Empire

Rachel Bilson and Kaitlin Doubleday Join The Cast Of CMT’s Nashville!

March 10, 2017

Courtesy/CMT

Following Thursday night’s mid-season finale of Nashville, CMT announced two new major casting acquistions for the back-half of their fifth season.

Coming on to the canvas will be Rachel Bilson, who has had plenty of soap experience on The O.C. and Hart of Dixie, and Kaitlin Doubleday, who was last seen as Rhonda on Empire!

Nashville will also be a bit of a reunion for Bilson, who worked with Chris Carmack (Will Lexington) on The O.C.

In a statement to CMT.com, executive producer and showrunner, Marshall Herskovitz related: “We welcome Rachel and Kaitlin into our incredibly talented ensemble. We fondly anticipate the second half of the season filled with surprising twists and turns that make Nashville so beloved by the fans.”

Rachel Bilson was most recently seen as Dr. Zoe Hart in The CW’s series Hart of Dixie, a fish-out-of-water story about a New York City doctor adjusting to life in a small Southern town after she inherits a local medical practice. She became an integral part of pop culture due to her series regular role on the popular television show The O.C. for four seasons.

Kaitlin Doubleday gained worldwide recognition portraying Rhonda Lyon on the megahit Empire. At age 17, she made her film debut opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can. Other notable screen credits include the cult classic Waiting, opposite Ryan Reynolds and Anna Farris, and Accepted, opposite Jonah Hill and Justin Long.

In addition, following the mid-season finale, CMT released this promo of clips from upcoming episodes. Watch it after the jump! Then let us know if you think Bilson and Doubleday will be exciting additions to the cast! Comment below.

Courtesy/CMT

Related Topics:Casting News CMT Empire Hart of Dixie Kaitlin Doubleday Nashvile Rachel Bilson The O.C.

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Guest

rebecca1

After my initial disappointment with the CMT version, I have to say (and have said on previous posts) that the show has really picked up in the last few episodes…it’s been excellent! (I still don’t like Juliette’s newfound gospel/church story, however). Loving all the characters who seem to be back as “themselves”…there is more of that core group togetherness vibe and the emotions have been very true to life.

I like both actresses they’re adding; curious to see where they fit in…though still miss Luke!

Guest

WELL SAID….I AM NOW ENJOYING THE SHOW MORE TOO..AGREE WITH YOU ON THE JULIETTE/CHURCH STORY… LOVING ALL THE CHARACTERS AND ANXIOUS TO SEE WHERE THESE TWO NEW GALS FIT IN…..BRING BACK LUKE!

Guest

rebecca1

Will Chase (Luke) has a role on the new show Time After Time. Not sure if he’s recurring but he’s the husband of what seems could be an ongoing character (need to catch up on the latest episode…good show!)

But, as said, getting rid of Will Chase (Luke) was a bad move. Great character!

Guest

Mollie

I liked Rachel on The O.C. That said, she’s as one-note an actress as I’ve ever seen.

Guest

rebecca1

I’ve never seen her on anything other than The O.C. and I liked her so, while I’d STILL rather have Will Chase (Luke) back, I’m willing to give her a chance.

Guest

sonniorsolita

Boy, they really don’t like Will, do they? He’s never featured in any of the promos. And frankly, he should have one of the most interesting story lines.

Guest

rebecca1

He’s no longer on the show. His last appearance was just to wrap things up.

Empire

‘Empire’ Favorite Taraji P. Henson to Host the American Music Awards

November 2, 2020

She played the fierce head of record label and music empire on TV, and now she is about to take on the hosting duties at one of music’s most popular nights of the year, when she hosts ABC’s American Music Awards. News today has former Empire on Fox star, Taraji P. Henson (Ex-Cookie Lyon) taking on the key role in keeping the night moving and the music coming for music fans around the world.

The 2020 AMAs will air live on Sunday, November 22nd at 8:00 PM ET/PT. In a statement on her latest gig, Henson expressed: “The AMAs brings together the music community to celebrate what really drives all artists – the fans, I’m proud to take the stage as this year’s host – and also a fan – for what promises to be an electrifying night of music.”

And coming up the motion picture and television actress will put a spotlight on mental wellness in a new talk show for Facebook Watch. In addition, she is also currently developing an Empire spinoff with her production company.

Broadcasting live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, this year’s AMA nominees include The Weeknd and rapper Roddy Ricch, both with eight nominations, leading the pack of this year’s nominees. Voting for the AMA’s continues and you can a vote in all categories here.

So, it seems to us that Taraji will be a great host for the AMA’s! What are your thoughts? Comment below.

Breaking News

‘Empire’s’ Diamond White Lands Contract Role on The Bold and the Beautiful

September 17, 2020

Look for The Bold and the Beautiful to add to their cast with news on Thursday that Diamond White (previously see on Empire as Lala) will take on the role of Zoe’s (Kiara Barnes)sister, Paris Buckingham on the CBS daytime drama.

Paris and Zoe are the daughters of crime-ridden Dr. Reese Buckingham (Wayne Brady) who was sent to the slammer for his baby-switch plot involving baby Beth and his gambling debts.

White will begin taping her new role tomorrow on Friday, and will first are on the November 2nd episode of B&B. Deadline first reported the news.

Besides her role on Empire, Diamond has had a recurring role on Netflix’s Dear White People, as well as a guest art on ABC’s Fresh off the Boat, and more,

Looks like the Buckingham sisters might have their eyes set on Carter (Lawrence Saint-Victor) , the incoming Zende (Delon de Metz) and who knows who else on the canvas!

So, what do you think about a new Buckingham in the mix on B&B? Comment below.

Breaking News

Taraji P. Henson Developing Cookie Lyon ‘Empire’ Spinoff With New First-Look Deal Via 20th Century Fox

July 23, 2020

Looks like more ‘Cookie’ is on the way, if this long bantered about Empire spinoff takes place. But, news today via Deadline makes the whole thing look more promising! Series star, Taraji P. Henson has signed a new first-look deal with 20th Century Fox where she would star and be one of the EP’s of the new show.

The show would be written by Empire EP Danny Strong with Stacy A. Littlejohn and Yolonda Lawrence, and Empire director Sanaa Hamri to take those reins again behind the camera.

Henson said in a statement on the deal: “I believe that normalizing stories around stigmatizing matters will make them more palatable for audiences to embrace. Art can change perception and I plan to develop projects that can help further the conversation. I also aim to help cultivate and establish new young talent and their stories because they are our future and deserve a voice and a platform to be heard. I’m so excited to have 20th, led by the talented Carolyn Cassidy, support me in this new endeavor!”

20th Century Fox TV president Carolyn Cassidy shared on Thursday: “We were lucky to have a front row seat to Taraji’s meteoric rise as a fixture on television through Empire. Through that relationship everyone at the company grew to appreciate her passion for storytelling and her strong creative gut instinct. With Empire finished we look forward to helping her explore stories that need to be told through her talent and advocacy.”

Empire ended its sixth and final season a bit shorter than expected due to COVID-19 shutting down production, but now Henson has a way forward to tell us more of Cookie’s story. This would just be one of the projects Henson would have under this deal with 20th Century Fox.

So, would you like to see more Cookie Lyon in a spinoff of Empire? Comment below.