BEING MARY JANE

Announced this week, the 3rd season of BET's hit original drama series, "Being Mary Jane," will premiere on Tuesday, October 20 in a new time slot, at 9 pm ET (it previously aired at 10 pm). Also announced, Loretta Devine and Jill Scott have both joined the series as guest stars for the season. Devine will play a character named Cecilia, a bookstore owner whose car was hit by Mary Jane’s vehicle in the final moments of the season 2 finale. And Scott will play Jackie, Niecy’s (Raven Goodwin's) mother. Season 3 of the series will pick up immediately after last season’s finale: a newly promoted Mary Jane learns the truth about the relationship between Lisa (Latarsha Rose) and her ex David (Stephen Bishop), just after she broke up with Sheldon (Gary Dourdan). An injured Mary Jane will be “sidelined at work when a beautiful young Latina anchor, Marisol, shines as her replacement, while she is out on medical leave,” says BET. Mary Jane then embarks on a “life cleanse” that makes her rethink her career path and personal life, as “tragedy in the family will throw her world into chaos once more.”

CAN'T WAIT FOR THURSDAY NIGHTS

GREY'S ANATOMY, SCANDAL AND HTGAWM. FUN TIMES

THE BEST IS YET TO COME

JUSSIE SMOLLETT COVERS BLUE MAGAZINE

The hottest new Hollywood heartthrob is singer/actor Jussie Smollett who plays Jamal Lyons on the new hit series Empire. Jussie has become a new hero for the next generation of young men by breaking barriers, refusing to be boxed, and redefining what it means to live authentically in the glitzy, but often treacherous world of entertainment. “The scenes with Terrence and I are most intense; they’re also draining. But at the same time, I trust him with my soul. ” There is no doubt Jussie Smollett is living out his dreams. He is one of the stars of the FOX primetime megahit series Empire. The series, which was co-created and is executive produced by director Lee Daniels, delivered record-breaking ratings. The show’s two-hour finale scored 21.92 million viewers–the highest rated scripted series on network TV in 10 years. Not a bad gig for a someone who just happened into acting as a child to kill a little summer boredom. Today, he finished a fitting with Calvin Klein for an appearance to promote season 2 of the hit TV show. “ I’m ‘sample size,’ so let me wear the runway outfit,” Smollett says in an over-the-top jovial voice. Jussie plays Jamal Lyons, the middle son of entertainment mogul Lucious Lyons. Lucious has challenged his three sons to fight to see who will become the heir to his billion dollar record label Empire. Jamal’s character has become a fan favorite because he is openly gay, cute, sensitive and a bit of a DL badass. “Yeah, it feels like a dream,” says Jussie about his meteoric rise. The 31-year-old, who has been an actor and singer since the age of six, declares, “I feel really, really blessed. I thank God so much that I’m in this position right now.” The position Jussie is referring to is his breakout starring role on Empire. He also recently landed a recording deal with Columbia Records, and appeared on the Billboard Music Awards singing “Conqueror” from Empire with songstress Estelle. The song serves as the unofficial anthem for both Jussie’s and Jamal’s life. One notable moment as of recent was when Jussie appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he had a very candid and slightly defensive discussion about his sexuality. “There’s never been a closet that I’ve been in,” Jussie declared to Ellen. Of course this video clip went viral and made Jussie even more of a hero to a generation of young men who consider themselves gay but don’t want to be labeled as such. see more if this interview in bleumagazine.com

JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON

DENZEL WASHINGTON'S son JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON CURRENTLY STARS IN THE IT SHOW BALLERS WITH DEWAYNE "THE ROCK" JOHNSON AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER.Sure, Johnson is charismatic; his magnetic smile being one of his best features, but the show's other secret weapon has been newcomer John David Washington, son of Denzel Washington. After 10 episodes of the newcomer’s familar demeanor and voice inflections -- it still took a while for many to place the essence. So who is this bearded man of mystery, up next to carry the Washington torch of greatness? The 31-year-old Morehouse College graduate, who plays Ricky Jerret on the series, had a brief stint in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams in the 2006-2007 season. He also landed a tiny part in “Malcolm X,” where his father portrayed the civil rights leader. Now Washington graces the world as a volatile receiver for the Green Bay Packers on the series.

SANAA TALKS THE PERFECT GUY

The Perfect Guy follows a woman (Lathan) who is stalked by an ex-boyfriend (Ealy), while a former lover (Chestnut) fights to protect her. Rosenthal and Williams expect the story to reach all audiences, given its universal theme of dating in a technological age. On being born to act: “I was a toddler on Broadway, basically. My mom was in the original cast of The Wiz on Broadway. I was always around it, behind the scenes. My father is the first black director in TV. It gets no more in your face than that.” On being a celebrity: “I don’t feel like a celebrity until I’m doing interviews like this. I walk around in sweats. I’m not always hair and makeup ready, and I have real people around me. That’s the key. You can’t help but stay in pocket, because real people don’t tolerate anything else.” On her next career move: “I am moving into the behind-the-scenes aspect now. When you’ve been in the business so long, you say to yourself, “I know how to do this.” I know you can never say never, but I’ll never stop acting. I’ll just keep adding to what the word “performance” ultimately means to me.“