By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Victor Wainwright is one of the nation’s premier blues and boogie-woogie pianists, a seven-time Blues Music Award winner, a former Blues Entertainer of the Year and a Grammy nominee. But Wainwright, who’ll be appearing at 3rd and Lindsley Friday night, is particularly happy about the response he’s seeing as he’s now back on the road after enduring, as did many musicians, a long COVID-induced absence from live performing. “Audiences are really eager, they’re so happy to be able to gather together and hear live music again,” Wainwright said last week during a phone interview…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The glittering legacy and cultural importance of Sidney Poitier, as well as the distinctive personality and huge influence of Judy Garland, are now celebrated in a new six story Hollywood mural. Pop artist Tristan Eaton was commissioned to create the spray paint work on the new Aster hotel and club. Ther mural made its debut Aug. 25. It adorns the south-facing side of the Aster club and hotel, The mural was created with spray paint and executed in Eaton’s signature collage style, which mixes pop art and traditional techniques. It’s a salute to Hollywood…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Former President Barack Obama has added yet another award to his impressive list. Over the weekend he became the first president to win a Competitive Emmy. He was the ultimate winner in an impressive list of nominees in the category of Outstanding Narrator. The others nominated were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Attenborough, W. Kamau Bell, and Lupita Nyong’o. The former President won for his narration in the Netflix documentary series “Our Great National Parks.” In addition to Netflix, other participants in the documentary were Freeborne Media and Obama’s own Higher Ground Productions. Before Obama, the…
We live in an age where reason, subtlety and nuance are frequently disdained and ignored in favor of exaggeration, caricature and manufactured outrage. Every incident is the worst someone’s ever seen or heard until the next one occurs, and there’s seemingly a group of folks whose sole duty in life is to constantly tweet about this or that, even before they really know what happened, or when they’re eager to blow things out of proportion. But there’s nothing that can be done about the online world. It’s a totally different thing when highly paid professional broadcasters deal in linguistic excess…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Tennessee Titans head into the regular season on an optimistic note. They won their final two preseason games, getting the second one 26-23 Saturday night at Nissan Stadium. They started rookie QB Malik Willis for the third straight game, and he had both a spectacular run and a touchdown pass. His accuracy was also improved, as he completed 15 of 23 passes for 11 yards, though he did have one deflected pass intercepted. He also had four carries for 79 yards, including a 50-yarder in the second quarter. But it was Logan Woodside…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — She’s among the most prolific entertainers around in today’s music world, but Beyonce continues to find new projects. Her latest made its debut Sunday night during the Video Music Awards presentation. But it’s not a new single or album. Instead, it’s a venture into the advertising world. Gatorade released a new commercial honoring Serena Williams with Beyonce providing the naration, The video, directed by Jake Nava — who helmed Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love” video — was released as the tennis superstar begins her last trip to the U.S Open. Williams announced that she was…
NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville Ballet announced last week that Artistic Director Paul Vasterling will retire at the end of the 2022–2023 season, concluding 33 years with the organization. As he is the longest-serving artistic director in Nashville Ballet history, the board of directors has voted to name him artistic director emeritus upon his retirement in recognition of his contributions. Current Associate Artistic Director Nick Mullikin has been named CEO and associate artistic director beginning Aug. 26, and will succeed Vasterling as artistic director and CEO in June 2023. For more than 30 years, Vasterling has been foundational to Nashville Ballet…
Though they were not a part of it, the new television deal signed last Thursday by the Big 10 conference had major meaning for HBCUs. It also offered a warning to such conferences as the Ivy and Patriot Leagues, as well as smaller non-Power 5 conferences like the Ohio Valley. It was another indicator of the rich getting richer, and looking out for absolutely no one but themselves in the process. The newly expanded Big 10 Conference announced they had reached a massive media rights agreement with CBS, FOX, NBC and NBCUniversal’s Peacock for a deal reportedly worth an average…
NASHVILLE, TN — As the Titans prepare for their third and final preseason game, one big question remains unanswered. The issue of who will be the backup QB to Ryan Tannehill has yet to be decided. Neither veteran Logan Woodside or rookie Malik Willis has established themselves, but Willis has started both games. The results of Saturday’s second outing were far more positive, as the Titans posted a 13-3 victory. But there are still many unanswered questions regarding the number two QB spot. Willis had his first touchdown pass of the preseason and also had a 24-yard scramble. The excitement…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — One of the greatest actors in American history, as well as a trailblazer, will be the subject of a forthcoming documentary. The first trailer has been released for “Sidney,” which will be released on Apple TV+. The trailer is now available online at multiple locations including the Shadow and Act website. Poitier who passed in January at 94, was the first Black actor to win an Oscar as Best Actor in 1964. Poitier also won two Golden Globes, a BAFTA (British academy of Film and Television Arts) and a Grammy. The documentary is produced…