<\/a>Chanvalyn Jenkins
\n<\/strong>MC301 Contributor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forty-one year old actress Gabrielle Union has once again grabbed the media spotlight with her starring role in BET\u2019s television show, \u201cBeing Mary Jane.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many know Union from her previous roles in \u201cDeliver Us from Eva,\u201d \u201cLove and Basketball,\u201d \u201cBring It On,\u201d \u201cBad Boys II\u201d and \u201cGood Deeds.\u201d She has also starred in the original television movie from which the TV show is based, \u201cBeing Mary Jane. \u00a0 Union has won two Black Reel awards for \u201cBring It On\u201d and \u201cCadillac Records\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to a report on variety.com, the show\u2019s premiere on Jan. 8 drew a large share of the Nielson ratings with 3.32 million viewers, landing it in the top spot among cable original shows.\u00a0 The premiere was also the top trending topic on social media with many discussing the strong sexual content of the show.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing Mary Jane\u201d is written and directed by husband and wife duo Salim and Mara Brock Akil. Many are familiar with Mara Brock Akil\u2019s works on hit shows that include: \u201cThe Jamie Foxx Show,\u201d Girlfriends\u201d and \u201cThe Game.\u201d Akil started her career by writing and directing episodes of \u201cSouth Central\u201d on FOX in 1994.<\/p>\n

According to IMDb.com, when \u201cBeing Mary Jane\u201d first aired as a cable TV movie, it had more than 4 million viewers and has since been compared to the hit TV show \u201cScandal\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI watch both \u201cScandal\u201d and \u201cBeing Mary Jane,\u201d and I think they are both interesting shows, but I would not compare them,\u201d said Aschira White, a sophomore criminal justice.<\/p>\n

In \u201cBeing Mary Jane\u201d, Union stars as Mary Jane Paul, a very successful TV news anchor who seems to have it all. However, she does not have it all, and her family tries to get her to notice what she is missing. Paul is a single black woman who is seeking love, but also has to juggle her life and stay devoted to her family as well. Although her family judges, she still feels the need to be there for them.<\/p>\n

Omari Hardwick stars as Andre Daniels on the show, who\u2019s the married man that Paul is seeing. Hardwick\u2019s previous works include: \u201cGridiron Gang\u201d, \u201cSparkle\u201d \u201c, and \u201cFor Colored Girls\u201d, in which he won the Outstanding Ensemble Award in 2011.\u00a0 On the show, Daniels is married to Avery Daniels, played by Robinne Lee.\u00a0 Lee also starred in \u201cDeliver Us from Eva,\u201d \u201cNational Security,\u201d \u201cHitch\u201d and Tyler Perry\u2019s television show \u201cHouse of Payne.\u201d<\/p>\n

Margaret Avery stars as Helen Patterson, Paul\u2019s mother who is battling Lupus. Avery\u2019s is most known for her role as Shug Avery in \u201cThe Color Purple\u201d\u00a0 in which she was nominated for an Academy Award for best actress\/<\/p>\n

Students at Jackson State University weighed in on their feelings about the show and the way that social media is spotlighting black.<\/p>\n

Dominique Triplett, a senior English major from Jackson, Miss. said aside from the fact that Mary Jane is sleeping with a married man, her morals are pretty high up there.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knows what she wants in life, she\u2019s a go getter, she has her head on straight as far as family because she knows that she wants to get married and have kids,\u201d said Triplett.<\/p>\n

Ann Johnson, a junior elementary education major said she has never seen the show but all the media attention has changed her mind about watching.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have never watched \u201cScandal\u201d or \u201cBeing Mary Jane, but after hearing so much interesting feedback about the show I will tune in now,\u201d said Johnson.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t seen it and want to see what all the fuss is about, tune in to BET on Tuesday\u2019s at 9 p.m. and join the conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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