MACON, Ga. — From the Mercer Symphony Orchestra to The Macon Film Festival and the holiday favorite, "The Nutcracker," there are plenty of talented entertainers who take the stage at Macon's Grand Opera House.
Now, a new and different entertainment show is coming to the century-old theater, The Celebrity Comedy Series featuring Carl Payne. You may remember him from the hit TV show "Martin" where he played Cole Brown. He remembers Central Georgia for the food.
"I gained about 35 pounds in 2 days going through that area," says Payne.
Payne says his show is a comedy show, so you can expect to laugh but also expect to get a closer look at his life. You may realize you, and he have gone through similar experiences: the good, the bad, the ugly, even in Hollywood.
"It's an experience that you probably went through with your friends one night, and I went through the same thing just on another level," explains Payne.
The writer's strike is over, but the SAG-AFTRA strike continues. It's over actors not wanting to be replaced by AI, wanting pay increases from studios, and gaining more revenue from the profits studios receive. Payne hopes studios understand where other actors are coming from.
"It's a real thing, and I just hope it gets fixed," says Payne.
As times change and more profits come into play for entertainment with streaming coming into play, he adds his stance is strong with other actors wanting change.
"A lot of people didn't realize when we first went into syndication on "Martin" we weren't even getting DVD money, because when we signed those deals, DVDs weren't around.
Payne says even though the strike is happening, he's excited to go on tour and stop in Macon on November 4th.