By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — It made $6 million while appearing in 1,775 theaters nationwide. This is the latest film to offer a different, definitely African American spin on the horror genre. It takes a comedic approach and is co-written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, and produced by Story, Olivet and Sharle Sam. “The Blackening” is based on a 2018 short film of the same name created by the comedy troupe 3Peat. The original productuon, as well as the 2023 version, tells the story of seven friends on a holiday retreat who suddenly find themselves trapped in a…
Author: Ron Wynn
The University of Missouri made history last week on the baseball front. They hired former MLB pitcher, scout and coach Kerrick Jackson as their new head baseball coach. He joins a select group. At the start of this past season only 12 Blacks were head coaches in Division 1 baseball. That was out of 299 head coaching positions. Jackson is the first Black head baseball coach in SEC history. The ACC has never had one, while the Big 10, Pac-12 and Big 12 have each only had one. This is a reflection of the lack of Black athletes playing college…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Training camp is still a month away and the various organized team activities (OTAs) are underway. While the Titans did take care of one big bit of off-season business when they signed star defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons to a new multi-year extension, plenty of other questions remain unanswered. Titans management was noncommittal publicly about the possibility of signing free agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins has been in town recently for a visit, and it is generally agreed he would represent a huge upgrade on what’s now available in regards to receivers. The hope…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Award-winning politics. culture and sports journalist Jemele Hill responded recently to multiple reports that claimed her podcast “Unbothered” had been canceled by Spotify and that the reason was she had sought a $100 million dollar deal similar to the one negotiated by Joe Rogan. Hill said on Twitter that much of the reporting on her podcasts status was false, and that the $100 million dollar figure was “comical.” She added “Unbothered” has NOT been cancelled, and that fans could still hear and find it online. Hill started “Unbothered” in 2019. A Detroit native, she…
By Ron Wynn There will be several events held in the Nashville area this weekend to celebrate Juneteenth. The original celebration dates back to June 19, 1865 in Texas. President Joe Biden signed into law the Juneteenth National Independence Act in 2021, making it a federal holiday The first event is in Franklin on Friday, the Juneteenth Freedom Day Festival that runs from 6-10 pm at the Factory on 230 Franklin Road in Franklin. There are several events planned for Saturday, most-notably the Music City Freedom Festival at Hadley Park which will extend over two days starting on the 17th…
All indications now point to a stiff sentence coming down the line for star Memphis Grizzlies Guard Ja Morant. Given a chance before Game 1 of the NBA Finals to address the Morant situation last Thursday, Commissioner Adam Silver refused to give details about how he would rule, saying he would wait until after the Finals. But he added that the reason for that was the league now had obtained “additional information” that would be factored into the decision. Morant remains on team suspension from all basketball-related activities. But the league has made no ruling, and the consensus from Silvers…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Yet another valuable and previously unreleased recording by legendary jazz musician John Coltrane is finally being issued. It was announced last week that the album, “Evenings at the Village Gate” will be released in July. The sessions were recorded in 1961, but for decades were assumed to be lost. It now turns out they were discovered at the New York Public Library. They add some important new material to the early 60s Coltrane legacy. At that time he was working with multi-instrumentalist Eric Dolphy, and he appears on this recording along with two thirds…
Whether it was Bill Russell, the duo of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, the high flying acrobatics of Michael Jordan, or the sustained excellence of Kobe Bryant, the league has depended on these and others to win fans and spread its popularity. The NBA has always been a league where superstars set the tone. As the 2023 playoffs continue, the approaching end of another era has suddenly emerged as a huge story, one that threatened to drown out the ongoing battles for a title on the court. Only moments after a tough loss to the Denver Nuggets that ended the…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — As voluntary workouts continue and training camp approaches, some big questions remain about the Titans on both sides of the ball. But a move by the Arizona Cardinals last week has put a player on the market that the Titans could clearly use if they could make the salary work. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins regularly terrorized the Titans when he was on the Texans. He was just a shell of himself the last two seasons, plagued by injuries and a PED suspension. Still last season in an off-year he had 64 receptions for 717…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Tributes and salutes came from around the globe last week in the aftermath of Tina Turners passing at 83. She became not just a phenomenal live performer and dynamic vocalist, but the embodiment of perseverance and recovery as a woman who rebuilt her life and career while enduring and surviving unspeakable domestic abuse. Turner would ultimately become not only a rock legend, but an inspiration and symbol of strength and bravery. As detailed in both her autobiography “I Tina,” and the film: “What’s Love Got To Do With it,” she met Ike Turner at…