Reading THIS profile on his eminence Mr Tyler Perry done by Variety, celebrating the 7th season of his TV series House Of Payne, and also taking a look at his upcoming slate of films, all of which we've covered here on S&A.

A few things to note…

First, wow, 7 seasons of House Of Payne? I wasn't keeping track, but that's serious, especially in the current climate when networks are dropping shows like hot potatoes after 1 season (some times less) of less than hoped for audience ratings. So, kudos to Mr Perry I suppose, even though I don't at all care for the show. Obviously a lot of folks do for it to have lasted this long.

Second… even though it hasn't been formally announced yet, and despite the fact that Perry already has 3 films scheduled for release in 2012, he said he plans to release a new Madea film in 2012 as well! Great! I was just wondering when he'd drop another Madea joint. He's not yet sure what this Madea tale will involve however. So make that 4 Tyler Perry films to be released in 2012 – 3 he stars in (Good Deeds, I, Alex Cross, and whatever the Madea movie will be); 1 he's directing right now (The Marriage Counselor). Talk about overkill. If I were him, I'd give some thought to the possibility of overexposure. Then again, I'm not him.

Third, with regards to Good Deeds, Perry says that he actually wrote the script for it intending to cast someone else to star, stating, "I was trying to find someone else to play the role, but all of the actors I wanted were doing other movies, so I decided I had to do it myself."

Really? Somehow I find that hard to believe; specifically that he couldn't find another black male actor to take the lead role in this, given how often the lack of work for black actors is brought up and discussed. I'm now curious as to who these black actors were that we wanted for the lead role in this, and what other movies exactly they were too busy working on that they'd give up the opportunity to work and collect a frigging paycheck (probably a decent-sized one too). Unless he was going after Will Smith or Denzel Washington. Who else is THAT busy right now that they wouldn't have taken the job and the check? I know some folks may have an aversion to appearing in a Tyler Perry movie, but, come on, a job is a job, and a paycheck is a paycheck… especially when you're not exactly fielding offers left and right.

Fourth, Perry says that while shooting I, Alex Cross, he apparently had a lot of time between takes and shoot days that he, well, ended up writing scripts for 2 more movies during those down periods. 

"It was like a vacation, actually… I had so much down time on set that I ended up writing two movies," he said. And what are those 2 movies he penned? No word yet, but the Variety profile says that they are "in the early stages."

And lastly, as announced over the summer, Perry reiterated his plans to follow in his pal Oprah Winfrey's steps and start his own TV network, which will be backed by Lionsgate of course. To be called Tyler TV, no launch date has been set yet, but it's coming for sure. "I'm moving very carefully towards a network… I'm doing that deliberately because I want to make sure it's the right fit. There are millions of people who have supported me over the years who are longing for it," he said.

And he's probably right about that last part! Even though some of them recently expressed anger over his casting of Kim Kardashian in The Marriage Counselor, saying they'll boycott the movie (and possibly even him) if he doesn't cut her out of the film. He isn't. There's gold in them thar hills, and Tyler wants his share of it. Can you blame him? He can't be stuck doing Madea or adapting his stage plays forever, if he's to have any longevity in this business, and I'm sure he knows that well.

So, it'll be interesting to see how his loyal pious base reacts to this new-look Tyler Perry that's emerging and that will present itself starting in 2012, with leading man roles in 2 movies – one an action/thriller. Will they follow the leader? 

*Shrug*