look deeper at perry's message, you see that these characters really are bait, as tyler says. remember, i started off as a huge critic of perry. he's using comedy to educate the masses. then you have to go further and realize that if you look at the country and we have 17% black unemployment and all these other things going on, tyler perry is in atlanta creating jobs, doing something that nobody else in black hollywood has been able to do. when we talk about victimhood, look at black hollywood, actors and actresses complaining they can't find jobs. tyler perry is creating jobs. >> tuore -- >> i want to point out drug dealers also create jobs. we're not giving them credit for creating jobs. >> you he's not a drug dealer, come on. >> but you can't argue, toure, with iz his success. he's had films open up number one and two. why the successes? >> mcdonald's sells a lot of hamburgers. does that make it good or good for you? >> no. ti tyler perry is serving a group who aren't served in hollywood. when he's serving them movies where they appear to be in situations that are naturalis

with its annual list of highest paid male entertainers and topping the list, movie and tv mogul tyler perrylast year to may of this year. other names in the top five, producer jerry bruckheimer, steven spielberg, elton john and simon cowell. he has a production company, he writes, he directs. >> people don't understand what they see in entertainment is done by tyler perry. it's crazy. >> he's smart in branding himself well. >> he does like the monday gram towels. >>> stay tuned. "way too early" starts right now. >>> president obama back on the road today rallying support for his jobs bill in north carolina. but he'll do it against the backdrop of some jaw dropping new numbers about poverty in this country. the question is, what will his plan do to reverse the trend that now has 15% of americans living below the

let's start with tyler perry. "forbes" naming him the top earning man in hollywood?that's right. i think for a lot of people, tyler perry is not the guy who would immediately come to mind when you think of hollywood's biggest earners. does make sense if you consider it. "forbes" listed the top ten highest paid men in hollywood. most make their money without stepping in front of the camera. according to "forbes," perry earned $130 million. that's from may, 2010, to may, 2011. that's from the movies he put out over the last two years and television series. leonardo dicaprio is the only man on the list who made his money primarily in front of the camera, earning $77 million from "shutter island" and "inception." also on the list, steven spielberg, elton john, and simon cowe cowell, raking in big buck. >> four, when you create "american idol," what else is there? "dancing with the stars" and nancy grace, that's what else is there. and reality -- you actually had a chance to talk to our determined attorney and host on hln. what do you think? is she ready for this? >> i th

with its annual list of highest paid male entertainers and topping the list, movie and tv mogul tyler perry who made a staggering $130 million from may last year to may of this year. other names in the top five, producer jerry bruckheimer, steven spielberg, elton john and simon cowell. dr. phil beat out howard stern as well as tiger woods. >> dr. phil's doing well. >> he certainly is. >> how many people would have predicted the number one? >> he has done oit all on his own. >> his mattress is full of money. >>> this comes to us from wcnc news channel 36 in charlotte, north carolina, where the weak economy is accomplishing what neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night could do for one mail carrier. over the past ten years tony has formed family-like ties with one community by going above and beyond, including helping children and stopping burglaries while delivering the mail. budget cuts are forcing him to be reassigned, so residents organized special good-byes to show him just how much he'll be missed. >>> i'm vinita nair and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on y

>>>ous, guess who is now topping "forbes'" list of highest paid men in entertainment -- tyler perry, largely because of his movie franchise, tv "meet the browns" and "house of payne" tops steven spielberg. tyler is doing very, very well. congratulations to him. >> uh-huh. elton john. tyler is doing very, very well. congratulations to him. >> uh-huh. im. >> uh-huh. i'm just a piece of dirt stuck here in a rut. ever since that ol' broom dumped me here. oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way? oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's new, thicker cloths get deep into ridges picking up more dirt, dust and hair than a broom to help leave your floor up to three times cleaner. you sure are a pick-me-up! [ male announcer ] swiffer gives cleaning a whole new meaning. >>> here are some stories to watch bc news. >>> here are some stories to watch on abc news. congressional oversight investigators look into the solyndra bankruptcy today, the california solar panel company that went broke after getting $500 million in government loans and support

tyler perry makes his home in atlanta. >>> contra costa county takes devisive action.t's being done to save jobs at fire stations is a story you will see only on two. >>> a breech in the levy. why they're tearing down a levee and letting it flood thousands of miles of land. >>> the coyotes had been moved into a vacant home. they have since given birth to a pair of pups. >> the goal was to just make sure that they weren't living here any longer not to destroy them. >> we're used to having coyotes back and forth. but because they gave birth they felt this is their home. >> the city will not trap the coyotes at this time. apparently they think the coyotes will move out on their ohm once crews show up to destroy the home. >>> we have a little bit of everything in the state of california. we have flash flood warnings down in southern california. severe thunderstorms showing up. a flash flood watch. you will see it going in green. that's near the lake. what's happening is these thunderstorms are very, very active. you can see them right here because many of us have been up h

. >> and forbes magazine says tyler perry is the highest paid man.thanks to his acting but writing and producing and directing. he made more money in a year, $130 million than steven spielberg. >> they are out with the list of the hot spots in the bay area. save the bay, guadalupe river in san jose littered with garbage from homeless encampments. one in san carlos and damon solution slough and baxter creek in richmond. they are urging people to reduce trash and turn up for the coastal cleanup day. >> a new study shows that rising sea levels could have an effect on the coastal infrastructure, homes and businesses. researchers say if something isn't done it could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. two winters ago, 40 feet of bluff disappeared during a storm. a sea rise will take the southern end of the beach by the end of 2100. >> the northern part of ocean beach will have fewer impacts but southern parts, we're talking about erosion going back to the great highway so there is no great highway. >> there is master plan in the works to addr

somebody else who happens to be watching, tyler perry, movie-maker, he tweet that had he thinks it'sque. >> it feels like rocky in a big way. i will admit, i got a little choked up at the end. >> you did? >> i did. i got a little verclamped. >> giving it an "a." very good. matt, thanks so much. always great to see you. >> thank you. >>> too little too late, in pennsylvania, receding floodwaters but many people still face danger. up next, a live look at the disaster. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. the healthcare law gives us powerful tools to fight it... to investigate it... ...prosecute it... and stop criminals. our senior medicare patrol volunteers... are teaching seniors across the country... ...to stop, spot, and report fraud. you can help. guard your medicare card. don't give out your card number over the phone. call to report any suspected fraud. we're cracking down on medicare fraud. let's make medicare stronger for all of us. >>> top stories, on the eve of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, new worries of a terror plot. police are visibly out in full force in n

. >>> and tyler perry has another title to add to the list of accomplishments, because the actor, writernd producer is now hollywood's highest paid star earning $530 million in a 12-month period. he is best known for playing madea in his blockbusters, and the list includes simon cowell and leo dicaprio. ♪ this may be the dream come true ♪ ♪ the single white female is looking for a man like ♪ >>> country music star shelly wright is not single anymore after marrying her long-time partner. and we will talk to her and how she is trying to campaign. [ female announcer ] so you think your kids are getting enough vegetables? maybe not. v8 v-fusion juice gives them a full serving of vegetables plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. [ male announcer ] get five dollars in money-saving coupons at v8juice.com. whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ >>> welcome back, everybody. we continue to follow the developing news out of iran. efforts ar

tyler perry is the highest-paid man in tinseltown. he made 130 million in the past year alone. on monday, 14 year- old kiley jenner made her fashion week debut. she walked the runway for the fashion line for averell levine. >> on wall street the dow has been wavering. >> by friday we are at 78 degrees. things warm up a little bit through the weekend. on monday we are back into the low 90s. >> thank you for joining us on this tuesday morning. we're back here live to our morning starting at 4:00 a.m.. >> i have school, i have after school activities... i'm super busy... with sports and school. we're a home school family, so the kids do their math and everything online. we also use the internet for doing book reports. they're not always doing research on the internet... they got their favorite youtube clips about kittens and things and... [ female announcer ] be ready for school. call at&t now to get the fastest internet for the price -- an amazing 14.95 a month for 12 months with a one-year price guarantee. plus access our entire national wi-fi hot spot network

tyler perry tops "forbes" annual list. perry made $130 million between may of 2010 and may of 2011.herspoon has been spotted in public for the first time since she was hit by a car last week. appearing at a party yesterday in los angeles. she has a black eye and also has a bandage on her forehead. she will not press charges against the 84-year-old driver who struck her in an unmarked crosswalk. >>> anderson cooper is so very busy these days that we needed to make another one of him. here he is unveiling his own madam tussaud on the new talk show. he was measured down to the tiniest white hair on his head. his wax figure will be on display starting today. >>> j. crew a fashion label with annual 10-figure sales and hundreds of stores nationwide and big plans to expand internationally. >> j. crew also has the presidential seal of approval. alina cho taking us behind the seams to visit with mickey drexler the company's highly unorthodox ceo. >> you remember michelle obama wearing j. crew. it was already hot. but j. crew, keep in mind, wasn't always so successful. it was back when we wer

that's how much tyler perry made last year making him the highest paid in hollywood.mp, line one. thanks, brian. when it comes to adventure, our next guest looks danger right smack dab in the eye! >> it's a great place to be and i love that place! >> amazing! >> oh, man. that's a clip from bear grylls' new adventure called the adrenalin lab and he joins us here on the curvy couch. good morning to you. >> nice to be here. >> how long have you been an adrenalin junkie? >> you know, i always loved this stuff as a kid growing up, adventure was a huge part of my life and still is and i've joined the military and my job there i suppose is pretty high octane and six seasons of "man vs. wild" being high octane as well. it's something i've learned to live with. i don't think i'm necessarily a junkie to it but i think adrenalin is something that's become part of my job. and i think sort of interviewing a lot of these extreme athletes for this adrenalin lab we did, you definitely see that trait running through them. they're used to living with adrenalin a lot of the times. not w

. >> if you're playing along, the answer to the question of the day, tyler perry.ations. well, our next guest has been making music for four decades and now he's finally coming forward to reveal something very personal about his own health. >> from the copa cabana to the curvy couch. >> look at that. he's doing a little dance on the couch right now. the man behind the music, barry manilow, the legend and live here. >> how are you? >> good. >> thank you for inviting me. >> and barry, while you were up there dancing we were looking at your c.d. "15 minutes" and came out late august. meaning? >> it came from the andy warhol quote, everybody is famous for 15 minutes. i thought i'd write about fame. what fame does to people, it's a real rough thing especially if you're young. we see it on all the new reality shows, young people becoming household names overnight and they usually wind up on tmz a couple of weeks later doing something silly. >> are you saying they don't pay their due? >> they don't pay their dues. i did "american idol" three times and they've all got some