And Tyler Perry Shall Lead Them...

Say what you want about Tyler Perry. You can call him an author of race plays, a middle-brow chitlin' circuiter, or whatever. But consider this: Tyler Perry is a mini-mogul and a brand name to be recokened with. He understands his target audience. He knows what works and what does not. He also has a sensitivity to audience sensibilities that sets him apart from many who work in Hollywood -- he is an outsider who is part of the business, but goes his own way, and listens to his own beat box. He also operates from a baseline of the playwright's primacy, which colors many of his business and artistic decisions.

His insistence on total creative control over the film adaptations of his theatrical works are rooted in the traditions of authorial autonomy and control, which lies at the heart of the traditional primacy of the playwright. And more often than not, his judgments were astute: while such costly celluloid misfires as Evan Almighty sank at the box office faster that the Titanic, Perry's movie ventures are making solid profits. This phenomenon is being astutely observed by a handful in mainstream Hollywood circles (most notably Judd Aphrow) who are learning from Perry's example and are now exploring new avenues to assert their creative and authorial autonomy on their future projects.

The genie's now out of the bottle! Hollywood suits will soon quake in their boots! The schmucks with Underwoods are finally getting their revenge!

To be continued...