Gabrielle Union

BET unveiled several upcoming projects during its upfront presentation, including new series featuring Gabrielle Union and T.D. Jakes. Union will star in "Being Mary Jane," about a successful TV news anchor juggling relationships, work and comittments to her family. The series is the first original project developed for the network by Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, the husband-and-wife team behind BET's signature series "The Game" who have a deal with the network. The cast of "Being Mary Jane," which will premiere early next year, includes Omari Hardwick, Lisa Vidal, Richard Roundtree, Richard Brooks and Margaret Avery.

BET unveiled several upcoming projects during its upfront presentation, including new series featuring Gabrielle Union and T.D. Jakes. Union will star in "Being Mary Jane," about a successful TV news anchor juggling relationships, work and comittments to her family. The series is the first original project developed for the network by Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil, the husband-and-wife team behind BET's signature series "The Game" who have a deal with the network. The cast of "Being Mary Jane," which will premiere early next year, includes Omari Hardwick, Lisa Vidal, Richard Roundtree, Richard Brooks and Margaret Avery.

These are busy days for actress Gabrielle Union. The next few months will see the release of her first above-the-title lead role in the romantic comedy "Deliver Us From Eva," as well as two more movies in which she has the female lead -- the Jet Li-DMX martial arts gangster film "Cradle 2 the Grave" and the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence sequel "Bad Boys II."

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday night. ( Los Angeles Times ) "Hugo" and "Moneyball" were among the best sounding films of last year, according to the Cinema Audio Society. ( Los Angeles Times ) Meanwhile, "Albert Nobbs," "J. Edgar" and "Dancing With the Stars" earned GLAAD Media Award nominations. ( Los Angeles Times ) For the third year in a row, Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious admirer has failed to make a birthday appearance at his grave site, so fans are giving up. ( New York Times )

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Thursday. The 2012 Sundance Film Festival begins Thursday night. ( Los Angeles Times ) "Hugo" and "Moneyball" were among the best sounding films of last year, according to the Cinema Audio Society. ( Los Angeles Times ) Meanwhile, "Albert Nobbs," "J. Edgar" and "Dancing With the Stars" earned GLAAD Media Award nominations. ( Los Angeles Times ) For the third year in a row, Edgar Allan Poe's mysterious admirer has failed to make a birthday appearance at his grave site, so fans are giving up. ( New York Times )

Gabrielle Union has been cast as a cheerleader (in "Bring it On") and a doctor (in the CBS series "City of Angels"). She moves into the "seasonal" genre in "The Perfect Holiday," which has her dating Santa. Or someone who plays him in a department store. It's a Christmas spectacular! That's the first time I've heard it referred to that way, and I'll use that too! It's sort of weird that they say this is an "urban" Christmas movie. No one calls "Fred Claus" the white Christmas movie.

Christian Tupou , USC's starting nose tackle, will "likely" sit out the 2010 season because of a knee injury suffered in last week's scrimmage at the Coliseum, the school announced. Tupou, a senior, will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee. Tupou was injured in the second half of the scrimmage when he made a cut and his knee buckled without being touched, the school said. "It's unfortunate that it happened, but I'm OK," Tupou said in a statement. "I'll deal with it. It's part of the game.

Starry night: Rihanna will take the stage June 24 at the BET Awards, the show announced Thursday. Also added: Ne-Yo, Jennifer Hudson, Terrence Howard and Gabrielle Union. Already included in the lineup: Alicia Keys, Chris Brown and Kanye West.

Seth Rogen and Michelle Rodriguez toasting with James Franco at a special preview of Franco's new bar the Writer's Room, attached to Hollywood's supper club.... Artist Claire Rojas unveiled a new show at Sunset Boulevard's Prism gallery last Saturday, attended by Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, Michael Stipe, Adrien Brody, Russell Simmons, James Van Der Beek, Rachel Zoe and Jeffrey Deitch.... Adam Lambert dancing up a storm at the soft open of Mr. H at the Mondrian Hotel. Gerard Butler, Gabrielle Union, Mickey Rourke and Javier Bardem all stopped by the concept space last weekend, which we hear becomes a permanent space in the spring.

The Dallas Mavericks (44-9) have the best record in the league, but don't hand them the NBA title just yet, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. Wade was last season's Finals MVP while leading the Heat over the Mavericks, and he said Dallas hasn't proven anything yet. "They're the best team in the league this year, they're doing a great job, but they have to win a championship," Wade said. "They have the makeup to do it. Hopefully, they won't."

Christian Tupou , USC's starting nose tackle, will "likely" sit out the 2010 season because of a knee injury suffered in last week's scrimmage at the Coliseum, the school announced. Tupou, a senior, will have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee. Tupou was injured in the second half of the scrimmage when he made a cut and his knee buckled without being touched, the school said. "It's unfortunate that it happened, but I'm OK," Tupou said in a statement. "I'll deal with it. It's part of the game.

Gabrielle Union has been cast as a cheerleader (in "Bring it On") and a doctor (in the CBS series "City of Angels"). She moves into the "seasonal" genre in "The Perfect Holiday," which has her dating Santa. Or someone who plays him in a department store. It's a Christmas spectacular! That's the first time I've heard it referred to that way, and I'll use that too! It's sort of weird that they say this is an "urban" Christmas movie. No one calls "Fred Claus" the white Christmas movie.

These are busy days for actress Gabrielle Union. The next few months will see the release of her first above-the-title lead role in the romantic comedy "Deliver Us From Eva," as well as two more movies in which she has the female lead -- the Jet Li-DMX martial arts gangster film "Cradle 2 the Grave" and the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence sequel "Bad Boys II."

CBS This Morning Paul Rudd. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Brad Goreski; Wolfgang Puck; Jimmy Kimmel; Uggie the dog. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Rachael Ray James Lipton makes Oscar-winner predictions. (N) 8 a.m. KCAL Live With Kelly Colbie Caillat performs. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Doris Day; Lori Greiner; David Agus. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Talk Tyler Perry; Roselyn Sanchez. (N) 1 p.m. KCBS The Doctors Red-carpet beauty secrets; how celebrities turn back the clock; cellulite; heel pain.

Even as Tyler Perry the industry grows more and more stable and certain, reliably putting out cost-effective cultural products across a number of platforms, Tyler Perry the filmmaker remains a work in progress. There is still something both oddly thrilling and endlessly frustrating about his work as writer, director and performer. When Perry sets films within the universe of broad tones steered by his signature character of Madea, veering madly from comedy to melodrama, he seems more sure-footed than when he makes films set ostensibly in the genuine contemporary here and now. In "Tyler Perry's Good Deeds" he plays, indeed, a character named Wesley Deeds III who learns how to be genuinely good.