I recently flew down to Atlanta (and was joined by some of my E! co-workers from Los Angeles), to Livestream the premiere of Tyler Perry's "Temptation." The film is about a woman who is bored in her marriage, so does the unthinkable: gives in to temptation and has an affair. It then explores the consequences of her actions. So, you would think a movie dealing with such a heavy subject matter would make for a somber premiere. It was anything but. The weather was beautiful, and Tyler Perry fans came out in full force. It seemed like half of Atlanta was there, waiting to catch a glimpse of the stars.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell, who has the lead role, looked ravishing in purple. I had viewers live tweeting questions (twitter plug: @aliciaquarles), and Jurnee was candid with her answers. She shares many scenes with Kim Kardashian, whose character is actually the comic relief in the movie. Kim and I spoke at length. She looked adorable with her baby bump and told me she now sympathizes with her mother and sister and understands how hard it is to carry a child.
Of course, when the man of the hour, Tyler Perry arrived, the fans went crazy.
Following the movie, the festivities continued at Tyler's home. He is a class act and greeted each of us individually at the door. Tyler's mansion is like nothing I have ever seen: tennis court, beautiful pool, in-door spa, yet, it still feels very comfortable. There are photos of him with family, cast members from his various productions and of course his best friend Oprah, spread throughout the many levels of his house.
The night really brightened up when I spotted Kanye West, but he made sure the attention wasn't on him. Kanye honored the fact that this was Kim's big night.
Speaking of night - mine was complete once I got to chat with my girl NeNe Leakes again (spoke with her on the red carpet as well). We were both wearing Etro dresses and toasted to life.
The overall experience was fabulous. Now I see why people call it Hot-lanta.