Welcome to Retro Rewind, the new TGJ original feature that invites our readers on a journey to Entertainment’s glorious past.

As a powerful minority in Hollywood continue to deny the important of diversity on-screen, the brains behind the hit show ‘Dynasty’ learned just how lucrative it could be for ratings when they introduced to the African-American character Dominique Deveraux to the series in 1984.

Created by the writing duo Richard and Esther Shapiro, Dominique, portrayed by Diahann Carroll, stepped on to the scene as a secretive woman with a keen interest in the lives of the show’s leading family, the Carringtons.

Eager to slay in the face of the stereotypical, offensive and one dimensional roles often dished out for actors of colour, the Shapiros teamed up with Carroll to create a character just as complex as the show’s villain Alexis Carrington, played by Joan Collins.

The result? A moving story about a young African-American girl from modest beginnings who exposes the plight of biracial children rejected by a society and fathers infected by prejudice, classism and racism.

Watch below…

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As we reported here, Jennifer Lopez brought the house all the way down for the kickoff of ‘All I Have’ – her long-awaited residency at The Axis (Planet Hollywood) in Las Vegas.

The sold out showing, courting the likes of celebrity audience members Ne-Yo, T.I., Kelly Osbourne, Leah Remini, Nicole Scherzinger, and many more, saw ‘Jenny from the Block’ blast through a collection of her top hits including ‘If You Had My Love,’ ‘On the Floor,’ and, of course, ‘All I Have.’ 

Later, taking to Extra, the triple threat took fans behind the scenes to reflect on opening night of the electrifying show and let fans in on how (and where) all the real magic happens.  Tuck in below to see it:

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Two weeks after thrilling fans with the official video for her latest single, ‘Save My Soul,’ pop powerhouse JoJo bares hers in an emotional acoustic performance of the tune.

Lifted to her official Youtube channel, the singer – still hot on the comeback trail – opened the performance with a recount about its conception and meaning:

“‘Save My Soul’ is a song about addiction, and I grew up seeing addiction very close to me: Both my parents have struggled with it. So as a kid, you don’t kinda know when the bottom is going to fall through or what’s gonna happen next…”

The official video premiered on what would’ve been her father’s 61st birthday.  As fans know, he succumbed to substance addiction.

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Adele‘s domination of the Hot 100 came to a screeching halt last week when pop prince Justin Bieber dethroned her monster hit, ‘Hello,’ after an impressive 10 week run at the top.  Now, after 7 weeks, her reign over the Billboard 200 has met a similar fate.

As expected, the death of music superstar David Bowie brought with it a huge increase in sales of his legendary catalogue.  In fact, not only did 10 of his titles make appearances on the Billboard 200 this week, but one of them – his latest ‘Blackstar’ – pushed Adele right out of the top spot.

This just days after Bowie made headlines for also breaking the ‘Rolling in the Deep’ diva’s VEVO record.  As fans know, late 2015 saw Addy snatch the record for ‘most views in a 24 hour period’ when her videos on the streaming service amassed a collective 36 million views.  This week, Bowie broke that record when his VEVO video collection surged past the 51 million streams mark in just 24 hours.

A fitting exit for one of music history’s brightest stars…

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Times are a-changing at the Academy Awards.

How?

Details below…

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The good people of Flint, Michigan remain in a state of shock after it emerged that they and their children have been exposed to toxic water.

Now, as the world seeks answers the rapper Big Sean has stepped into fight against the harm that has been done to them by making a grand donation this week.

Full story below…

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Well, that didn’t take long.

Macklemore are currently trending thanks to their candid new track ‘White Privilege II,’ which squarely takes aim at both Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus for appropriating Black culture.

Never one to let a dig or diss go unaddressed, Ms. I-GG-Y has spilled her thoughts on the matter. And needless to say, she wasn’t endorsing.

Her words after the jump…

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Rumors have been swirling all night about Mariah Carey‘s alleged engagement to billionaire boyfriend James Packer.

The businessman reportedly popped the question to the premium diva, 45, in front of her friends and family at a private dinner at Eleven Madison Park. They have been dating for approximately six months.

Confirmation seemed scarce, however a glowing Mimi offered the most telling of responses when spotted leaving the venue.

See what we mean below…

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis are no strangers to controversy and incite exactly that on their latest track ‘White Privilege II.’

The song, which features on the duo’s upcoming new album ‘The Unruly Mess I’ve Made’ (due Feb 26th), sees the indie stars take aim at Iggy Azalea and Miley Cyrus in the most direct way:

A sequel to 2005 track ‘White Privilege’, which appeared on Macklemore’s solo album ‘Language of My World’,  the new cut clocks in at nearly nine minutes.

The duration provides ample time for the MC to vent about racial tension in America, the Black Lives Matter movement, and white artists who he believes have appropriated black culture.

Taking a wholly direct approach to articulating his stance, Mr Macklemore raps:

“You’ve exploited and stolen the music, the moment/The magic, the passion, the fashion you toyed with/The culture was never yours to make better/You’re Miley, you’re Elvis, you’re Iggy Azalea”

Listen below…

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Anthony Hamilton leaves new music at the doors of R&B music lovers this morning.

The name of his latest effort? ‘Amen‘, lifted from his forthcoming LP which will impact retailers later on this year with the help of the song’s producers Salaam Remi and James Poysner as well as the creative forces that are Claude Kelly and Chuck Harmony.

When asked to describe ‘Amen‘ Hamilton shared:

I made this album to be refreshing, uplifting and healing for everyone out there dealing with life’s day-to-day struggles. ‘Amen’ is a show of appreciation for all the good women who make life beautiful and full of love for us men. Now let the folk say Amen and Amen!

Listen below…

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New single alert!

K. Michelle has drawn the curtains back on ‘Not A Little Bit’ – the lead release from her third studio album.

The jam lands just days ahead of the season 2 premiere of her hit VH1 series ‘K. Michelle: My Life.’

Previous albums ‘Rebellious Soul’ and ‘Anybody Wanna Buy A Heart?’ helped the singer cement herself as a serious artist. Will ‘Not A Little’ further extend that narrative?

Listen below and let us know…

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Jennifer Lopez brought her brand of scorching heat to Sin City last night at the official opening of her ‘All I Have’ concert series.

The fierce 46-year-old played to a sold-out crowd at The Axis, Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas and journeyed through hits such as ‘Get Right,’ ‘Booty,’ and colossal comeback smash ‘On The Floor.’

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