lee daniels
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Empire Showrunner Admits It Would Be ‘Weird’ to End Series Without Jussie Smollett. I Hope He Returns as Juicy Smoo-yay
The great saga of Jussie Smollett could possibly have a dramatic plot twist right on the Fox network. The 37-year-old actor made headlines at the top of the year when he claimed he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack in Chicago. Following some skepticism, things turned ugly when what started out as…
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Lee Daniels Has Chosen the Winners of His 3-Day Creative Workshop
The winners of the Lee Daniels Entertainment creative workshop have been announced, hopefully breathing new life into Hollywood! In August, the man who brought you Fox’s Empire and film’s Precious, announced a three-day, creative development experience. The winners of the workshop have been selected: writer, director and self-taught actor Simone Williams; trans actor and singer…
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Trevante Rhodes and Andra Day Cast in Lee Daniels' Billie Holiday Project Set to Explore Lesser-Known Love Affair
God bless the child who’s got his own Billie Holiday biopic. According to Deadline, one of Lee Daniels’ new projects, The United States vs. Billie Holiday is set to start production soon and has cast a few leading roles, including Trevante Rhodes (Moonlight, Bird Box), singer Andra Day, Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Dolemite is My Name),…
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Lee Daniels Is Giving Back and Moving Artists Forward With a New Creative Workshop
Mentorship is something that’s a rarity for many creatives. Too many people go through their respective fields making mistakes that could have been easily avoided if someone took the time to point them in the right direction. Now, before you start your thumb thuggery, I am not saying mentors do not exist; what I am…
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'I'm So Fucking Woke, I'm Ready to Go to Sleep': Lee Daniels Speaks on the Progress of LGBTQ Liberation
Fifty years. It’s been fifty years since the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 1969. Fifty years worth of struggles, pain, blood, sweat, tears, oppression, erasure, rebellion, progression, and much, much more. Fifty years ago, Lee Daniels was a 10-year-old boy who had just experienced an awakening—he was gay. As LGBTQ Pride Month wraps, I hopped…
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Chicago Releases Jussie Smollett 911 Tapes: ‘They Put a Noose Around His Neck’
On Wednesday night, the City of Chicago released two 911 calls from the night Jussie Smollett was allegedly attacked. The calls, which came from a person claiming to be employed by Smollett, claimed that the former Empire actor was “jumped” by some guys, who then put a noose around Smollet’s neck. The caller also complained…
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No Applause: Mo’Nique Addresses Steve Harvey’s Recent Bad Luck
Earlier this week, news broke that serial sleep avoider Steve Harvey had not one, but two gigs stripped from his weekly schedule: his eponymous talk show was set for cancellation, and his hosting gig for NBC’s Little Big Shots would go to another personality, thought to be “American Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson. Harvey, who gained…
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Empire Showrunner Confirms the Show Will Undergo 'Somewhat of a Reset' Without Jussie Smollett
Looks like the Lyons done got a hold of a neuralyzer from Men In Black. Well, somewhat. April ended with official news regarding Jussie Smollett’s role in Fox’s Empire, which had been picked up for a sixth season. Long story short — fans weren’t going to see anymore of the falsetto feline known as Jamal…
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Jussie Smollett Out on Empire Next Season
Empire is coming back for a sixth season, but not the beloved Jamal, aka actor Jussie Smollett. That’s the word from network and studio execs Tuesday, who said Smollett’s contract has been extended into season six, but there aren’t plans to have his character appear, according to multiple reports. “By mutual agreement, the studio has…
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‘He Is My Son’: Lee Daniels Speaks Up for Jussie Smollett
As the saga surrounding Empire star Jussie Smollett continues to show no signs of coming to a close anytime soon, his boss, Lee Daniels, is standing by his side. In New York to produce an Off-Broadway play while Empire is on hiatus, the uber producer spoke with Extra about the woes plaguing Smollett — and…