), hints of a tour, a spinoff and Lee Daniels' defense of Terrence Howard: "He ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn." You are someone I consider a friend, a brilliant actor and true Hollywood legend and humanitarian," Daniels said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m surprised the show’s even on the air right now,” says Daniels (center), directing the season two premiere. " 
 
 
 
 “So after however many years I’ve been in this business, I finally have Hollywood’s attention,” says Taraji P. Henson (who plays Cookie Lyon), photographed along with her castmates Aug. 23 on 'Empire’s' soundstage at Cinespace Studios in Chicago. These details, as well as other instances of Penn’s alleged abuse towards Madonna, have been brought up again and again and again. When I connect with Walden a few weeks later, she emphatically denies the report. The embattled actor has, however, reduced his press availability, presumably fearing questions will shift toward his offscreen drama as they did in a recent Rolling Stone profile. “That poor boy,” Empire co-creator Lee Daniels told the Hollywood Reporter recently. "[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some f—in' demon," says Daniels. "That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America." "I want him investing in property and art and not in shoes and cars." Of course, none of this has stopped him from earning an Oscar nomination or starring in one of television’s biggest hits. She got into the coral-colored 1957 Thunderbird, which Penn had bought her on her 28th birthday.
– Oscar-winner Sean Penn is suing director Lee Daniels for comparing him to another actor, Terrence Howard, in terms of their alleged history of abusing women, E! Online reports. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Empire co-creator Daniels discusses Empire star Howard being sued by his ex-wife for domestic violence. "[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he's some [expletive] demon," Daniels says. "That's a sign of the time, of race, of where we are right now in America." Penn's lawsuit filed today in New York calls that statement "reckless, false, and defamatory," E! reports. He's seeking $10 million in damages. "Sean has been subjected to false, baseless, and reckless attacks for years, and this is only the most recent example," his attorney tells E! The lawsuit alleges Howard has publicly admitted to abusing at least one woman and has been arrested five or so times for violence against women. On the other hand, the lawsuit boasts Penn—who it refers to as one "of the greatest actors and humanitarians of our time"—has never been arrested or convicted for domestic violence. But Slate reports Penn was arrested for allegedly tying his then-wife Madonna to a chair and physically and emotionally abusing her for hours in 1987. Madonna later dropped the charges.