Entertainment

Guess Who's Coming to 'Empire?'

by Rachel Simon

Thought Empire couldn't get any better than adorable kid actors, Lyon family duets, and the stroke of musical genius that is "Drip Drop?" Think again — at screening of the season finale on Thursday night, show co-creator Lee Daniels revealed that Oprah and Common will be appearing on Empire at some point next year. You guys: Oprah is coming to Empire! And Common. But mostly: OPRAH IS COMING TO EMPIRE.

Although no details of their roles were announced, Daniels confirmed that the media mogul will be appearing on the show's second season, proving that apparently, his nagging tactics are effective enough to wear down even the biggest megastars in the world. As for Common, the musician might not even know that he's guest-starring; when announcing the news, Daniels said, "Common, you heard that first." Here's hoping the rapper has a few free days in his schedule.

Specifics of who each star is going to play likely won't be announced for a long while, as Empire hasn't even finished up its first season. So: let the speculation begin! Here's who I imagine Oprah and Common will play on Empire:

OPRAH

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An Inmate From Cookie's Prison Days

She could be in for drugs. Or robbery. Or cold-blooded, terrifying murder. Whatever the reason, there's no question about it: Oprah would be the best ex-inmate ever.

Lucious' Mom

This could go one of both ways: either she's a mean, abusive woman who made Lucious the way he is, or she's kind-hearted and fragile and Lucious is a monster for never visiting. Either way, it'd be amazing to see.

Herself

This is Oprah we're talking about: no amount of make-up or hair changes can make us forget that she's one of the most iconic people in the world. How about having her play herself, and have Lucious go on her show to announce his ALS to the public? You gotta think that if a star as big as Lucious was revealing something that huge, he'd choose the most important newsperson out there to talk to — and that, OWN network or not, is Oprah.

Herself, With a Twist

Oprah is many things, from a talk show host to a producer to an actress, but she is not a singer — at least not yet. She doesn't have a bad voice, but also hasn't sung often enough for people to know if she's capable of pursuing music for real. Why not have Oprah come on the show as the icon she is, but trying to reinvent herself as a singer? If she's willing to be self-depreciating, this could be fun: imagine Lucious trying to deal with catering to a star like Oprah while hiding (or failing to hide) his belief that she doesn't have enough talent to make it as a musician.

COMMON

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An Ex of Cookie's

Cookie is the best character on the show. Cookie deserves as many plotlines, love interests, and story arcs as she can get. Cookie needs an ex-boyfriend played by Common, who will come into the picture to steal her away from Lucious and cause some major, must-see drama.

An Ex of Jamal's

If we only found out a few episodes ago that Jamal had a sham marriage that (nearly) produced a kid, what else do we know about the singer's past? Perhaps he had once dated a guy (Common) who's now a rival musician or a friend of his father's — or maybe he's just an average guy, but one with secrets on Jamal that are dark enough to stir up serious trouble. The possibilities are endless, and they'd all be entertaining to watch.

Himself

Common may not be a household name, but he is a successful, Grammy-winning musician who's currently gaining fame thanks to "Glory." It wouldn't be outrageous if he simply played himself on the show, whether as a musician on the Empire label or one they're trying desperately to get come onboard.

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