Here’s why we need our cup of joe quick, fast and in a hurry this morning:
- Taraji P. Henson and her Hustle & Flow co-star Terrence Howard will be reunited in Fox’s upcoming drama Empire. In the hip-hop drama directed by Lee Daniels, Henson will play Cookie Lyon, the ex-wife of Lucious Lyon (Howard). Her character has just been released from prison after serving 17 years for dealing drugs and wants her share of the music empire that she helped create. Jussie Smollett of On Our Own is also set to star in the drama as the son of Cookie and Lucious. [HollywoodReporter]
- Lupita Nyong’o met the Dalai Lama at a star-studded event Wednesday. Nyong’o was one of the first to arrive at The California Science Center where The Lourdes Foundation hosted a question and answer panel with the Dalai Lama himself. Stars like Sharon Stone, Eva Longoria and Rosario Dawson were just a few of those that gathered to ask him questions about everything from life and love to what does he keep in his briefcase. [E!News]
- Pharrell William’s infectious tune “Happy” bounced its way up to the top of the Hot 100 chart. After spending 2 weeks at number two the song rose to the top making this Pharrell’s fourth Hot 100 number one song but his first as a lead artist. [Billboard]
- The Arsenio Hall Show has been renewed for a second season. Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno stopped by to congratulate Hall and announce the good news during the Wednesday night broadcast. This season, Arsenio has been the youngest late-night talk show on broadcast television, with about one million homes tuning in each night. Congratulations! [HollywoodReporter]
- One lucky Birmingham fan got the birthday wish of the century when Beyonce stopped her Mrs. Carter World Tour show to sing to her. Shehnaz Khan came to the show with a sign saying that it was her birthday, after seeing the sign Beyonce asked what her name was, how to spell it, and invited her and her 5 friends to sit in VIP, but not before she stopped the show to give a soulful rendition of “Happy Birthday”. Check out the cute video below! [E!News]