Empire in the Media: Read It In Billboard

[Meedis]

28 minutes ago, iwasish said:

Hire his brother, the one he tried to pass himself off as for the dui, and bring him in to replace him. Either as a long list brother or the same character after having a “terrible, disfiguring accident”. 

I do feel bad for  his family, they are in the business and will be tainted. They supported him early on  but have been kind of quiet in the last week.

At the end of the day any good family would support a member in need.   But yeah I was thinking about Jurnee especially and how she would be affected by it in the short and long term.      Good idea on hiring the brother that Jussie attempted to pass himself off as.

To Jussee...in the late Redd Foxx's voice..."You Big Dummy!"

[Dee]

Jake has a full career as a chef.

[thebigboot]

“Text messages between Smollett and brothers Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo that detailed how the 45-second attack was to be allegedly orchestrated were read in court.

“Smollett texted Abel stating, ‘Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?’ ” according to the bond proffer from prosecutors obtained by multiple news outlets. “Smollett then stated that he wanted to stage an attack where Abel would appear to batter him. Smollett also suggested that Ola assist him with the attack.”

Not bad for a man who went on national television to say he respected hate crime victims too much to lie about this. No wonder he turned over a heavily redacted record.

Edited February 21, 2019 by thebigboot

[SimoneS]

According to the prosecutor, Jussie gave the brothers a back dated check for $3,500 and he also occasionally bought designer drugs like Molly from one of the brothers.

[mtlchick]

Meanwhile his episode of Drop The Mic was pulled.  His opponent is not pleased. (Yes this is true.)

[Dee]

Clay wasn't Jussie's opponent on Drop The Mic.

That would be Danielle Brooks (of The Color Purple & Orange Is The New Black fame).

Clay's opponent was Ian Ziering (of Beverly Hills 902010 fame).

[thebigboot]

22 minutes ago, Dee said:

Clay wasn't Jussie's opponent on Drop The Mic.

That would be Danielle Brooks (of The Color Purple & Orange Is The New Black fame).

Clay's opponent was Ian Ziering (of Beverly Hills 902010 fame).

They’re all still on that episode, which was still shelved. I read the tweet and what Clay Aiken said and I have no idea where you could get they said he was Clay’s opponent. This was simply Clay being upset because his episode was shelved because of Jussie’s idiocy.

[RealReality10]

6 hours ago, Apprentice79 said:

I agree with you but, OJ was a very complex issue at the time for the Black Community as it was going on.. Police brutality was at a high and we were just dealt a blow when the all white Jury let go of the police officers who were on tape beating Rodney King like a runaway slave.  So for a lot of Black people, OJ was a Black man that the system could not railroad like so many Black men before him. 

True, but we held onto him for a minute after that verdict.  Having him invited into black churches and wearing a kinte cloth.  I mean, I totally agree that he was more of a symbol than anything else, but sometimes we just gotta maybe not be as loyal.

[RealReality10]

6 hours ago, Dee said:

I could understand if his tour was lagging or he was worried about being fired, but he's as secure as anyone on Empire and his tour has been performing decently relative to its scale. And over the years, he's amassed an enviable collection of high profile friends, fans & admirers from all walks of life.

To risk all that doesn't make sense.

It doesn't make any sense, but I think there are some people who don't think about the risk, only the reward.

In this case, I think his objective, as someone else said was to raise his status.  Especially in the activist community.  He has been pretty public with his distaste for the current administration.  If he could be an openly gay black actor on a popular show who could directly link trump supporters to a hate crime against him, his profile, particularly politically would rise.

Could that additional name recognition and activism and increased popularity lead to more opportunities and a bigger check?  Probably.  He would go from being an actor on a popular TV show to something much bigger. 

[Artsda]

[iwasish]

8 hours ago, Tikichick said:

The brothers were part of a conspiracy to deceive the authorities and the public.  They participated in the charade and knowingly allowed a false report to be made to the authorities without addressing it immediately.

What happens with the letter portion of this mess may prove very interesting in regards to the brothers based upon evidence that was reportedly seized from their residence which may have well been used to create that letter. 

Considering the initial information about being on the phone with his manager at the time of the attack and the fact the police no doubt would have interviewed his manager in the investigation, the manager is quite likely to have stepped into some hot water depending on the accuracy of information provided to the police. 

The brothers did was what he asked them to do. Stupid yes. Criminal not so sure. They didn’t make any calls to the police, and once they returned to the states and were questioned, and after speaking to their attorney, they told their story. They aren’t out on the talk show circuit (yet) and if they do my opinion of them will change. I think Smollett set his manager up to be an ear witness, I doubt he was involved, just used. 

[iwasish]

3 hours ago, RealReality10 said:

It doesn't make any sense, but I think there are some people who don't think about the risk, only the reward.

In this case, I think his objective, as someone else said was to raise his status.  Especially in the activist community.  He has been pretty public with his distaste for the current administration.  If he could be an openly gay black actor on a popular show who could directly link trump supporters to a hate crime against him, his profile, particularly politically would rise.

Could that additional name recognition and activism and increased popularity lead to more opportunities and a bigger check?  Probably.  He would go from being an actor on a popular TV show to something much bigger. 

I did hear today that ratings on the show are way down from the first couple seasons. Maybe he thought he could renew interest in the show and get rewarded with a big fat raise and lots of publicity as an activist. 

[Dee]

Ratings are quite stable. Impressively so, in the Peak TV era.

It says a lot that Jussie's being allowed to finish out the season.

Given how important his character is, and how much of a fixture he has been in terms of promotion and philanthropy, the producers are really gonna have a difficult decision ahead of them once Season 5 wraps.

[Margohill]

39 minutes ago, Dee said:

Ratings are quite stable. Impressively so, in the Peak TV era.

It says a lot that Jussie's being allowed to finish out the season.

Given how important his character is, and how much of a fixture he has been in terms of promotion and philanthropy, the producers are really gonna have a difficult decision ahead of them once Season 5 wraps.

Well, I think it is presumptuous of you to assume the producer will have a difficult decision when the season wraps. Let's wait and see how things go in terms of ratings. Many have been turned off and will stop watching. As someone said above, the ratings may go up at the beginning due to morbid curiosity but what happens after that is anyone's guess.

JS has been a huge disappointment to many. What he has done will impact the lives of many innocent victims. I will not bank on any of those friends and fans holding on. This has been a huge disgrace and embarrassment. I will not wish to be his close friend or family at this time. SHAMEFUL AND DISGUSTING BEHAVIOR.

[RealReality10]

I don't particularly think empire ratings will see a substantial bump...however, JSs next interview, the one where he explains why or at least answers the hard questions will be a ratings bonanza.  

I know I'll be watching it, mostly out of morbid curiosity and a little real curiosity.

I cannot imagine a journalist who won't want that interview.  He will have his pick, Oprah, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Anderson Cooper, hell is Larry king still alive?

[SimoneS]

Empire isn't going any where. Even with the ratings decline, it is still FOX's highest rated tv show. I don't anticipate Empire's ratings being impacted either way by this mess. However, I think that Jamal's story will reduced for the rest of this season and the character will be written out by next season. 

[mtlchick]

He's officially out for the final 2 episodes of the season. 

https://deadline.com/2019/02/jussie-smollett-dropped-empire-season-producers-fox-arrest-1202562657/

[SimoneS]

As expected. I can't imagine the amount of tension on the set as the cast and crew try to be professional while ignoring the elephant in the room. They must be relieved to get a break from the drama.

I only imagine how tough this must be for Lee Daniels. Not only did he give Jussie this huge break that made his career by casting him as Jamal, but Daniels gave Jamal, his traumatic real life story of his father putting in the trash for wearing his  mother's clothes as a child. Daniels and the cast rallied around Jussie when he decided to come out after Jamal came out on the show. And this is what they all get back.

Edited February 22, 2019 by SimoneS

[Was-MArsenault]

25 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

He's officially out for the final 2 episodes of the season. 

https://deadline.com/2019/02/jussie-smollett-dropped-empire-season-producers-fox-arrest-1202562657/

I knew this would end up happening.

[RealReality10]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/pagesix.com/2019/02/21/jussie-smolletts-lawyers-say-he-was-betrayed-by-the-legal-system/amp/

Well, I guess the best defense is a good offense.  I guess he really has no other choice but it's about to get even uglier.

[Tikichick]

On 2/21/2019 at 10:46 AM, Enero said:

I just assumed the brothers were released because did they really commit a crime if it was staged? I could see if witnesses saw the "attack" or even if it was caught on camera. But the way it looks, Jussie is the only one who committed a crime here by falsely reporting the incident happened. So again, not surprised the brothers were released.  

11 hours ago, iwasish said:

The brothers did was what he asked them to do. Stupid yes. Criminal not so sure. They didn’t make any calls to the police, and once they returned to the states and were questioned, and after speaking to their attorney, they told their story. They aren’t out on the talk show circuit (yet) and if they do my opinion of them will change. I think Smollett set his manager up to be an ear witness, I doubt he was involved, just used. 

The brothers knowingly participated in staging an attack that was to be used to fraudulently convince the authorities and the public that it was real.  They weren't helping an actor put on a show for some kind of audition reel or helping him rehearse or prep for a role.  Absent cooperating with the police and obtaining an offer of immunity, yes, they faced legal liability for their part in this farce.

[Dee]

Bad luck for Jussie, might mean good luck for Mario.

It'll be interesting to see how the show handles things for its inevitable Season 6 renewal.

[RealReality10]

1 hour ago, Tikichick said:

The brothers knowingly participated in staging an attack that was to be used to fraudulently convince the authorities and the public that it was real.  They weren't helping an actor put on a show for some kind of audition reel or helping him rehearse or prep for a role.  Absent cooperating with the police and obtaining an offer of immunity, yes, they faced legal liability for their part in this farce.

That's interesting, I mean they didn't really commit an assault or battery if JS was in on it.  I guess they could be conspirators to the filing of a false police report, but I think they would have had to have known or have been expected to know that was going to happen.  

And did they know that, I don't know.  They could have only known or been expected to know that js was going to lie to the public to gain sympathy.  Not that he was going to officially file a report to involve the police.

[Rina99]

2 hours ago, mtlchick said:

He's officially out for the final 2 episodes of the season. 

https://deadline.com/2019/02/jussie-smollett-dropped-empire-season-producers-fox-arrest-1202562657/

I wonder how long he's going to be able to keep paying what are likely substantial legal fees for this mess.

[Tikichick]

14 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

That's interesting, I mean they didn't really commit an assault or battery if JS was in on it.  I guess they could be conspirators to the filing of a false police report, but I think they would have had to have known or have been expected to know that was going to happen.  

And did they know that, I don't know.  They could have only known or been expected to know that js was going to lie to the public to gain sympathy.  Not that he was going to officially file a report to involve the police.

There are photos of them both buying the ski masks and evidence they wore them during the charade.  It's kind of impossible to look at the totality of the situation and come up with the conclusion they believed they were going to act this out, he was going to somehow tell the public this happened to him and the police were going to cover their eyes and ears, pretend they don't know about it and never bother to inquire? 

I just can't come up with any plausible reason anyone could possibly agree to participate knowing it was for attention and assume it would simply end with attention and no attempt to prosecute those responsible.

Edited February 22, 2019 by Tikichick

[VCRTracking]

[wanderingstar]

3 hours ago, MikaelaArsenault said:

I knew this would end up happening.

I have to admit - I'm curious as to how this will manifest on screen. Jamal was involved in a pretty central storyline this season. 

[RealReality10]

2 hours ago, Tikichick said:

There are photos of them both buying the ski masks and evidence they wore them during the charade.  It's kind of impossible to look at the totality of the situation and come up with the conclusion they believed they were going to act this out, he was going to somehow tell the public this happened to him and the police were going to cover their eyes and ears, pretend they don't know about it and never bother to inquire? 

I just can't come up with any plausible reason anyone could possibly agree to participate knowing it was for attention and assume it would simply end with attention and no attempt to prosecute those responsible.

I wouldn't expect anyone to think the police would cover their eyes and ears.  But I don't think the police can compel a victim to file a police report (which is what the charge against JS flows from)

So it seems possible to argue that you maybe thought he was going to dupe the public, but you really didn't know or should have been expected to know that he would file a false police report.

It seems like JS thought that the "beating" would be captured on video ( but the camera was pointed in the wrong direction) and then he may not have been compelled to file a report since the video of him getting beaten would have spoken for itself.  I think the case could have always been investigated even if he didn't file a report....so he may not have really planned to.

Now that I think of it, I don't even know if lying to the police is a crime per se.  Like if you didn't really commit a crime, but you lied about knowing about it, I suppose that could charged with obstruction or conspiracy after the act.  But if the police, without a police report had decided to investigate the "beating" and with only the video of the "beating" would anyone be liable?  When you talk to an officer I don't think you're under oath, especially if you're a victim.

I don't think lying to the police is ever a good idea but I think the question of the brothers potential culpability is an interesting one.

[SimoneS]

I thought the under appreciated Trevor Noah did a great job nailing Jussie.

[Dee]

2 hours ago, Gillian Rosh said:

I have to admit - I'm curious as to how this will manifest on screen. Jamal was involved in a pretty central storyline this season. 

They'll probably send him & Kai off to London (on honeymoon) in third to last episode.

[Artsda]

Good for Fox for writing him out. They can easily write him off leaving for Europe or on assignment with his fiancee travelling an he's done. I wonder if the new Lyon son was brought in this season because they were thinking already of future loss of a main son?

I don't even understand how Jussie couldn't have not realized he wouldn't be caught. He didn't think a high profile case the cops wouldn't be all over for the truth? 

[SimoneS]

3 hours ago, Artsda said:

 I wonder if the new Lyon son was brought in this season because they were thinking already of future loss of a main son?

No. Lucious' son with this other woman was just foil. He was obviously going to be killed of by the end of the season. Fans of the show know that it show never intended to kill of any of the three Lyon sons even though it teased that Andre might die. It was never going to kill Jamal (Jussie's character). He is/was the anchor the family; the most compassionate of the three sons, yet capable of being as ruthless as their father. Losing Jamal changes the Lyon family dynamic and not in a good way. I don't know what it will do it, but the show will have to figure out how to adjust to not having Jamal in the midst of the Lyon family drama. 

Edited February 23, 2019 by SimoneS

[Dee]

Empire Mulling Jamal Recast in Wake of Jussie Smollett Season 5 Ouster

Quote

Jussie Smollett‘s potentially permanent Empire ouster may not mark the end of the road for his character, Jamal Lyon. TVLine has learned that among the options producers are considering is bringing in a new actor to take over the role in Season 6. Per an Empire insider, series co-creator Lee Daniels — who loosely based Jamal on himself — is said to be a strong proponent of the recast option.

[SimoneS]

I hadn't considered that Lee Daniels would want to recast Jamal, but it makes sense. So much of the character is based on Daniels' real life experiences that he doesn't want lose Jamal just because Jussie fucked up. Hopefully, they will find the right actor to take over the role. That person better be ready for the spotlight because it will burn bright.

Edited February 23, 2019 by SimoneS

[jsbt]

Bye.

[RealReality10]

1 hour ago, SimoneS said:

I hadn't considered that Lee Daniels would want to recast Jamal, but it makes sense. So much of the character is based on Daniels' real life experiences that he doesn't want lose Jamal just because Jussie fucked up. Hopefully, they will find the right actor to take over the role. That person better be ready for the spotlight because it will burn bright.

I haven't watched this show in a minute, but do you think a direct recast wouldn't make you think of JS?  I'm curious. 

I totally understand Lee Daniels motivation for wanting to keep the character, but might it not be possible to just send jussie off on a vacation and have a new character written on the show to display certain character traits?

I mean getting a new Darren worked for Bewitched so I guess there is a precedent.

[SimoneS]

55 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

I haven't watched this show in a minute, but do you think a direct recast wouldn't make you think of JS?  I'm curious. 

Over the years, I have watched many primetime soaps that recast main characters. Some worked, some didn't. You never forget the original actor, but you adjust. Daniels just needs to find the right actor and that will be difficult.

Edited February 23, 2019 by SimoneS

[Black Knight]

It makes sense to recast. Of course I grew up watching daytime soaps, where recasts were and remain common, with only a few roles ever really being deemed unrecastable. (And some of those are actually instances where they were recast once or twice and one of those recasts was then declared unrecastable!)

Game of Thrones has recast, too - most notably they made a mistake with the original casting for the Daario role and the next season brought Michiel Huisman in to take over the part from the Fabio dude they'd previously cast.

[RealReality10]

3 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

Over the years, I have watched many primetime soaps that recast main characters. Some worked, some didn't. You never forget the original actor, but you adjust. Daniels just needs to find the right actor and that will be difficult.

That makes sense.  I'm sure there is someone out there who fits the bill

[jsbt]

Daytime is one thing, primetime is another. I frankly feel the character is sadly so identified with Jussie that it can't work this late in the game. If this was Season 2 or 3, maybe. But if Daniels intends for this show to do a Dallas/Dynasty/Grey's-length run of 10-15 seasons then I guess there's a good motive to recast Jamal. He's an incredibly central character and if the show isn't winding down then they have reason.

In any event I'll be glad to see him gone. Talk about squandering and staining a groundbreaking character and status as a minor queer TV icon. I was surprised to hear Daniels is immediately advocating for him to be recast. I thought he in particular might cling to supporting Jussie, though I definitely never thought JS would last beyond this season regardless of that. He must be pissed.

Edited February 23, 2019 by jsbt

[RealReality10]

22 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

https://pagesix.com/2019/02/22/jussie-smollett-claims-he-has-an-untreated-drug-problem/amp/

I don't know how to clear my editor, but I'm going to drop this off here...any thoughts?

[Apprentice79]

29 minutes ago, RealReality10 said:

https://pagesix.com/2019/02/22/jussie-smollett-claims-he-has-an-untreated-drug-problem/amp/

I don't know how to clear my editor, but I'm going to drop this off here...any thoughts?

Whatever! So, I guess this will be the excuse that he will use for his plea deal.  The fact that he gave the brothers $3500 dollars with the promise of $500 for the job lets me know he was of sound mind.    He faked a hate crime, using symbols like the noose, racial and homophobic slurs and used MAGA, knowing all of this would illicit a visceral response from the public.  It is not like he was a crack head in the streets who resorted to crime in desperation for a fix.  Jussie is very manipulative...It is sad to see a Black man go down like this in disgrace. This has to be the worst Black history month..

Edited February 23, 2019 by Apprentice79

[jsbt]

Jussie Smollett betrayed the trust of his "Empire" coworkers and damaged the show's image, and now several cast members want him written off immediately ... according to our sources.

We're told many of the "Empire" actors are "f**king furious" and feel if FOX honchos don't fire Jussie, he should quit on his own ... because he doesn't deserve a spot on the hit show.

The feelings of animosity stem from the fact everyone on set had Jussie's back after the "attack," but in light of the new evidence police have laid out ... many of them feel hurt and embarrassed.

We're told almost everyone on set is worried about how Smollett's damaged the show's reputation ... and could continue to do so if he remains part of the cast.

Now, our sources say there are still some cast and crew members who believe Jussie's telling the truth because they can't fathom him pulling off a hoax like this. We're told arguments have erupted over how best to handle the situation.

It seems Smollett is well aware of the dissension on set. TMZ broke the story ... Jussie showed up on set Thursday after the madness outside the court and apologized to everyone, but insisted he's innocent.

We're told he's changed his number because certain pissed off cast members were blowing up his phone. He's only given his new number to the people still in his corner.

[Dee]

In the Jussie Smollett case, we don’t know what’s true, but we know what’s real

Quote

“It took for the Jussie Smollett situation to occur for people to finally start to listen to black queer people who have been saying forever these are things that happen in our communities,” says George M. Johnson, a Brooklyn, New York-based writer and LGBTQ activist.

“I want people to stop living in this vacuum of the issue. And I also want people to stop acting like, should the Jussie Smollett situation turn out that it’s a scheme or a hoax, oh, that sets us back 50 years. That doesn’t set us back at all. People weren’t believing us before this anyway, right?”

This community has yet to have its own #MeToo revolution.

A study by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, which advocates for LGBTQ communities, found a “crisis of fatal violence against LGBTQ and HIV-affected communities” and that people of color are disproportionately victimized. For instance, of the 36 “hate violence-related homicides” of LGBTQ and HIV-affected people that the organization documented in 2017, 75 percent of the victims were people of color.

That violence represents a particular type of walking around vulnerability for black LGBTQ people, who are not simply navigating the myriad oppressions of white society. “I live in Flatbush, Brooklyn,” Johnson said. “A lot of times, I don’t run into the issues with white people over my race as much as I may run into the issues of black people over my sexuality and my expression of that.”

That’s the problem with making celebrities symbols of grassroots problems. “They’re just a part of our community and basically it’s the same thing that happens to us daily can also happen to them,” Johnson says. “But that doesn’t make them the face of the truth.”

[thebigboot]

1 hour ago, Dee said:

In the Jussie Smollett case, we don’t know what’s true, but we know what’s real

We know prosecutors have texts of him setting this up, we know that his timeline made absolutely no sense, we know he kept changing his story, we know that unlike the Jews of NYC none of the assault was captured on camera. I know you want to defend him and his actions but there’s literally nothing to defend. He lied to police again, he attempted to incite people against Trump supporters with absolutely nothing to back it up. How is it in the most surveyed part of Chicago there is not one piece of footage to back his story up? Why did he refuse to sit for the police when they wanted to ask him some more questions? He did this to himself and he did the LGBTQIA community a diservice, anything that happens now to him is deserved.

[Margohill]

10 hours ago, SimoneS said:

Over the years, I have watched many primetime soaps that recast main characters. Some worked, some didn't. You never forget the original actor, but you adjust. Daniels just needs to find the right actor and that will be difficult.

There's nothing difficult in recasting an actor who has caused this much national scandal and disgrace. Him being gone is far better than staying on the show. It will be a big relief seeing someone else in his role because right now the sight of him is off-putting. A good actor cast in his place will do just as good a job minus the negative cloud. Yes he will be missed but unfortunately he will be thought of as the actor who fabricated a hoax and disgraced his friends, family, show and cast members so the thought of him will in a negative light. SHAMEFUL

[SimoneS]

1 hour ago, Margohill said:

There's nothing difficult in recasting an actor who has caused this much national scandal and disgrace. 

Uh? You either missed the point of my comment or you misunderstood. I specifically wrote that I thought a recast was feasible, but "Daniels just needs to find the right actor and that will be difficult." It will be difficult to find a talented actor who can sing and perform and have chemistry with the other actors to cast as Jamal, but is possible.

Edited February 23, 2019 by SimoneS

[RealReality10]

2 hours ago, thebigboot said:

We know prosecutors have texts of him setting this up, we know that his timeline made absolutely no sense, we know he kept changing his story, we know that unlike the Jews of NYC none of the assault was captured on camera. I know you want to defend him and his actions but there’s literally nothing to defend. He lied to police again, he attempted to incite people against Trump supporters with absolutely nothing to back it up. How is it in the most surveyed part of Chicago there is not one piece of footage to back his story up? Why did he refuse to sit for the police when they wanted to ask him some more questions? He did this to himself and he did the LGBTQIA community a diservice, anything that happens now to him is deserved.

I think the most fascinating thing now is to watch JSs team publicly float various ideas to see what might work 

They have said they will mount a rigourous defense and that he definitely didn't lie.  But then what is the plan there since the brothers admitted they did this?  Is js's team going to argue that the brothers attacked him out of anger or spite and then said js was in on it once they got caught? Are they going to argue that the brothers confession was somehow coerced by Chicago PD?  It could all get so messy and ugly.

Then the stories floating around that js has an untreated drug problem and that might somehow explain things or make him sympathetic.  Is that going to be part of his legal plan, that his drug problem had something to do with this or that it should be a factor in sentencing?

[jsbt]

The drug thing is clearly their first feeler for a deal. It's so predictable and pathetic.

[Artsda]

Recast is interesting idea, they can easily do a soap move and have him be hurt in an accident and return with a new face. 

It's just all such a shame. I'm still mind boggled at his reasonings for doing this. He had a role of rich, famous, black, gay character that was breaking barriers in his family dealing with Lucious to coming out and he threw it all away for what? I guess we'll never know since he'll blame the drugs now.