scenes people to work. He does a lot of charitable work. All of his movies are not "bufoonery." I think that if Spike had a problem with Tyler he should have reached out to Tyler instead of throwing jabs at him via the media. I also don't like Spike's movies all that much because I consider him rather sexist but this whole attack of his on Tyler Perry has made him become even less appealing to me.

I did know Spike was born in Atlanta and since I am a CAU grad I did know he went to Morehouse and completed most of his mass communications coursework at CAU.
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Old 04-28-2011, 02:57 PM
 
Location: The Greatest city on Earth: City of Atlanta Proper
8,485 posts, read 14,987,215 times
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I'm kind of on the fence. Spike Lee does have a point about the quality of movies that Tyler Perry has the chance to make given his influence and power in Hollywood (not to mention his own studio) but doesn't. And lets face it, there is a TON of "shuckin and jivin" in any movie with the Madea charachter in it. Perry has a golden opportunity to showcase stories and writers (not just African-American ones) who rarely get a chance to have their voice heard in Hollywood.

On the flip side this is a free country and free market. It's Tyler Perry's company and he can do very well whatever he wants to make as much as wants and laugh all the way to the bank.

Spike Lee also has the certain tendency inherent in all Morehouse men (I should know being one) of this snooty level of self importance that looks down anything that doesn't meet their standard (raises hand, guilty as charged ). It is to the point that he has burned so many bridges and pissed so many people off that he has nearly destroyed what started off as being an absolutely brilliant career. While they were not his only good movies, his first six movies (She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Malcolm X) are masterpieces of American Cinema and essentially a guide book to the 1980s and early 90s Black urban experience.

This whole thing is just a bunch of nonsense if you ask me.

Oh, and just to clarify:

Spike Lee was indeed born in Atlanta and his family is originally from here. When he was a small child though his immediate family moved Brooklyn, so he spent his adolescence in NYC. He returned to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College where he received a B.A. in Mass Comm. While he took film classes at Atlanta University (at the time Lee was a student at Morehouse, Clark College and Atlanta University were two separate schools. They did not merge until 1988) he was never in enrolled there (all students at any AUC institution have to the ability to register for classes related to their major at any AUC institution). Instead, he received his Masters in Fine Arts from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

While he is a full time resident of New York City, his extended family still resides in Atlanta and he does have a residence here as he is involved in many Atlanta area organizations and charities. He also regularly gives seminars and lectures on film at Clark-Atlanta University.

Another little fun fact:

All of the feature films written (notice the bolding) by Spike Lee have been set in either New York City or Atlanta. (I'm excluding When the Levees Broke and If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise, both set in New Orleans, as they were documentaries)
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Old 04-28-2011, 03:26 PM
 
1,350 posts, read 2,299,479 times
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I'm going to side with Tyler Perry..if only because Tyler is a nice guy, he's very approachable, he's well liked (he's from New Orleans)

Spike Lee, not so much.
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Old 04-28-2011, 04:43 PM
 
Location: Underneath the Pecan Tree
15,982 posts, read 35,194,653 times
Reputation: 7428
Team Spike Lee!

However, I do agree with Tyler Perry. Spike needs to let Tyler do what he do and focus on his own career. It's already a rarity to see successful black filmmakers, but it's not a good luck when you have this type of negativity and controversy going on amongst them.

I do wish Tyler would progress and become more creative with his movies; it seems instead of actually improving; he gets worse. That Big Happy Family was a mess and exemplified coonery to the highest level.
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Old 04-28-2011, 05:47 PM
 
Location: 30080
2,390 posts, read 4,403,233 times
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I agree with Spike Lee 100%... I hate Tyler Perry movies. If the theme isnt shuckin and jivin its all men are the devil and battered woman flicks. It got old 2 years ago to me. He's the main reason I dont even bother watching TBS.
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Old 04-28-2011, 05:49 PM
 
Location: East Side of ATL
4,586 posts, read 7,706,146 times
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Bump Spike Lee.

He seems a tad jelous of Tyler success.

Tyler Perry needs better writers but he is a control freak and has to have his hands in every aspect of his shows.

Tyler has found has niche and using it to his advantage. Plus unlike Spike, he doesn't have to go anyone to ask for money to bankroll his films, he can do all by himself.

Spike had his niche in the 1990's but as usual, his mouths has allowed him to burn too many bridges so barely anyone wants anything to do with him.

All the coonery and bs about Tyler is crap. I mean, sure, his 2 shows are wack, his movies have the typical ending, same scenario in every movie and some his actions from his plays to the Big Screen don't transition very well but hell, he is doing alot for black films and plays. He has surely put more black actors and actress to work then Spike has ever done and his market seems to like the predictable of his movies. Then again, the movies without Madea do worse then one with Madea. The Family That Preys was one of his best non Madea/black movie and it didn't get too much attention at all.

Pure sour grapes. Get over it, Spike.
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