This Holiday season will see NBC revive the iconic tale of ‘The Wizard of OZ’ for a modern audience.

Boasting an “urban” skew, ‘THE WIZ LIVE!’ (which airs December 3rd at 8/7c) stars newcomer Shanice Williams as Dorothy, Ne-Yo as Tinman, Elijah Kelly as Scarecrow, and David Alan Grier as Lion.

Helping the quad ease on down the road are Queen Latifah – who‘ll portray the Wiz in the live production, and Mary J. Blige who will play Evillene, the Wicked Witch of the West.

The original African-American retelling of the classic narrative opened on Broadway in 1975, ran for four years, and bagged seven Tony Awards – including Best Musical.

Thereafter, the  musical was famously turned into a film in 1978, starring Diana Ross (as Dorothy), Michael Jackson, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor.

What will the 2015 incarnation look like? Wonder no more because a first look at the cast has been unveiled. Check ’em out below…

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Lamar Odom, the ex-husband of Reality TV royal Khloe Kardashian, was found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel hours ago.

Unfortunately, after learning that he had been rushed to his hospital his fans have now been hit with a report that he’s passed away.

Why?

Full story below…

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Talented Taraji P. Henson has seen her career sky-rocket thanks to her role as Cookie Lyon on FOX smash ‘Empire.’

And with the show still a ratings force in its second season, the Emmy nominee’s star continues to head in an upward direction.

It’s also landed her on the cover of ESSENCE Magazine‘s November 2015 issue, which she regally rocks.

Check out quotes from her feature below…

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Love ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’?

Admire the late singer Celia Cruz?

If so you’l be pleased to lear that stories about these two have been shaken (or stirred) to create the latest edition of That Grape Juice‘s ‘Screen Juice.’

Drink up below…

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Friday saw Raven Symone add yet another controversial statement to her yearlong list of “smh-worthy” moments when she informed ‘The View’ viewers that she would not hire someone if they had a “ghetto name.”  The statement set off a firestorm of articles, video responses, and other commentary on social media, even to the point the singer/actress/talk show host’s very own father got in on the action.

Weary of the criticism, Symone finally took to Facebook tonight to break her silence on the hot topic and clarify her stance.

Some say it’s too late and the damage has been done.  What say ye? Read her words below and tell us:

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Raven Symone‘s stint on ABC’s ‘The View‘ has seen her become well-acquainted with controversy for her ‘view’…a ‘view,’ mind you, that has often seen her viewed on the dragging end of Black Twitter. Her most recent infraction, as reported here, has yielded no different result.

Indeed, after stating she would not hire a person based on his or her name, she was unceremoniously criticized on social media – with the most recent weigh in coming from the actress/singer/talk show host’s father Christopher Pearman.

Get into his interesting take on the topic below:

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Thousands of people gathered in Washington D.C. yesterday afternoon to take place in the 20th anniversary celebration of the ‘Million Man March.’

Never heard of it? The march was first called in 1995 to “unite black men and pledge self-reliance and commitment to their families and communities.”

Twenty years later its impact continues to be felt within the communities it set out to help and was celebrated by many an African-American entertainer when it took place again yesterday.

Hit the link below to peep pics from the event…

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Film and TV news alert!

Why fans of the supermodel Naomi Campbell and the fictional character Cruella de Vil have good reason to celebrate today?

Drink up after the jump…

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There may be trouble ahead for Meagan Good‘s latest TV series.

Who, what, where and why?

A telling ‘Report’ below…

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For some she was the beloved child star who warmed the hearts of millions on ‘The Cosby Show‘ and on Disney’s ‘That’s So Raven.’

Alas, Raven-Symone‘s departure from the latter has since gone on to see her slammed by the very fans who once turned her into a household name.

Why? The star’s decisions to share her world ‘View’ which oft reflects that the star’s seemingly down to earth nature is just as farcical as her career as a working musician.

In fact, when one is able to look beyond said farce it becomes pretty apparent that the seemingly “chill” Symone is anything but, seemingly unaware that her “unique” points of ‘View’ are actually ignorant, bred in the warmth of privilege, stupidity, and if comments she made today are anything to go by…prejudice.

Hit the link below to find out why she’s ruffled feathers again below.

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It’s officially curtains for Halle Berry‘s Sci-Fi drama ‘Extant.’

CBS, its network for two seasons, confirmed that the Steven Spielberg production will not be returning for a third run.

In an interesting (or should we say boss) move, the Oscar winning actress has been awarded a new series by the channel.

Details below…

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‘Scandal’ never looked so good!

The hit ABC drama, which is fronted by the award-winning actress Kerry Washington, has blazed back onto the small screen for a fifth outing.

We’ve been hooked, and by the looks of this season 5 /episode 4 teaser, Olivia Pope and co continue to serve up another corker of a season.

Check the preview for episode – titled ‘Dog-Whistle Politics’ – below…

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