Empire was once a show that was campy, ridiculous and perfect in its own right, with only the slightest hint that its creators had achieved this trifecta on purpose. Season 1 played out like a toddler struggling to balance itself, and now the baby has realized its place in the world and it’s walking upright. The show…
The second half of Empire’s second season has already featured an endless series of ludicrous events, including baby boss Hakeem Lyon becoming CEO of Empire Records, a murder/suicide, and now an unexpected proposal.
Despite becoming a cultural phenomenon at home, shows like Empire aren’t attracting the same number of viewers abroad, leading some to believe that the world just isn’t ready for African American stories outside of America. But it’s not that simple: the business of television is changing.
Empire creator Lee Daniels has requested to have Sean Penn’s $10 million defamation lawsuit against him dismissed, calling it “bogus.”
Effie Brown, the independent producer who endured Matt Damon’s rich explanation of diversity on Project Greenlight last fall, has reportedly found a home with Lee Daniels’ production company. Brown, who helped produced 2014's Dear White People, will serve as the outfit’s executive VP of production and development.
For several years now, we have been in the throes of an era critics like to refer to as a “TV renaissance.” This ostensibly means that since the success of The Sopranos and The Wire, writers, directors and producers have been challenging themselves to make better, more literary and long-lasting series, built upon…
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has a history of choosing Golden Globe nominees for reasons as simple as, “Uh, we’ve heard of it?” but this year’s lineup is filled with some delightful surprises that will probably make the ceremony the most entertaining of the year—despite Ricky Gervais.
Queen Latifah is now attached as a lead in Lee Daniels’ untitled series about the Atlanta music industry that we’ll all be watching together.
In September, Lee Daniels compared Sean Penn’s past with Terrence Howard’s arrest history for assault. Penn countered with a $10 million defamation lawsuit against Daniels’ “unflattering words” and now, citing the First Amendment, the Empire showrunner wants the suit thrown out of court.
Empire’s debut season frequently featured its star player Cookie Lyon in furs, mammal prints and flashy post-prison vintage. Coupled with the other characters and their glitzy music industry gear, the show has become a vehicle for the most exorbitant and sometimes gaudy fashions.
I’ve been loving Becky G’s run on Empire as Valentina Galindo, the lead singer of hilariously-named trio “Mirage A Trois” who’s been using her wiles on Hakeem to ramp up her stature. (She says she’s not, but we know the drill.) In part because Becky from the Block is all of 18 now, and it’s nice to see her taking on…
Empire’s Season 2 premiere was an auspicious one, to say the least. In the first several minutes, a host of cameos by people (including Rev. Al Sharpton, André Leon Talley) and designers (two mentions of Tom Ford, plus Gucci, albeit “last season”) exemplified how much cachet the show has garnered after just one…
Are you ready for all the fuckery that’s about to be bestowed upon us in season 2 of Empire? Let’s sing aggressively and passionately amongst ourselves tonight as the drama unfolds.
After a summer of nothing but “Drip Drop” and “Trap Queen” on repeat, Empire finally returns to our lives tonight. Much like the first season, this second one is jam-packed with guest stars, including Marisa Tomei, Chris Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Pitbull and Mariah Carey. Honestly, it sounds like a snoozefest.
It seems like everyone and their mom is guest-starring on the new season of Empire. The latest addition to the hip-hop soap opera will be none other than Vivica A. Fox, and her character is going to be related to Cookie. Fox, whose most recent television appearances include Celebrity Apprentice and Mob Wives, is set…
To get us pumped for the upcoming second season of Empire, Fox and Columbia Records have released two new songs, both sung by Jussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon.
FOX, the network that brought you Empire and Glee, has just reached an important milestone in the The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s Network Responsibility Index, a system which rates each major television network by how well the LGBT community is represented in its line-up. FOX is the first broadcast…
Terrence Howard’s messy personal life is going to result in the thing we all really wanted from Empire in the first place: More Taraji P. Henson.
Five minutes of watching Cookie Lyons is enough to make a dedicated penny pincher drop major cash on luxurious accessories. Unsurprisingly, Saks Fifth Avenue wants to get in on that, and so they’re glomming onto Empire in advance of the September 23 season premiere.
Empire’s success has inspired a bunch of salty individuals to come forward and accuse the show of stealing some portion of their life. Hard to believe.
