By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — CBS sports and news reporter Nate Burleson is getting yet another job at the network. Starting in June, he will be a game show co-host. Burleson and Kettie Knight are co-hosting the new program “Superfan.” It is the latest twist on music competition shows, but with a different wrinkle. This time the participants are not professional vocalists or musicians. Instead, they are fans and supporters of musicians who will be performing. Each week a guest performer will make the choice of a winning super fan. These winners are also competing for a separate grand…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Organizations and outlets all over the world are celebrating International Jazz Day Sunday April 30. Locally, the Nashville Jazz Workshop will be marking the day with events and a special concert beginning at 5 pm at their headquarters located at 1012 Buchanan Street. The Nashville Jazz Workshop has earned national recognition for its combination of advocacy, education, and performance. Their special concert room, known as the “Jazz Cave,” functions for improvisational artists in the same way as the Bluebird Cafe does for aspiring singers and songwriters. It is a listening and concert venue, and…
The National Football League is getting rid of a huge problem, and it’s not costing them anything. They are also getting a minor PR boost. That’s because longtime league embarrassment Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder is selling his team. After years of scandal and bluster, countless disgusting public statements and often outrageous rhetoric, Snyder is getting out of pro football ownership. A Washington native who grew up watching the team when it was both consistently great and the city’s most popular franchise, Snyder has presided over its steady decline. A team that once routinely sold out its games now is…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Despite having no opportunity to make the playoffs, the Nashville Predators fought down to the wire before losing the final game of the season 4-3 to the Colordo Avalanche. The win gave defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado the Central Division title. But it took a three goal, one assist night from the Avalanche”s best player Nathan MacKinnon. He scored the game-winner on a two on one breakaway with only one minute and 42 seconds remaining. Nashville had battled back from a 3-1 deficit, tying the game with two early second period goals. Once again…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Modern country music’s first Black superstar now has his own statue on the Ryman Walk of Fame. Last Wednesday his statue was unveiled in a ceremony attended by both his widow Rozene and son Dion, along with other celebrities and special guests as well as Ryman Properties Executive Chairman Colin Reed. Reed praised Pride as a trailblazer who defied stereotypes and excelled over obstacles. Rozene Pride pointed out that unlike Jackie Robinson, who was chosen to integrate major league baseball by Branch Rickey, her husband chose country music and loved it. His groundbreaking role…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Netflix is teaming with a pair of major stars and assembling an all-star cast for its new film version of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson.” Samuel L. Jackson and John David Washington, who were both in the 2022 Broadway revival, will also headline the film. It is being directed by Malcolm Washington, who is also co-writing the script along with Virgil Williams. The film is being produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black. Netflix made the announcement last week. “The Piano Lesson” is the fourth play in August Wilson”s Pittsburgh cycle and takes place…
The Memphis Grizzlies head into this weekend’s NBA first round with a different attitude. They are no longer an emerging or unknown team. Despite still being one of the youngest teams in the league, they have won over 50 games two straight seasons. Although Sunday they ended the regular season with a 15 point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, for the second straight year they finished second in the Western Conference. They will home court advantage for at least the first two rounds. They firmly believe if star guard Ja Morant had not been injured they would have defeated…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — For the second straight season, the mega producer Dick Wolf will preside over three nights of television on two broadcast networks. Monday NBC announced the renewal of six Wolf dramas that run on Wednesday and Thursday nights. They are all three Chicago themed shows, and all three editions of “Law and Order.” These six are shown locally on Channel 4 from 7-9 pm. Wolf also has three dramas airing on CBS, locally on Channel 5, Tuesdays under the “FBI” umbrella during the same time period. This makes him the first producer to completely…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Symphony Orchestra has joined forces with composer and trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe for the world premiere of his composition “The Jonah People – A Legacy of Struggle and Triumph.” The multi-media production will be presented April 13-16 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The even not only features the Symphony, but also a 100-voice choir consisting of vocalists from various HBCUs in both Tennessee and Kentucky. There are also operatic and dramatic components, with more than 30 actors utilized and it marks Lokumbe’s first opera. Yet another added segment involves an African drumming and…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — After a disappointing season punctuated by a dismal second half, the Tennessee Titans entered the off season with several key questions to be answered. As the 2023 NFL draft on April 27th approaches, the Titans have released some veterans and signed some others. But three big questions remained unanswered as of press time. The first concerns the status of veteran QB Ryan Tannehill. He is in the final year of his contract, and rumors abound that the Titans plan to cut him and draft a QB. They have already moved on from Josh Dobbs.…