By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Award-winning actor Denzel Washington will soon be returning to some familiar thematic territory. He’s appeared in acclaimed Broadway plays and he’s also done his fair share of Shakespearean works. Last week it was announced that Washington would be going back to Broadway, and his role this time would be Shakespeare’s tragic African general, Othello. He will co-star in a new production opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Producer Brian Anthony Moreland announced that Washington and Gyllenhaal would star in the Kenny Leon-directed production of “Othello.” While Washington will play Othello, Gyllenhaal will star as Iago, the nemesis…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Poet, writer and activist Amanda Gorman and costume designer June Ambrose, a fashion industry pioneer, will each receive special NAACP honors this week as part of the 55th annual NAACP Image Awards. The organization also announced that actress/rapper Queen Latifah would return as host after emceeing the ceremony for the first time last year. Gorman is getting the prestigious Chairman’s Award, while Ambrose is this year’s Vanguard Award winner. “We are thrilled to collaborate with groundbreaking megastar Queen Latifah and are elated to welcome her again as this year’s host,” Connie Orlando, EVP Specials,…
Seldom will any sport have two all-time records set in the same weekend. But that is precisely what happened over the last couple of days as Caitlin Clark and LeBron James did the unthinkable in college and pro basketball respectively. For Clark, the consensus top woman player in college this season, smashed Pete Maravich’s all-time scoring record. Her 35 points in her final home game for Iowa gave Clark 3, 685 points in 130 games. James became the first NBA player to reach the 40, 000 point mark. He had 26 points in a loss to the Denver Nuggets. He…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Vocalist Alex Harris, one of Americana/Soul’s finest vocalists, is returning to Nashville. Harris, who previewed some songs off his latest release a few months ago during a promotional stop in town, will be performing March 13 at the WMOT American Roots Radio’s members events at Riverside Revival, 2600 Riverside Drive. He’ll be performing along with Katie Pruitt.Harris, an explosive, energetic and charismatic performer whose sound nicely blends the artistry and passion of gospel with the performance excitement of soul, is also one of Shanachie’s prime acts as they are continuing to expand their gospel…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Wendell Pierce has long been one of Hollywood’s busiest and most versatile character actors, equally able to excel in a leading or supportive role. But last week he landed a spot on one of the more eagerly awaited and anticipated properties coming soon, the latest version the iconic superhero Superman. It is directed by James Gunn, titled “Titled Superman: Legacy,” and production has already begun. The newest person in the title role is David Corenswet, who’s alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and Nicholas Hoult as the infamous Lex Luthor. Pierce is assuming the…
Howard University made history last weekend in the same manner as Fisk last year and TSU will in the future, by doing something in the athletic world no one expects or anticipates an HBCU will do. Thanks to Jordan McCreary Graham as well as students like Cheyenne Walker and Maya James, Howard is the first HBCU school to compete in figure skating. Just as when Fisk announced it would begin fielding a gymnastics team and Tennessee State announced plans to begin a hockey program, there was nationwide curiosity and questions regarding why a Black university would even want to be…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It’s hard to imagine a more challenging feat than portraying Civil Rights icons and legends Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. But that’s precisely the task that’s been undertaken by the duo of Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Aaron Pierre respectively. They have these roles in the current National Geographic miniseries “Genius: MLK/X.” The final two episodes in the eight-part series air Thursday night on National Geographic, then stream Friday on Hulu and Disney+. Both actors said they realized comparisons would be made between them and such past performances as Denzel Washington, who …
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Tyler James Williams has enjoyed success as a youthful star in “Everybody Loves Chris,” and is now a regular in the third season of the ABC hit “Abbott Elementary.” However his newest endeavor is something totally different. He will join Hayden Panettiere in an upcoming thriller film. “Amber Alert” will be released by Lionsgate according to the website Deadline. The film follows Panettiere’s character on the first day of a new job, with Williams simply along as her ride-share driver for the day. But these two soon find themselves caught in an elaborate scheme…
Big-time college football teams have been even more reluctant to hire Black head football coaches than the NFL. The SEC as one prime example currently has zero Black head football coaches. At a college the head coach is involved with way more things than on the NFL level, particularly with the changes that have come as a result of Name, Image and Likeness money (better known as NIL), the transfer portal, the complete realignment of major conferences, plus the usual recruiting and interaction with boosters. But UCLA became the second Power 5 school in a little over two months to…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Three prominent Nashville acts will be performing at the Nashville airport as Black History Month continues. The first will be Joseph Wooten & The Hands of Soul on Friday. Then the Joe West Trio featuring Frankie Staton are scheduled for Feb. 28 and the series concludes with the Rosalyn Malone Jazz Trio Feb. 29. Each performance runs from noon to 2 p.m. outside the Green Beans Coffee Co. in the Nashville International Airport. Joe West, who is both the duet partner with country singer/songwriter Valierie Ellis and a member of the Nashville International Airport…