By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Although many in the acting community feel she should have received one on merit, actress Angela Bassett will finally get an Oscar. Bassett is among a group of distinguished individuals in the film industry who will receive honorary Oscars later this year. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement last week. Bassett was nominated this past year for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” She became the first person starring in a Marvel film to earn an Oscar nomination. The 64-year-old Bassett also was nominated…
Author: Ron Wynn
Two names have made tennis news lately, one that’s still gaining recognition, and another that’s an all-time great. While Francis Tafoe is a rising star, Venue Williams is among the finest tennis players of all time in either men’s or women’s circles. Each has been in the news over the past few days as the tennis world’ anticipates the start of Wimbledon next month. A few days ago, Tafoe became only the third Black American to make the men’s top 10. That came on the heels of his third career ATP title in Stuttgart June 18. The 25-year-old’s achievement puts…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Less than a month after taking over as new head coach of the Predators, Andrew Brunette has made his first major move. He chose Derek MacKenzie as his new assistant, with the team making the official announcement last Thursday. MacKenzie spent three seasons coaching with Brunette with the Florida Panthers. Last season the 42-year-old MacKenzie was coach of the Sudbury Wolves in the OHL. Like Brunette, he also has a sizable track record as a player. MacKenzie spent 16 years in the NHL with three teams. One was the Atlanta Thrashers. The others were…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The vast majority of NBA fans were sleeping last Wednesday night when the Memphis Grizzlies landed one of the league’s best defensive players. The Grizzlies were part of a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards. When the dust settled on a deal that had to be completed before 12 midnight Eastern time, the Grizzlies had acquired longtime Celtics guard Marcus Smart. The Grizzlies sent the Celtics their first round pick in this year’s draft (the 25th overall selection), plus the Golden State Warriors top-four protected pick in 2024. They also sent…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Samuel L. Jackson has portrayed Nick Fury, head of the spy agency SHIELD, through so many Marvel films and television shows that only longtime comic book readers remember the original character was a white World War II veteran who later switched over to the world of espionage. But in the new Disney+ series “Secret invasion,” which debuted last Wednesday, viewers will see a very different version of Nick Fury. Fury and his allies are trying to prevent an invasion of Earth by the shape-shifting Skrulls. It’s the ninth TV series in the Marvel Cinemstic Universe…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — A longtime musical legend and a contemporary performer who has excelled in both hip-hop and acting circles were among the list of distinguished artists named to receive 2023 Kennedy Center Honors last Thursday The great Dionne Warwick and Queen Latifah, currently star of the CBS show “The Equalizer,” will join Barry Gibb, longtime actor and comedian Billy Crystal and multi-Grammy Award winning opera singer Renee Fleming as this year’s recipents of the 46th Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement. The Kennedy Center Honors recognizes artists who have made profound contributions to the cultural…
There are many angles and ramifications in Michael Jordan’s decision to sell his majority ownership in the Charlotte Hornets. It was announced last Friday that Jordan was finalizing a deal to sell the majority share to a group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. From a strictly monetary aspect, the deal is a huge success for Jordan. If the reported sale price of $3 billion is accurate, it is more than twice the value of the team estimated by Forbes. It is also more than 20 times what Jordan paid former owner Robert Johnson when he purchased the then…
NASHVILLE, TN — The NBA finally announced its decision on Memphis Grizzlies’ guard Ja Morant last Friday. Commissioner Adam Silver said Morant would be suspended 25 games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league. The suspension went into effect immediately, and comes on top of the indefinite suspension that the team had placed him on since May, when a second video of Morant flashing a gun was widely released. The first incident had gotten Morant only an eight game suspension, something several NBA writers and commentators felt was too light. A similar criticism has been leveled in some circles, …
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Vols’ offense and defense both faltered Tuesday night as they were eliminated 5-0 by LSU at the College World Series in Omaha. Tennessee had rallied Monday from a 4-0 deficit against Stanford and had gotten a 6-4 victory to extend their season. But there would be no late rally against LSU. The Tigers started Nate Ackenhausen, who had previously been exclusively a reliever. He gave LSU six shutout innings, while Riley Cooper finished off Tennessee. The Vols twice left two runners stranded and once left the bases loaded. Defensively, they gave up…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Jazz Workshop is continuing to expand its series of community outreach events. Their latest is a new concert series titled “Jazz In The Park.” This will be a monthly series featuring three events held at the Hadley Park Bandshell. The series begins Friday with celebrated trumpeter and photographer Rod McGaha. McGaha has been a fixture on the Nashville music scene for decades. He also has a long and distinguished list of credits and collaborations. Initially discovered at a festival by legendary trumpet icon Clark Terry, McGaha has played with legendary jazz drummer…