Tyler Perry - as prophet?

Tyler Perry, playwrite, director, actor and author is, IMHO, one of the funniest and most talented men in the business. He has a slew of movies he's written
but I prefer, the filmed stage plays. The reality of theatre is you never know what will happen during a play - which is just like life. You just never know what will come at you.

So I was watching, MADEA GOES TO JAIL (Perry plays Madea, a hilarious pot-smoking, gun toting grandmother with a whacked sense of humor and a very strong sense of family - in all of Perry's work there is a deep gospel element) and I was contemplating my bellybutton...sorry, wrong dream.

I was thinking about friendships. Lately it seems that a few of my friends have done lost their minds and I was debating one of life's most difficult lessons, at what point do you cut off a potentially explosive relationship?

I'd put MADEA GOES TO JAIL in the DVD player and was lauging myself silly - Perry is brilliant, did I mention that? There is actually a part in the play where Madea talks about relationships and she made the statement, 'There are three kinds of friends, leaves, branches and roots.' Leaves are the ones that toss in the wind and come and go like bad weather. They're the ones that you'd go out and party with but they'd leave you stranded if they found a better proposition.

Yeah, we all know those.

Branches are the friends who are weak and they bend in the breeze. They want to help but every time they let you down when you need them. They are usually self-centered and they lack a spine when the chips are down.

Then come the roots. These are the ones that are in it for the Long Haul. They grow deep and they hold you up when you need it, strap you down when you act out, and they hang tight no matter what the circumstance. Everyone needs at least one root in their life.

Most of my friends are branches and leaves - but I have some roots, at least eight come to mind. Debbie, Cheyenne, Carol, Lorraine, Libby, Kat, Tim and my dearest Dano. How I love them all - they've kept me sane and smacked me in the butt when I needed it and cheered me on when I didn't. They've been there for the good and the bad - that's what a root is all about.

So tell me about your roots.

Thirteen People I'd Like To Meet...

Dead or alive, of course. There are hundreds of people I'd love to meet, unfortunately most of them are dead. Sometimes it just works out that way I guess. 1. Dorothy Parker - Any woman who had her tombstone inscribed with "Pardon my Dust" is someone I want to meet. She was one of the wittiest writers of her day and the best part is this woman was no pushover. If she was pissed off, she wasn't afraid to show it. Considering she worked in the journalism world between 1920 - 1940-ish, that is quite the requirement. 2. Muhammed Ali - Nothing more needs to be said about this man. 3. Queen Elizabeth - Just what does she carry in that purse? Does she have a driver's license? Credit cards? 4. Edgar Alan Poe - When I was 10 or 11, I had his poem 'The Raven' memorized along with others such as Annabel Lee. It is any wonder I grew up to write paranormal books? 5. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Possibly the greatest composer or all time, in my opinion at least. The man was both brilliant and tormented. 6. James Thurber - One of the greatest writers and cartoonists that ever lived. He was a contemporary of Dorothy Parker and a member of the Algonquin Round Table - a truly 'romantic' time for writers. 7. Edward Degas - Amazing artist. I'm not into the ballerinas he did. I love L'absinthe - he took a simple scene and put so much feeling and pathos into it I'm just amazed every time I see it. I am also a painter and I would love to see how he did what he did. 8. Benjamin Franklin - This man was brilliant and instrumental in crafting the USA into what it is today. Wouldn't it be cool to hoist a brandy with him? 9. Stephen King - I mean...it's Stephen King for crying out loud. What writer wouldn't want to hang with him for a few hours? 10. Walter Cronkite - I would just sit and let him talk about all the things he's seen over his life and career. 11. The Mercury Seven - the original seven astronauts - what amazing stories they'd have to tell. I've always been fascinated by the astronauts since I was in Houston and had the chance to go to Mission Control - it was amazing. 12. Andrew Lloyd Webber - one of the greatest playwrites of all time. 13. Broken Lizard - so what is broken lizard? They are the guys who wrote, produced and starred in SUPER TROOPERS, BEERFEST and another movie I can't name. It's not that I think their movies are great (though they are funny in parts) but these guys had a dream, got together and maxed their credit cards to make the first movie then crossed their fingers that someone would pick it up. Someone did and voila - they are now 'stars'. I absolutely love the wholw concept of people giving up everything and just GOING for it! So - who would you want to meet? Links to other Thursday Thirteens! http://creativegoddesses.blogspot.com/ http://carolanivey.blogspot.com http://www.daisydexterdobbs.com http://ciarcullen.blogspot.com/

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