WILL SMITH - PERRY GETS STAR TURNOUT FOR STUDIO OPENING

PERRY GETS STAR TURNOUT FOR STUDIO OPENING

WILL SMITH, SIDNEY POITIER, FOREST WHITAKER and WHITNEY HOUSTON gave the opening of movie mogul TYLER PERRY's new film studios in Atlanta, Georgia some star power on Saturday (05Oct08), when they joined him to unveil the new complex.
The Tyler Perry Studios is a multi-million dollar film and TV venture which features sound stages named after stars such as Quincy Jones, American Gangster actress Ruby Dee, and Poitier.
Guests at the opening also included Smith's wife Jada Pinkett Smith and chatshow queen Oprah Winfrey, with a performance by Mary J. Blige.
Perry had previously contemplated moving from Atlanta after locals complained about the noise and traffic at his old studio near the city's downtown area.
But he ultimately decided that he could never leave his "home", and he insists he bears no ill will towards his old neighbours.
He says, "Even though it was a studio there for 15 years, there was a lot of resistance in everything I was doing. I was thinking about leaving at one point, but this is home for me.
"I knew spiritually I was in the wrong place. You can never be upset with the people who forced you into your dream or up higher. They forced me out into a higher situation. It's worked out much better for me."