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

    • If the MAGAts were easy prey enough to get manipulated into voting for the tangerine-tinted terror, they'll fall for anything.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • And this came out as the "feud" and the media pushing the protests in Los Angeles got all the media attention. They know the press and the public will not care or can be manipulated into approving.

      Please register in order to view this content

    • Hope you will enjoy the 1976 storyline from the Daytime serial Newsletter. The show had just expanded to an hour so new characters and stories were required. The Soderbergs had been writing since late 73 and the show was still #1. Looking foward to comments and discusssion Pt.1  For over two decades As the World Turns has depicted the events in the lives of two Oakdale families: the wealthy and influential Lowells and the less affluent but equally respected Hughes family. Judge Lowell’s granddaughter Ellen is married now to Dr. David Stewart, whose adopted son, Dan, is actually her own illegitimate child. Dan was once married to Dr. Susan Stewart, by whom he has a daughter, Emily. Dan then married Liz, the ex-wife of his late brother Paul. Liz was the mother of Dan’s daughter Betsy, who believes to this day that Paul was her father. Liz died tragically the day after their wedding. Ellen and David have two daughters, Carolann (Annie) and Dawn (Dee), now of college age. Dan has recently fallen in love with Kim Dixon, who was about to divorce Dr. John Dixon until injuries suffered in a tornado caused amnesia and left her with no memory of her love for Dan. John is using this respite to solicitously convince Kim of his love for her. Nancy and Chris Hughes had three children: Bob, a doctor, Donald, an attorney, and Penny, who, after tragically losing two husbands due to automobile accidents, is now living in Europe, where she is married to a racing-car driver. Bob was married while very young to Lisa Miller, then a scheming and selfish young woman, whose machinations destroyed their marriage. She is the mother of Bob’s son, Tom, who is divorced from Carol, who is now married to Jay Stallings. Tom is currently married to Natalie Bannon. Bob later married model Sandy Wilson, a marriage which ended in divorce, and Sandy is now married to Norman Garrison, who is her partner in a beauty products concern. Norman blames Bob for Sandy’s  recent disillusionment with their marriage, and, ironically, Norman suffered a heart attack during his verbal assault on Bob at a Hughes family party; and while Bob rode with him in the ambulance to the hospital, Bob’s beloved wife, Jennifer, Kim’s sister, died in a car crash while driving home alone. Lisa, more mature and considerate of others now, is married to attorney Grant Colman, but her life has been complicated by the recent arrival in town of Grant’s ex-wife, Joyce, and the incredible news that she and Grant had a child after their separation, a child Joyce gave out for adoption but now wants to reclaim. Now the story continues... The picture has now come clear for attorney Grant Coiman. He has learned that his ex-wife Joyce neglected to tell him she had a child shortly after their divorce and had given the boy to Mary and Brian Ellison for adoption. Grant, after seeing the adoption papers and considering the boy’s interests, tells Mary he feels the child should remain with them; they are providing a fine, stable home for him. Grant’s wife, Lisa, is pleased with his decision, feeling he has thus closed the door to the past and they can now go on with their own lives. But Joyce has learned that attorney Dick Martin is now back in private practice, and she tells him she was confused when she gave Teddy up years ago and wants him to represent her in a custody action to get her son back. Dick tells Joyce she has a very weak case but he’ll do what he can. He goes out to Laramie to see the  Ellisons, upsetting them very much. Grant, meanwhile, has confided in Chris Hughes, his law partner, that while his name was on the consent form for the Ellisons’ adoption, he didn’t sign the papers; he had, in fact, never known that he had a son. But he’s afraid to open a new can of worms by signing a consent form now, as that would reveal that the adoption papers are not legally correct. Grant confides the situation to Lisa, explaining that if he wanted to,  he could probably get custody of Teddy himself, but that’s not what he feels would be best for the child. Mary Ellison finally breaks under the strain of Dick’s visit and tells Brian that Dr. Paulk, the doctor who arranged the adoption, told her he didn’t know where to find the baby’s father and so he signed the consent form himself. She painfully explains she kept this secret knowing that Brian wouldn’t go through with the adoption if he learned the papers weren’t legally sound. Brian quickly calls their family lawyer, Jerry Butler, who immediately phones Grant to be sure he backs the Ellisons’ claim. Dick realizes from Joyce’s story that Grant couldn’t have signed the papers and tells him he knows. The only person who has a right to file for Teddy’s custody now is Grant; he’s the only injured party. And the moment he files, Dick can sue for invalidation of the Ellisons’ adoption. Grant finally files, to settle the custody question once and for all, but technically he's filing for custody himself. Tom Hughes and Natalie Porter are married in a small, lovely ceremony at the home of his grandparents, Nancy and Chris Hughes. They honeymoon in the Southwest and return full of expectations of happiness. Natalie is disquieted, however, when flowers arrive which are not from her new husband. She covers by pretending to check with the florist and tells Tom it was a wrong delivery and they have told her she might as well keep them. But she knows who sent them. Natalie is upset when, shortly after, Luke Porter arrives in town and seeks her out. But Luke insists he is there only to assure her this is a final farewell and he has now decided to concentrate on. making his own marriage work. Sandy Garrison, Bob’s ex-wife, is working at the  bookstore to fill in for Natalie. Her estranged husband, Norman, recovering from a heart attack he suffered during a drunken confrontation with Bob at the Colonnade Room, is still telling anyone who will listen that Bob and Sandy are having an affair, but ironically will let only Bob care for him at the hospital. His recovery is hampered by his easily aroused temper. Norman anxiously tries to persuade Dr. John Dixon to convince Bob to swear he slipped at the restaurant, thus making them liable for a costly lawsuit, but John won’t do this. Chris discovers a large amount of money missing when checking the books on the Garrisons’ business, but doesn’t want to upset Sandy with this. More to come...
    • The cynical (i.e., the dominant) me has the very same thoughts.
    • Oh wow that’s pretty awesome! I wish I had  approached him but there was so many people 
    • In the current environment, while it's small, there is a crumb of good news: Apparently, San Antonio voted for a DEMOCRATIC mayor, Gina Ortiz, beating the "right-hand man" of Gov. Greg Abbott, former Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos. https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5337199-gina-ortiz-jones-wins-san-antonio/
    • Love this! You are both adorable. Wow
    • I have not gone back to watch much of 1987, but from what I've seen lately, it doesn't feel like the writers or producers had any sort of plan. The show feels as if it's constantly in flux.  I will give it credit for this. It's watchable for the most part minus Lisa/Jamie which I find nearly unwatchable now.   I don't find Cheryl mousy. I think she has a lot of quiet strength, but she was saddled with the Scott romance which the writers did not invest in. She had a good friendship with Julie (also criminally underused), and her interactions with Ada were enjoyable as well. I also like Layman, but Spencer was extremely talented and when Cass returns, Schnetzer and Spencer have some wonderful scenes. Spencer also fits in with Alexander, Hogan, and Marie.  I'd forgotten just how much I missed seeing Wallingford. IT was so good to see him again. Even when they didn't have a major plot, Felicia/Cass/Wallingford/Mitch always brings a smile to my face.  
    •   Dani’s cute ass party planner. He gave me some tea but I was so drunk I don’t remember it.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

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