Ne-Yo Joins the 'Empire' Season 2 Crew

Fox chairmen Dana Walden and Gary Newman held a press call this morning following news that American Idol's 15-year run would finally come to a close. Many are upset about Idol ending, but Walden and Newman distracted Empire fans from this bit of news when they offered up a few details about the show's second season, including the fact that Ne-Yo will be joining Timbaland's camp to write music for Empire's soundtrack.

It's unclear what this news means for Jim Beanz, who wrote the music for Empire Season 1, but with Ne-Yo having penned songs such as Beyonce's "Irreplaceable," Keri Hilson's "Knock You Down," and "Hate That I Love You" with Rihanna, there's no doubt that the singer, producer, and songwriter mastermind has the genius to add some hits to Empire's soundtrack.

Other details that emerged from this morning's Fox press call include that the second season of Empire will be split into two parts. The first will air in the fall, the second in the spring. Chris Rock, Lenny Kravitz, and Alicia Keys have all landed guest roles. The word is still out on Zac Efron.

While we patiently await further details about the second season — don't forget about possible appearances from Oprah or Eminem, enjoy this clip from the first. Monday motivation, am I right?