Janet Jackson grateful for Tyler Perry's support, new details emerge about Michael Jackson's death

Director and actor Tyler Perry, left, and actress Janet Jackson

appear on NBC's "Today" show to talk about their new movie

"Why Did I Get Married Too?", in New York, on Monday.

AP Photo/NBC, Peter Kramer

---

Related Articles

• Michael Jackson’s former doctor surrenders to authorities


• Michael Jackson, the world’s greatest performer dies at age 50

Film director and media mogul Tyler Perry and Janet Jackson appeared on the NBC morning show “Today” on Monday to promote their new movie, “Why Did I Get Married Too.” The movie was filming in Atlanta the day that Janet Jackson’s brother, The King of Pop Michael Jackson died. Janet Jackson recalled how supportive Perry was when her brother died and the days afterwards.

Janet Jackson told “Today” host Meredith Vieira,

The cast and crew were very supportive, especially Tyler. One of the first calls that I got was from Tyler. He was just so there for me in every way, so loving and so giving.

Jackson told People Magazine that Perry stopped production of the film to be there to support her. She gives Perry credit for helping her and her family through that difficult time.

In an interview with People Magazine, Perry said that working was probably the best thing for Janet Jackson. Perry said,

I think that a lot of times, people are not able to release. They don't have a way to let go. And that's the great thing about having a film like this, where she got to do all of these crazy things. And I think all of her emotion is in the film, I really do.

On the day that Michael Jackson died I was on the set filming scenes for “Why Did I Get Married Too”. I was one the many actors filming scenes near Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The scene included principles Tasha Smith, Sharon Leal and Michael Jai White with Tyler Perry directing. As I reported back in June, we were about 8-9 hours into a 12 hour shoot when news came that Michael Jackson had a heart attack and rushed to the hospital. More news began to trickle in through the various mobile devices from the cast and crew; word quickly spread throughout the set that Michael Jackson had been pronounced dead. People had their cell phones out getting confirmation while others were streaming newscasts on their laptops. When we learned of Michael Jackson’s death we were all stunned. The cast was actually in the middle of a short break while the crew changed camera positions. The mood on the set turned very somber as everyone took in the information. Our thoughts immediately turned to Jackson’s kids, his family and especially his sister Janet, who was a part of the film’s principle cast. When we returned to the set and started filming again, it was obvious that everyone was aware of what happened in California. Shooting resumed however the vibe on the set was toned down considerably. Everyone continued to work professionally until filming wrapped for the day.

Janet Jackson’s comments about the support she and her family received from Tyler Perry comes on the same day that the Associated Press reveals new details about death of Michael Jackson. The AP says it has obtained documents that allege Michael Jackson’s personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray stopped performing lifesaving CPR and delayed calling paramedics when Jackson lay dying in his home. In these documents two employees say the doctor stopped resuscitating Michael Jackson so he could dispose of evidence in the bedroom. The witnesses also report that two of Jackson’s children entered the room and began crying after seeing their father lifeless. Prosecutors have charged Dr. Murray in connection with Michael Jackson’s death. He is currently awaiting trial for manslaughter. Dr. Murray’s attorneys have called these reports “inconsistent”.

“Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too?” hits theaters on April 2.You can subscribe to get my postings delivered directly to your email by clicking on the link above. You can also follow me on Twitter: @sac_tv_examiner or on Facebook.

CBS turns The Lights Out On The Guiding Light

The longest running soap opera in televison and radio history was put on the chopping black last week by CBS. The Guiding Light started out as a 15 minute program on the radio 72 years ago. In the 60's it made the leap to television as a 30 minute live serial eventually going to an hour broadcast.

Rumors have been swarming for years that another popular soap would get the ax, many speculated that NBC’s Days Of Our Lives would be the next soap to fall. In the last 15 years NBC has nearly eliminated all of its daytime soap operas. In the 90's it did away with "Generations ", "Santa Barbara", "Another World" and the Aaron Spelling production "Sunset Beach". Days Of Our Lives is the only NBC soap still on the air. Daytime televison is currently feeling the economic pinch, it has been for years now. Shows are tightening it budgets just to remain on the air. Just last month Jess Walton walked off the "Young And The Restless" set over a proposed pay cut. "Y&R" is the number one soap on the air for 16 years running, If they are cutting salaries imagine what the other shows are doing to stay afloat.

At the end of the day, the soaps that are loved by many and have been a staple on televison as long as televison has been around, is just a business. And like any business it has to make money for it’s owners. Declining ratings over the years as viewers mostly housewives either lost interest after two writers strikes or moving into the workforce, has forced significant cuts in daytime programming. My fear is that the soaps will go the way of the radio serials, a thing of the past.

Soaps have always been apart of our pop culture. The theme song from the "Young And The Restless", is famous the world over. Susan Lucci is a celebrity because she’s a soap star. Many of today’s biggest celebs got their start in Daytime TV, "CSI: NY’s" Melina Kanakaredes, "Heros" Hayden Panettiere, movie stars Rachel Miner, Brittany Snow and Kevin Bacon all got their start on "The Guiding Light". It’s a shame that a show with such a rich history is coming to an end. Even though I understand the reasons CBS is pulling the plug, still I feel like the networks are not in touch with what the viewers want. They pull shows off the air, leaving the audience hanging. It took a massive letter writing campaign to convince CBS to bring "Jericho" back on air only to see it cancelled again. When NBC canceled "Passions" they tried to move it to Dish Network but it was just prolonging the inevitable. In the end the nets only care about dollar signs and not what the viewers really want. They wouldn’t hesitate pulling a show or changing its time slot in favor of something they think will attract the preferred demographic. If only we the viewer could launch an effective protest to get our point across, a couple of million dollars in lost revenue would get their attention.... wouldn’t that be something?