Empire in the Media: Read It In Billboard

[SimoneS]

Taraji had a thoughtful conversation with Ellen Pompeo about the acting business and race/ethnicity in Hollywood for Variety. Taraji looks gorgeous also.

Edited June 6, 2019 by SimoneS

[mtlchick]

21 hours ago, AnswersWanted said:

I don't know who Lee thought he was fooling ending the last season as if there was any chance the heads at Fox were ever going to put Jussie back on screen again. 

He should have killed off Jamal and cleared the way to keep 3 Lyon brothers still on canvas, keeping Kingsley instead. 

To me that was just another dumb, shortsighted decision on his part. A waste of good talent for nothing. 

I have a feeling that Lee and Co. were hoping that by the time the show was in the process of being renewed that Jussie would have been cleared of the charges.  But given the circumstances as to the why and how and the slow unsealing of documents, it was too much of a gamble to keep him on.  It would be less about the show's final season and more about him. 

[jsbt]

An excerpt:

The reporting that’s emerged about the Jussie Smollett case suggests that he faked a racist, homophobic mugging in order to get paid more money on Empire. You initially publicly supported his story.The day of the supposed attack, Daniels posted an Instagram video, saying, “You didn’t deserve … to have a noose put around your neck, to have bleach thrown on you, to be called ‘die fucking n___’ or whatever they said to you.” Are you embarrassed?
I’m beyond embarrassed. I think that when it happened, I had a flash of me running from bullies. I had a flash of my whole life, of my childhood, my youth, getting beaten.

Knowing Jussie, would you have suspected this from him, or did this come out of the blue? 
Blue. Blue.

It’s got to feel like a huge betrayal. 
If it turned out that he did it, was guilty, and all of it’s accurate.

Wait, there’s really doubt in your mind that he didn’t make the whole thing up? 
Of course, there’s some doubt. I’m telling you that because I love him so much. That’s the torture that I’m in right now, because it’s literally if it were to happen to your son and your child, how would you feel? You would feel, Please, God, please let there be that glimmer of hope that there is some truth in this story. That’s why it’s been so painful. It was a flood of pain.

Did you read the Chicago Tribune’s coverage of it?
I didn’t read any of it. I was too busy putting out fires.

Because to me, the Tribune’s reporting didn’t leave much in the way of doubt about its being anything other than a hoax. What would the scenario look like of him telling the truth?
We weren’t there. I can’t judge him. That’s only for the fucking lady or man with that black robe and God. I had to detach myself and stop calling him, because it was taking away the time I have for my kids, the time I have for my partner. It was affecting my spirit and other shows, everything.

[...]

It was a little surprising to learn that Fox was ending Empire. Do you think the Jussie situation played a part in that decision?
Certainly, that played a major part. But come on, man. I think that it’s been a good run. Empire in its current iteration may be over, but Empire is far from over.

I don’t understand. Are you taking the show to another network or streamer? 
I don’t want to contradict the studio, so I have to say that it’s over.

That is so confusing. 
I’m sorry. Well, we’re trying something out, and if it works, then Empire is over and we have a great spinoff. And if it doesn’t, then Empire may not very well be over. But the intent is to have our last season with a great spinoff. I don’t know if that makes any sense at all. We’re in the writers’ room right now, discussing [Empire’s final] fantastic, bombastic season, which is going to shake you by your roots.

So are you plotting the death of a bunch of characters? 
My darling, do you think I would be stupid enough to share that with you?

The Root wrote that it was a “troubling trend” that Fox not only announced it was ending Empire but also canceled all its shows with black leads: Lethal Weapon, Rel, Proven Innocent, Star, and The Cool Kids.
Yes. It’s not just my show. Clearly, there’s obvious stuff going on.

Like a whitewashing of the network schedule? 
I think it’s very obvious. I was disturbed by it. But I don’t think Empire had anything to do with the whitewashing. Empire sort of lives in its own space at Fox, but I do question the agenda. Any fool could sure see where that’s going.

[Dee]

[thebigboot]

Bryshere Gray arrested

[Vixenstud]

What in the bluedilly hell is going on?!

Ya got Lucious scammin' with the taxes, Jamal lying and now this....Empire needs to be put to rest and STAT.

[Dee]

[thebigboot]

Special prosecutor assigned to Smollett case, may face charges

[Dee]

[thebigboot]

Smollett googles himself dozens of times following “attack.”

The info dump happening is not helping him

[Dee]

[wanderingstar]

Taraji P. Henson directs an episode of Empire this season

[mtlchick]

https://deadline.com/2020/04/empire-coronavirus-season-ends-earlly-series-finale-date-taraji-p-henson-fox-1202897276/
 

the show will end on episode 18 instead of 20.

[Angeleyes]

On 4/1/2020 at 5:56 AM, mtlchick said:

https://deadline.com/2020/04/empire-coronavirus-season-ends-earlly-series-finale-date-taraji-p-henson-fox-1202897276/
 

the show will end on episode 18 instead of 20.

It makes me wonder if we’ll get a satisfying ending. Will they be able to answer the questions about the car explosion alluded to in the the flash forwards earlier in the season or will that now just be dropped? 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Angeleyes

[Artsda]

 

[SuzieQ]

On 6/17/2019 at 10:10 AM, thebigboot said:

Bryshere Gray arrested

That's so awful!!  I remember seeing him on Ellen when the show first came out and he came across as the cutest sweetest kid.  So sad!

[Angeleyes]

I’m not sure how this would work. I’m pretty sure Luscious and her kids wouldn’t be part of this, otherwise it’s just a reboot of a show that just got canceled. Cookie is too close to her family to have a show where they wouldn’t be around. Plus, we all know she can’t stay away from Luscious for long unless they finally killed him off. I wish they would just give Taraji a new character and new material.  
 

Spin off for Cookie

[Babalu]

I love Taraji P. Henson, but I’m not watching any Cookie spin-offs until we get some explanation about what happened with Lucious and the gunshots and Cookie and the car explosion. I know ending the series early wasn’t their fault, and I know they probably won’t be able to film the original ending because of cost and other commitments, but I need closure! 

[milkyaqua]

Empire's Jussie Smollett Sentenced to Five Months in Jail for Hate Crime Hoax

Former Empire star Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to five months in jail after he was previously found guilty on five of six felony charges stemming from a false police report he filed in 2019.

Smollett was also sentenced to 30 months of felony probation and was fined $25,000. He’ll have to pay more than $120,000 in restitution as well.

“I believe that you did damage to real hate crimes — to hate crime victims,” Judge James Linn told Smollett before announcing his sentence.

After about a week of testimony at Smollett’s trial, which began Nov. 29, the case against him went to the jury on Dec. 9, for what would be nine total hours of deliberations.

[aussieinsydney]

Once again a 'famous' person escapes a jail sentence.

https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/jussie-smollett-released-county-jail-appeal-83496846

This piece of shit amirite?