Tyler Perry notes: virtual Madea museum, ‘The Oval’ shoot completed COVID free, BET+ hits 1 million subscribers
Tyler Perry is celebrating the release of his August 27 BET+ release of “Madea’s Farewell Play” with a virtual museum at madeamuseum.com. It officially launched today.
Perry has officially “retired” his iconic character after two decades.
There are four major elements to the website:
- The Legacy Portrait Shop – Organized chronologically on a virtual wall, portraits of Madea — from her first stage play appearance (”I Can Do Bad All By Myself”) to her last (”Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Farewell” — appear creating a visual timeline and ode to her character.
- The Hall of Song – This showcases the best musical moments in Madea stage play history and enables guests to take part in a virtual singing experience.
- Museums & Pearls Costume Exhibit – The Muumuus and Pearls exhibit — a visual documentation of Madea’s style evolution from her first stage play appearance to her last.
- The Gift Shop – features a collection of limited-edition Madea branded memorabilia available for the museum’s first 100 guests to claim when visiting the virtual museum experience.
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Tyler Perry just wrapped his second round of pandemic-isolated shooting with “The Oval” this past Friday.
According to Deadline.com, he finished two days early with no issues regarding COVID-19. The bubble for his 377 cast and crew he created on his expansive studio lot has worked — although it is costing him $4.5 million extra per show per season to house, feed and test everyone. In interviews, he said he wants to keep as much of his cast and crew employed during these difficult times. He shot 22 episodes of his White House-based drama, which includes a replica of the White House itself on set.
His next shooting production will be the second season of BET+ show “Ruthless,” a drama focused on a cult, followed by BET+ relationship drama “Bruh” about college buds in their 30s.
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BET+, the aforementioned streaming service, just hit 1 million subscribers one month shy of its one-year anniversary, according to Deadline.com.
The service is a joint venture between Perry and BET.
Besides Perry’s “Bruh” and “Ruthless,” other original content on BET+ includes Atlanta producer Will Packer’s comedy “Bigger” and Tracy Oliver’s reboot of “First Wive’s Club,” both set for second seasons.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
