Jump to content

Empire: Discussion Thread


Toups

Recommended Posts

  • Administrator

Empire: Discussion Thread

EMPIRE – From Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Precious”) and Emmy Award winner Danny Strong (“Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” “Game Change”), comes EMPIRE, a sexy and powerful new drama about the head of a music empire whose three sons and ex-wife all battle for his throne. LUCIOUS LYON (Academy Award nominee Terrence Howard, “Crash,” “Hustle & Flow”) is the king of hip-hop. An immensely talented artist, the CEO of Empire Entertainment and a former street thug, his reign has been unchallenged for years. But all that changes, when he learns he has a disease that is going to render him crippled and incapacitated in a matter of three years. The clock is ticking, and he must groom one of his three sons to take over his crowning achievement, without destroying his already fractured family. Lucious’ favorite is his youngest son, HAKEEM (newcomer Bryshere Gray), a gifted musician and a spoiled playboy who values fame over hard work. The middle son, JAMAL (Jussie Smollett, “North,” “The Mighty Ducks”), is a sensitive soul and a musical prodigy who, unlike Hakeem, shies away from the spotlight. Jamal also happens to be gay, which infuriates and embarrasses his father. ANDRE (Trai Byers, “90210”), the eldest son, is CFO of Empire Entertainment. Wharton-educated with a brilliant business mind, Andre lacks the charisma that Lucious believes is crucial to running the company. But in his quest for power, Andre is assisted by his manipulative and like-minded wife, RHONDA (Kaitlin Doubleday, “Hung,” “Catch Me If You Can”). As Lucious prompts his sons to vie for the empire, his plans are thrown into chaos when his ex-wife, COOKIE (Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), mysteriously emerges seven years early from prison, where she’s been for almost two decades. Brash and fearless, she sees herself as the sacrificial lamb who built this empire with Lucious and then took the fall for running the drugs that financed Lucious’ early career. For now, Lucious remains firmly in control of Empire Entertainment. He is attended to by his hard-working assistant, BECKY (guest star and Academy Award nominee Gabourey Sidibe, “American Horror Story,” “Precious”), and relies on longtime friend and Chairman of the Board VERNON TURNER (Malik Yoba, “Revolution,” “Girlfriends”) for advice and support. He relies on a whole lot more from ANIKA GIBBONS (newcomer Grace Gealey), the head of A&R for Empire, and his current girlfriend. As the Lyons slug it out, an emotional chess game begins that will either cause the family’s destruction or redemption. Lives and loves will be lost as the complicated family will come together and fall apart over the elusive throne, all set to an original soundtrack written and produced by legendary hip-hop hitmaker Timbaland. Will the family unite and learn to love each other before it’s too late? Love, war, family, sacrifice, money and music: this is the story of the Lyons’ EMPIRE.

EMPIRE is from Imagine Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television. The series is created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong. The pilot is written by Daniels and Strong. The series is executive-produced by Daniels, Strong, Brian Grazer (“24,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood”) and Francie Calfo (“Those Who Kill,” GANG RELATED). Daniels directed the pilot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 3.5k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

  • 7 months later...
  • Members

Thanks for posting it, detroitpiston!

I was sold just off Taraji but I am REALLY sold off this special. My ass will be glued to my chair to see this.

Team Cookie and Jamal! F*ck the rest of them. Especially that scandalous heffa Rhonda!

But all the brothers are sexy as hell so I won't hate them that much!! tongue.png

Fox better not pull the plug on this once I grow to love it or I am going to be pissed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

FOX aired the preview at 12:30am after Dish Nation and I am so glad I watched. I have high hopes for this show.

That Grace Gealey is stunning. I knew the eldest son looked familiar, he was Mookie on All My Children. I hadn't seen Jussie since he and Journee and the rest of their siblings had that short-lived sitcom. I love the way they've styled Gabby and it's none of my business but her weight concerns me.

The wealth, glamour, power, father's strained relationship with gay son, force to be reckoned with mother back from exile... all reminded me of Dynasty.

It kind of surprises me that it took this long since the splashy platinum, Bentleys, chinchillas late '90s hip-hop era for a show like this to come around, but better done right like this than done at all. The creative team, two leads, and budget, you can't say this show isn't bringing its A-game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.



  • Recent Posts

    • I know! It's like second verse, here we go again!  Agreed. Certainly there was concern maybe even fear at the highest levels for the very good reason that what they had was so economically successful, so of course this risk was scary but if anyone was brave she was. Yes, he was. I have seen her associated with getting it on the air one other place but no details nor official title. Not the writer or creator so it made me wonder if she functioned as a kind of uncredited ad hoc producer, but then maybe she just supported it. At any rate that is nothing but supposition on my part. No data! Yes, not a surprise anymore but still so frustrating! On one hand I am appreciative that she is included in this book, but scholarship where are you?!
    • that wasnt her point. She wanted to further demonize Ted; that was the main focus of their talk. She wants to ensure that Nicole leaves him so that he's free and single to be with her. At this point, I dont think she really cares what Nicole thinks of her; she just wants her out of the way Eva is Nicole's stepdaughter and is a Dupree by association. If Nicole takes Ted back then its reasonable that she would accept his daughter and i that happens, Eva will have welcomed to their country club, be invited to their parties, have access to their resources, etc....much like Andre whom also isnt a blood Dupree but is accepted by them via Nicole. Eva got what she got from Anita bc of Hayley. I think its important to remember that context bc they just dealt with an interloper that infiltrated their ranks and hurt her daughter in the worse way. Now you have another unfortunate girl positioned to do the same to her other daughter. The feelings are still too fresh and she doesnt want Eva to get the idea that she would ever be allowed the opportunity to play them again
    • Oh I've seem this! That's part of why I'm curious! The show could put EastEnders to shame on the gangster Aspect! Oh I've seem this! That's part of why I'm curious! The show could put EastEnders to shame on the gangster Aspect!
    • Eve was one of those characters that had the "Jessie Brewer"role. They had heavy storyline, they burned through it and now they are there for support and a touchstone in the community (Marland wanted to give Jessie story, but I agree with Monty...she best served in her connecting role, and keeping that damn Amy Vining busy so she keeps her nose out of things) So charcters are important and why they should have kept characters like Bridget around (even as she is more volatiles then Eve) who didnt need a big storyline but could have been behind the bar making connections and expostion, but Rauch wanted JEVA/JEVA/JEVA and DRAMA (which to him meant a lot of yelling and stupidity.)
    • Why do I feel like (or remember possible

      Please register in order to view this content

      ) Mark Dante operated on Jeff? Also, I was under the impression that Jeff shot himself accidentally. In his drunken stupor he saw Rick and Monica together and he thought hevwas shooting at them.
    • A number of errors in the above article. You wonder how with all that research,how  they slipped through. I think they are conflating Women Alone with Lonely Women. I have never read anything of a serial called Women Alone. However,I am prepared to be proven wrong.   It seems Irna actually WAS interested in TV soaps as witnessed by These Are My Children airing in 1949 on NBC in the early days of TV.   I don't believe that was reluctance, rather simply good business sense as radio's dominance began to wane.   Inferring that was somehow connected to Irna who was off that show 10 years prior.   Again inferring that Phillips leaving 6 years prior had some connection to the eventual cancellation.     Again these two events are in fact one. Irna left ATWT only once in 1970 and returned in 72. She was not working on another P&G show at the time. So either she brought the ratings up or they dipped, depending on which above account you believe   Untrue. A World Apart debuted 5 years after she left AW. And AWA aired longer than a few months. Over a year in fact.   I believe Orin Tovrov was the writer. Irna was not involved in the creation of this show. And no mention of Masquerade an Irna serial  which was on air around this time.   TBD finished in 1962. As we see over and over, these inaccuracies are published and accepted as fact.
    • YES! While I objectively found the writing on RH (particularly during its first few years and then again in its final days) to be excellent, so many of the principle characters were unpleasant, and totally turned me off. I could never settle down and become emotionally involved with a group of people who grated on my nerves.
    • Ugh now we get a Emmerdale and Corrie crossover soon. ugh.. How desperate 
    • This show is definitely not one to deserve the axe.  especially the New Year’s Eve episode was crazy wild! there is a place where u can download nearly all episodes from October 2019 til today. But they don’t accept new people. https://youtu.be/aD-IXEJjymU?si=19wtpwthSNYOe-4y   this is from this years winter break when the returned. I loved it
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy