By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — The regular season finale didn’t end well for either of the Tennessee State teams at Belmont Saturday, but both headed into the OVCTournament hoping to surprise some teams. The Tigers had a great start, establishing a quick nine-point lead at 12-3. But that was the high point as Belmont then went on a 24-3 run to take a 12-point lead. The Tigers got within four late in the first half, but Belmont re-established control, building a 15-point halftime lead and ultimately winning 87-67. Kassim Nicholson got his 11th double-double, scoring 17 points and grabbing…
Author: Ron Wynn
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Among modern jazz pianists, Oscar Peterson ranks near the top. His facility, speed, harmonic flair and rhythmic imagination astonished both musicians and fans throughout his extensive career. Now the documentary “Oscar Peterson: Black + White” on Hulu offers a portrait of Peterson’s musical brilliance while also spotlighting his personal and political life. It was filmed by Barry Avrich and released last week to Hulu as part of their Black History Month Celebration. Among the many interesting elements of Peterson’s life was the fact though he was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, Peterson composed…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN —Jennifer Hudson was the big winner Saturday night at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards. These annual awards honor achievement by people of color in culture and entertainment. The ceremony aired on BET and was hosted by Anthony Anderson, currently starring in “Law & Order” and “Black-ish,” as well as hosting “To Tell The Truth.” Hudson earned Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her performance as Aretha Franklin in the film “Respect.” Saturday’s honorees were the last among winners in 80 categories. Other winners had previously been announced during virtual…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN —The latest “Law & Order” spinoff, “Law & Order; Organized Crime” will take a new, totally different direction starting March 10 with the introduction of a storyline featuring Black characters. The final eight episodes will spotlight the “Marcy Killers,” featuring a fresh central villain and another prominent cast addition. But it’s main stars remain Chris Meloni, Danielle Moné Truitt And Ainsley Seiger. They are excited about the show’s latest turn, which comes one week after they complete the Richard Wheatley story Thursday. “Well, for me, it’s a more satisfying way to tell a story because…
The world of college athletics has changed dramatically over the last couple of years. The implementation of NIL (name, image and likeness) rules coupled with the transfer portal has created a situation for many colleges that resembles free agency in pro sports. Players can now be compensated, and can also leave one school, go to another and play immediately rather than sitting out a year. But for many HBCUs, these changes only add to their major dilemma: how do you maintain the traditional special qualities of an HBCU while simultaneously trying to get the same attention, exposure and fiscal opportunities…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — While they don’t want to overlook the two games they’ve got to play before next Saturday, the Nashville Predators can’t help but anticipate their first Stadium Series contest. They’re scheduled to play the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lighting Feb. 26 at Nissan Stadium. Crews have been working on putting in the special rink for the contest, but the biggest fears are weather related. Last week’s 70 degree days didn’t help matters, The advance weather report calls for temperatures in the mid-40s Saturday, with rain a possibility. The NHL’s Chief Content Officer Steve…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Jordan Peele’s return to the horror genre will be this summer, but a new trailer is now available online that showcases his latest production. Universal Pictures chose last Saturday night//early Sunday morning and the eve of the Super Bowl to present the initial trailer for “Nope.” It’s Jordan Peele’s third film following on the heels of two successful efforts, “Get Out,” and “Us.” The studio isn’t revealing many plot details. But they have confirmed that Daniel Kaluuya, who received an Oscar nomination for his lead performance in “Get Out,” would reunite with Peele, and…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Donald Glover has won industry and critical acclaim as well as awards for the series “Atlanta.” But Glover surprised many observers last week when it was announced that after next year’s fourth season “Atlanta” will end. The decision was revealed by FX chairman John Landgraf, even while celebrating the return of the program for a third season beginning in March. Glover later went into more detail about the decision while talking with the Television Critics Association. “To be honest, I wanted to end it after Season 2, and I think we had talked about…
With the Super Bowl in Los Angeles and the NFL completing another season, the league’s sorry record in terms of diversity and inclusion has been discussed at length. Former Miami head coach Brian Flores’ lawsuit put the issue squarely in the public discussion, and many feel it helped the coaches hired by Miami and Houston get their jobs. But there’s widespread agreement that things have reached the point where the current Rooney Rule mandating that at least one minority be interviewed for any coaching or managerial position has proven woefully ineffective. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell went public on the issue…
By Ron Wynn NASHVILLE, TN — Both the Tennessee State men’s and women’s basketball teams hope to rebound at home this week as the OVC race enters its final two weeks. Things didn’t work out well for either squad during Saturday’s losses to Austin Peay. It was a particularly rough loss for the men, who lost a 10-point lead in the final eight minutes, then lost 54-52 on a shot by Tariq Silver with three seconds remaining. The Tigers scored only two points over the last five minutes. The Tigers had four players in double figures, but neither team shot…