Diana Ross Ignoring Tyler Perry's Calls...

Tyler Perry’s movies have been hits at the box office for the past several years, but apparently they have not been a hit with one of Tyler’s childhood idols, Diana Ross.

Tyler would love to work on a film project with Ms. Ross, but she seems to be ducking his phone calls.

“She’s been ignoring me for years,” Tyler told Essence in an interview. “She’s the only person that I have dreamed of working with that will not return my phone calls.”

Diana did speak with Tyler once, but the outcome wasn’t what he hoped for. “That was it, she never called me again,” he said. “She said, 'No!' And that was it.” Diana won’t work with Tyler because his work is too lowbrow, according to insiders.

“Diana feels Tyler’s movies, TV shows and especially his main character ‘Madea’ have no substance,” an insider told The National Enquirer.

“Diana is all about her entertainment legacy,” the insider said. “The last thing she wants is to co-star in a cheesy comedy starring a Black man in a fat suit playing a half-cocked, angry old woman waving a gun.”

Of course, Tyler is no stranger to criticism. The filmmaker told S2S Publisher Jamie Foster Brown, in the March 2012 issue, that defending himself against his African-American detractors has been difficult.

"I can tell you this, Jamie: If Black people knew how hard I had to fight to get anything done, I promise you that they would all be giving me an award rather than giving me hell," he said.

Upon hearing the rumor that Diana refused to work with Tyler, Jamie said, "That's a shame. His films have great morals to the story. He teaches.”