The "Empire" season two premiere was a star-studded spectacular event at Carnegie Hall in New York City on September 12, 2015 featuring all the cast members of the breakout series including Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard. The crowd roared as Henson and Howard stood up and greeted the audience prior to the screening of the first episode. Mariah Carey, Naomi Campbell, Maria Tomei, Timbaland, Morris Chestnut, Courtney Love, Swizz Beatz and Gayle King from CB's This Morning were among the stars attending the premiere.
Prior to the screening, executive procuer Lee Daniels said, "Tonight is important to me because where we are in America with race relations is an ugly place." He continued, "It's time we tear the roof off this mother f***er. It's time we see that we are all one - gay, straight, black, white, Chinese." Daniels added, "What we do is cutting edge. People think, 'Oh Lord, what are we going to do next,' becaue two people believe in us (Fox Television Studios chairman Dana Walden and Gary Newman). They don't necessarily agree with us, but they trust us."
Following the screening, film critic Elvis Mitchell hosted a Q&A discussion with the producers and stars of the series. Executive producers Daniels, Danny Strong and Brian Glazer all agreed they were surprised that Fox accepted the show and allowed them to raise the envelop and push the limits of sexuality, violence, and language on broadcast television. Daniels commented, "Fox was fearless as us."
Henson and Howard both confessed that when they first read the bold script, they thought, "This will never work." She added, "These are characters you see in movies, but not on prime time television. Each week when I get the script I say, 'I can say this, really?' This is what I dreamed of."
Henson stated that the heads of the Lyon family should be admired for creating a financial "empire". "These characters have broken the cycle of poverty," she said. "Anybody from the 'hood knows that is very hard to do. Lucious and Cookie are heroes in a very American way."
Following the screening, Q&A, and performance, Fox hosted an A-list party on the ninth floor terrace of the iconic theater on West 57th street in midtown Manhattan. The second season of Empire debuts Wednesday, September 23 at 9 p.m. (8 p.m. Central time).
(Examiner)
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