The famed group Boyz II Men are developing a feature film biopic that will chronicle their 30- year career. The four-time Grammy winners had an array of hits in the 1990s that continued into the 21st century. These included “End of the Road,” “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday,” “On Bended Knee,” “One Sweet Day” and “Motownphilly.” The band has partnered with production and financing companies Compelling Pictures and Primary Wave to develop the film, with Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Wanya Morris executive producing it. Compelling will also begin production on a long-form documentary…
Author: Ron Wynn
CBS continues to generate publicity for its upcoming new daytime drama “Beyond The Gates,” the first Black-oriented network daytime drama in decades. They announced last Friday 10 new cast members for the program, all of them with extensive experience either in television, film or in theatrical productions. The new members are: Brandon Claybon (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “General Hospital”), Timon Durrett (“Queen Sugar,” “Stuck With You”), Sean Freeman (“Finding Happy,” “Tales”), Marquita Goings (“Zatima,” “Woke”), Maurice Johnson (“Chicago Fire,” “To Catch a Killer”), Trisha Mann-Grant (“The Family Business,” “A Royal Christmas Surprise”), RhonniRose Mantilla (Broadway’s “Harmony the Musical”), Ambyr Michelle (“Snowfall,” “The…
There’s been plenty of anticipation regarding Morris Chestnut’s new CBS series “Watson,” a show he is also executive producing. The network late last week finally released publicity photos of Chestnut as the title character, while also announcing a premiere date. The show will make its debut Jan. 26, 2025, airing directly after the AFC Championship game, a prime spot often used to launch promising new series. It will then shift to its regular time slot of 9 p.m. CT Feb. 16, while also streaming on Paramount +. The premise combines elements of mystery and medical shows, starring Chestnut as the…
Jason Berry’s celebrated documentary “City of A Million Dreams: Parading for the Dead in New Orleans,” is coming to Nashville next month. This is one of the stops for this year’s 2024-2025 South Arts Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers. It is a long-running South Arts program that connects US-based documentary filmmakers with communities throughout the South for screenings and conversations around important stories, topics, and the art of filmmaking. The Nashville location for the screening will be the Global Education Center, 4822 Charlotte Avenue. It’s set for November 16 at 4 p.m. There’s also a dance party scheduled in…
Saxophonist, educator and record label head Rahsaan Barber has been a mainstay in Nashville jazz circles for many years. Though he’s currently working as a professor at The University of North Carolina, he still maintains his local label Jazz Music City. Now he’s returning to town this weekend to spotlight his new LP “Six Words,” which features both his sextet Everyday Magic and a slate of all original compositions. He’ll be appearing at the Nashville Jazz Workshop’s Jazz Cave October 27 in a special album release concert. Barber has appeared and/or collaborated with a host of music greats. These include…
Journalist, author and sports commentator Jemele Hill is back in the podcast business. The longtime ESPN and current The Atlantic contributor is teaming with iHeartMedia for “Spolitics,” which debuts Thursday on the iHeartRadio app and all other major audio platforms. New episodes of the show will publish on subsequent Thursdays. Hill and her guests will have varied discussions spanning sports, race, gender, sexuality, social issues and politics, including such topics as immigration, voting rights, gender equity, affordable housing and reproductive rights. Some initial guests scheduled include sports personality Dan Le Batard, former NFL player LeSean McCoy, Michigan Lt. Gov Garlin…
Kerry Washington’s upcoming role as an army captain is part of a campaign to bring some long-needed exposure and recognition to some often-overlooked heroines of World War II. This was the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color in that conflict. There were 855 Black women and women of color in the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. They had to sort through a mail backlog that dated back three years and try to get the right letters to the correct soldiers as part of an effort to improve morale. Plus, they were doing this while fighting overt, sometimes…
It’s a been a long wait for the premiere of Spike Lee’s documentary about former NFL QB Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick’s refusal to tone down his activism eventually led to his being blackballed by the NFL (though they still deny that to this day), and he eventually reached an out-of-court settlement with the league while still expressing a desire to get another chance. That doesn’t seem likely, but there’s been plenty of anticipation the past couple of years to see what Lee’s documentary would reveal. But now reports are circulating that the documentary titled “Da Saga of Colin Kaepernick” might be…
Numerous music luminaries will be honored when the latest group of inductees for theRock and Roll Hall of Fame formally join it later in October. The Hall announced last week a select list of performers and presenters for the gala event on Oct. 19. They span the gamut for popular music, with those slated to either perform or present including Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, James Taylor, Jelly Roll, Julia Roberts, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Lucky Daye, Mac McAnally, Method Man, Roger Daltrey, Sammy Hagar, Slash and The Roots. The ceremony will be held at…
While the Nashville audience awaits the new season of plays at Kennie Playhouse Theater, they have a chance to enjoy this weekend a live staged reading of Nathan Lewis Jackson’s “Broke-Ology.” This is part of a gala that combines a grand opening, community night, and a fundraiser. The reading will feature Paj Jackson Jr., Clark Harris, Joel Diggs, and Alishia Marshall. Things get underway at 4 p.m. and continue until 6:30 p.m. at their headquarters, 1925 Herman Street. “Broke-ology” is the story of two sons at crossroads. Their mother died years before, and their father is getting increasingly feeble as…