::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

buzzz worthy. . . TV One Acquires 20th Century Fox Television and Imagine  Television Series  On the Eve of its Annual Upfront Presentation   NEW YORK  - On Wednesday, April 13, the eve of TV One's  Annual Upfront Presentation,  President Brad Siegel announced the acquisition of blockbuster drama  EMPIRE . Starring Academy Award nominee  Terrence Howard  and Academy Award and Emmy Award nominee  Taraji P. Henson , television's award-winning and most nominated series about the head of a music empire whose three sons and ex-wife battle for his throne, will make its  TV One  debut this spring.  Following  FOX's  second season finale in May,  TV One  will also add  EMPIRE  to its summer programming line-up.   "We are ecstatic to partner with  20th Television  and  Imagine  in showcasing one of the biggest hits in television history,"  said Siegel...

buzzz worthy. . . On the Meredith Vierja Show today, Ta'Rhonda Jones  (Porsha on "Empire") was asked about the origin of her name. She unashamedly admitted that her name was a combination of the names of two men her mother dated at the same time (Tyrone and Ronnie.) Continuing without being prompted she explained that neither man was her father (his name's Derrick she said) and that her mom used the other two to take care of her. The embarrassment was audible in the crowd's reaction.  Filed under "TMI."

buzzz worthy. . .   FOX has greenlit  another music oriented spin off from Lee Daniel's 'Empire' called 'Star' that is due in 2016. DANVILLE, Va. (AP) — Virginia has revoked specialty license plates featuring a Confederate battle flag after a federal judge dissolved an injunction allowing the image. The Department of Motor Vehicles will begin recalling and replacing existing plates, Attorney General Mark Herring’s office said Thursday evening in a statement. U.S. District Judge Jackson L. Kiser had issued an injunction in 2001 that allowed the image of the Confederate flag on specialty plates honoring the Sons of the Confederate Veterans. Kiser said in a Thursday order that his decision is “no longer good law” because of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a Texas case that said specialty license plates represent the state’s speech, and not the driver’s speech. The DMV will work with the Sons of Confederate Veterans to design new plates. Once t...

buzzz worthy. . .#empire Taraji Henson, Terrance Howard, Malik Yoba,  Along With Breakout Stars Bryshere Y. Gray, Jussie Smollet, Kaitlin Doubleday and Ta'Rhonda Jones Receive Praise For  Performances Before the stars of Empire captivated viewers, someone had to find the right match for each role.  Meet casting director, Leah Daniels Butler, the sis of the shw's producer, Lee Daniels.   ( Hollywood, CA ) -- The water cooler conversations this week about the hottest new show on television, " Empire ", are not about  storylines , plot twists or even the season's breakout stars but Leah Daniels Butler feels the actors deserve to be the story.  Casting Director for "Empire", Daniels Butler also cast roles for " The Butler " and discovered talents like Gaborey Sidebey , a a then unknown actor who starred in the Academy Award winning film " Precious ".  At the same time, she is sister to Director Lee Daniels , which giv...