The NY Times: Stars Flock to Atlanta--Reshaping a Center of Black Culture (Perry: rent, movies)

[aries4118]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us...ewanted=1&_r=1


More proof of Atlanta's emergence as an entertainment center. This is good for the city!

Enjoy!

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by muxBuppie

removed

And that's unfortunate--on their part.

Atlanta emerging as a major entertainment center is good for the city--and everyone that lives here.



We should not stop promoting and celebrating good things just to avoid those that want to hate.

[Nairobi]

I think Lance Gross, Cynthia Bailey, and Cedric hinted at a good point: Atlanta is doing big things, but it will be a while before it's really taken seriously as an entertainment city, outside of the Tyler Perry/BET audience. But I think Miss Bailey should probably keep her mouth closed, because I didn't even know who this woman was until RHOA, so in a way, she owes her notoriety to Atlanta. No one forced her to move there.

As far as the pretense and the false facade of black grandeur, I hate it. Nothing irks me more than snot-nosed black folks with full wallets and empty heads flaunting their undeserved sense of self-worth. Give me the real Atlanta any day.

[sirrob]

Entertainment is one the most lucrative industries in existence, so I hope ATL can continue to build on this momentum. Isn't Family Feud (Steve Harvey) now based in Atlanta? He's the BEST host that show has ever seen!

[testa50]

I'm definitely glad that the perception of Atlanta's black entertainment sector has moved beyond simply having a bunch of rappers. Of course, it has always been more than that, but during the 2000s that was Atlanta's perception. But now it seems like a much more diverse industry.

[SouthernBoy205]

This is good for the city. However, Atlanta has been a place where many stars "retire" or move to get away from the craziness of the REAL entertainment cities. Atlanta and the South in general can really improve if it didn't always target itself has "black this" and "black that" its doing now. Atlanta will become a nice entertainment city, but never to the scale of LA, NYC, and Miami.

[SW30303]

Interesting article overall, aries. Echoing a bit of testa50's comment above, the entertainment industry does bring jobs here and that is always a plus in my book.

While overall, I don't follow current shows much, but I do like to find out where some big name movies and TV shows were filmed around in Atlanta. Sometimes much later after their release, I rent them to watch for Atlanta scenes and if the shows were great, even the better. If I spot a celebrity time to time around these parts, that would be cool, but I don't seek it out either.

[NYbyWAYofGA]

Originally Posted by sirrob

Entertainment is one the most lucrative industries in existence, so I hope ATL can continue to build on this momentum. Isn't Family Feud (Steve Harvey) now based in Atlanta? He's the BEST host that show has ever seen!

Sirrob, yes, "Family Feud" is now based and filmed in Atlanta. I watch it daily, as I work at night, and it's fun catching the Atl references from some of the family contestants. The show is definitely funny and entertaining.

[Mutiny77]

This part of the article explains a good bit of it and also shows why Atlanta is gaining prominence for TV and film in general:

Atlanta’s A-list evolution was driven in part by the state’s 2008 Entertainment Industry Investment Act, which gives qualified productions a 20 percent tax break, said Warrington Hudlin, president of the Black Filmmaker Foundation, which is based in New York...

“Atlanta is really becoming the black Hollywood,” Mr. Hudlin said. Because many black filmmakers are working on tighter budgets than white filmmakers, they need to save money and Georgia helps them do that, he said.

[mdf2011]

Lol at "soul train" awards. Atlanta really is stuck in the old timey days.