By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Rudy’s Jazz Room is not only featuring many of Nashville and Middle Tennessee’s top jazz artists, they’re also presenting top performers from across the country. Friday nigh’t late performer is Chicago pianist Alex Murphy. He’s been a performer since childhood, being encouraged by growing up in a family of musicians. He had the opportunity to study under several artists and instructors, first studying at Birch Creek Jazz Camp and then continuing at DePaul University, where his jazz instructors included Ron Perrillo and Dana Hall. He has emerged as a major figure on the national…
Author: Ron Wynn
This past Sunday seven new members joined the Baseball Hall of Fame. More than any other sport, baseball really puts a premium on Hall of Fame selection. It’s viewed as the benchmark that separates the absolute best in the sport from players who were good and in some cases very good, but just not quite Hall of Fame types. It even makes a point of differentiating first round selections from those chosen later in the process and/or by what is now called the Golden Days Committee (formerly the Veterans Committee). The 2022 class also has both its share of controversy…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The sudden death of actress and vocalist Shonka Dukureh has left many in the Nashville entertainment community stunned and saddened. Dukureh was found unresponsive in her Nashville apartment last Thursday. At 44, she was getting widespread rave reviews for her performance as Big Mama Thornton in the current film “Elvis.” Dukureh was both a Fisk and Trevecca Nazarene University graduate, earning her bachelor’s degree in theater from Fisk and a master’s in education from Trevecca. The Thornton role was her first major one, and it seemed stardom awaited her. One of many who offered…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Despite some initial doubts from a few box office pundits, Jordan Peele’s new sci-fi thriller “Nope” opened big. It topped the box office with its $44 million debut. While that slightly missed the projections some made of $50 million, it’s right in the middle between Peele’s first two films, 2017’s “Get Out” (which opened to $33 million) and 2019’s “Us” (which opened to $71 million). “Nope” demonstrates the director’s popularity, and marks a strong start for an original, R-rated horror film. “Nope” ranks as the highest opening weekend tally for an original film since…
For much of this century, sprinting has been dominated by the nation of Jamaica, particularly on the men’s side. Usain Bolt dominated both the world championships and Olympics so thoroughly from 2008 through 2016, and in the process became the first man to gold medals in the 100 and 200 in three consecutive Olympics. Bolt ultimately won eight gold medals and 11 world championship titles, retiring in 2017 as the world record holder in both the 100 and 200. Since Bolt’s retirement, no one has emerged remotely as successful in both sprints. But last week at thus year’s World Championships,…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators continued their retooling of the roster lat week with two free agent signings, one of them a potential backup to goalie Juuse Saros, who was among the leaders at his position in games played last season. The Predators signed goaltender Devin Cooley and forward Jimmy Huntington. Both signed one-year contracts. Neither was on an NHL roster last season, as they were members of the Predators’ AHL affiliate the Milwaukee Admirals. Cooley played in 23 games for the Admirals. His record was 9-10-4 and he had a goals against average of 3.06.…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Apple TV+ continues making inroads in both series television and sports broadcasts. Their latest move was made last week with one of their newest comedies. They renewed the com edy series “Loot” starring Maya Rudolph and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez for season two. So far, five episodes of the ten-episode first season have already aired. The workplace comedy is also executive produced by Rudolph and is from Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard. The announcement was mast just as Apple TV+ set a multi-year, first-look deal with Animal Pictures, the production company run from Maya…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The 2022 Emmy nominations were both historic and controversial. Several Black stars, including some notable women, received their first Emmy nominations. But there was also surprise that a long-running show which just finished its run was virtually shut out of award consideration. First time Black Emmy nominees included Quinta Brunson, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Sanaa Lathan, Chadwick Boseman, Jerrod Carmichael, Colman Domingo, Janelle James and Tyler James Williams. Brunson is nominated for multiple Emmys as both a star and the creator of “Abbott Elementary.” Ralph is also nominated as Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The Nashville Predators decisively answered the question Saturday of how they would resolve the Filip Forsberg contract dilemma. They locked up the left wing for the next eight years and also made contractural concessions that general manager David Poile acknowledged they neither usually made nor really wanted to. The new deal is for eight years and $64 million, giving Forsberg an $8.5 million per year contract. He could quite possibly have gotten more had the Predators allowed him to reach free agency, but that’s no longer a concern. The team also gave him both…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — A new show previously aired on the National Geographic channel and now showing on Disney + is providing a spotlight for a sector of society that seldom gets mentioned, let alone given extensive exposure. “Critter Fixers: County Vets” focuses on Black veterinarians, a small group within a highly specialized field. Only two percent of working veterinarians in America are Black. Dr. Vernard Hodges and Dr. Terrence Ferguson are both friends and part of that special group. Their friendship has extended across three decades, and they are featured throughout the program. They hope to both…