Empire: Discussion Thread

[DramatistDreamer]

Show of hands, did anyone sincerely believe that 16 felony charges for a non-violent crime was going to stick?  

Everybody in this case was very messy.

[Khan]

 

No, they don't have to.  However, Jussie could sue the network and the show's producers for wrongful termination of employment, leaving it up to "Empire" and FOX to prove 1) they were within their right(s) to fire him; and 2) having him remain on the show would have had a negative impact on its continued success.

 

Unfortunately for the other side, ratings for "Empire" had been falling BEFORE Jussie's dismissal.  Ergo, they might have a difficult time proving that keeping a controversial player such as Jussie would have contributed to what Jussie and his team could argue, in their defense, was an inevitable slide.  IOW, Jussie could say that they can't argue that he would have caused the ratings to fall when they were falling already (and that ratings for any long-running series become softer the longer that series remains in production).

 

OTOH, FOX could just cancel the show altogether, citing the dwindling ratings, without any mention of Jussie or the controversy surrounding his "attack."  That would be a sort of end run around any potential lawsuits, even if it meant putting the rest of the cast and the crew out of work.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Khan

[Juliajms]

No, and I didn't think they should either. I did think there should be some consequence, but hey, people have certainly gotten away with worse. Far worse.

[Khan]

 

I'll admit that I was hoping against hope he would receive SOME sentence for his offenses, even if that didn't necessarily mean "doing hard time" in some maximum or even minimum security prison.  Maybe a fine, maybe probation, maybe some community service, or a combination thereof.  But definitely not a stretch in the pokey.  If nothing else, I wanted it to serve as notice to anyone who even THINKS about perpetrating hate crimes or hate crime hoaxes.

 

The fact is, whenever your case rests on the word of unreliable co-conspirators such as the Nigerian brothers, you're on shaky legal ground.  Add in the fact that they couldn't definitively prove that the check was for anything other than what was specified in the memo section, and it's really no surprise that we are now where we are.

 

Regardless, in the proverbial court of public opinion, the damage has been done.  A cloud will remain over Jussie's reputation forever, no matter what happens to him from here on; and so, too, will a cloud hover over each victim of violent, hate-based assault.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Khan

[DramatistDreamer]

 

The prosecutor's office overshot on those charges.  Perhaps if they had grandstanded less and really look at the specifics (namely, non-violent), they could have made this loads less messy and extracted some measure of punishment.  When the police chief seems so ready to go in front of the cameras and showboat "Look out!"  Everybody looks dishonest in this case, from all sides but in cases of criminal justice, the burden lies with the prosecution.

The statements put out have been...uhm, interesting to read but the fact remains that everybody can say what they want and none of us will ever know the difference since the facts of the case have been sealed.

 

I used to think that Chris Brown's career was over because of his violent assault of Rihanna yet here we are. I'm not sure that his reputation will be tanked because when Chris Brown first got on the scene, he too was promoted as light-hearted R&B/pop fun.  After numerous charges for violent behavior, Brown still has a career.  

[Khan]

Wherever Chris Brown goes, though, he cannot shake off his history.  Yes, he's still working -- and so, too, will Jussie and even R. Kelly keep working -- but the tarnishes remain.  That's my point.

Edited March 26, 2019 by Khan

[Faulkner]

I am curious about where the federal case for potential mail fraud stands. 

[Khan]

 

Probably in front of Hugh Grant, asking him to love it.

[Faulkner]

LOL

[DramatistDreamer]

 

Oh, I definitely see your point.  Jussie was never going to be nominated for Academy Awards or Emmys, though, so I wonder what is the true cost of a career.  I can tell you one thing though... that NAACP Image Award is out!

 

I think it's problematic to hold a celebrity up as an example of, well, anything. Most don't change lives in any way.  I've never had any celebrity's success or failure reflect on me.  I can cheer some on for their achievements but their success doesn't impact me (I love Regina King but is her Academy Award going to help me land my next writing job...I'm going to say no), so why should their failures?

Edited March 26, 2019 by DramatistDreamer

[ReddFoxx]

Chris Brown had a fairly substantial base of over the top fans. Some girls even went as far as to say he could beat them and they wouldn't care. He still was able to make his label and other parties money. Rihanna also became involved with him again, so that diminished some of the talk of what he did.

 

The issue for Smollett is that he made very serious accusations in a time when hate has dramatically increased and also made it political. He made a fool of a lot of prominent people. He doesn't have a huge fan base and probably wouldn't make anyone enough money for them to hire him.

[Vee]

That's what money, Mark Geragos, and a wildly leaking police department will get you: A deal that looks suspiciously like a plea.

 

I never expected or wanted him to do time, but this splashout is just gross. I'll be tuning out on his attempt to revamp his reputation (and presumably attempt to keep his job, which I imagine he now has leverage to do). My feelings haven't changed: After all the shít that got pulled here I never need to see him again.

[Khan]

 

Same.

[ChitHappens]

 

+2

[Faulkner]