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…
Author: Ron Wynn
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.…
Bryant Gumbel has long been a trailblazer and someone unafraid of controversy. Long before such folks as Stephen A. Smith or Charles Barkley were ruffling feathers on air, Gumbel was taking on politicians and celebrities as the first, and to date still only, Black principal host of “Today.” His career has spanned more than five decades, and he has achieved excellence in both the news and sports arenas. Since the mid-90s Gumbel’s principal broadcasting home has been HBO, where he has served as the host of “Real Sports.” The show has won 33 Emmys and is among the most honored…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Award-winning vocalist, songwriter and instrumentalist Lizzo announced Monday an extension of her First Look deal with Amazon Studios. The original deal was signed in 2020, and it gave Amazon Studios priority on any film and television projects developed by Lizzo and her company. She also at the time put out a casting call for various “big girls” for assorted projects. In Monday’s announcement, Lizzo put out a new casting call. This is part of her ongoing campaign to provide more opportunities for women hustiri ly denied any outlets into film, television or music due…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Unless you lived on the West Coast, you might have lost track of Chris Tucker the past seven years. That’s because until the new film “Air” opened recently, Tucker had largely confined his activities to doing occasional comedy tours and spearheading the various activities of his charitable foundation. But the opportunity to be in a film about the development of the Air Jordan shoe line, as well as portray someone he has known for years, brought Tucker back to the big screen. He plays Howard White, one of Nike’s few Black executives at the…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The award winning sitcom “Abbott Elementary” is getting a casting boost via the addition of a major film and TV star for a guest role. Taraji P. Henson, an Oscar and Emmy nominated actress know for roles in the film “Hidden Figures” and the television show “Empire” among many other projects, will appear on the show April 12. She is playing the mother of the show’s creator Quinta Brunson. Brunson is also part of the cast and an executive producer. Henson made the announcement from the stage during an appearance at Paleyfest last week.…
This year’s NCAA men’s basketball Tournament reveals just how dramatically things have changed in the sport. For starters, this is the first year ever that all four number one seeds were beaten prior to the Final Four. Purdue fell in its first game, and defending champion Kansas was ousted by Arkansas. Alabama and Houston both lost in the Sweet 16 round. But more impressive has been the play of mid-major teams, most notably Florida Atlantic. They not only made their first Final Four by beating Tennessee and Kansas State, they now have 35 victories, and have dazzled the nation despite…
NASHVILLE, TN — Amir “Questlove” Thompson has chosen a most unusual project to make his feature film directorial debut. Multiple entertainment sites announced Monday that Thompson has signed a deal with Disney to direct a remake of the 1970 film “The Aristocats.” This new version will combine live action characters with CGI footage. Additional details regarding locations, casting, release date, etc, will come later. This represents Questlove’s desire to make a mark in non music oriented cinematic territory. His previous release, “Summer of Soul,” was an Oscar winning documentary on the Harlem Music Festival. Thompson also previously penned an acclaimed…